Texas offensive lineman Elijah Rodriguez underwent successful ankle surgery on Thursday and will miss “an extended period of time.”
The junior left Tuesday’s practice with what officials called a high ankle sprain. Just last week coach Tom Herman had somewhat surprisingly named Rodriguez as the current favorite to win the team’s open right tackle spot.
“Because he’s good enough,” Herman said when asked why Rodriguez was receiving reps with the ones over Denzel Okafor and Tristan Nickelson.
With Rodriguez out for the foreseeable future, the battle for right tackle becomes a two-man competition.
Herman said both Okafor and Nickelson come with their own unique strengths and weaknesses.