Former Texas Coach Turned USC Staffer Breaks Silence on Jake Ehlinger Tragedy
The University of Texas received devastating news last week as linebacker Jake Ehlinger, younger brother of quarterback Sam Ehlinger, passed away according to the Austin police department.
In a statement released by the school, Texas Athletic Director Chris Del Conte wrote:
“Our hearts are truly broken and we are just devastated today to learn of the passing of our Longhorn family member Jake Ehlinger," Del Conte said. "Jake was an amazing young man from an extraordinary family with such a bright future ahead of him. It’s just such a tragedy that we are all really struggling with.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to his loved ones and friends, especially the Ehlinger family and our entire football program. Jake’s family — Sam, Jena, and Morgen — are such vital parts of our Longhorn family, and we will be here to support them in any and every way we can during this very difficult time.
"While the sense of pain and loss are deep, our focus at this time is on providing support to Jake’s family, our football student-athletes, coaches and staff, and everyone so greatly impacted by this in our athletics department. We have resources in place and grief counseling available as we help support everyone in our program. With that said, we sincerely hope that everyone will respect their privacy as we deal with this devastating news."
There are a few coaches on USC's staff who previously worked at Texas, and got to know the Ehlinger family well. One being safeties coach Craig Naviar who formerly coached the safety position and served as the Longhorns co-defensive coordinator in 2019.
On Wednesday Naviar took to social media to post a photo of Ehlinger's jersey, honoring No. 48.
Naviar wasn't the only one who expressed his feelings on social media, many teammates, coaches, and players also took to Twitter to express their disbelief over the matter.
Jake, the younger brother to QB Sam Ehlinger did not play during his two seasons with the Texas Longhorns, but it's very clear that he made a huge impact on everyone he met.
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