Final Player Availability Report for Texas

STARKVILLE — The final player availability for Texas’ game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs has been released, and it consists of three players ruled out for the game in Starkville.

The most important player listed on the report is safety Michael Taaffe. It’s been known for days now that the defensive back would be out, though, as he underwent thumb surgery earlier this week. Texas will miss his presence.

Offensive lineman Cole Hutson was also listed as out, which again was not a surprise. The offensive lineman suffered a leg injury in the Longhorns’ game against the Kentucky Wildcats last week, and his injury hurt Texas in that game.

Hopefully, Texas has found a workaround for his injury and won’t have too many issues on the line today.

Redshirt freshman wide receiver Aaron Butler is also out, but that won’t be too much of an issue for the Longhorns today; Butler has not seen the field much or made a huge impact for Texas this season, so this isn’t a huge deal.

On the bright side for Texas, running back CJ Baxter is listed as probable and is set to make his return after suffering a hamstring injury against UTEP earlier in the season. His return will be huge, as he could make a big impact for Texas today.