Suspended Texas OT Kennedy Estelle dismissed from team

The Texas Longhorns have dismissed suspended junior offensive tackle Kennedy Estelle from the team, according to the Longhorn Network and later confirmed by other outlets.

The ninth player dismissed from the team under head coach Charlie Strong, Estelle had been suspended for the last two games after starting against North Texas. The cause given for the suspension was the ubiquitous violation of team rules and the dismissal came about for the same reason.

On Tuesday evening, Strong made an unscheduled appearance at the weekly availability for play caller Shawn Watson.

The head coach said that a repeated offense popped up with Estelle in the last 24 hours that led to his dismissal.

He also reiterated his thoughts from early in fall camp when he addressed the other dismissals.

"We're here to help young men," he said. "Not here to run them off. Young people want discipline. It's our job as a coaching staff to make sure we provide them with discipline."

And despite what some fans may think, Strong doesn't derive any pleasure from dismissing players, saying that it hurts him to do so and that it's tough to get through to some players intent on heading down the wrong path, but that it's part of his job description.

After senior center Dominic Espinosa went down against the Mean Green, Estelle became the most experienced starter on the offensive line, having trotted out with the first team for the ninth time that day.

The news came one day after Strong said that Estelle would return to practice this week along with senior offensive tackle Desmond Harrison, who is now serving his second suspension of the season after being suspended for the opener and then briefly reinstated before drawing another suspension several days later.

Junior wide receiver Daje Johnson has been suspended since the start of the season.

Strong said Tuesday evening that both players are on a short leash, but have continued to do what he asks of them, which is why they are still on the team and not dismissed like the other nine players.

The 6'6, 285-pound Estelle was an Under Armour All-American coming out of Pearland Dawson High School as a member of the 2012 recruiting class. As a true freshman, he appeared in three games before playing in 12 as a sophomore, including eight starts after former starter Josh Cochran was lost for the season following the Ole Miss game due to a shoulder injury.

Estelle was then suspended for the Alamo Bowl against Oregon because of academic issues that imperiled his status in the program when Strong arrived.

So the Horns won't get Estelle back and may not get Harrison back, leaving the offensive tackle position extremely thin as a result, especially since sophomore Kent Perkins looked for all the world like a guard against UCLA last week.