Andre Cojoe got thrown into the fire last week for Texas football when All-American left tackle Trevor Goosby went down with a knee injury in their win over Ole Miss, and man, it started rough. Cojoe, the backup, immediately coughed up a strip sack to Rebel edge rusher Blake Purchase. To make things worse, Texas quarterback Arch Manning’s fumble ended up being recovered by teammate Kam Franklin for a defensive touchdown. Ouch, right? But here is where it gets interesting, and why Texas fans should be paying close attention.
The Fumble That Flipped the Switch
That brutal play, oddly enough, seemed to settle Cojoe down. The 6-foot-6, 340-pound senior from Timberview High School, who had just stepped into the spotlight, held his own in pass protection for the rest of the game. Not only that, he actually created a lot of push in the run game, showing glimpses of what he could do. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian even said Thursday that Cojoe has looked “even stronger” after a full week of practice with the first team. “I feel good about (him),” Sarkisian told reporters. “I think he should have a real sense of confidence. Was he perfect last week? No, but I think there was plenty from last week’s game that he can build off of.” That’s high praise from the head coach after a rocky start.
From Injured Reserve to the Starting XI
This isn’t Cojoe’s first rodeo with adversity. He missed all of last season with a knee injury. Before that, in 2024, he appeared in four games as a sophomore and was actually challenging Brandon Baker for the starting spot at right tackle before a torn knee ligament sidelined him in 2025. This year, Cojoe already appeared in six games as a reserve before stepping in for Goosby against Ole Miss. Now, with Texas sitting at 5-2 overall and 2-2 in the SEC, Saturday’s game against Mississippi State is going to mark his very first career start.
Sarkisian knows the difference between being a backup and the guy playing 50, 60, even 70 snaps. “It’s human nature, right?” he said. “I mean, we can say all day long that you’ve got to prepare like you’re the starter. … And then you actually get thrown in there, and then it’s the physical grind of playing 50, 60, 70 snaps, but it’s also the mental grind of it. I think having a week of preparation allows him to prepare for that physical and mental grind, the nuances of the plan, the communication with the guards.” Tight end Michael Masunas, a senior transfer, backed this up. Replacing someone like Goosby, who apparently drew first-round grades for the 2026 NFL Draft, is tough. But as Masunas put it, “It’s a sad thing to say, but next man up. That’s kind of how football is nowadays. It’s next guy up, and it’s going to be great to see what Cojoe is able to do with the full week of practice with the ones. I think he’s going to be doing great.”
The stage is set for Andre Cojoe. Saturday against Mississippi State, he gets his shot to show everyone that the immediate fumble was just a bump in the road, and that he is truly ready for that starting role. Can he prove Sarkisian and Masunas right? You know we’ll be watching.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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