INSCMagazine: Get Social!

AUSTIN, TX — With the 2019-20 college football season two weeks away, there are already many picking Alabama-Clemson V to happen, and have the likes of Tua Tagovailoa, Travis Ettienne, D’Andre Swift, Justin Herbert, Trevor Lawrence and Jake Fromm as Heisman front runners, one name that many should keep an eye on is Texas Longhorns junior quarterback, Sam Ehlinger.

Ehlinger, a 6’3 230-pound dual-threat quarterback from Austin, starred at the same Austin-area high school as Super Bowl MVP’s Drew Brees and Nick Foles.

If there are any questions as to if Texas is back, Ehlinger is the caveat to that rhetorical question as he and head coach Tom Herman both are married at the hip in restoring one of college football’s most storied and recognized brands.

In his first full season as starter, Ehlinger passed for 3,292 yards, 25 touchdowns and only five interceptions while completing 64.7 percent of his passes and registering a QB rating of 146.8.

If there is one thing that separates Ehlinger from many is his ability to run on the ground effectively as he added 418 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns.

In what was the game that officially launched his 2019 Heisman campaign, Ehlinger ran for three touchdowns and bested Georgia QB Jake Fromm in a Longhorns 28-21 win in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

While his stat line of 19-27 for 169 yards passing may not be the sexiest, Ehlinger completed 70.4 percent of his passes and posted a passer rating of 122.9

In what could be a banner year for him, Ehlinger will have plenty of chances to make his Heisman case vs. LSU at home (9/7), on the road in Morgantown at West Virginia (10/5), in the Red River Rivalry vs. Oklahoma in Dallas (10/12), up in Fort Worth at TCU (10/26), at the season finale at home vs. Texas Tech (11/29).

And if things go well, the Big 12 Championship Game and possibly the College Football Playoff.

A born Longhorn thru and thru, what better and more fitting way for Texas to announce its return to the college football elite than a Austin native and lifelong fan such as Ehlinger leading the charge back to national respect.

They say that everything is bigger in Texas, especially football and if somehow Ehlinger does the unthinkable in winning the Heisman and leading the Longhorns to a conference title and CFP birth, he will give new meaning to the term Texas-sized.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.