Texas Gets Its Weapons Back: Coleman and Simmons Cleared for LSU Trip

Texas' two most impactful players on offense and defense are off the availability report ahead of Saturday's road game at No. 21 LSU, removing the uncertainty that clouded last week's Missouri win.

Texas will have star wide receiver Cam Coleman and edge rusher Colin Simmons available for Saturday night's trip to No. 21 LSU. Neither player appeared on the Longhorns' availability report released Wednesday, the clearest signal Steve Sarkisian's squad will be closer to full strength for a marquee SEC road game.

Coleman missed last week's 34-20 win at No. 22 Missouri after aggravating a shoulder injury in the previous week's victory over Mississippi State. Simmons, who leads the SEC in sacks, was listed as questionable before Missouri and ultimately played just 18 snaps without recording a sack or tackle. Both absences — one full, one functional — underscored how thin the margin was in Columbia. The health picture isn't entirely clean. Defensive tackle Hero Kanu carries a questionable designation after reportedly suffering a torn bicep against Missouri, though Horns247's Eric Henry reports Kanu plans to play through the injury. Four players are listed as out: running back Hollywood Smothers, Trevor Goosby, Nick Townsend, and Richard Wesley. The Coleman return matters most for the offense's ceiling. Texas' passing game against Missouri lacked the vertical threat Coleman provides, and Arch Manning's options shrink meaningfully without him. Getting the freshman wideout back against an LSU secondary that will test every route is the kind of week-over-week health improvement that separates November contenders from pretenders. Simmons' return to full capacity is equally significant on the defensive side. Eighteen snaps at Missouri was a cameo, not a contribution. If Simmons can play a full complement of snaps against an LSU offense that will attack the edges, Texas' pass rush returns to the form that earned him the conference sack lead. The broader signal here is that Texas is trending healthier at precisely the right moment in the SEC schedule. Road games at ranked opponents are where depth and availability become the difference between playoff positioning and a January letdown. Sarkisian's staff managed the Coleman and Simmons situations conservatively at Missouri, absorbing a win without burning either player, and now gets rewarded with both available for a higher-stakes contest. Saturday night in Baton Rouge will test whether availability translates to performance. Coleman's shoulder and Simmons' conditioning after limited reps are open questions that the availability report can't answer. But the Longhorns enter the week with the best injury news they could have asked for.