Texas RB CJ Baxter will Transfer to Kentucky

The opening weekend of the transfer portal brought plenty of big names to Kentucky. One of them has decided to wear a Kentucky uniform in the fall of 2026.

Running back CJ Baxter will transfer from Texas to Kentucky. He has two years of eligibility remaining. Baxter committed to the Cats after completing a visit to Indiana over the weekend.

Baxter will become the most prolific high school running back to suit up for the Wildcats. He was a five-star talent and the top-ranked running back in the 2023 recruiting class. During his All-American senior season in Florida, he tallied  1,375 yards and 15 touchdowns, finishing his prep career with more than 4,000 all-purpose yards and 58 total touchdowns.

Once he arrived in Austin, Baxter made an immediate impact. He was a Second Team Freshman All-American after earning six starts and rushing for 659 yards on 138 carries (4.8 ypc) and five touchdowns.

Unfortunately, injuries prevented Baxter from parlaying that freshman pop into more production. He suffered a season-ending right knee injury ahead of his sophomore season. He returned in 2025 and started in the opener against Ohio State, but the injury bug bit again three games into the season. A hamstring injury plagued him throughout the year, limiting Baxter to eight games. He finished the year with 54 carries for 196 yards (3.6 ypc.).

The 6-1, 227-pounder is a physical running back with breakaway speed. If he can return to form after two injury-plagued season, Baxter has a chance to be special at Kentucky.

Transfer Portal Commits

Kentucky added four players in less than an hour, bringing the total of transfer portal commits up to 24.

Player	Position	High School	Former School	Year
Olaus Alinen	G/T (6-6, 322)	Windson (Conn.) The Loomis Chaffee School	Alabama	Redshirt Junior
Jesse Anderson	S (6-0, 180)	Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons	Pittsburgh	Redshirt Junior
Max Anderson	iOL (6-5, 311)	Frisco (Texas) High	Tennessee	Redshirt Sophomore
Elijah “Bo” Barnes	LB (6-1, 244)	Dallas (Texas) Skyline	Texas	Redshirt Freshman
Jovantae Barnes	RB (6-0, 211)	Las Vegas (Nev.) Desert Pines	Oklahoma	Redshirt Senior
CJ Baxter	RB (6-1, 227)	Orlando (Fl.) Edgewater	Texas	Redshirt Junior
Ahmad Breaux	iDL (6-3, 278)	Ruston (La.) High	LSU	Junior
Jordan Castell	S (6-2, 213)	Winter Garden (Fla.) West Orange	Florida	Senior
Xavier Daisy	WR (6-3, 210)	Norcross (Ga.) Greater Atlanta Christian School	UAB	Junior
Ja’Kayden Ferguson	WR (6-2, 187)	Missouri City (Texas) Thurgood Marshall	Arkansas	Sophomore
Aaron Gates	Nickel (6-0, 198)	Jacksonville (Fla.) Trinity Christian	Florida	Redshirt Junior
Jamarrion Harkless	iDL (6-3, 315)	Lexington (Ky.) Frederick Douglass	Purdue	Redshirt Junior
Lance Heard	T (6-6, 330)	Monroe (La.) Neville	LSU | Tennessee	Senior
Mark Manfred III	CB (6-1, 175)	Marietta (Ga.) Sprayberry	Missouri	Redshirt Freshman
Kenny Minchey	QB (6-2, 208)	Hendersonville (Tenn.) Pope John Paul II	Notre Dame	Redshirt Junior
Antonio O’Berry	EDGE (6-6, 240)	Huber Heights (Ohio) Wayne	Tiffin (D-II) | Gardner-Webb	6th-Year Senior
Coleton Price	iOL (6-3, 318)	Bowie (Texas) High	Baylor	Redshirt Senior
Spencer Radnoti	LS (6-3, 230)	Canton (Ga.) Cherokee	Georgia State	Redshirt Sophomore
Cyrus Reyes	S (6-1, 200)	Taylor (Texas) High	Mississippi State	Junior
Mark Robinson	OT (6-5, 320)	Lyman (Florida)	UTEP	Redshirt Sophomore
Hasaan Sykes	CB (6-0, 185)	Tuckert (Ga.) High	Western Carolina	Junior
Tavion Wallace	LB (6-1, 239)	Baxley (Ga.) Appling County	Arkansas	Sophomore
Dominic Wiseman	iDL (6-2, 300)	Davenport (Iowa) High	South Alabama	Redshirt Senior
Adam Zouagui	K (5-11, 188)	Herndon (Va.) High	Davidson | South Florida	Senior

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