Preseason injuries are like bad plot twists in any movie. You could almost see them coming but you’re still furious when they hit. They rob you of a player not just for a week or two, but sometimes, even an entire season. And while losing your QB is always a headline tragedy, watching one of your big trench guys go down isn’t easy either. Especially if you’re Steve Sarkisian juggling a thin offensive line. And that brings us to Austin.
Texas’ O-line was already thinner than a DB’s playbook before the recent injury news. The Longhorns officially announced that redshirt sophomore right tackle Andre Cojoe will miss the 2025 season after a knee injury in practice. In a new episode on Cover 3 Podcast on August 7, Bud Elliott sounded the alarm for Steve Sarkisian’s O-line depth. “What is not in question is that their depth is like zero because remember they lost both their guys last year to the draft. So, that’s really concerning,” he said. The third-year player from Mansfield, Timberview, was in an open battle for the starting job with sophomore Brandon Baker. Now, his season-ending injury highlights not just who starts, but who’s left.
Aug 31, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) kneels the ball against the Colorado State Rams during the second half at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Meullion-USA TODAY Sports
Brandon Baker now slides into the starting role unopposed, which is fine unless Texas suffers another tackle injury. “If Texas has another tackle injury this year, they are like red alert and that’s a real concern,” Elliott added. Because behind Baker, it’s true freshman Nick Brooks, a 6’7, 350-pounder stepping in as the next man up. He looked solid in camp, but being a No. 3 tackle in August is a far cry from protecting Arch Manning’s Heisman campaign against Georgia in November. Jaydon Chatman may even have to kick out from guard full-time to keep the depth chart from collapsing.
Last season, Texas survived a rash of running back injuries by grabbing a last-minute body from the portal. This year, the bad luck has shifted to the O-line. But Steve Sarkisian is not running to the portal for help. “At this point, to try and go in the portal and find a tackle, I might as well go to the Co-Op, I might have a better shot over there,” he said. “Andre sustained a season-ending injury, I hate that for him,” Sark added. “He had been working hard to get himself in a competitive state. So, we’ll support him just like we have a lot of other guys who have had injuries in the past.” But what about Arch Manning? Can Texas still keep him standing when he faces some of the most formidable opponents in 2025?
Arch Manning could face pressure in five games
If you think a right tackle injury doesn’t matter much, just ask Arch Manning how he feels about blindside blitzers coming free. Like everyone else, Chip Patterson felt skeptical on the show and asked, “How many opponents do you think Texas has that will expose losing a player of Cojoe’s caliber?” Bud Elliott felt that if Brandon Baker plays to his ceiling, Texas might dodge disaster. “If somehow Baker is not good or if they have a single tackle injury,” he said. “I think their five toughest games probably become a lot tougher.”
Ohio State, Oklahoma, Florida, Kentucky, and Georgia are the main opponents to watch out for. All of these teams have the muscle to feast in the trenches. Those are the games where Arch Manning’s comfort in the pocket could go from warm to bunker under siege. And speaking of the QB, the sophomore looked sharp in Texas’ first practice, dropping deep b—s that had social media buzzing. The hype is real with award watch lists, Heisman odds, you name it. But he’s also walking into Year 1 as the full-time starter behind an almost entirely rebuilt offensive line that just lost its No. 2 right tackle before taking a single live snap. “I think more than anything if you’re Texas is that you’re already replacing guys on your offensive including your left tackle who went down to the NFL,” Tom Fornelli noted. “And now you’re probably suffering injuries at a spot where depth gets tested pretty quick.”
Opening the season at Ohio State with four new starters up front is a trial by fire. Still Steve Sarkisian insists they’ll be fine, that mixing linemen in camp prepares them for adversity. “It’s a long way to go, so we have to keep developing our people,” he said. “We’ve plenty of good people in that room, and we’ll be okay.” Maybe so. But as Arch Manning steps into his moment, the margin for error just shrank and the list of teams that can ruin his season grew by five.
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