PHILADELPHIA – Texas Football quarterback Sam Ehlinger was named a semifinalist for the 2019 Maxwell Award, Maxwell Football Club President Mark Dianno announced Tuesday. Ehlinger is the first Longhorn to be named a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award, which is awarded annually to the Collegiate Player of the Year, since Colt McCoy won the award in 2009. Longhorn Legends Tommy Nobis (1965), Ricky Williams (1998) and Vince Young (2005) also won the Maxwell Award during their careers.

Ehlinger, a native of Austin, Texas, has played in and started all eight games for the Longhorns this season. He has thrown for 2,378 yards (No. 7 nationally/No. 3 Big 12) and tossed 23 touchdowns (No. 6/No. 1), while also rushing for 361 yards and five scores. The junior’s 2,739 yards of total offense are the most by a Longhorn through the first eight games of a season, including UT’s four Maxwell Award winners.

Ehlinger matched his career high with four touchdown passes against Louisiana Tech, now-No. 1 LSU, Oklahoma State and Kansas. He is the only quarterback in Texas history to throw for at least four touchdowns on four separate occasions in a single season. He is also one of only five FBS quarterbacks to throw four-or-more touchdown passes on at least four occasions so far in 2019.

The Texas QB has put in a number of impressive performances so far this year, topped by a 401-yard, four-touchdown effort against the now-top-ranked LSU Tigers back on Sept. 7. That day, Ehlinger became the first quarterback to throw for more than 400 yards against LSU since West Virginia’s Geno Smith did so in 2011. It was also the sixth 400-yard passing game in school history, and the first of Ehlinger’s career.

He nearly added a second 400-yard game to his resume when he threw for 399 yards and four touchdowns against Kansas on Oct. 19. Much of Ehlinger’s production against the Jayhawks came in the decisive fourth quarter, where he completed 11-of-15 passes for 204 yards and two scores. Ehlinger also rushed for 91 yards to post 490 yards of total offense against KU, a career-high for Ehlinger and the No. 3 mark in school history. His outing against Kansas made him just the fourth Power Five QB in the last 20 seasons to pass for at least 390 yards and rush for at least 90 yards against a conference opponent. Two of the other three were Heisman Trophy winners during their careers.

Semifinalist voting for the Maxwell Award begins on Oct. 30 and closes on Nov. 24. Three finalists will be announced on Nov. 25 and a second round of voting will take place at that time. Eligible voters include Maxwell Football Club members, NCAA head football coaches, sports information directors and selected national media.

The winner of the 83rd Maxwell Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show presented by Gildanwhich and will broadcast live on ESPN on Dec. 12. The formal presentation of the Maxwell Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club’s Awards Dinner on Friday, March 6, 2020 at the Tropicana Casino & Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey.