Senior offensive lineman Desmond Harrison and junior offensive lineman Kennedy Estelle have been suspended for this Saturday’s game against BYU.

Multiple reports first said both starters had been dismissed by head coach Charlie Strong on Wednesday evening; however, Texas announced later that night they were just suspended for this weekend’s contest. 

With the loss of senior center Dominic Espinosa — who started all 40 career games — to injury, Estelle was Texas’ most experienced offensive lineman with nine starts. Harrison had been suspended for the game against North Texas, but, on Monday, Strong announced he was eligible to play this Saturday against BYU.

Texas’ most experienced offensive linemen are now junior guard Sedrick Flowers and sophomore tackle Kent Perkins, who have both started just two games.  

The Longhorns are now down to 14 active offensive linemen on the roster for this Saturday, including three walk-ons and three true freshmen, making Flowers the only letter winner left on the offensive line.  

With sophomore quarterback Tyrone Swoopes set to make his first career start against BYU this weekend, the timing of Texas’ suspensions could cause trouble for the Longhorns.

Since Strong took over last January, he has changed the culture of the program, dismissing a total of seven players from the team. In March, the Longhorns dismissed senior fullback Chet Moss and senior safety Leroy Scott because of a violation of team rules. 

Things were fairly quiet for the program until July when the Longhorns dismissed five more players. Freshman defensive back Chevoski Collins, sophomore running back Jalen Overstreet and senior running back Joe Bergeron were all dismissed for violation of team rules.

Junior running back/wide receiver Daje Johnson and safety Josh Turner are also still suspended for Saturday’s game.