Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian provides injury update

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian provided an injury update around the team ahead of the Longhorns matchup with Louisiana on Saturday.

“Couple injury updates,” Sarkisian said. “Jaden Alexis is going to have season ending knee surgery, (Brayden) Liebrock is going to have season ending shoulder surgery and Troy Omeire will be out this game.”

Alexis is a true freshman wide receiver from Monarch (FL.). He did not play as a senior at Monarch and though he wasn’t expected to play much in 2021, the Longhorns are already lacking receiver depth and this only worsens the situation.

Tight end Brayden Liebrock is entering his third season with the Longhorns and was expected to be a rotational player. He’s made seven total appearances over the last two seasons. Last season, Liebrock caught two passes for 11 yards in the season opener against UTEP.

Troy Omeire is currently dealing with a knee strain. The second-year receiver from Fort Bend Austin missed all of 2020 with a torn ACL. Omeire is listed on the depth chart for Louisiana as third-string behind Xavier Worthy and Kelvontay Dixon, but likely would have been higher if healthy. Omeire made waves in fall camp last year prior to the ACL injury. Sarkisian previously commented on Omeire’s most recent injury.

“He’s in the rehab process,” Sarkisian told media. “I don’t want to call it day-to-day, but I also don’t want to think it’s months either. I think the reality of this thing with him … It could be a week, maybe two. We’ll see, but we’re underway. We’re under the process of getting him back to 100% healthy and getting him back on the field.”

Omeire and Alexis’ injury leaves Texas looking at a wide receiver rotation of Xavier Worthy, Jordan Whittington, Joshua Moore, Al’Vonte Woodard, Marcus Washington, Kelvontay Dixon, Casey Cain and Kai Money. There are only 14 starts combined between that group, ten starts belong to Joshua Moore alone.

Worthy, Whittington and Moore are listed as the starters for Saturday’s matchup. In an offense that requires playmakers at the wide receiver position, Sarkisian has liked what he’s seen from all three.

“I would say one guy who’s really kind of jumped up and has really started to play well throughout camp and had a really good scrimmage was Josh Moore,” Sarkisian said when asked which playmakers have emerged for Texas. “He’s got the explosiveness, he has range, he has play-making ability. He has been a real bright spot. We have a true freshman in Xavier Worthy who has come in and provided a real explosive nature to the offense which is critical to what we do. Jordan Whittington is another guy who is a very savvy player for us. And then the fourth guy is probably Marcus Washington, who has explosive play-making ability.”