Texas Longhorns Get Best-Case News on Trevor Goosby Injury Timeline

The Texas Longhorns suffered a major injury scare earlier this week when Trevor Goosby limped off of the practice field after a non-contact knee injury on Monday night.

Goosby would later go for an MRI to reveal the extent of the injury, sending the entire Longhorns fan base into a panic.

Fortunately, Texas got the news it wanted to hear, with Goosby being diagnosed with a bone bruise, rather than the alternative worst-case scenario. That type of injury typically has a variance in its recovery timeline, ranging from four to eight weeks, which led many to believe Goosby would miss the start of the season.

However, it appears the news continues to get better for Texas, with Goosby now projected to return sooner than anyone expected - perhaps as soon as the season opener.

Goosby's Injury Timeline Revealed

Texas Longhorns offensive lineman Trevor Goosby lifts quarterback Arch Manning after Manning ran for a touchdown during the second half against the San Jose State Spartans | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

According to reports from OrangeBloods.com's Anwar Richardson, the Longhorns' star left tackle is only expected to be sidelined for 2-3 weeks with his injury, leaving the possibility of a return for the season opener vs. Texas State in Austin squarely on the table.

Clearly, this is the best-case scenario for the Longhorns, who, just a week later, are set to face the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes in Austin for a rematch of last season's debacle in Columbus.

In that game, Texas will have to defend against an elite Ohio State defensive line that includes pass rushers like Kenyatta Jackson Jr., Beau Atkinson and Qua Russaw.

Having their future first-round draft pick back to protect Arch Manning's blindside against that group would be a huge boost in both confidence and ability for the Longhorns heading into that matchup.

And assuming the timeline reported by Richardson holds true, Goosby should have plenty of time to shake the rust off before hitting the field against an elite group.

Texas Still Has a Big Decision to Make

Texas Longhorns offensive lineman Andre Cojoe blocks for running back Colin Page during the second half against the Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Even with Goosby being on track to be available vs. Texas State, however, a major question remains for the Horns - do they give Goosby an extra week to recover and get ready for the Buckeyes instead of risking him in the season opener?

The answer, at least in our book, should be a yes. There is no reason to risk Goosby against a Texas State team that Texas is favored by 30.5 points over.

Instead, the Horns could have Goosby active and available, but start someone else in the left tackle spot.

OrangeBloods also reported that Andre Cojoe was working at left tackle during practice on Tuesday night in Goosby's place, meaning that it appears there are no plans to reshuffle the line to account for Goosby's injury.

If that holds true over the next few weeks, starting Cojoe at left tackle would be sufficient enough for the Horns to make it through the Texas State game just fine offensively. And even in the event of a struggle, freshman Jordan Coleman or even Jaydon Chatman - who has plenty of experience working at tackle before his move to guard - could step in to take it the rest of the way.

Either way, the biggest priority for Texas should be getting Goosby prepared to be as healthy as possible for a return vs. Ohio State in Week 2.

And that appears to be the exact timeline he is on.

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