Texas Longhorns RB Jaydon Blue Embracing Adversity With Ease

Texas Longhorns running back Jaydon Blue has had his ups and downs this season.

Texas Longhorns running back Jaydon Blue (23) runs the ball during the Red River Rivalry game against Oklahoma at the Cotton Bowl on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024 in Dallas, Texas. / Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Before the season began, Texas Longhorns junior running back Jaydon Blue was thrust into the starting role after CJ Baxter went down with a season-ending knee injury. Without missing a beat, Blue stepped up and has led this young Texas running back room, keeping the high standard that it has had these past few years.

Running backs coach Tashard Choice has transformed Texas into one of the best running back rooms in the country and has produced several NFL Draft picks including Bijan Robinson, Roschon Johnson and Jonathon Brooks. Now, Blue is learning from Choice and has faced some adversity this season, which he is no stranger to.

Against Mississippi State, he was pulled for sophomore Quintrevion Wisner after two fumbles. Despite scoring one touchdown in the win, he only carried the ball six times for 35 yards. Against Oklahoma, he had 10 carries for just 30 yards.

But Blue trusts himself and his training and is constantly looking for ways to improve.

"I've been through a lot of tough things," Blue said. "I've gotten football taken away from me for two years. So, I think that that that built me as a young man, to now, that when I do face adversity, I can bounce back quicker, because, like I said, there, there's a lot of things I had to get used to and when, when I was hurt."

His slow games came after the best performance of his career when he had 25 carries for 124 yards, three rushing touchdowns and one receiving score against Louisiana-Monroe. Instead of getting down on himself, Blue worked on ball security and being a leader amongst the running backs.

He has taken Wisner under his wing and as the two split the majority of the carries, each one gets more productive as the games go on.

"We both (are a) similar size, we can both catch a ball in the backfield, both (have similar) speed, we can do similar things," Blue said. "It's good having a guy like (Wisner) that can compliment me. So when I do come out the game, we have another guy that can do some things just as well as I can."

Wisner only had 12 carries for 73 yards last season. But with the early injuries to the running backs this year, Wisner stepped up, something that Blue said was no problem for him.

"I've always known Tre is one of the hardest workers on the team," Blue said. "I always knew that he was going to be a guy whenever, you know, we needed him to be. And it's showing now. I just think for him, after he's learned from the older guys and seeing how we did certain things just by his work, I knew that when it was his time, that he'd be able to perform."

This week, Blue and the running backs will be facing Georgia, the team that has been the standard of college football for the past few years. The Bulldogs won back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022 and will be coming to Austin for the first-ever SEC matchup between the two programs.

Though Blue knows the challenge that the Georgia defense brings, him and the other running backs trust their preparation and that Choice is going to set them up for success.