A week after a murky update on Ryan Wingo’s thumb, the tone in Austin shifted toward optimism. Steve Sarkisian has stayed measured about timelines, but the staff expects the freshman playmaker to be available as the Texas football team comes out of the bye and points everything at a November 15 trip to Georgia.
That matters because Arch Manning’s rhythm late against Vanderbilt leaned on quick-game timing and a full receiver rotation, and Wingo’s vertical speed changes how defenses play the Longhorns on early downs.
Inside Texas reported Sarkisian said Michael Taaffe, Jelani McDonald, and Ryan Wingo all practiced and looked great, adding he does not foresee setbacks and feels good about their status.
That is as clean a pre-Georgia signal as the Texas football team could send, especially with Taaffe’s communication and range on the back end anchoring a defense that has lived on red zone discipline.
Zoom out, and the calculus is straightforward. Texas is 7-2, trending up after squeezing out back-to-back wins and getting Manning settled post-concussion. If Wingo is near full go, the staff can expand its shot menu and lighten the load on Emeka Egbuka and Johntay Cook II.
If Taaffe is truly back to form, Pete Kwiatkowski can be more aggressive with simulated pressure and late safety rotation without sacrificing leverage on the perimeter. McDonald’s availability also matters in dime, where his matchup flexibility lets Texas play fast and stay sound against Georgia’s tight-end-heavy looks.
The opponent amplifies every detail. Georgia’s offense has been efficient more than explosive this year, which puts a premium on first-down wins and tackling. Texas has handled that script before, throttling Oklahoma at the point of attack in October. The Longhorns do not need style points in Athens; they need clean operation and their best players on the field.
Earlier in the month, Texas ruled safety Michael Taaffe out for Vanderbilt as he continued recovering from thumb surgery. The hope then was a return by the end of the regular season, with the bye week setting up Georgia as a realistic target.
The depth plan featured Jelani McDonald, Xavier Filsaime, and Graceson Littleton rotating at safety while Jaylon Guilbeau and Malik Muhammad carried heavier snaps outside. If Taaffe is truly back now, that contingency becomes a luxury instead of a necessity.
