Texas Loses Star Running Back CJ Baxter For Season, Putting More Pressure On Steve Sarkisian, Quinn Ewers

Texas was voted No. 2 in the SEC’s predicted order of finish last month at SEC Media Days and is in the middle of the discussion of teams that can win the College Football Playoff National Championship. Those hopes took a bit of a hit on Wednesday when it was learned that star running back CJ Baxter will miss the entire season after suffering a knee injury in practice. 

This is a huge injury for coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns. 

The 6-foot-1, 218-pound sophomore from Orlando is their leading returning rusher after ripping off 659 yards and five touchdowns on the ground, and added 156 more receiving yards. He was set to be the focal point of the offense after Jonathon Brooks moved on to the NFL. Baxter was just named to the Doak Walker Award watch list heading into the season.

DALLAS, TX - OCTOBER 07: Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) hands off to Texas Longhorns running back CJ Baxter (4) during the first half against the Oklahoma Sooners on October 7th, 2023 at Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas Texas. (Photo by William Purnell/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Can Texas recover?

Sarkisian has done a tremendous job developing the depth that is needed to contend in the SEC and at a national level. Junior Jaydon Blue was no slouch last season rolling for 398 yards on the ground, 135 yards through the air and scoring four touchdowns — three of which were on the ground. Like Baxter, Blue was just named to the Doak Walker Award watch list.

Can Blue be the workhorse? That remains to be seen. Sarkisian better figure it out in a hurry, though. The Longhorns will have a tuneup vs. Colorado State in the opener before going to Ann Arbor to take on defending national champion Michigan. Gut feeling … Blue can handle the pressure. He’ll get some help from Tre Wisner — who saw plenty of time on special teams last year. 

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The search for a new running back contributor will be a big storyline during the rest of fall camp, but quarterback Quinn Ewers will be even more important now that Baxter is out for they year. No, Ewers isn’t a force on the ground by any stretch of the imagination. However, he is going to have to earn the trust of his new receivers — including Alabama transfer Isaiah Bond — in a hurry. After all, Sarkisian will undoubtedly rely on Ewers’ arm now more than ever. 

The Longhorns are still good enough not only to make the CFP, but win the whole thing. It’s never good to have depth diminish during fall camp, though. Simply put — the margin for error got a bit smaller following the injury to their star running back.