Texas QB commit Sam Ehlinger reportedly had knee surgery on Tuesday

It’s been previously noted that four-star Texas Longhorns quarterback commit and Austin Westlake senior Sam Ehlinger injured both of his knees in last Friday’s 32-29 win over defending Class 6A Division II state champions Katy.

Ehlinger had reportedly expressed to Katy Times Sports that he would not require surgery and that he’d be good to go this Friday, though that Tweet has since been deleted.

In any case, it seems the Ehlinger’s toughness, which lifted him to a spectacular second-half performance after initially injuring his knee in the second quarter, wasn’t enough and the four-star quarterback has surgery on his torn meniscus on Tuesday, per Chip Brown:

Given the typical recovery period for meniscus surgery, it’s possible Ehlinger has played his last game at Austin Westlake. As noted by WedMD, meniscus recovery periods vary based on factors including the pattern of the tear, how big the tear is, the person’s age, heath and activity level, but noted that heavy stresses like running should be postponed for “some months.”

One Austin-American Statesman writer believes the recovery time period could be six weeks, but it could be less. It could be more.

The University of Washington’s Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine website provided a bit more precise timetable for an injury like Ehlinger’s:

"Motion is increased as tolerated at six weeks, but deep squats are avoided until 12 weeks. Low impact type activities such as swimming and exercise machines are encouraged at 12 weeks, with advancement to cutting and pivoting sports generally at 16 weeks."

If this holds true for Ehlinger, as tough as he has proven to be, it’s possible the next time he’s involved in football-related activities could be once he arrives on the Forty Acres as an early enrollee in January, though he could be back during the regular season if it only takes six weeks or less. That’s the hope for Ehlinger, at this point.

It’s worth noting that while these are the typical recovery periods following meniscus surgery, each case varies.

We will provide further updates once they become public.