Texas Football: Sam Ehlinger ranks among most versatile QB’s since 2000 with this stat

Rising senior Texas football dual-threat quarterback Sam Ehlinger is one of the more proven signal callers returning in the Power Five this year.

The driving force for the Texas football program this fall is going to be the effort of rising senior star quarterback Sam Ehlinger. The Longhorns got a solid last two years worth of production from Sam, but this will be his most crucial season yet. Ehlinger blossomed into the best returning quarterback in the Big 12 for the 2020 campaign and a consistent all-conference level performer.

Although the Longhorns didn’t find as much fortune in the win column in 2019 ad they did in 2018, Ehlinger’s production actually improved a bit in the passing game. He tallied up more than 4,000 total yards, a career best in completion percentage and passer efficiency rating, 39 total touchdowns, and just 10 picks.

For his career thus far in three years playing for Texas, Ehlinger registered nearly 9,000 passing yards, 68 touchdowns through the air, more than 1,600 rushing yards, and 25 scores on the ground. He’s among the most versatile and productive Power Five quarterbacks in the entire country both over the last couple of seasons and that will be returning this fall.

In fact, according to Pro Football Focus, Ehlinger was one of the best Power Five quarterbacks in terms of completions of 25 yards or more that is returning again this year. He was tied for third on that list alongside standout rising sophomore Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Jayden Daniels. UNC’s Sam Howell and Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence were the only two that ranked ahead of Ehlinger.

But Ehlinger is not only a threat with his arm, he is a well-known dual-threat weapon that head coach Tom Herman utilizes well in both phases of his offense. Ehlinger actually is tied for third among all FBS quarterbacks since the turn of the century in terms of total games played with more than 30 rushing yards and 150 passing yards (12).

That list of quarterbacks also with those criteria that Ehlinger is tied with includes the like of former Louisville Cardinals Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson and Tim Tebow of the Florida Gators. Both Jackson and Tebow won Heismans in the last 15 years.

Moreover, Ehlinger was the leader in the Big 12 in total plays last season (with 617). He also ranks among the top 15 players in Big 12 history in terms of touchdowns responsible for (93). Compile that with the fact that he led the Big 12 in rushing touchdowns back in 2018, you arrive at a point that Ehlinger is one of the most versatile FBS quarterbacks since the turn of the century.