Texas Longhorns RB CJ Baxter Opens Up on 'Brutal' Injury Recovery

"It was a lot, more mentally than physically," Baxter said. "I'm not gonna sit here and sugarcoat it, but the first two months were very brutal mentally, like watching the games. I had surgery the week before the first game, so I had to stay home and watch from the couch because I couldn't move around as much."

Baxter had the start of the season in his sights, and just like that it was taken away from him. Being out is one thing, but not being able to watch the game with your teammates from the sidelines only adds to the frustration.

Baxter admitted it was tough watching any kind of football.

"It was hard, like it was hard for me to watch football," Baxter said. "It was hard for me to do a lot of things. I was really just sitting on my foot, I couldn't do much at all. But man, when I look back on it now, I'm not glad that I got injured, but I'm grateful for what it did for me, mentally, physically, spiritually."

Baxter finished his freshman season with 13 games appearances while posting 138 carries for 659 yards and five touchdowns along with 24 catches for 156 yards.

He was expected to be the starter alongside Jaydon Blue with Quintrevion Wisner as the third running back, but Baxter's injury shook up the depth chart. Blue began the season as the starter before losing the job to Wisner, who ended up finishing the year with 226 carries for 1,064 yards and five touchdowns.

Blue ended up bouncing back in a major to close out the season, scoring six total touchdowns in the final six games before being a fifth-round pick by the Dallas Cowboys.

Though not how anyone would have planned it, Baxter's injury allowed Wisner to prove himself as one of the best running backs in the SEC. And as a result, the Longhorns now have two starting-caliber running backs leading the way in 2025.

Baxter has been impressing Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian as of late, including in the team's first scrimmage of fall camp.

“I was really pumped about Cedric Baxter (on) Saturday — he ran hard, he ran physical, that was encouraging,” Sarkisian said. “Derick Williams, was another guy, he had his best day, which was day nine, and both of those guys coming off those injuries. So, those were probably the two biggest guys that excited me the most.”

Baxter's first game of what hopes to be a bounce-back campaign will be in Columbus on Aug. 30 when Texas and Ohio State meet in the season opener.