Texas freshman quarterback Sam Ehlinger was forced to grow up quickly.
The Westlake product lost his father to a likely heart arrhythmia when he in eighth grade, changing his role as the oldest brother to two siblings permanently.
Ehlinger and his family spoke to ESPN's Bonnie D. Ford for a profile, where his mother Jena Ehlinger credited him for his maturity after his father's tragic passing.
"He has been my rock at times, and my friend, my buddy, but I also really tried to let him be a kid," said Jena Ehlinger, mother of Sam Ehlinger, to ESPN's Bonnie Ford.