Longhorns Country

Texas Longhorns DB Derek Williams Jr. Suffers Season-Ending Injury

Texas Longhorns defensive back Derek Williams Jr. will have season-ending surgery.
Zach Dimmitt|
Oct 12, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns defensive back Derek Williams Jr. (2) recovers a fumble during the second quarter against the Oklahoma Sooners at the Cotton Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images
Oct 12, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns defensive back Derek Williams Jr. (2) recovers a fumble during the second quarter against the Oklahoma Sooners at the Cotton Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images | Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images

In this story:

Texas Longhorns

AUSTIN -- The Texas Longhorns secondary has suffered a brutal blow on the injury front ahead of Saturday's matchup against the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs.

When speaking to the media Monday, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said that safety Derek Williams Jr. will have surgery after suffering a season-ending injury in the 34-3 win over the Oklahoma Sooners. It's unclear what injury he's dealing with.

"Derek will be out the remainder of the season," Sarkisian said. "He'll have surgery here in a couple weeks unfortunately."

Williams Jr. had to be helped off the field in the second half and appeared to have trouble putting weight on his lower body. He finished the game with four total tackles (all solo) a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Williams Jr. missed the games against Louisiana-Monroe and Mississippi State before returning against the Sooners.

He finishes the season with 11 total tackles and an interception. He picked off Davis Warren in the win over Michigan. Last year as a freshman, the 6-2, 195-pound defensive back recorded 42 tackles and two passes defended in 13 games.

Without Williams Jr., the back line of the secondary will look to lean on Andrew Mukuba, Michael Taaffe, Jelani McDonald and Jordan Johnson-Rubell. Through six games this season, the Longhorns have allowed 6.3 points per contest while surrendering an average of 126.0 passing yards, both of which lead the SEC.

No. 1 Texas and No. 5 Georgia will kick off from Austin on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT.

Published | Modified
Zach Dimmitt
ZACH DIMMITT

Zach Dimmitt is the Deputy Editor for Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI. He also contributes as a writer for the On SI channels of the Oregon Ducks, Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans. He was previously the editor-in-chief of Buffalo Bills on SI, Philadelphia Eagles on SI and Seattle Seahawks on SI. Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Dimmitt received his Bachelor’s Degree in journalism at the University of Texas at Austin in 2022. He originally started with SI’s Fan Nation network in 2021, providing extensive coverage of the NFL and NBA along with college football and basketball. In that time, Dimmitt has published thousands of stories and has reached millions of people across multiple fan bases. You can follow him on X at @ZachDimmitt7

Share on XFollow ZachDimmitt7
Home/News