Number Five Texas football is hoping to recover in Week 9 after suffering a humiliating 30–15 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs and head coach Kirby Smart at home at DKR last Saturday. On October 26, Texas and head coach Steve Sarkisian travel to Nashville to play the No. 25 Vanderbilt Commodores and head coach Clark Lea.
Updates on injuries to key players and starters before Week 9’s matchup between No. 5 Texas football and No. 25 Vanderbilt
Fortunately, the Longhorns only suffered one significant injury during their loss to Georgia last Saturday. This Texas team is in good health going into their road matchup with Vanderbilt in Week 9.
This autumn, the Longhorns’ injury report consistently highlights running back and safety injuries. Several running backs are either out for the whole season or are battling persistent ailments, and Texas has already lost one safety for the remainder of the season.
The Longhorns need to have as many starters healthy as possible for the Vanderbilt game, in addition to putting in more effort and energy in the trenches on both sides of the ball this weekend (and at quarterback).
As Week 9 approaches, here are the Longhorns’ top four injury updates.
S. Derek Williams Jr.
The Longhorns’ aforementioned safety, Derek Williams Jr., is out for the season. Williams sustained a knee injury during a play in kickoff coverage during the Red River Rivalry game on October 12 against the Oklahoma Sooners, which ended his season.
Jelani McDonald, a sophomore defensive back, will take over with a greater burden of defensive snaps in the safety rotation in SEC play this fall as a result of Williams missing the remainder of the season. McDonald has handled 80 defensive snaps, which is more than he has ever taken in a two-game span since 2023.
In the safety rotation against Georgia last weekend, Texas only used McDonald, redshirt junior Michael Taaffe, and senior Andrew Mukuba. Jordan Johnson-Rubell, a true freshman, may potentially see more defensive plays in the final run for
Last Saturday, during the second half of the Longhorns’ game against Georgia, Andrew Mukuba, S. Mukuba, sustained a frightening lower-body injury. Although Mukuba’s injury first appeared to be serious, it won’t finish the season, which is excellent news.
In his news conference on Monday, Sarkisian stated that Mukuba’s availability for this weekend’s Vanderbilt game is “questionable” due to the knee injury he sustained against Georgia on Saturday night.
In order to recover for the Nov. 9 game against Florida, Mukuba at least get an additional week of relaxation during the bye week after the Vanderbilt game.
Mukuba was a key member of Texas’ defense against Georgia’s passing attack before to his injury in the second half of last week. Prior to the injury in the second half, Mukuba recorded five total tackles, one tackle for loss, and his second interception of the season against Georgia.
Texas would either need to shift someone else to safety or rely more on true freshmen like Johnson-Rubell and Xavier Filsaime if Mukuba is sidelined for the Longhorns’ secondary against Vanderbilt this weekend. Given that senior Jahdae Barron has experience playing a variety of spots in the Longhorns’ defensive secondary, Texas may shift him to safety.
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