Texas Starting Right Tackle Cameron Williams To Play Against Ohio State 

Image courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian announced on Thursday that starting right tackle Cameron Williams will suit up for the Longhorns for their College Football Playoff semifinal matchup against Ohio State held at the Cotton Bowl Friday night. 

Williams has been out since the Longhorns’ first-round CFP game against Clemson, when he suffered a right knee sprain that forced him to miss their quarterfinal overtime victory over Arizona State.

Texas felt Williams’ absence against the Sun Devils, as it rushed for just 53 yards on 30 carries as opposed to the 292 yards and four touchdowns it had against Clemson with Williams in the lineup.

Williams has been a stalwart for Texas’ formidable offensive line over the past several seasons. He has played in 37 games in his career with 16 starts. He is also projected to be an early-round NFL draft selection if he opts to declare after this season, with ESPN having him as the No. 28 overall prospect and fifth-best offensive tackle in their NFL draft rankings. 

The return of Williams is the only injury news made available to the media prior to the Cotton Bowl, as the College Football Playoff does not require teams to release availability reports prior to kickoff. With that said, Ohio State is likely to have every starter available for this matchup, except for the players who are out for the season, those being center Seth McLaughlin and left tackle Josh Simmons.