Former Florida State running back commitment sticks with pledge to Texas

The Seminoles' chances diminished once Trey Benson announced his return to FSU.

The Seminoles gave it a shot but they're not going to end up flipping one of the top prospects in the 2023 class.

READ MORE: Early Signing Period Tracker for the Florida State Seminoles

On Wednesday afternoon, five-star running back Cedric Baxter Jr. followed through with his commitment to Texas and signed with the Longhorns over Florida State.

A former commitment and fan of Florida State throughout his childhood, Baxter Jr. reciprocated interest from the Seminoles throughout the 2022 season. He visited Tallahassee twice in October to witness the team's loss to Clemson and win over Georgia Tech.

At the time, Baxter Jr. stated that he could see the vision that was being built at Florida State by head coach Mike Norvell.

"I would say, my freshman year when I committed I felt like it was more just me committing because of it being my dream school. They were telling me how the vision would be but now I can actually see it," Baxter Jr. said. "They're playing well, the losses they do have, one to a top-4 team in the country and the other two was like really close games. So it's like, they're there, they're only getting better."

Since then, the Seminoles have gotten plenty of good news of their own as star running back Trey Benson, redshirt sophomore Lawrance Toafili, and true freshman Rodney Hill are among the players returning to the team in 2023. It's possible that redshirt sophomore Treshaun Ward is back as well but he's currently in the middle of the decision-making process.

Alas, the talented running back will begin his college career out of state. Baxter Jr. recorded 174 carries for 1,375 rushing yards with 13 touchdowns while catching 4 passes for 46 yards during his senior season.

The 6-foot-1, 215-pound running back is regarded as the No. 21 overall prospect, the No. 1 RB, and the No. 5 recruit in the state of Florida in the 2023 class according to 247Sports.

As of now, Florida State holds 15 commitments in its 2023 class, which ranks No. 15 overall in the country according to 247Sports.

NoleGameday will continue to follow Florida State's Early Signing Period finish throughout the day. You can check out our prospect tracker for all of the upcoming announcements HERE.

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