Texas Longhorns Freshman Surprisingly Ruled Out vs. Michigan

The Texas Longhorns are without one of their top freshman for Wednesday's Citrus Bowl against the Michigan Wolverines.

Texas freshman defensive lineman Justus Terry is out against Michigan and did not dress, per multiple reports.

Terry, a five-star prospect in the 2025 recruiting class, played in nine games during the regular season.

Why Justus Terry is Sitting Out vs. Michigan

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian looks on during warm ups prior to the game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

According to CJ Vogel of OnTexasFootball, Terry is sitting out against Michigan due to a "nagging shoulder issue."

With Terry's unexpected absence, many Texas fans on social media immediately started to speculate that he will be entering the portal. While it's impossible to rule that out, the fact that he practiced with the team this week and is still on hand in Orlando is a positive sign that he won't be heading anywhere this offseason.

Terry made his collegiate debut during non-conference play against San Jose State. His best performance came in the 35-10 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs when he had four total tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.

He finished the regular season with eight total tackles (four solo), though it was performance against Georgia that really stood out.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said after the loss to the Bulldogs that he was "really proud" of Terry for the way he continued to improve in the weeks leading up to the Georgia game.

"Yeah, I'm really proud of Justus, he has really come on," Sarkisian said. "You know, from where he was a couple of months ago to where he is today. It's a credit to his work ethic, and a credit to coach (Kenny) Baker and the work that they put in."

Sarkisian added that Terry's practice reps against offensive lineman like DJ Campbell and Trevor Goosby allowed him to improve as the season went on.

"He spends a lot of time, even now, throughout the week, periodically on the scout team, so he's going against D.J. Campbell, he's going against Trevor Goosby, I think that has helped his development as well," Sarkisian said.

"Here's a guy that a month ago could have waved the white flag and said, 'I'll wait until next year,' but he's continued to work at his craft and is getting better, and he is a guy who is going to continue to earn more playing time."

Barring an unexpected entry into the portal, Terry will look to play a major role on Texas' defensive line next season.