Get to know 2023 Texas commit Cedric Baxter Jr.
Whether you’re a diehard recruiting fan in need of a refresher or a casual fan in need of only the particulars, this will be the series for you.
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The first national signing period for college football runs from December 21-23. That puts it a week later than normal, which allows you even more time to familiarize yourself with the next class charged with helping restore Texas back to national prominence.
The preceding 2022 class is already off to a good start, but the way to win at a consistently high level is to stack talented class after talented class. At all times you need young players developing, creating competition, and providing valuable depth before becoming quality starters.
The top 5 contending 2023 class is just what Texas needed after the top 5 2022 class.
In the lead-up to NSD1, Inside Texas will offer profiles of each member of the 2023 signing class.
Next up, Cedric Baxter Jr.
The Player: Cedric Baxter Jr., RB, Orlando (Fla.) Edgewater, 6-foot-1, 215-pounds
The Rating: 97.15, On3 Consensus five-star
The Ranking:
The Recruitment: Baxter Jr. played both running back and safety early on in his high school career at Edgewater High. While running back was his eventual full time destination, he showed college coaches his versatility, willingness to do whatever it takes to win and physicality in different ways. Nebraska was the first known offer for Baxter in December of 2019. Georgia Tech offered in May of 2020, with then Yellow Jackets running back coach Tashard Choice doing the honors. Baxter committed to Florida State in late July of 2020. He de-committed in April of 2021. Texas offered in June of 2021. Baxter made a March unofficial visit to Texas, followed by a June 10 official visit. Baxter committed to Texas August 10 over Florida State, Florida, Miami and Texas A&M.
The Projection: The 6-foot-1, 215-pounder is a downhill runner with very good feet and bend in the hole. He has jump cut, skip cut and the ability to tightly spin to work to the second level with the ability to get small. Baxter Jr. runs with authority, and possesses contact power. Baxter has the ability to work to the edge, and then has the burst to make big runs with power and acceleration in space. More than a runner, Baxter has also shown very consistent hands throughout his high school career.
The Reasoning: “Things started getting clearer for me in the spring, then over the summer. Visits were so important. I learned a lot during my visits. Seeing everything is nice, but to sit down, talk football, and see how the coaches really coach is very important to me. Those visits played a role in me committing to Texas. I love it (there). The thing that makes me feel at home is how genuine the people are. Everyone is friendly, the people are welcoming, and even though it is not in my home state, it has that home feeling.” – Cedric Baxter Jr.
The Relationship: “Coach Choice has been one of my favorite coaches since he started recruiting me. He is real, he is easy to talk to, and we just connected as soon as he started recruiting me. As a coach, he has played in the NFL, he has had success, and I know he can teach me a lot.” – Baxter Jr.
The Final Word: The No. 1 ranked running back in the 2023 cycle is joining the No. 1 ranked quarterback Arch Manning in the Texas Longhorns class. Baxter is an early enrollee that will come in and compete with Johnathon Brooks for the starting running back job next season. While he is around 215-pounds, he’s very raw physically with plenty of upside.
Series:
Connor Stroh, OL, Frisco (Texas) Wakeland
Johntay Cook, WR, Desoto (Texas)
Will Randle, TE, New Orleans (La.) Isidore Newman
Trevor Goosby, OL, Melissa (Texas)
Derion Gullette, EDGE/LB, Teague (Texas)
