Texas Longhorns defensive back Derek Williams Jr. is out for the season due to an injury.
AUSTIN — The Texas Longhorns have taken a significant hit in their secondary with an injury ahead of Saturday’s game against the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs.
On Monday, head coach Steve Sarkisian announced that safety Derek Williams Jr. will require surgery after sustaining a season-ending injury during Texas’ 34-3 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners. The specific nature of the injury is unclear.
“Derek will be out for the rest of the season,” Sarkisian said. “Unfortunately, he’ll have surgery in a couple of weeks.”
Williams Jr. was helped off the field in the second half and appeared to struggle with putting weight on his lower body. He ended the game with four solo tackles, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. He had missed earlier games against Louisiana-Monroe and Mississippi State but returned for the matchup with Oklahoma.
Williams concludes his season with 11 total tackles and an interception, which came in a win over Michigan. Last year, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound defensive back recorded 42 tackles and two passes defended in 13 games as a freshman.
In Williams Jr.’s absence, Texas will rely on Andrew Mukuba, Michael Taaffe, Jelani McDonald, and Jordan Johnson-Rubell to fortify the secondary. The Longhorns have led the SEC through six games, allowing just 6.3 points per game and an average of 126.0 passing yards per contest.
Top-ranked Texas faces No. 5 Georgia in Austin on Saturday, with kickoff set for 6:30 p.m. CT.
