Quarterback Trey Owens had the perfect way to celebrate his birthday on Wednesday. Surely there will be cake and gifts, but Owens decided to make the day a bit more memorable. He did that moments ago by announcing his commitment to the University of Texas.
A member of the 2024 recruiting class, Owens chose Texas over a handful of other offers, including scholarships from Baylor and Texas Tech. After repeated visits to Austin over the last year, Owens said Texas has shown him everything he needed to make an informed decision.
“Me and my family kind of talked. Do we really have reason to wait?,” Owens said. “UT has given me everything I’ve needed, anything I could really want. There was really no reason to wait.”
Owens, out of Cy Fair, picked up a Texas offer in November and was very open at that point that it was a big moment for him. He’s built a strong relationship with the Texas coaches and decided to put an early end to his recruitment on his birthday.
“The coaching staff is amazing. The style of play fits me,” Owens said. “They’ve been really honest with me. They’re always keeping in touch with me, seeing what I’m up to. It just felt like the right time to do it.”
Owens’ commitment comes less than a week after ballyhooed 2023 quarterback Arch Manning moved to Austin. Owens knows there will be tough competition once he gets to the Forty Acres, but he said he likes a challenge.
“I feel like I should be able to really have good competition with him, with Maalik (Murphy), who is still there. I’ll definitely be there to push him, if not take it away from him. I really wanted somewhere I can compete,” Owens said. “I don’t want to go somewhere and just be thrown in there.”
A pro-style quarterback who prefers to do his damage from the pocket, Owens threw for 2,840 yards and 34 touchdowns as a junior in 2022. He feels his skill set meshes well with what Steve Sarkisian likes to do on offense.
“One thing (Sarkisian) told me, ‘We recruit quarterbacks to throw, running backs to run.’ That hit me. That’s perfect,” Owens said. “I can run, but if I don’t need to I’m not going to. Plus their o-line is really good.”
Owens becomes the Longhorns’ third commitment in the 2024 class, joining wide receiver Hunter Moddon and athlete Jaden Allen. With his commitment now behind him, Owens has taken a big step towards fulfilling a childhood dream.
“For me, I just feel like it’s a dream come true,” Owens said. “Every little boy who has ever played football, the end goal and dream was to be a college player, be an NFL player. I feel like committing to UT puts me one step closer to my dream.”