The news this week on injuries to running back Joe Bergeron and Anthony Fera has been positive. Not so much so for linebacker Jordan Hicks.
Though Hicks was witnessed warming up and stretching with his teammates on Wednesday before practice, he wasn't seen practicing with the team once drills started:
LHN is focusing on offense in practice, not so much defense. No more shots of HIcks that I've seen. Draw your own conclusions.
— Chuck Carlton (@ChuckCarltonDMN) September 26, 2012
That conclusion is obviously that the cameras were instructed to avoid Hicks in order to keep from seeing him on the sidelines watching his teammates.
When asked about it on Tuesday, Joe Bergeron was careful to note that Hicks was dressed out, but did not mention him practicing.
There has already been one Twitter report that Hicks won't play:
Jordan Hicks won't play for Texas on Saturday. Sucks to face an offense like Okie Lite without your best LB.
— Tuxedo Yoda (@TuxedoYoda) September 25, 2012
Is the report credible? Well, Yoda is pretty legit on his own, and a tuxedo just makes him doubly so, no?
In all seriousness, though, the question is tough to evaluate, but Tuxedo Yoda's timeline does indicate he purports to have several sources with knowledge of unreleasable "Big 12 scoop" and Art Briles talking to Arkansas through intermediaries.
The bottom line is that a hip flexor injury like that sustained by Hicks could take a month to heal, making him unlikely to play against Oklahoma State on Saturday except in a best-case scenario, putting tremendous pressure on the other young linebackers to emerge as difference makers.