Steve Sarkisian confirms Jalen Catalon, Kitan Crawford will be available against TCU

Texas is in a critical part of their season, needing to win out for multiple reasons. Not only is there a chance to make the Big 12 championship game but Steve Sarkisian can still guide the Longhorns to the College Football Playoff. Part of the journey thus far has been injuries hampering the team.

However, on Thursday, Sarkisian was able to provide good news. Specifically at the safety position, where the head coach revealed Texas will be getting two key players back. Sarkisian announced both Jalon Catalon and Kitan Crawford will be available for Saturday’s game against TCU.

“Yes, Catalon and Crawford will both be available,” Sarkisian said during his Thursday press conference.

Texas being thin at safety has brought Micahel Taaffe into the spotlight. A former walk-on from Austin (TX) Westlake High School, Taaffe has interceptions in all three games and has played alongside freshman Derek Williams.

While those two have been performing well, getting Catalon and Crawford back in the rotation is going to help a ton. When Catalon joined the program via Arkansas and the NCAA transfer portal, an All-American caliber player was heading into Austin.

Injuries have played a huge factor in Catalon’s college career too. Not playing since the Red River Shootout against Oklahoma, Texas is hoping he can remain on the field for the final three games of the regular season.

As for Crawford, his absence will wind up being short-lived. The only game he missed came last week during the win against Kansas State.

Texas receives more good injury news with Quinn Ewers returning

Texas received more good news on Thursday: Quarterback Quinn Ewers will be back and starting against TCU on Saturday, head coach Steve Sarkisian announced. Ewers has been hurt with a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder since Texas’ win at Houston on Oct. 21.

Absent Ewers, the Longhorns had been playing redshirt freshman Maalik Murphy at quarterback. He and Texas managed to survive and get wins against BYU and Kansas State in the interim period.

But now the Longhorns should have their regular starting quarterback available against the final three regular season opponents — and more.

Ewers has completed 70.9% of his passes for 1915 yards and 13 touchdowns to three interceptions in the seven games he’s appeared in this season. If he can pick back up where he left off, Texas remains a legit contender during the rest of the season.

On3’s Andrew Graham contributed to this report