Longhorns Country

Texas Longhorns RB CJ Baxter Trending Toward Return vs. Ohio State

Texas Longhorns running back CJ Baxter is expected to be ready to go for season opener against Ohio State.

Lindsey Plotkin

Texas Longhorns running back CJ Baxter (4) speaks to media during Texas Media Day at the Superdome on Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Texas Longhorns will take on the Washington Huskies in the College Football Playoff Semi-Finals on January 1, 2024.
Texas Longhorns running back CJ Baxter (4) speaks to media during Texas Media Day at the Superdome on Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Texas Longhorns will take on the Washington Huskies in the College Football Playoff Semi-Finals on January 1, 2024. / Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK
In this story:

As the Texas Longhorns gear up to start their spring football practices, one key player in the lineup is still out, but head coach Steve Sarkisian is optimistic about his recovery. Sophomore Running back CJ Baxter missed the entire 2024-25 season with a torn ACL.

But as first reported by On3's Joe Cook, Sarkisian has full confidence that Baxter will make a full recovery from his injury and be ready for the season-opening at the Ohio State Buckeyes on Aug. 30. Sarkisian was a guest on the Off The Edge podcast with Cam Jordan when he shared the information.

When a question was asked about Baxter's recovery, Sarkisian had an answer that will satisfy most fans.

CJ Baxter runs for a touchdown in the 2024 Sugar Bowl
Texas Longhorns running back CJ Baxter (4) runs in for a touchdown during the Sugar Bowl College Football Playoff semifinals game against the Washington Huskies at the Caesars Superdome on Monday, Jan. 1, 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana. / Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

"Cedric’s doing great,” Sarkisian said to Jordan and his listeners. “So you know, Cedric Baxter is a running back of ours that tore his ACL early in training camp last year. He was set to, I think, have a great season. His rehab is going fantastic. He looks really good. He’s in really good spirits."

Before his injury, Baxter was expected to be the Longhorns' RB1 but never saw a snap. The running back suffered a torn ACL and LCL in a preseason practice, ending his run as Texas' first running back before it even started.

Now, Sarkisian said that Baxter is in the final stages of making a full recovery.

"Obviously, we have some time, right?” Sarkisian said. “For him, it’s essentially going to be a 12-month recovery, which is a great amount of time coming off of an ACL. We feel very confident that he will be. But time will tell, right? We’re in March, and we’ve got plenty of time until August 30th when we play. We’ve got plenty of time until then."

In his first spring press conference, Sarkisian stated earlier this spring that he's in no rush to push Baxter to return from his injury before he's ready. Now, it's just a waiting game to see how long before the season Baxter makes his return to full play.

The Longhorns will go on the road for their season opener, for a rematch of the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal, heading up to Columbus to take on the Buckeyes on August 30.

Join the Community:

Subscribe to our YouTube Page HERE

You can follow us for future coverage by subscribing to our newsletter here. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @LonghornsCountryOnSI & follow us on Twitter at @LonghornsSI

Other Texas Longhorns News:

Published
Lindsey Plotkin
LINDSEY PLOTKIN

Lindsey Plotkin is a journalism major and sports media minor at the University of Texas at Austin. She is also a double coverage editor for the Daily Texan on the football and baseball beats, and a staff writer for Texas Longhorns On SI.

Home/Football