CJ Baxter undergoes successful surgery, extent of injury revealed
Texas running back CJ Baxter is on the road to recovery. On3’s Pete Nakos reported on Friday that Baxter underwent successful surgery to repair his LCL and ACL. Baxter was declared out for the year on August 7.
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Baxter had been the Longhorns’ first-string running back throughout camp and was expected to share the rushing workload with Jaydon Blue.
A sophomore from Orlando (Fla.) Edgewater, Baxter played in 12 games and started six in 2023. He tallied 659 yards and five touchdowns on 138 carries during a season in which he was named an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection. He was the first true freshman running back to start his first game for the Longhorns since Williams accomplished the feat in 1995. He posted a career high 20 carries and 117 rushing yards against Iowa State in Ames last year.
Baxter wasn’t the only loss from the running back room. Freshman Christian Clark suffered a season ending Achilles injury less than a week later.
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In response, the Longhorns added former Kansas and SMU running back Velton Gardner to bolster depth.
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The Longhorns will await Baxter’s return for the 2025 season. Their 2024 season kicks off August 31 against Colorado State.
On3 Personal Life file
CJ Baxter Jr. emerged onto the scene as a sophomore when he played at three different positions — running back, linebacker and defensive back — and helped play a big role in Edgewater’s run to the state playoffs. He moved to his natural running back spot as a junior and took Florida high school football by storm with around 1,700 rushing yards, 26 touchdowns and an 8.3 yard per carry average. Baxter, who goes by the nickname “C4”, originally committed to Florida State early in the recruiting process but backed away from that pledge. He plans on majoring in math in college. His parents are Cedric Baxter Sr. and Latoya Zanders.
