ARLINGTON – Texas junior quarterback Sam Ehlinger will descend on Big 12 Media Days on Tuesday, but opposing coaches sure did not mind praising him on Monday.
During Monday’s breakout session, I asked Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy and TCU’s Gary Patterson about Ehlinger, and each had positive things to say about the Ehlinger. Riley has faced Ehlinger three times, Gundy played him twice, while Patterson went against him last year (Shane Buechele started in 2017). Kansas coach Les Miles and Texas Tech’s Matt Wells participated in media days, but neither has played against Ehlinger yet.
Here is what each coach said about Ehlinger:
Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley
“I think he’s a really good player. I really do. I’ve been impressed with his improvement. He certainly looked like he improved quite a bit as a thrower there last year. He’s always been a tough, competitive kid. He’s tough because they can run him like a fullback. He’s physical runner that can, and does, take a lot of punishments, and does it well. A very effective runner. You combine that with a much-improved thrower, you get a really good player, and he is. He’s a tough competitor. I’ve got a lot of respect for him.
Riley on how hard it was to defend Ehlinger during the regular season
“He’s tough to defend anytime. He’s a good player. They had really nice weapons around him. He was tough in both games. We certainly played better in the second one than the first one. He’s a tough guy to play against no matter what.”
Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy
“He’s really developed. When they’re young, they make some mistakes. They kind of grow out of them. I thought he really improved in the latter part of the season. When we played him, he was really coming on. I saw them play somebody late, and he played well in the bowl game. Sam is 230 pounds now? He’s pretty big. He’s been a physical player for them. Another guy in this league who has played really well in that position.”
TCU coach Gary Patterson
“I always judge quarterbacks by winning, and he won a year ago. Find ways to win, don’t turn the ball over, put your team in a situation to win. That’s a big deal. Makes a big difference. Like all of us, he has to come back and do it his junior year and senior year also. Any time you play good defense, you have good quarterback play, make plays, score points, you’re going to have a chance to win if you don’t turn the ball over, you’re going to be a lot better football team.”
Texas football coach Tom Herman will speak at the podium on Tuesday at 12:25 p.m. Receiver Collin Johnson, safety Brandon Jones, defensive end Malcolm Roach, center Zach Shackelford and Ehlinger are making the trip to Arlington, too.
During Monday’s breakout session, I asked Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy and TCU’s Gary Patterson about Ehlinger, and each had positive things to say about the Ehlinger. Riley has faced Ehlinger three times, Gundy played him twice, while Patterson went against him last year (Shane Buechele started in 2017). Kansas coach Les Miles and Texas Tech’s Matt Wells participated in media days, but neither has played against Ehlinger yet.
Here is what each coach said about Ehlinger:
Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley
“I think he’s a really good player. I really do. I’ve been impressed with his improvement. He certainly looked like he improved quite a bit as a thrower there last year. He’s always been a tough, competitive kid. He’s tough because they can run him like a fullback. He’s physical runner that can, and does, take a lot of punishments, and does it well. A very effective runner. You combine that with a much-improved thrower, you get a really good player, and he is. He’s a tough competitor. I’ve got a lot of respect for him.
Riley on how hard it was to defend Ehlinger during the regular season
“He’s tough to defend anytime. He’s a good player. They had really nice weapons around him. He was tough in both games. We certainly played better in the second one than the first one. He’s a tough guy to play against no matter what.”
Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy
“He’s really developed. When they’re young, they make some mistakes. They kind of grow out of them. I thought he really improved in the latter part of the season. When we played him, he was really coming on. I saw them play somebody late, and he played well in the bowl game. Sam is 230 pounds now? He’s pretty big. He’s been a physical player for them. Another guy in this league who has played really well in that position.”
TCU coach Gary Patterson
“I always judge quarterbacks by winning, and he won a year ago. Find ways to win, don’t turn the ball over, put your team in a situation to win. That’s a big deal. Makes a big difference. Like all of us, he has to come back and do it his junior year and senior year also. Any time you play good defense, you have good quarterback play, make plays, score points, you’re going to have a chance to win if you don’t turn the ball over, you’re going to be a lot better football team.”
Texas football coach Tom Herman will speak at the podium on Tuesday at 12:25 p.m. Receiver Collin Johnson, safety Brandon Jones, defensive end Malcolm Roach, center Zach Shackelford and Ehlinger are making the trip to Arlington, too.
