Texas Football: 3 early Longhorns Heisman Trophy candidates
1. Sam Ehlinger, Quarterback
By far the best Heisman candidate for the Texas football program this fall will be Ehlinger. The stud to-be senior signal caller will be one of best and most well-recognized stars in the Big 12 this fall. He should also be one of the nation’s most productive quarterbacks. He is coming off yet another season with All-Big 12 honors and efficiency that carried the Texas offense.
The Big 12 returns a lot of quarterback talent in 2020, but Ehlinger tops that list. Brock Purdy of the Iowa State Cyclones and Charlie Brewer of the Baylor Bears could challenge Ehlinger to hold the crown of the top at the position in the Big 12, but shouldn’t be able to surpass him given all the weapons that will be surrounding him this fall.
Last season, Ehlinger amassed more than 4,300 total yards from scrimmage and 39 total touchdowns to go along with 10 interceptions. He continued his record-breaking production through his college career that is seeing him put up numbers challenging that of Colt McCoy and Vince Young.
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Ehlinger also posted a passer efficiency rating of 151.8, 8.5 adjusted passing yards per attempt, and a 65.2 completion percentage. All of those key stats were good for career-highs for Ehlinger as his brilliance largely flew under the radar thanks to Texas’ struggled in the midst of the Big 12 slate.
However, Ehlinger should challenge the likes of Ohio State’s Justin Fields, Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, and Georgia’s Jamie Newman to be a 2020 Heisman finalist come the end of the upcoming regular season.