Injured Texas players starting to return to practice

In the midst of the season’s final bye week before the final four regular season games, the Texas Longhorns are finally getting healthy again — freshman running back Jordan Whittington and sophomore safety Caden Sterns both went through individual drills, head coach Tom Herman said on Wednesday.

Whittington has only appeared in the season opener this season due to lingering effects of a groin issue resulted in Whittington undergoing surgery in high school. After aggravating the issues in preseason camp, he once against had sports hernia surgery in early September.

Sterns suffered a high ankle sprain in preseason camp and played through it for the first four games until he suffered a knee injury in pass defense against Oklahoma State. He’s been out since, but is expected to return to team periods during practice on Thursday.

By next Tuesday, Herman expects to have sophomore safety DeMarvion Overshown return to practice following the shoulder injury that he suffered during the Kansas game and kept him from playing against TCU. Herman said that Overshown is still regaining full strength in that injured shoulder.

Senior linebacker Jeffrey McCulloch is also expected to return to practice on Tuesday after suffering a dislocated shoulder on special teams against Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl. He’s missed the last two games.

Sophomore safety BJ Foster is in a green non-contact jersey right now, but should be cleared for full contact again on Tuesday. Foster missed the TCU game after suffering a stinger against Oklahoma that severely limited his ability to tackle with his left arm.

“All those guys are trending in the right direction to be available to us next Saturday,” Herman said.

Herman also confirmed surgeries for junior tight end Cade Brewer and sophomore punter Ryan Bujcevski. Brewer need arthroscopic surgery to clear out debris after the tendon was torn off the bone on his ankle and also underwent the TightRope surgery that Texas players typically receive for high ankle sprains now. An optimistic recovery timetable for Brewer would allow him to participate in a potential bowl game.