Former Longhorn Sam Ehlinger Was 'Always Preparing' To Be Named Colts Starting QB

Sam Ehlinger detailed his approach as a backup quarterback and how he stayed prepared to be named starter.

When the Indianapolis Colts drafted former Texas Longhorns quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft, there was no telling when he would earn a chance to start with Carson Wentz firmly entrenched as the Colts' starter. 

Then, when the Colts traded for Matt Ryan this past offseason, those same questions remained. However, it was announced on Monday that the Colts were naming Ehlinger the starter for the remainder of the season. 

While this came as a massive shock to both NFL fans and media, and potentially Ehlinger himself, he never stopped preparing as if he was going to be named the starter on any given day. 

"Always preparing to be the starter," Ehlinger said. "Regardless of when the opportunity was gonna come, I was gonna be ready, and that's alleviated a lot of the stress."

"I mean, I can’t imagine if I weren’t preparing the way that I was and it’s like, 'Hey, you’re up.'"

Of course, sitting and learning behind Ryan and Nick Foles was an ideal situation for Ehlinger, with the quarterback calling learning from the two veteran signal callers "an education I can't pay for." 

How successful Ehlinger is for the Colts is yet to be seen but he now has the golden opportunity to take full control of the starting job much sooner than he likely anticipated. 

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You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98

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