2017 QB Sam Ehlinger Gives Texas Another Dual-Threat Playmaker for the Future

As someone whose popularity is on a steady rise, 2017 quarterback Sam Ehlinger considers Texas his "dream school."

He always has.

On Tuesday, Ehlinger committed to the school he's been a fan of since he was a small child, per EJ Holland of 247Sports. There wasn't a need to take any out-of-state—or out-of-city—visits to help finalize his college plans.

His future college home literally is minutes away from his current Austin, Texas, residence. Ehlinger, a 3-star prospect and the nation's No. 11 dual-threat quarterback, committed to the Longhorns over early offers from Houston, SMU and McNeese State. He joins 4-star wide receiver Damion Miller in Texas' 2017 class.

Ehlinger's pledge says a lot about the Longhorns. They've yet to play a down in the 2015 season, and they already have quarterback plans for the next three seasons.

"I've always loved Texas," Ehlinger told Holland. "It's always been my dream school. My family loves Texas, too. We grew up watching them, so I always knew that I wanted to play at Texas. We're all really excited about it."

Ehlinger's commitment gives Westlake High School another quarterback to be on the lookout for. Westlake has a nice lineage of quarterbacks, including Super Bowl champion Drew Brees and Pro Bowler Nick Foles.

Additionally, Westlake is coached by Todd Dodge, who played quarterback for the Longhorns in the 1980s. Ehlinger's parents also attended Texas.

"I know of a lot of kids wait really long to see how many offers they can pick up," Ehlinger told Brian Davis of the Austin American-Statesman. "To me, it was about waiting to get the offer from Texas. I didn't see any point in waiting any longer.

"I grew up going to DKR [Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium] and watching football games. It was my childhood school and childhood dream."

Texas is getting an athlete who is riding a streak of confidence. Ehlinger led Westlake to a 7-on-7 state championship earlier this month, and he shined during the Longhorns' Under the Lights Camp. The camp was on July 18, and when he went back to the campus the following day, he received the offer.

At 6'1" and 207 pounds, Ehlinger isn't the biggest quarterback, but he's a game manager who makes minimal turnovers. As a sophomore, Ehlinger threw for 2,300 yards and 24 touchdowns with only six interceptions. He completed 179 of 272 passes (65.8 percent)—and he still has two years of varsity play to improve.

Additionally, Ehlinger rushed for 722 yards and nine scores, which says a lot about his footwork, versatility and overall ability to evade defenders. Having Ehlinger on campus with 2016 commit and Elite 11 quarterback Shane Buechele gives Longhorns fans much to cheer about for the future at the position.

"I think the offense is a perfect fit for me," Ehlinger told Holland. "What they're planning to do this year is really similar to what we're doing at Westlake. I think it really fits what I can do."

Quarterbacks coach Shawn Watson will have his stable of athletic quarterbacks to choose from when Ehlinger is a freshman. Jerrod Heard will be a redshirt junior, Kai Locksley will have been on campus three years and Buechele will have been there two years.

And when his name is called, expect Ehlinger to be a competitor for the school he's rooted for all his life.

Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles