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On Thursday, Texas Longhorns quarterback Shane Buechele will undergo surgery to repair the torn abductor (hip)/abdominal muscle he sustained during the 33-16 victory over the Missouri Tigers in late December, according to the school.
Expected to return in time for spring practice to start — Monday, March 5 — Buechele will begin treatments and rehabilitation soon after the procedure.
The setback that limited Buechele’s playing time in the Texas Bowl to 14 pass attempts at only 3.9 yards per attempt completed a second injury-plagued season for the sophomore. After suffering a shoulder injury in the opener against Maryland, Buechele missed two games, then was limited for three games after suffering an ankle injury in his return against Iowa State.
With Buechele in and out of the lineup, Texas rotated the sophomore with true freshman quarterback Sam Ehlinger, who limited his mistakes against Missouri enough to secure the win.
Both quarterbacks will compete for the starting job this spring against the two early enrollees, Casey Thompson, and Cameron Rising.