Goddammit, news like this just sucks…
Jake Ehlinger, Texas Longhorn Linebacker and younger brother of former UT, now Indianapolis Colts, quarterback Sam Ehlinger, was found dead in his apartment earlier today at just 20 years old. The Austin police have not yet released the cause of death, but have said it is “not considered suspicious.”
Jake, a redshirt sophomore, had been a member of the UT Football team since 2019, and while he hadn’t seen the field during those two seasons, was twice a member of the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll.
Coach Sarkisian called Jake a “tremendous person” in a statement:
“Words cannot express the depth of our sadness and the huge void we are feeling, but above all else, our hearts pour out to Sam, Jena, Morgen and the entire Ehlinger family.
Jake was a tremendous person and was everything you could ask for in a student-athlete. Being a Longhorn meant everything to him, and he truly embodied all that it means to be one.”
After running on the field together for their first college game, Sam said the moment was “Unreal… We’ve been dreaming about that our whole lives.”
Unfortunately, it’s not the first time the Ehlinger family has had to deal with a sudden, tragic death, as their father, Ross died in 2013 of a heart attack while competing in a triathlon.
Our prayers go out to the Ehlinger family.
