The Texas Longhorns aim for drastic improvement in the running game in Arch Manning’s first season as the starting quarterback. The team finished in the middle of the pack in every major statistical category and failed to crack the top 50 in all three key metrics. The Longhorns ranked 71st in rushing yards, tied for 74th in yards per attempt, and tied for 62nd in rushing touchdowns among 134 FBS schools in 2024.
A reason for their struggles could be attributed to their top running back not playing last year.
Texas Longhorns star RB suffered a season-ending injury in August
After losing the starting running back to Jonathon Brooks later in his true freshman season, CJ Baxter was poised to regain his old spot heading into his sophomore campaign. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse during fall camp. Baxter suffered an ACL and LCL tear on August 6, resulting in him missing the entire 2024 season.
He wasn’t able to fully participate during spring practices as he continues to recover from his grueling injury.
Texas Longhorns’ 5-star gets major update
During SEC Media Days, Steve Sarkisian provided an injury update on CJ Baxter, via Wescott Eberts of Burnt Orange Nation. With fall camp coming up in a few weeks, the Longhorns will play it safe with his recovery rather than rushing him and increasing the risk of injury. Sarkisian emphasized the importance of having Baxter healthy for the second half, which would increase their chances of a deep playoff run.
“Hey, I would love Cedric Baxter to go out the first day and be ripping and running, all those things, but we’ve got to be smart,” Sarkisian said, via Eberts. “This is a long journey. This is a long season that we’re about to embark on, and I want to make sure that he can continue to grow and get better and better and better and become the best player that he can be in the second half of this season. So we’re going to be mindful of that in training camp.”
Who will take over as the RB1?
Quintrevion “Tre” Wisner will likely begin the 2025 season as the starting running back while CJ Baxter works his way back. The junior back had a great finish to his sophomore campaign, replacing Jaydon Blue as the starter. Wisner rushed for 1,064 yards on 226 attempts and five touchdowns.
Sophomore Jerrick Gibson and redshirt freshman Christian Clark will likely see their roles increase early on.
