Kentucky RB CJ Baxter deserves his moment after big win over Texas A&M

The Kentucky Wildcats have to feel great about the start of the Will Stein era.

They're 2-1 and probably deserve to be ranked in the Top 25 of the country after a 31-21 upset win over the Texas A&M Aggies on the road in Week 3.

The Wildcats went into College Station and came away with a 31-21 win, which is about as impressive as a win you'll see from a first-year head coach and his team.

Everyone at Kentucky deserves a ton of credit, but this was an especially important win for senior running back CJ Baxter, who has been a scoring machine for the Wildcats through the first three games.

A former 5-star recruit who originally committed to the Texas Longhorns out of high school, this win was somewhat of a full-circle moment for the 6-foot-1, 230-pound running back.

It was a big moment for the team as well.

"It definitely (was) emotional, personally and for the team," Baxter said on SiriusXM after the game… The preparation that we put in, (we knew) it was gonna pay off, and that’s exactly what it did. But then for me personally, super emotional. You know, I was emotional after the game when I took a moment to sit down and decompress. I’ve been through a lot the last two, three years of my career, and just going out there and performing the way I perform … (I don’t have) words. I can’t get enough words for it.” 

CJ Baxter experiencing a return to success with Kentucky Wildcats

Baxter rushed 19 times for 87 yards and two touchdowns, averaging a healthy 4.6 yards per carry. He also had a huge 28-yard catch-and-run leaking out of the backfield.

Baxter started six games as a true freshman for Texas in 2023. He was a second-team Freshman All-American, the Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year and an honorable mention All-Big 12 player.

Expectations were high heading into year two, but he missed the entirety of the 2024 season with a knee injury in fall camp.

He rushed for just 196 total yards in his comeback season in 2025, but hit the transfer portal ahead of the 2026 season and felt like he could make the biggest impact at Kentucky.

That's what made this win and this moment so special to him.

“That’s why I wanted a change, you know what I’m saying?” Baxter said later on the "Night Cap" podcast with Shannon Sharpe, Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, and Joe Johnson (h/t On3). “Freshman year, I was an All-American, all of that, you name it, whatever. Sophomore year, I tore my knee two weeks before the first game, so I missed the whole year. And then last year, you know, coming back off the knee, I just didn’t feel like myself. I felt like I needed a change, and this was the place that won me over.”

So far this season, Baxter has rushed 39 times for 164 yards and four touchdowns while catching three passes for 43 yards.