Texas true freshman linebacker De’Gabriel Floyd likely will miss the 2019 season, coach Tom Herman told reporters on Saturday.
Floyd, the No. 55 player in the 2019 ESPN 300, was diagnosed with stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal column, Herman said.
“He’s probably not going to be cleared for this season,” Herman said. “But we’re going to reevaluate him in January [2020]. … Until then, he’s going to help T.O. [defensive coordinator Todd Orlando] coach and continue some pretty aggressive rehab with it.”
Floyd, a 6-foot-2, 240-pound prospect from Los Angeles, enrolled at Texas in January and was viewed as a possible contributor this fall at linebacker for the Longhorns. He was the sixth-ranked linebacker in the 2019 recruiting class and was one of five finalists for the 2018 High School Butkus Award, which goes to the nation’s top prep linebacker. He also played in the 2019 All-American Bowl in San Antonio.
The Longhorns scrimmaged on Saturday and wrap up spring drills on April 13 with their annual Orange-White spring game at 7:30 p.m. ET.