The fascinating story behind Sam Ehlinger's 'we're back' comment

The Texas Longhorns have been all the buzz on social media and beyond lately after making their splash after their welcome celebration in Austin during their first day as an official member of the SEC. This historic day hopes to accelerate the Longhorns program as they are now a part of what many deem to be the strongest conference in the country.

Before the 2023 season however in which they made a college football playoff appearance, the Texas Longhorns have been a program the last decade-plus that have fallen on hard times. And the last time the Longhorns appeared to be ascending to the top of the college football world, they came crashing down again, leaving many fans mocking the moment when their starting quarterback at the time Sam Ehlinger seemed supremely confident on the field after a game.

What did Sam Ehlinger say after the Sugar Bowl?

The Texas Longhorns defeated the Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl in 2019 by a score of 28-21. Despite the Bulldogs having multiple starters out on both sides of the ball, the Longhorns were on cloud nine with the victory, and appeared to be a program on the ascent.

After the game in an on-field interview with ESPN’s Holly Rowe, Ehlinger let all of Longhorn nation know that the horns were “back.” With a drawn out “a” on the end, this quickly gained national attention and made fans that were not in favor of the Longhorns even more passionate against them. Ehlinger’s comment however was little known across the national landscape.

What is the story behind Sam Ehlinger’s ‘we’re back’ comment?

Way back to the 2005 National Championship which saw the Texas Longhorns defeat the USC Trojans in the Rose Bowl, quarterback Vince Young was interviewed on the field like Ehlinger was.

Impromptu, Young stated “we’ll be back” when asked if the team would like to return to Pasadena for the national championship the following year.

Fast forwarding again to 2019, this is why Ehlinger made the same type of comment after the Sugar Bowl in 2019, as he was confident the Longhorns would be on the rise once again.

With all of the hate the Longhorns receive, and especially lately, I felt this was worth bringing up not only because it is an interesting piece of their history, but the Ehlinger comment does have some significance and was not just him impulsively making a statement on the field like many assume.