If the most surprising revelation from the initial injury report released by the Texas Longhorns on Wednesday was the status of freshman punter Michael Kern, who was listed as questionable due to an injury he sustained since the SEC’s opening game, then the upgrade from core to likely on Friday was a positive development for the Texas Longhorns Longhorns ahead of Saturday’s matchup against the Oklahoma Sooners in the Cotton Bowl.

After enrolling over the summer, the Florida product earned the starting spot over sophomore Ian Ratliff in preseason camp, setting off a notable offseason storyline. Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian confirmed Thursday that Ratliff would pitch against Oklahoma if Kern is unable to play, a potentially worrisome development given the increased pressure of the rivalry game and the split Cotton Bowl.

With more than 12 punts in five games, Kern is showing signs of still being a true freshman who signed over the summer. He averages 42.8 yards per attempt with 52 yards and four punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line, with opponents only returning three of those punts for a total of 18 yards.

While Kern is understandably a work in progress, his playing experience, albeit limited, is still better than the unknown of Ratliff. Since Kern also serves as holder for senior placekicker Bert Auburn, Ratliff would also assume that role if Kern were to miss Saturday’s game.

Two other walk-ons were also upgraded from questionable to probable — junior walk-on running back Colin Page and sophomore walk-on deep snapper Tate Haver, the replacement for starter Lance St. Louis.

Meanwhile, sophomore safety Derek Williams remains likely after he was listed as questionable in Wednesday’s initial report. Williams has missed the last three games with a hamstring injury.

On Saturday, Texas removed the four players listed as probable cause on Friday in the final injury report released 90 minutes before kickoff.

Oklahoma’s injury report did not change after all nine players were listed as out on Thursday’s report, including five wide receivers.