Texas Longhorns RB Christian Clark out for 2024 season with torn Achilles

Texas has announced freshman RB Christian Clark suffered a torn Achilles tendon. Clark will undergo surgery and miss the 2024 season.

The injury report is back for Texas running back Christian Clark, and it isn’t good. The freshman RB suffered a torn Achilles tendon. In a statement released on Tuesday, school officials said Clark will undergo surgery and miss the 2024 season.

Clark is the second Longhorn RB to suffer a season-ending injury in as many weeks. Last week, starter CJ Baxter tore both his lateral cruciate ligament  and posterior cruciate ligament.

The two serious injuries have cut the Longhorns’ running back depth almost in half. The Texas coaching staff is considering moving players from other positions to bolster the running back room.

Even before Clark’s injury, Steve Sarkisian said: “We’re looking at some different options, and I think we’re looking at it creatively, whether it’s a couple of guys on the offensive side of the ball, a potential player on the defensive side of the ball, or two, for that matter. … So we’re kind of taking it day by day again. We’ve got plenty of time. We’re just trying to get a sense and a feel of how, not only will they play on offense at the runner, but how does that impact us at other positions if we take a player.”

Three names have emerged as possible candidates to move to running back: wide receiver Ryan Niblett,  linebacker Derion Gullette and safety Jelani McDonald.

Contact/Follow us @LonghornsWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Trey Luerssen on X @TreyLuerssen.