A postseason injury has forced Shane Buechele to undergo an offseason medical procedure.
Buechele suffered a torn abductor muscle in his hip/abdomen in the first half of Texas’ Texas Bowl win over Missouri and didn’t return in the second half. Nearly a month later, the football program has announced that the quarterback will undergo surgery on Thursday to repair the damage.
If rehab goes as planned, Buechele is expected to be on the field when the Longhorns kick off spring practice March 5.
As a true freshman in 2016, Buechele started all 12 games for the Longhorns. This past season was one marred by various injuries.
Buechele started the season opener for Texas, but ceded the job to Sam Ehlinger the next two games because of a bruised throwing shoulder. Returning to the starting lineup in Week 5, Buechele suffered an ankle injury in the win over Iowa State that allowed Ehlinger to start the next three games. In the last of those three games, Ehlinger suffered a head injury that left him in concussion protocol and opened the door for Buechele to start five of the last six games of the season.
Buechele and Ehlinger will be the two veterans battling for the starting job once spring practice kicks off in March.