The Texas Longhorns avoided a worst-case scenario when star redshirt junior left tackle Trevor Goosby was diagnosed with a bone bruise in his left knee after sustaining an injury in practice on Monday evening, according to reports from ESPN, On3, and Orangebloods.
The news broke early in the morning from Orangebloods that the 6’7, 325-pounder had suffered an injury of unknown severity pending the MRI that ultimately revealed the bone bruise.
There is not currently a timetable for Goosby’s return as the healing time for bone bruises can fluctuate, according to On3’s Pete Nakos. In recent years, NFL players who have suffered similar injuries returned on varying timetables ranging from several practices to three games. With the season opener against Texas State now in two and a half weeks, even the longer timetable could allow Goosby to return for the high-profile matchup against No. 1 Ohio State in Austin on Sept. 12, 25 days away.
A preseason first-team All-SEC selection who is projected as one of the top tackles in the 2027 NFL Draft class, Goosby is one of the most important players on the team, assigned to protect the blind side of redshirt junior quarterback Arch Manning, something that the Melissa product did at an elite level in 2025, his first season as a starter — Goosby only allowed three sacks and three quarterback hits, according to Pro Football Focus, and graded out even better as a run blocker.
If Goosby does have to sit out early in the season, Texas may have to shuffle its offensive line to get the five best players on the field.
Redshirt junior right tackle Melvin Siani, a Temple and Wake Forest transfer, doesn’t quite have the same height and length as Goosby, but he does have experience playing left tackle and didn’t allow any sacks last season playing at that position — it’s a luxury to have the 6’6, 317-pounder available to play on the left side.
So Siani could move over to left tackle and junior Brandon Baker could return to the right tackle position he played last season, opening up a competition at right guard with fifth-year senior Cole Hutson the presumptive favorite to regain a role that he split with DJ Campbell for several seasons.
In that scenario, with sixth-year transfer Laurence Seymore playing left guard and fifth-year senior Connor Robertson at center, the Longhorns would project as a competitive unit until Goosby’s return.
Beating the Buckeyes would be significantly more difficult, but the season will ultimately be defined by the nine-game conference schedule, and the hope is that Goosby will be back by the SEC opener against the Volunteers in Knoxville in 39 days.