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With spring practice set to kick off two weeks from today on March 7, the Texas Longhorns are dealing with various injuries at some key positions, according to a string of updates from Horns247.
The most notable injury comes in the form of 2016’s starting quarterback Shane Buechele’s throwing hand, in which he reportedly re-aggravated at some point last season.
#Texas QB Shane Buechele re-aggravated a thumb injury from HS last season, a source tells @Horns247 Spent winter break in a brace. #HookEm
— Horns247 (@Horns247) February 22, 2017
It’s unclear exactly when Buechele re-aggravated his thumb, but it’s likely the injury occurred at some point in Texas’ 24-20 loss to West Virginia. The following two games, in losses to Kansas and TCU, Buechele’s 165 and 218 yards marked his first and third lowest outputs of the season, respectively, while completing just 50.7 percent of his passes (33-65).
Buechele will be monitored throughout spring practice, per source. Surgery doesn’t appear likely, though not out of the question. #HookEm
— Horns247 (@Horns247) February 22, 2017
While this doesn’t appear to be something that will put his sophomore season in jeopardy, the obvious storyline to follow will be how Buechele’s re-aggravated thumb hinders or limits his performance in what’s expected to become another competitive quarterback battle with early enrollee Sam Ehlinger.
Along with Buechele, Horns247 reported that senior-to-be tight end Andrew Beck has re-broken his foot, which will keep him sidelined for at least the next three weeks and into the first week of spring practice.
#Texas TE Andrew Beck re-broke his foot recently. Previously suffered a Jones fracture. Expected to miss at least first week of spring.
— Horns247 (@Horns247) February 22, 2017
Similar to Buechele, the reported timeframe indicates that Beck could possibly return with as much as an entire month to practice ahead of the April 16 Orange-White game, but it’s something to follow going forward considering he was already dealing with a previous Jones fracture.
Keep in mind that tight ends are of significantly increased importance in Tom Herman’s system, and Beck is on a short list of tight ends with experience in Austin.
Additionally, Horns247 reported that sophomore punter Michael Dickson has been dealing with a minor hamstring injury.
#Texas punter Michael Dickson has been dealing with a hamstring injury from offseason workouts. #HookEm
— Horns247 (@Horns247) February 22, 2017
2016’s Big 12 Special Team Player of the Year, Dickson proved to be a legitimate weapon for Texas last season, but of the three Longhorns currently suffering through various ailments, it appears that Dickson’s is the most minor of the bunch.
As for now, it’s seems likely that all three are available for at least some portion of spring practice and the spring game.