Texas Longhorns' Steve Sarkisian Provides Injury Update on OL Cole Hutson

Texas Longhorns offensive lineman Cole Hutson suffered an injury in the win over the Wyoming Cowboys on Sept. 16.

Texas Longhorns offensive lineman Cole Hutson is improving but won't be ready to play on Saturday at home against the No. 24 Kansas Jayhawks.

Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian told reporters Thursday that Hutson has continued progressing through his rehabilitation since suffering a knee injury but is likely several weeks away from returning to full strength. 

“Cole is doing really well. I don’t have a time frame on that, but his recovery has gone well. And so, we’re pleased with that,” Sarkisian said. "We feel great about the five guys we have right now." 

Hutson, a sophomore from Frisco (Texas), started all 13 games last season for the Longhorns en route to an 8-5 finish. He won the starting job out of camp at the left guard position over DJ Campbell, but suffered a knee injury in the 31-10 win over Wyoming in Week 3. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said postgame that Hutson would likely miss a few weeks but avoided significant damage. 

“The good thing is it’s no season-ending injury,” Sarkisian said earlier this month. “The tough part is it’s significant enough for him to miss a couple of ballgames here.”

Campbell, a sophomore from Bowie (Texas) has held his own since being named the full-time starter. He earned the starting nod in the season-opener against Rice after Hutson was "nicked up in practice" in preparation for the Owls. 

Texas offensive lineman Cole Hutson (54) points at a defensive end while lining up for a snap during Texas's annual spring football game at Royal Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas on April 23, 2022 :: Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

In Week 2's 34-24 win over then-No. 3 Alabama, both linemen rotated in with the first-team offense, playing roughly an equal amount of snaps. Last week against Baylor, Campbell allowed one pressure and zero sacks while quarterback Quinn Ewers threw for 293 yards and a touchdown. 

The No. 3 Longhorns (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) have established a potent run game headlined by sophomore Jonathon Brooks and freshman phenom CJ Baxter. In last week's 38-6 win over the Bears, the duo combined for 127 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Ewers tacked on another score with a 29-yard run in the second quarter. 

In large part, consistency in run blocking has benefitted Sarkisian in taking pressure off of Ewers and the passing attack. Through four games, the Longhorns are averaging 155.8 yards per game on the ground, and have rushed for over 175 yards in back-to-back wins. 

The Jayhawks (4-0, 1-0 Big 12), who upset the Longhorns 57-56 in overtime the last time they played in Austin, possess one of the better run defenses in the country, holding opponents to 93 yards per game. Sarkisian praised third-year coach Lance Leipold for his ability to transform one of college football's more woeful programs into a Big 12 sleeper following an 0-9 finish in 2020.

“Coach Leipold, historically, everywhere he's been, he's had physical teams,” Sarkisian said. “They believe in running the ball offensively, and the thing that you see defensively out of them is they believe in the scheme. They've got a veteran secondary and they've got veteran linebackers that all work well together. You just don't see the lapses in coverages.”

Kansas, headlined by potential Big 12 Player of the Year Jalon Daniels, will look to start off 5-0 for the second time in the Leipold era. Daniels was the critical factor in helping Kansas secure the overtime victory on the Forty Acres back in 2021 with a 247-yard, four-touchdown performance. 

Last season in Lawrence, Daniels threw for 230 yards and two touchdowns against an interception in a 55-14 blowout. 

"Kansas is unique to themselves in what they do,” Sarkisian said. "And so the best thing that we have to prepare for Kansas is having to defend them the last two years.”

Kickoff from Royal-Memorial Stadium is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.