Austin Westlake quarterback Sam Ehlinger is already regarded as one of the country's top prospects at his position. For Ehlinger, a Texas Longhorn commitment, he's not satisfied with his current status and he plans to spend the bulk of the summer working to improve his craft. In fact, there will be no downtime this summer for Ehlinger with a busy schedule that starts up as soon as his junior year of school concludes.
"I have a pretty packed front end of the summer. This weekend, I'm going to San Diego for the Steve Clarkson Camp. I'll be there with Tate Martell, Jake Allen, I think Shea Patterson will be there. There are a couple big names, so I'm hoping to get better there. The weekend after that, I'll be in L.A. for the Elite 11 Finals.
"Then June 13, I start summer workouts, will mix in 7 on 7 with all of that. I'll pretty much do that for the rest of the summer."
Key quotes: Ehlinger said he speaks to the Texas coaches in some capacity pretty much every single day. They're past the point of "small talk," he said, and now it's more about really getting to know one another. Most of his conversations are with Sterlin Gilbert, Jeff Traylor, Vance Bedford and Charlie Strong.
"In this world, there aren't a lot of real people. Especially in the college football world. There aren't in the real world when you're trying to get what you want. When you see coach Strong interact with people, family, players, he really means it, for the best of not only him and his program, but for his player. That's what I really value in him. It's not all about himself, making the person better whether it's best for the program or not."
Unsure of UT camp plans: With so much coming up in the next couple weeks, Ehlinger isn't sure if he'll be able to attend some of the UT summer camps. He said he'll likely go out there to see some of the players that are in town working out, and if the coaches want him to work out so they can get some time coaching him, he'll probably even do that.
Putting it on the line: A few weeks ago, on May 1,Ehlinger made the trek cross country to participate in an Elite 11 Regional camp in New Jersey. The travel efforts paid off, with Ehlinger earning a spot in the Elite 11 Finals.
"It was great. That was ultimate goal," Ehlinger said of the Finals invitation. "They told me to go to another one of those camps. The one I did in Houston was great as well. I learned a lot. I didn't want to pass up an opportunity to get better and get that invitation."
For the 6-1, 207-pound Ehlinger, the opportunity to test his skills against some of the nation's best quarterbacks, and maybe pick up some tips along the way, is an invaluable experience.
"My daily motto, what I want to do every day is get better," Ehlinger said. "By going to camps, getting exposure, seeing the way others do it, that's the way to do it and get better."
Not feeling the pressure: In two months, it will be a full year since Ehlinger has committed to play for the Texas Longhorns. That early decision has undoubtedly made the recruiting process less stressful for the Rivals150 member.
As for the national camps, Ehlinger takes with him a competitive spirit but also understands his performances at the upcoming events are only a small part of the picture.
"I'm just going to do what I do. I know what I can do. My teammates (at Westlake) and everyone around me know what I can do," Ehlinger said. "I want to prove that to everyone else. If I do I'll go to Oregon (for The Opening). If not, it will be a great learning experience and I'll just move forward."
