2019 Texas Player Spotlight: Caden Sterns

By John Hamilton

Share or Save for Later

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Save to Favorites

Sam Ehlinger still remembers the last time he treated Caden Sterns like a freshman.

Spring 2018, Sterns’ first semester on campus, Sterns was taking reps in practice against Ehlinger and the first-team offense. Ehlinger saw the incoming freshman Sterns in one-high safety protection over the top and heard offensive coordinator Tim Beck dial up a fade. In that second, Ehlinger knew exactly how to beat Sterns.

Ehlinger snapped the ball and looked off his intended target. A young safety will almost always track a quarterback’s eyes instead of the play and break offsides. Not Caden Sterns, though.

“He started to creep that way, but he didn’t take the bait,” Ehlinger said. “Right when I turned my eyes back, he knew exactly what I was doing, ran over and picked me off. And I was like, wow, this guy is elite. I already had a year of experience under my belt, but he was advanced enough to know what I was doing before I did it.”

It wasn’t a shock that Sterns picked up the ropes quickly at Texas. The Cibolo Steele product was an All-American and consensus five-star prospect, and part of one of the better defensive back recruiting classes in state history. But right from the beginning, Sterns separated himself from the other four top 100 defensive back prospects Texas signed.

“To see how physical he was and how good a nose for the football he had in coverage that first spring, it was pretty apparent,” Tom Herman said.

Texas needed a playmaker to step up after losing unanimous All-American safety DeShon Elliott to the NFL draft. Asking a true freshman to fill that role was a big ask. Sterns impressed enough that he won a starting job as a true freshman.

The results speak for themselves. He was named Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year and First-Team All-Big 12 after posting 62 tackles, three tackles for loss and four interceptions primarily at free safety. He swung wins against TCU and Baylor with timely turnovers a season ago and helped lead the Longhorns to 10 wins for the first time since 2009. With a year of experience under his belt, expectations are off the charts.

“He understands what offenses are trying to do because he watches a ton of film,” Ehlinger said. “He’s always trying to figure out how he can get better. That mentality that he has is what separates him from the other safeties in the country.”

This article is available to our Digital Subscribers.
Click "Subscribe Now" to see a list of subscription offers.
Already a Subscriber? Sign In to access this content.

Sign In