With only four practices remaining before the Orange-White game on April 16, the Texas Longhorns will shut down sophomore quarterback Jerrod Heard for the remainder of the spring so he can continue rehabbing the minor shoulder sprain he suffered last Tuesday in practice, head coach Charlie Strong said Tuesday evening.

Charlie Strong says no more spring football for injured #Longhorns QB Jerrod Heard (sprained shoulder): pic.twitter.com/DEdSmzjaOW — Dennis de la Pena (@dennisonfox7) April 6, 2016

Strong said that Heard's rehab is going well after he fell on his shoulder awkwardly in practice and that he would return if there were more practices left.

So there shouldn't be any long-term concerns associated with the missed times in terms of the injury lingering. However, Heard is missing critical reps as a critical time as the quarterback competition continues under new offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert.

Heard had been working primarily as the second-team quarterback behind senior Tyrone Swoopes and ahead of early enrollee Shane Buechele, who has now moved up into that role. Redshirt freshman Kai Locksley still hasn't been receiving many team reps even with the absence of Heard, while fellow redshirt freshman Matthew Merrick is reportedly out this spring with a back injury.

Heard started 10 games in 2015, taking over for Swoopes after the season opener and holding the job until an injury kept him from starting the season finale against Baylor. On the year, the 6'2, 195-pounder threw for 1,214 yards with five touchdowns and five interceptions and added 556 yards and three touchdowns on 139 carries to finish as the team's second-leading rusher.