The sports community is mourning the sudden and tragic death of Jake Ehlinger. The linebacker for the Longhorns and the brother of former Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger was discovered deceased off campus on Thursday afternoon, as per the Austin Police Department.
Although no details regarding the cause of death have been disclosed, the authorities have confirmed that there is no suspicion of foul play.
On Thursday evening, the Texas Football program released a video tribute in honor of Jake.
This loss adds to the existing heartache for the Ehlinger family. Their father, Ross, passed away in 2013 during a triathlon in San Francisco from a heart attack at the age of 46. Just recently, the family–Sam, their sister, Morgen, and their mother, Jena–were rejoicing as Sam was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the sixth round of the NFL Draft.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian referred to the passing as “a tremendous tragedy.”
“Words cannot fully capture the depth of our sorrow and the immense void we are experiencing, but most importantly, our hearts go out to Sam, Jena, Morgen, and the entire Ehlinger family,” Sarkisian expressed in a statement. “Jake was an outstanding individual and embodied all the qualities of a top student-athlete. The University of Texas meant the world to him, and he truly exemplified what it means to be a Texas Longhorn.”
Jake had been a linebacker for Texas for two seasons.
UT athletics Director Chris Del Conte released the following statement:
“Our hearts are truly shattered as we mourn the loss of our beloved Longhorn family member Jake Ehlinger. Jake was a remarkable young man from an exceptional family with a promising future ahead of him. It is a tragedy that we are all struggling to comprehend. Our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones, especially the Ehlinger family and our entire football program.
Jake’s family–Sam, Jena, and Morgen–are integral parts of our Longhorn family, and we are here to offer them our unwavering support during this exceedingly difficult time. While the pain and sorrow run deep, our current focus is on providing assistance to Jake’s family, our football student-athletes, coaches, staff, and everyone affected by this tragedy within our athletics department. We have support systems in place and counseling services available as we work to aid all those within our program. With that in mind, we respectfully ask that everyone respects their privacy as we navigate through this heartbreaking news.”
Jake Ehlinger was only 20 years old.
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