Texas head coach Tom Herman spoke with the media on Monday and provided injury updates for wide receivers Jake Smith and Jordan Whittington.
Smith was sidelined for Texas’ season opener against UTEP due to a hamstring strain suffered in practice. Herman noted that he is continuing to recover and would likely attempt to run this week. If all goes well, it’s a positive sign that Smith could be available for Texas Tech.
Whittington, who started at the slot position during Smith’s absence, partially tore his meniscus against the Miners. He successfully completed surgery and will likely be unavailable for the next three to four weeks.
.@CoachTomHerman says Jordan Whittington's surgery went well and that they're looking at "about 3-4 weeks there."
Jake Smith is "continuing to rehab. We're going to try to get him running on the ground tomorrow or Wednesday."
— Joe Cook (@josephcook89) September 21, 2020
Considering how productive the slot receivers have been for Texas recently, it’s significant to have both sidelined at the same time. Hamstring injuries can be fragile and linger throughout the season, therefore it’s not smart to use Smith until he is completely healthy.
Due to the duo nursing injuries at the moment, Herman reiterated that Texas plans to use more 12 personnel and take advantage of their versatile tight ends.