CJ Baxter Releases Heartfelt Letter to Texas Longhorns Teammates

Out with a season-ending injury, Texas Longhorns running back CJ Baxter is ready to hype his teammates in College Station.

Texas running back CJ Baxter during goes through drills during football practice at Denius Fields on Monday, August 5, 2024. / Ricardo B. Brazziell / USA TODAY NETWORK

AUSTIN -- Texas sophomore running back CJ Baxter released a heartfelt letter to his Texas teammates via The Players Tribune.

Baxter 2024 season ended before it started. During a preseason practice, he snapped a ligament, and was later named out for the season.

When he heard the "pop" sound, he could only hear running back coach Tashard Choice's voice, he wrote.

"There was no other coach my family connected with on a genuine human level better than Coach Choice," Baxter wrote. "His general approach to life and football is something that I immediately wanted to emulate. He’d played in college and the NFL, but that wasn’t what stuck out with me. I could tell he really cared about developing his players as people, and that really influenced my recruitment."

Coach Choice was one of the biggest reasons Baxter moved from Florida to Texas. Since getting to Austin in 2023, he learned "The Blueprint."

In his piece, Baxter shouted out former Texas running back Bijan Robinson, who left for the NFL before Baxter joined the team but was present during his recruiting. He also mentioned former wide receiver Jordan Whittington.

"When I first came to Texas, Whitt let me take the number 4 from him so I could honor my cousin Greg Bryant — a great running back himself at Notre Dame, who tragically passed away a couple of years ago. We’ve always been cool since then," Baxter wrote.

Whittington helped Baxter find his place and understand the standards of Texas football and the culture. Baxter credited the NFL sixth rsixth-roundound draft pick for a play against TCU.

Baxter had been named team captain ahead of the season and the injury. In his letter, he highlighted three important lessons he had learned during his freshman season.

Lesson 1: Don’t complain and poison the locker room. Earn your spot on the depth chart. That ego hit can ultimately be too much for some guys. And if it is? There’s the door. 

Lesson 2: You have a huge microscope on you all the time, and how you act around others leaves an impression. If how you represent yourself and the team doesn’t mean anything to you? There’s the door.

Lesson 3: Never quit on a play. Never quit on anything. 

Baxter spent the rest of his article reflecting on the changes he's gone through since the injury and the fears of not being the same player as he was. He wrote that, now, ahead of the Lone Star Showdown, his job is to be the best teammate he can be.

"We are back to where we belong," He said. "Playing for all the marbles. The Blueprint is there. Now it’s time to execute. Go out there and get one for your brother."

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