Colton Vasek, EDGE
Another key defender that the Longhorns are looking to get back from an injury for the Kentucky game on Saturday afternoon at DKR is redshirt freshman edge rusher Colton Vasek.
Like Blackwell, Vasek's status on the Thursday SEC injury report update for the Kentucky game was upgraded from "questionable" to "probable". Vasek has missed Texas's last two games due to an injury.
Vasek has registered six combined tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, five quarterback pressures, and three defensive stops over eight games played this season.
The second-year edge rusher really broke through for the Longhorns in the first live-game action of his collegiate career in the month of September. Vasek racked up the first two sacks of his career at Texas in wins over the UTSA Roadrunners in Week 3 at home and the victory in the SEC opener over the Mississippi State Bulldogs at home in Week 5.
Texas's EDGE rotation has shown strength in numbers this fall, with more depth and production than Pete Kwiatkowski and the Longhorns had at the position since 2021 than ever before.
Led by freshman Colin Simmons, senior Barryn Sorrell, and junior Trey Moore, Texas has bolstered one of the best EDGE rotations in the SEC this season. Simmons leads all SEC freshmen with a half dozen sacks this season. Sorrell and Moore have graded out among the top quarter of EDGE players in the SEC (per PFF) in 2024.