{{short description|American football player (born 2005)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}} {{Infobox college football player |name=CJ Baxter |school=Kentucky Wildcats |currentnumber=1 |currentposition=Running back |class={{redshirt}} Junior |birth_date={{birth date and age|2005|6|28}}<ref name=birthday>{{cite web|url=https://dynastyleaguefootball.com/player/9994275/Cedric_Baxter|title=Cedric Baxter, RB Texas|website=dynastyleaguefootball.com|access-date=March 25, 2024}}</ref> |birth_place= |heightft=6 |heightin=1 |weight_lb=227 |highlights= |highschool=Edgewater {{avoid wrap|(Orlando, Florida)}} |pastschools= *Texas (2023–2025) *Kentucky (2026–present) |espn=4870609 }} '''Cedric "CJ" Baxter Jr.''' (born June 28, 2005)<ref name=birthday /> is an American college football running back for the Kentucky Wildcats. He previously played for the Texas Longhorns.
==Early years== Baxter attended Edgewater High School in Orlando, Florida. During his high school career, he had 3,826 rushing yards and 57 touchdowns.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hays |first=Chris |date=November 22, 2023 |title=Eyes of Texas on Edgewater's CJ Baxter |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2023/11/22/eyes-of-texas-are-now-upon-edgewater-product-cj-baxter/ |access-date=July 5, 2024 |website=Orlando Sentinel}}</ref> Baxter played in the 2023 Under Armour All-America Game. A five-star recruit, he committed to the University of Texas at Austin to play college football.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hays |first=Chris |date=August 11, 2022 |title=Edgewater RB Cedric Baxter commits to Texas over Miami, UCF, UF and Texas A&M |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2022/08/11/edgewater-rb-cedric-baxter-commits-to-texas-over-miami-ucf-uf-and-texas-am/ |access-date=July 5, 2024 |website=Orlando Sentinel}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Baumgartner |first=Blake |date=August 10, 2022 |title=RB Baxter, No. 58 recruit for '23, chooses Texas |url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/34381398/running-back-cedric-baxter-no-58-overall-recruit-2023-chooses-texas |access-date=July 5, 2024 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/sports/high-school/football/2022/08/10/college-football-recruiting-orlando-running-back-cedric-baxter-jr-commits-texas-longhorns/10285119002/|title=Texas lands commitment from Orlando Edgewater 4-star RB Cedric Baxter Jr.|publisher=The Daytona Beach News-Journal}}</ref>
==College career==
=== Texas === Baxter entered his true freshman year at Texas in 2023 as the starting running back, becoming the first true freshman since Ricky Williams in 1995 to start the opener. He started the first two games of the season before missing the next two games due to a foot injury, which allowed Jonathon Brooks to take over as the starter.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.statesman.com/story/sports/college/longhorns/football/2023/11/19/texas-football-got-a-big-lift-from-freshman-running-back-cj-baxter/71644640007/|title=Texas freshman CJ Baxter stepped into Jonathon Brooks' cleats quite well, it turned out|publisher=Austin-American Statesman}}</ref> After Brooks suffered a season ending torn ACL, Baxter reclaimed the starting job.<ref>{{cite web |last=Vertuno |first=Jim |date=November 13, 2023 |title=Losing Brooks opens the door for freshman Baxter as No. 1 running back for No. 7 Texas |url=https://apnews.com/article/texas-baxter-brooks-knee-ligament-008c5f3f170dba1c12d1c6c102c08dc9 |access-date=May 21, 2026 |publisher=Associated Press}}</ref><ref name="l720">{{cite web | last=Tijerina | first=Richard | title=Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian has confidence in CJ Baxter | website=Austin American-Statesman | date=2023-11-13 | url=https://www.statesman.com/story/sports/college/longhorns/football/2023/11/13/texas-football-coach-steve-sarkisian-confidence-cj-baxter-jonathon-brooks-out/71568763007/ | access-date=2025-02-03}}</ref> Overall, he played in 12 games with six starts and had 659 yards on 138 carries with five touchdowns.
Before Week 1 of the 2024 season started, Baxter suffered a knee injury during practice that required season-ending surgery.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wilson |first=Dave |date=August 7, 2024 |title=Texas loses RB Baxter for season with knee injury |url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/40765907/texas-rb-cj-baxter-undergo-season-ending-knee-surgery |access-date=September 21, 2025 |website=ESPN |language=en}}</ref> Because Baxter was projected to be the starting running back, this allowed Jaydon Blue and Quintrevion Wisner to playing a larger role.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Salreno |first=Cameron |date=August 7, 2024 |title=CJ Baxter injury: Texas' projected starting RB lost for 2024 season; Longhorns could turn to youth in response |url=https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/cj-baxter-injury-texas-projected-starting-rb-lost-for-2024-season-longhorns-could-turn-to-youth-in-response/ |access-date=September 22, 2025 |website=CBSSports.com |language=en}}</ref>
In 2025, Baxter returned for his redshirt sophomore season. Prior to the season, he was named to the Doak Walker Award, Comeback Player of the Year Award, and Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award watchlists.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tafolla |first=Grace |date=August 20, 2025 |title=No. 1/1 Football trio named to Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award watch list |url=https://texaslonghorns.com/news/2025/8/20/no-1-1-football-trio-named-to-earl-campbell-tyler-rose-award-watch-list |access-date=September 22, 2025 |website=University of Texas Athletics |language=en}}</ref> In his first game back, Baxter logged 40 rushing yards and 25 receiving yards in the loss against Ohio State.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dimmitt |first=Zach |date=August 31, 2025 |title=Texas Longhorns RB CJ Baxter 'Super Grateful' in Return From Injury |url=https://www.si.com/college/texas/football/texas-longhorns-cj-baxter-super-grateful-return-from-injury |access-date=September 21, 2025 |website=Texas Longhorns On SI |language=en-US}}</ref> In Week 3, Baxter suffered a hamstring injury against UTEP and was ruled out for the next two weeks.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Eberts |first=Wescott |date=October 8, 2025 |title=Texas and Oklahoma release initial injury report |url=https://www.burntorangenation.com/texas-longhorns-football/96716/texas-longhorns-oklahoma-sooners-injury-report-john-mateer |access-date=October 8, 2025 |website=Burnt Orange Nation |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Wilson |first=Matthew |date=September 19, 2025 |title=Who’s in, who’s out? Texas football injury report for week 4 against Sam Houston |url=https://hookemheadlines.com/who-s-in-who-s-out-texas-football-injury-report-for-week-4-against-sam-houston-01k5h0kbjar3 |access-date=September 21, 2025 |website=Hook'em Headlines |language=en-us}}</ref> He ended the season with 196 rushing yards, 41 receiving yards, and one receiving touchdown in eight games.
On December 8, 2025, Baxter entered the NCAA transfer portal.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cook |first=Joe |date=December 8, 2025 |title=BREAKING: CJ Baxter makes his transfer portal decision |url=https://www.on3.com/teams/texas-longhorns/news/cj-baxter-to-enter-the-transfer-portal/ |access-date=December 8, 2025 |website=Inside Texas |language=en}}</ref>
=== Kentucky === On January 11, 2026, Baxter committed to the University of Kentucky.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Roush |first=Nick |date=January 11, 2026 |title=Texas RB CJ Baxter will Transfer to Kentucky |url=https://www.on3.com/teams/kentucky-wildcats/news/texas-rb-cj-baxter-will-transfer-to-kentucky/ |access-date=January 11, 2026 |website=On3}}</ref>
===College statistics===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |- ! rowspan="2"| Year ! rowspan="2"| Team ! colspan="2"| Games ! colspan="4"| Rushing ! colspan="4"| Receiving |- ! GP !! GS !! Att !! Yards !! Avg !! TD !! Rec !! Yards !! Avg !! TD |- ! 2023 !! Texas | '''13''' || '''6''' || '''138''' || '''659''' || '''4.8''' || '''5''' || '''24''' || '''156''' || '''6.5''' || 0 |- ! 2024 !! Texas | 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 |- ! 2025 !! Texas | 8 || 2 || 54 || 196 || 3.6 || 0 || 12 || 41 || 3.4 || '''1''' |- ! colspan="2"|[https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/cj-baxter-1.html Career] !! 22 !! 9 !! 192 !! 855 !! 4.5 !! 5 !! 36 !! 197 !! 5.5 !! 1 |}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[https://texassports.com/sports/football/roster/cj-baxter/13398 Texas Longhorns bio] *[https://ukathletics.com/sports/football/roster/player/cj-baxter/ Kentucky Wildcats bio]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baxter, CJ}} Category:2005 births Category:Living people Category:Players of American football from Orlando, Florida Category:American football running backs Category:Edgewater High School alumni Category:Texas Longhorns football players Category:21st-century American sportsmen