Texas vs. Baylor: LB Malik Jefferson, S Dylan Haines ruled out

Add two more starters to the list of Texas Longhorns players who won't be available against the Baylor Bears in Waco on Saturday, as head coach Charlie Strong said Thursday that freshman linebacker Malik Jefferson and junior safety Dylan Haines are both out.

Jefferson suffered an ankle injury during the Thanksgiving Day game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders after battling a stomach illness for the better part of a month. The former consensus five-star prospect and top player in the state of Texas is the team's second-leading tackler with 61 stops on the year and has also added seven tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.

A former walk on, Haines is suffering from a knee injury and was listed as day-to-day earlier in the week. The team leader with five interceptions is now second in team history in interception return yards, but if there's a silver lining in the Horns missing Haines, it's that freshman DeShon Elliott should receive more extended action after flashing with two interceptions against Kansas last month.

The Longhorns enter the season finale as the walking wounded -- among the players already ruled out are senior linebacker Peter Jinkens, sophomore running back D'Onta Foreman, freshman offensive guard Patrick Vahe, and freshman running back Kirk Johnson.

A number of other players will be limited, including junior defensive tackle Hassan Ridgeway, senior running back Johnathan Gray, and redshirt freshman quarterback Jerrod Heard. After suffering a concussion against Texas Tech, Heard is cleared to play, but the coaches may hold him out to avoid exposing him to further injury.