Ehlinger utilizes a unique inner drive to fuel his success

Any quarterback who ranks among the best in the country has to be confident and motivated. You don’t get to that elite level without talent, a strong work ethic and an intense inner drive.

Texas quarterback commitment Sam Ehlinger certainly has those traits, but his drive to succeed just may be as strong as any quarterback in the country.

Ehlinger, out of Austin Westlake, is a natural competitor. Those who know him well will tell you he’s always been that way. He will tell you himself that he has a natural will to succeed and overcome doubters. Couple that inner desire with a tremendous natural skill set, and it’s a recipe for success.

But Ehlinger has another driving force that pushes him every day.

Four years ago, when he was 14 years old, Ehlinger’s father passed away. Ross Ehlinger was competing in the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon in 2008 when he passed away suddenly and unexpectedly from a heart issue during the swim portion of the event.

Carrying around a loss like that could break a lot of young teenagers. Sam Ehlinger, who had yet to start high school at the time of his family’s tragic loss, has not only held it together in the years since his father’s death, he’s used that loss as motivation to excel. And excel he has.

To talk to Sam Ehlinger, a still young teenager who still has yet to start his senior year of high school, is to talk to a young man who seems to be mature beyond his years. Ehlinger is well spoken. He’s incredibly gracious with his time, as evidenced at The Opening this week. Ehlinger isn’t a player who necessarily craves the spotlight, but he understands that it comes with the territory when you’re a high-profile quarterback prospect. He was very willing to answer repetitive inquiries in countless interviews and face a barrage of questions following every session of the Elite 11 portion of the The Opening. After the first practice of the week, on Wednesday, when Ehlinger had about 10 microphones/video cameras shoved in his face, he looked every reporter in the eye and answered each question with a thoughtful, measured response. Mature beyond his years.

Ehlinger is self-motivated, but he admits that his close relationship with his family is another driving force in his football success and the way he leads his life every day.

“Really I just want to be great. That’s my motivation,” Ehlinger said. “And for my family, to make them proud. That’s probably the main thing.”

Included in that, of course, is the memory of his late father and wanting to live his life in a way that honors his dad, who was very involved in Sam’s athletic life before his passing.

“It’s just like I want to make him proud and I want to do the things he wanted me to do, exceed his expectations,” Ehlinger said. “I know he’s watching. That’s kind of how it plays into my motivation, that if he was here, what would he be making me do and how could I get better?”

Both of Ehlinger’s parents went to the University of Texas, and he said he thinks about his father’s influence every day. His father was always supportive of Sam’s hopes and dreams, but Ehlinger said he’s pretty sure his dad is smiling down on him knowing that Sam is committed to play quarterback at Texas.

“He never really told me that because he said whatever you want to do I’ll support 100 percent, but I’m pretty sure at the end of the day that’s what he would love,” Ehlinger said.

Strength and conditioning coach Jessica Vaiana has been training Ehlinger since he was 14 years old. She has coached numerous high-level athletes, including offensive linemen from the University of Texas, professional volleyball players and college basketball players. In Ehlinger, she sees a set of unique characteristics that she hasn’t seen elsewhere, and Vaiana said it was evident early on that Ehlinger would be successful.

“He is probably one of the most competitive people I’ve ever been around in my entire life,” Vaiana said. “He just has something that you can’t teach. It’s just a switch that he flips when he plays. He obviously has a lot of God-given talent and genetic gifts and he’s worked very, very hard. But I truly think his mentality is what’s gotten him to this point.

Ehlinger has obviously worked hard to maximize his talents, but Vaiana said it’s his natural competitive drive that has pushed him over the top.

“I think you just have it, and I think a lot of things that have happened to him - like losing his father - that has really made him laser focused,” she said. “He realizes what an opportunity he has, and he loves to play. Loves to play. Loves to compete.”

Ehlinger’s father was very involved in Sam’s athletic upbringing and was a respected figure in the Westlake community. Ross Ehlinger was the director of the Westlake Pop Warner football league and had coached youth baseball, basketball and lacrosse in addition to his involvement in football. Ehlinger has two younger siblings – brother Jake and sister Morgan – and after his father’s passing, a young Sam Ehlinger has done a remarkable job of helping teach them the same types of values that his father taught him.

“First of all, I think (his father’s death) has cultivated his leadership. He has two younger siblings … He has taken on a role of taking care of them. He has stepped up big time with his family and with his mom. He is very protective of his family,” Vaiana said. “I think basically just overcoming something like that, being able to get up every day and be functional, much less be a winner like he is, is something. And then I think he feels so comfortable with his decision of going to Texas. He could probably go anywhere. He’s always wanted to go there.”

A burnt orange passion runs deep in the Ehlinger family and Sam Ehlinger always knew he’d like to be a Longhorn. When Texas offered on June 15 of last year, Ehlinger took about a week to mull things over and talk to those close to him before officially committing. It really wasn’t a very tough decision.

“When you know you know. If you know when you’re 12 or 18, you know. I feel like he has so much peace knowing he’s going there because that’s the dream him and his dad had,” Vaiana said.

As a junior, Ehlinger threw for 3,833 yards and 50 touchdowns (against just 5 INTS) in leading Austin Westlake to the state title game. He added 1,360 yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground. In 2016, Ehlinger is hopeful he and his teammates can take that final step and bring home a championship.

“We’ve got to win state,” he said. “We got there, we know how it feels, we know how fun the run is, now we just have to finish.”

However the 2016 season plays out, Ehlinger can hold his head high knowing he has carried himself with class and maturity throughout his high school playing career, and he’s done it while having to overcome the type of adversity that would derail people with less character. And he can smile knowing he not only has achieved a tremendous amount of success at a young age, but his drive and determination probably have his father smiling down from above.

“He grew up at every football game, basketball game, baseball game, wearing burnt orange. I think now that he’s going to be able to take that on, that’s a real connection for him with his dad. He’s living a dream that he had,” Vaiana said.