Texas Football: 3 reasons Shane Buechele should stay

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AUSTIN, TX – OCTOBER 13: Sam Ehlinger #11 of the Texas Longhorns thorws a pass in the first half against the Baylor Bears at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on October 13, 2018 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /

2. Injury history with Sam Ehlinger

Buechele does get to take a redshirt year this year thanks to the new NCAA rule. He didn’t play in the more than four required games before having to forego his one redshirt year. But, he did see the field in two different games that both resulted in wins. This is his one redshirt year, though, which will allow him to have two years of eligibility left wherever he goes.

A shoulder injury that Ehlinger originally suffered against the Baylor Bears sidelined him for all of the second half and also forced him out against the Iowa State Cyclones. Buechele was brilliant in his outing for Texas football against Iowa State, leading them to a key 14-point victory against a top-25 ranked team.

Yet, it’s rare that we get a full healthy season for Ehlinger. Mainly due to his running style, Ehlinger often finds himself injured with an upper-body injury or a concussion. It was the shoulder sprain that cost him playing time against Baylor and Iowa State this year and a concussion that caused him to miss a handful of starts in 2017.

There’s no guarantee that the starting quarterback is ever going to stay healthy through a full regular season and postseason slate. We hope with everything we have that Ehlinger remains healthy for the restaurant of his career on the Forty Acres, but the Horns also need to be prepared for whatever situation would toss a backup quarterback into key game action.

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