Texas Longhorns RB Ruled Out Once Again

Texas Longhorns running back Velton Gardner has been dealing with an undisclosed injury.

Sep 14, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns running back Velton Gardner (24) runs for yards during the second half against the Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

AUSTIN -- With receiver Isaiah Bond and safety Andrew Mukuba ruled out, the Texas Longhorns are dealing with a pair of notable injuries headed into Saturday's matchup against the No. 25 Vanderbilt Commodores, but it's the depth of the backfield that continues to be tested.

Texas running back Velton Gardner was officially ruled out for the game when Wednesday's student-athlete availability report was released, marking the fourth straight game he's missed. It's unclear what injury Gardner is dealing with but he has yet to make his SEC debut for a Texas team that's been reliant on Quintrevion Wisner and Jaydon Blue out of the backfield following the season-ending injuries to Cedric Baxter and Christian Clark.

When healthy, Gardner isn't expected to be a game-breaking presence for the offense but his experience could have an impact in SEC play when compared to true freshman Jerrick Gibson and WR-turned-RB Ryan Niblett. A graduate transfer from SMU, Gardner is in his sixth season of college and could use that knowledge to earn his way into the RB3 spot above Gibson, who has seen his role diminish significantly over the past month after being the team's leading rusher through the first three games.

However, with no clear details on when he could return or what injury he's dealing with, the Longhorns will have to instead rely on youth in the depth spots behind Wisner and Blue.

Gardner appeared in the season-opening win over Colorado State and the 56-7 victory over UTSA. He's tallied eight carries for 26 yards this season.

In five total seasons, Gardner has tallied 229 carries for 1,024 yards and six touchdowns while adding 22 catches for 73 receiving yards. During the 2020 season with Kansas, he posted a career-best 72 carries before finishing with a career-high 368 rushing yards two years later with the Mustangs. At SMU in 2022, Gardner had a career-high 100 yards rushing on 11 carries in a 45-16 win over Lamar.

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