Figured I'd post something about the Longhorns that wasn't about the doom and gloom of our program or Baylor.
As spring workouts begin, we’re looking ahead to the fall by selecting one newcomer on each Big 12 roster most likely to create excitement when he gets to work. This is not necessarily the best recruit or transfer or the most impactful; rather, it's the guy who demands your attention when he’s on the field.
Most exciting newcomer: QB Sam Ehlinger
The most common compliment you’ll hear about Ehlinger from the men who’ve coached him or recruited him usually goes something like this: “He's a dude.” Consider that a more Texan way of saying the kid’s got all the intangibles and “it” factor a coach could ever want. And it’s a perfectly valid claim.
ESPN’s No. 1 quarterback recruit in Texas for the 2017 class is a gifted dual-threat talent with a lot of toughness who should be ready to push for the QB1 job when the Longhorns open spring practice next week.
The thing that impresses coach Tom Herman most about the true freshman isn’t the resume he put together at nearby Austin Westlake, where he was the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year as a junior after leading his team to the 6A championship game. It’s not his well-developed arm or his run game experience or his size (6-foot-2, 219 pounds).
What Herman loves is the resilience Ehlinger showed in 2016 when things weren’t going his way. He suffered and played through a torn meniscus in a season-opening win over powerhouse Katy. He could’ve shut down his season after that injury, but instead pushed himself and got back on the field a month later. Then he suffered a season-ending fractured thumb. Six weeks later, Ehlinger made a surprise comeback and played through two playoff games before yet another injury, a broken wrist, ended his senior campaign.
“Yeah, everybody says it was an injury-laden senior year. It didn't have to be,” Herman said. “The guy could have said, 'I'm going to Texas' after that first one. He could have just said, ‘I'm out,’ and he didn't. That tells me a lot about, one, how much does the kid love football, and, two, how great of a teammate he is that he was willing to continue to put himself back out there even though he knew he had this opportunity at Texas waiting for him.”
That kind of maturity commands respect and will help him win over his Texas coaches and teammates. As long as he can stay 100 percent healthy this offseason, Ehlinger will get a serious opportunity to challenge sophomore Shane Buechele and establish himself as one of the Big 12’s most exciting newcomers.
As spring workouts begin, we’re looking ahead to the fall by selecting one newcomer on each Big 12 roster most likely to create excitement when he gets to work. This is not necessarily the best recruit or transfer or the most impactful; rather, it's the guy who demands your attention when he’s on the field.
Most exciting newcomer: QB Sam Ehlinger
The most common compliment you’ll hear about Ehlinger from the men who’ve coached him or recruited him usually goes something like this: “He's a dude.” Consider that a more Texan way of saying the kid’s got all the intangibles and “it” factor a coach could ever want. And it’s a perfectly valid claim.
ESPN’s No. 1 quarterback recruit in Texas for the 2017 class is a gifted dual-threat talent with a lot of toughness who should be ready to push for the QB1 job when the Longhorns open spring practice next week.
The thing that impresses coach Tom Herman most about the true freshman isn’t the resume he put together at nearby Austin Westlake, where he was the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year as a junior after leading his team to the 6A championship game. It’s not his well-developed arm or his run game experience or his size (6-foot-2, 219 pounds).
What Herman loves is the resilience Ehlinger showed in 2016 when things weren’t going his way. He suffered and played through a torn meniscus in a season-opening win over powerhouse Katy. He could’ve shut down his season after that injury, but instead pushed himself and got back on the field a month later. Then he suffered a season-ending fractured thumb. Six weeks later, Ehlinger made a surprise comeback and played through two playoff games before yet another injury, a broken wrist, ended his senior campaign.
“Yeah, everybody says it was an injury-laden senior year. It didn't have to be,” Herman said. “The guy could have said, 'I'm going to Texas' after that first one. He could have just said, ‘I'm out,’ and he didn't. That tells me a lot about, one, how much does the kid love football, and, two, how great of a teammate he is that he was willing to continue to put himself back out there even though he knew he had this opportunity at Texas waiting for him.”
That kind of maturity commands respect and will help him win over his Texas coaches and teammates. As long as he can stay 100 percent healthy this offseason, Ehlinger will get a serious opportunity to challenge sophomore Shane Buechele and establish himself as one of the Big 12’s most exciting newcomers.
