Texas S Dylan Haines undergoes successful knee surgery

The knee injury that kept Texas Longhorns safety Dylan Haines out of the season finale against the Baylor Bears required knee surgery on Monday that Haines said "went well," according to his Instagram account.

Since the senior said he expects to return to the field in time for spring practice in March, he likely did not suffer any significant ligament damage as a result of the injury.

A former walk on and Texas legacy, Haines was one of the early beneficiaries of head coach Charlie Strong's meritocracy in the spring of 2014, when he played well in the Orange-White game and made his bid for playing time by intercepting a pass from quarterback Tyrone Swoopes. By the second game of the season, he was a starter after earning a full scholarship during fall camp and he's remained in the starting lineup ever since.

Despite limited athleticism, the 6'1, 193-pounder has continued to display a knack for putting himself in the right spot and finishing plays, as he has now recorded nine interceptions in the last two years, including the big interception return against Iowa State in 2014 that helped key that home victory. His 200 interception return yards also rank second all-time in school history, only 61 yards behind Chris Carter.

In 2015, his five interceptions led the team after no other player managed to record more than two.

Haines finished the 2015 season with 47 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, and three passes defensed. Those 47 tackles ranked No. 7 on the team.