Early in his high school career, Sam Ehlinger posted a short list on his bathroom wall.

The list, consisting of six or seven items, showed the records of former Westlake quarterbacks stretching back to when Super Bowl Champion Drew Brees and the Kansas City Chiefs’ Nick Foles wore a Chaparral uniform.

Each time Ehlinger passed a record, he went back and checked it off the list. And when the Texas commit takes the field against Katy on Friday for the first game of his senior season, he will have checked everyone.

“There’s that ‘it’ factor, people say that a lot,” said Westlake head coach Todd Dodge. “I found out real early with him that he does have it. It’s the fact that he thrives on competition. He wants to be the guy with the ball in his hands.”

Ehlinger’s competitiveness has propelled him as one of the best quarterbacks in the 2017 class. It made him a captain on his Westlake team. And it made him a major target of Texas head coach Charlie Strong.

Ehlinger has never been shy in accepting a leading role. As a sophomore, Dodge’s first year as head coach, he beat out three quarterbacks to start every game for a program that consistently vied for a district title. He completed almost 64 percent of his passes and guided the Chaparrals to seven wins.

But his electric blend of talent would stand out his junior season. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound quarterback tallied 3,833 passing yards and threw for 50 touchdowns. On the ground, he ran for 1,360 yards with another 20 scores.

With Ehlinger under center, the Chaparrals finished an overtime loss short of a state championship.

“He makes all the throws,” Dodge said. “He’s really an outstanding, dual-threat quarterback. He’s a really intelligent young man, high academic IQ, but really really high football IQ.”

All of it was enough to get the attention of Strong and his coaching staff. Texas made Ehlinger his fourth offer on July 19 following his sophomore season.

He didn’t take long to decide.

“Do you need to collect more offers,” Dodge said he asked him.

“What do you mean, Coach?” Ehlinger respond.

“Is this your dream school?” Dodge asked.

“Absolutely,” Ehlinger said.

Nine days after receiving his offer, Ehlinger committed to UT.

The Austin native grew up a Texas fan. Both of his parents went to UT and took him to football games as a child. He considered the players to be “superstars.”

“To actually play at Texas is awesome,” Ehlinger said.

Going to school less than 10 miles away from UT, Ehlinger has had a head start in connecting with his future team. He talks to Strong and the staff everyday, he said, and has already become good friends with most of the players.

He has even been seen helping the staff on the recruiting trail.

“I know all those [Texas] players really well,” Ehlinger said. “[With] the coaches, I’m already past the introduction stage. I’m pretty comfortable with them so I’m just looking forward to being there.”

What stands out most to Ehlinger about the Longhorns’ 2016 squad is youth. He sees the freshmen, such as quarterback Shane Buechele, and sophomores already taking a leadership role on and off the field.

He also likes the way Strong runs his program.

“It’s all around good spirits, its not trying to turn a cold shoulder,” Ehlinger said. “I’m not about that, I’m about good men with integrity and that’s what Coach Strong is. He’s going to make you a good person. He’s not going to let you slip up and I really value that”

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Ehlinger will be a high school student for just another four months. He plans to enroll at Texas for the spring semester and join the Longhorns early in preparation for his first season.

When starts his season Friday, he’s aiming for another state tournament run. He also hopes his focus on consistency will help him become a better leader.

“Consistency is something I really value and something I really think that if you’re consistent and work hard consistently, you’re going to be good,” Ehlinger said. “That’s something I just really focused on and leading these guys out here. [I’ve been] voicing what I know from our run and voicing those thoughts.

“It will be my last four months with a bunch of my best friends I’ve grown up with and played football with forever,” Ehlinger said. “I’m just trying to soak it up and get as many wins as possible.”

And when he arrives at Texas, he’ll hang another records list on the wall in his dorm room.

“Different records of course, but I’ll be chasing those as well,” Ehlinger said.