Is Sophomore Running Back CJ Baxter Ready to Lead the SEC in Rushing?

Baxter had an up-and-down first year in Austin that saw changes in scheme and volume, but the running back has worked throughout the offseason and looks to be one of the top players for the Horns in 2023.

Texas Longhorns running back CJ Baxter (4) celebrates a first down 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

Entering the 2023 season, freshman Texas Longhorns running back CJ Baxter was the guy to watch in the Big 12.

Ranked as the No. 1 back and a top 30 recruit in the nation, Baxter was bound to have high expectations as soon as year one. But his situation was one of the most unique and volatile ones any freshman running back had seen in the past few seasons.

Of the six top 100 recruit running backs in the 2023 class, Baxter was the only one who entered the year as a starter. Over the last three seasons, the top RB recruit in the nation started their first year, and the players that preceded Baxter put him in elite company. In 2022, five-star Nick Singleton gave Penn State over 1000 yards and double-digit touchdowns.

Jan 1, 2024; New Orleans, LA, USA; Texas Longhorns running back CJ Baxter (4) runs the ball against Washington Huskies linebacker Ralen Goforth (10) during the first quarter in the 2024 Sugar Bowl college football playoff semifinal game at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

The year before, TreVeyon Henderson ran for 1248 yards and 15 touchdowns in year one. Both are expected to be at the top of the running back draft board in 2025. And before them, Texas fans may remember this name, Bijan Robinson, who didn't begin as a starter, but took over by the end of the year.

With a seemingly wide-open RB room, Baxter was drawing comparisons to these fantastic running backs. But Baxter's role quickly diminished after now-Panther Jonathon Brooks broke out at Alabama while Baxter was sidelined with injury. After beginning 2023 as a starter, Baxter saw just 23% of the team's carries in the first three Big 12 games.

"Learning fronts and defenses is another major adjustment along with the system being different from high school to college," Baxter said in a recent media availability. "Coming from high school, we mainly ran A gap scheme and when I got (to Texas), there definitely was an adjustment because we run a lot of zone here."

Head coach Steve Sarkisian's offense revolves around getting blockers into spaces as opposed to create specific gaps, something that Baxter was doing at Edgewater High School. With the physically superior offensive line that the Longhorns build around, it can quickly become a cheat code of a system, but it will always be an adjustment for a player who spent just one offseason working behind that line.

Baxter saw his lowest production in the Longhorns' sole regular season loss against, running for just 18 yards on seven carries. Despite the inefficiencies, Sarkisian worked to get Baxter more involved. Baxter averaged closer to double-digit touches in the three games after but saw a specific uptick in the TCU game, where Brooks went down with an injury.

However, the true breakout for Baxter, similar to that of Robinson's intro to the Big 12 when he ran all over West Virginia, came against Iowa State.

In the week leading up the Cyclones players were taking shots at the defensive side of the ball for Texas, which made Baxter's achievements a bit quiet. But the Florida native had easily his best game of the season, taking a career-high 20 carries and passing 100 yards for the first time, finishing with 130 all-purpose yards in a 26-16 win.

Baxter would end the season with 103 yards from scrimmage game against the Washington Huskies, where the Longhorns fell short and ended their season.

"We got far last year, but we know how it feels to get that far and not go out on top," Baxter said. "This year, we don't want to go that far and not finish the job."

Baxter's season ended with 659 rushing yards, fourth among power five freshmen, despite playing behind the first running back taken in the NFL draft. Now in year two, Baxter and speedster Jaydon Blue are looking to become the best duo in the nation, and with a full offseason behind him, Baxter has a case to become the best runner in the SEC.