The sports world is still reeling over the shocking and sudden death of Jake Ehlinger. The Longhorns linebacker, who is the brother of former Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger, was found dead off campus on Thursday afternoon, according to the Austin Police Department.
No information on a cause of death was released, but police said the death is not considered suspicious.
On Thursday night, the Texas Football program posted a tribute video for Jake.
The loss is another tragedy for the Ehlinger family. Their father, Ross, died in 2013 during a triathlon in San Francisco from a heart attack at age 46. It was just days ago when Sam, their sister, Morgen, and their mother, Jena, were celebrating after the QB was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the sixth round.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian called the death “a tragedy beyond measure.”
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral Football stories via Google! Follow Us
“Words cannot express the depth of our sadness and the huge void we are feeling, but above all else, our hearts pour out to Sam, Jena, Morgen and the entire Ehlinger family,” Sarkisian said in a statement. “Jake was a tremendous person and was everything you could ask for in a student-athlete. Being a Longhorn meant everything to him, and he truly embodied all that it means to be one.”
Jake played linebacker at Texas for two seasons.
UT athletics Director Chris Del Conte issued the following statement:
“Our hearts are truly broken and we are just devastated today to learn of the passing of our Longhorn family member Jake Ehlinger. 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.”
Jake Ehlinger was 20 years old.
