20-Year-Old Athlete Plans To Ditch Steve Sarkisian After Texas Faces CFP Humiliation
CJ Baxter spent three years waiting for his moment at Texas. That moment never came, and now the CFP snub has given him the perfect exit. Baxter arrived in Austin as the crown jewel of Steve Sarkisian’s Texas backfield future. He’s leaving with 196 rushing yards and zero touchdowns from this season.
The 20-year-old running back announced Monday he’s entering the transfer portal, cutting ties with Steve Sarkisian’s program just days after the Longhorns got shut out of the playoff bracket.
His Texas numbers tell the story of what didn’t happen: 855 rushing yards and four touchdowns across 21 games, plus 36 catches for 197 yards and a score. The Orlando product was the top-ranked running back in the entire 2023 recruiting class per 247Sports, rated No. 30 nationally. He signed with a class that included Arch Manning and Anthony Hill Jr.
Sarkisian addressed the playoff miss shortly after the bracket came out. “We felt like if we didn’t get into the CFP, being right on the cusp, we’d have an opportunity to go to a really good bowl game,” he said. Texas is headed to the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl against Michigan on Dec. 31 at 2 p.m. CT. Both teams sit at 9-3.
His freshman season in 2023 showed promise, 659 yards and five touchdowns while splitting carries with Jonathon Brooks. Then came 2024, when a knee injury before the season wiped out the entire campaign. This year was supposed to be the bounce-back. It wasn’t.
The Backfield Texas Has Left after CJ Baxter’s Exit
Four running backs remain on the roster right now. Quintrevion Wisner faces his own crossroads as a draft-eligible junior. James Simon and Christian Clark logged significant minutes early in the season. Freshman Rickey Stewart Jr. completes the current group. Texas already secured five-star Derrek Cooper on early signing day, and Rivals ranks him the No. 4 back nationally. Cooper’s commitment softens the blow of losing Baxter.
Sarkisian didn’t waver on the bowl game decision. “We did not” consider pulling out, he stated plainly when asked if Texas thought about following Notre Dame’s lead. He highlighted the Citrus Bowl’s tradition and called Michigan a quality Big Ten opponent worth playing.
CJ Baxter’s departure raises the uncomfortable question nobody in Austin wants to answer: how does a top recruit never get his shot? Injuries explain part of it. Timing explains more. But three years in, a player of his caliber should have numbers that matter. He doesn’t, and now he’s searching for somewhere that can fix what broke down in Texas.
20-Year-Old Athlete Plans To Ditch Steve Sarkisian After Texas Faces CFP Humiliation
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