Sam Ehlinger owes it to Texas to leave program

It is time for Sam Ehlinger to turn the page and go pro after a great Texas football career.

While this year did not count, Sam Ehlinger owes it to the Texas football program to call it a college career and pursue his dreams in the NFL this spring.

Ehlinger may only be a day-three 2021 NFL Draft prospect, but him returning to Austin for yet another season would only be a selfish maneuver. Sure, he may be able to climb up the Big 12 passing record books, think about maybe bringing Texas back and possibly be a Heisman Trophy finalist, but he is not going to grow playing one more snap for free with the Texas Longhorns.

It was an excellent college career, but all good things must come to an end

While 2021 would not be a critical year for Ehlinger at Texas, as his legacy is firmly established, it is a beyond critical one for head coach Tom Herman. If Herman cannot get the Longhorns to the Big 12 Championship game and contending for a College Football Playoff spot, it may be time for the university to seriously look at replacing him with someone other than Urban Meyer for 2022.

Let’s be real. If Ehlinger was going to bring Texas back, 2020 was it. He was a three-year starter at a traditional power with his arch rival’s program starting a redshirt freshman in Spencer Rattler at Oklahoma. Yes, there was a pandemic and everything, but Texas wasted a golden opportunity to take firm control of the Big 12. What is the point in running it back for only more of the same?

Ehlinger can enter the 2021 NFL Draft to begin his professional career with his head held high. He did his part to make Texas football respectable in his four years in school. He does not need to carry the loathsome burden any longer. It is someone else’s turn to try their best to make the Longhorns a national power again. We have to believe Casey Thompson is ready for his chance.

If Ehlinger were to return to Austin for his super-duper senior year, he will go from what, the 12th best quarterback prospect to the sixth, maybe? College football is awesome and Ehlinger has been a big part of that for Longhorn Nation for a while now. However, sometimes you have to accept that it is time to move on, now matter how much fun you are having playing college football.

The 2020 Alamo Bowl should be the last game we see Ehlinger donning burnt orange and white.

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