Two members of Texas’ third-ranked 2019 signing class are dealing with major medical issues, and it appears those issues are trending in opposite directions.
On Saturday, Tom Herman revealed that 4-star linebacker signee De’Gabriel Floyd will miss at least the entire 2019 season with spinal stenosis, an issue that could end up ending his college football career before it starts. Meanwhile, Derrian Brown, a 4-star running back signee from Buford, Ga., has spent the last two-plus months in the hospital after suffering a stroke, which tests revealed to be caused by a blood clot in his brain.
Brown has been progressing since February, and on Saturday Herman revealed that the player was scheduled to be released from the hospital, with designs on attending his team’s spring game.
“Just talked to his dad yesterday. He had a procedure to put back a piece of his skull that they had removed to alleviate some pressure, and that went well, from what I understand,’ Herman said, via Burnt Orange Nation. “He was supposed to be released [from the hospital] yesterday.”
“He’s trying to get cleared to come to the spring game, I know that,” Herman added. “Physically, they say he’s doing really well. He’s still having a few minor issues with speech, but they’re all very optimistic that that will come with time. And they’re, as of now, optimistic that he’ll have a chance to play football again.”
Attending the spring game, scheduled for Saturday night, would be a major step forward for Brown and undoubtedly the highlight of the event.
The unfortunate thing about Brown’s illness -- other than the obvious, of course -- is that the depth chart is currently wide open in the Texas running back room. The ‘Horns hoped to sign two running backs, but 4-star Noah Cain picked Penn State over UT on Signing Day. At present, Texas returns just Keaontay Ingram, who flashed promised as a true freshman but battled constant nagging injuries, and short-yardage specialist Daniel Young as its only scholarship running backs. With Brown out of the mix until he’s fully recovered, fellow 2019 signee Jordan Whittinghton is focusing fully on running back rather than cross-training between running back and wide receiver.