AUSTIN, Texas — If you couldn't tell by now, Texas Longhorns quarterback Sam Ehlinger is a huge family man.
Ehlinger has spoken to a couple different media outlets before about the importance of his family, especially since the passing of his father in 2013. In a piece with The Players' Tribune, Ehlinger expressed that he had to step up and be there for his family more than ever.
"The way I felt by taking care of my family, I think that carried over to how I lead on the field," Ehlinger told The Players' Tribune.
Sam wanted to share his younger brother's first moment of taking the field at Darrell K. Royal-Memorial Stadium, together.
"Unreal, we've been dreaming of that our whole lives," Sam Ehlinger said after defeating Louisiana Tech 45-14. "We got the opportunity to run out together... season opener. It was really cool."
Jake Ehlinger is a walk-on freshman for the Longhorns. Jake carried the American flag out of the tunnel as the Ehlinger brothers led the team onto the field together.
KVUE's Jake Garcia caught the brothers' moment before the game. According to Sam, Jake was awarded the honor of holding the American for winning a competition in practice.
The Ehlinger family have been Texas Longhorns fans since both Sam and Jake were young boys. Jena told The Players' Tribune there were two things their family did: "go to Texas football games and go to church."
"Texas football was kind of the connecting point for my family," Sam explained. "It was something we were always looking forward to, something we could always talk about."
"For me, being a huge fan and being a playing quarterback and being a leader inside my family and put all those parts together, it's unreal," Sam said.