Breaking: Texas loses starting running back to season-ending knee injury in camp

Texas running back C.J. Baxter suffered a knee injury that will sideline him for the season, sources confirm to Dave Campbell’s Texas Football. The former five-star from Florida was injured on a “freak play” on Tuesday on the Forty Acres. Baxter was the projected starter at running back for the Horns after rushing for 659 yards and five touchdowns on 138 attempts as a true freshman. He also caught 24 passes for 156 yards. Orangebloods.com was first to report. 

With Baxter out for the season, the Longhorns have lost four of their top five rushers from 2023 with Jonathon Brooks now in the NFL and Keilan Robinson and Savion Red no longer on the team. The load shifts towards Jaydon Blue, who was expected to receive a ton of touches even before Baxter was injured. Blue became a game-changer for Texas towards the end of the season and ended 2023 with a 6.1 yards per carry average.