Steve Sarkisian on CJ Baxter: "I feel good about him going Saturday"
After leaving Texas’ season opening contest versus Rice due to an upper body injury and limping off the field at Bryant-Denny Stadium due to a different ailment suffered in the fourth quarter of the Longhorn win over Alabama, true freshman running back CJ Baxter was held out of last week’s contest versus Wyoming. Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian provided an update on Baxter during his weekly Thursday Zoom.
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“He looked great today,” Sarkisian said. “I was really, really excited about watching him practice today. Best practice he’s had in two weeks, so I feel good about him going Saturday.”
On Monday, Sarkisian said Baxter had returned to practice but would be day-to-day.
“He was back out (at practice) today,” Sarkisian said. “He was out last week. I just didn’t feel comfortable where he was at and how he was feeling before that ballgame. He was back today. Again, we’ve just got to keep monitoring him throughout the week and see how he responds day to day.”
Baxter has rushed 16 times for 69 yards through the 2023 season and has four catches for 21 yards. He started the first two games of the year versus Rice and Alabama before he was held out of the Wyoming game.
In his place, junior Jonathon Brooks rushed 21 times for 164 yards, including a 61-yard scamper late in the fourth quarter.
On3 Personal Life File
Cedric 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.
