The Fresh Squeeze Series: Cedric Baxter Jr

The Longhorns have a massive hole to fill after Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson left for the NFL draft. Without delay, Texas filled the position by signing Cedric Baxter Jr., the top-ranked running back in the 2023 recruiting class according to on3 and 247.

• 6’1” 210lbs

• Ranked 30th Nationally, 1st Rb, and 8th in Florida on 247

• 5-star recruit

• Rushed for 3,826 yards and 57 touchdowns on 495 carries

• Caught 17 passes for 246 yards and one touchdown

• Had a leg injury during his last year in HS (hammy injuries in the past)

• Many visits to top colleges

• Ball security problems, as he fumbled the ball 5 times in high school

• Has a history as a WR

• Comes into a crowded room with Jonathon Brooks, Jaydon Blue, and Keilan Robinson

• Both backs in Bijan and Johnson leave a BIG hole and a starting job to take

• Showed he can be a bell cow after carrying the ball 174 and 199 times in his last 2 years (with his previous years capped due to injury)

In 2023, the Longhorns RB group will have a significant task of filling in some large shoes. This means that there will be a significant amount of work on the ground that needs to be taken care of. The question remains, however, as to who will take up this responsibility.

It looks like Jonathon Brooks is the leading candidate (if he can come back quickly from his hernia surgery). They also have Kelilan Robinson who seems to suit more of the passing work. Not only does Texas have those 2 RBs, but they have Jaydon Blue, who seems like the odd man out right now as he is out-classed by the freshman, Baxter, but does that mean Baxter is handed a decent slice of the pie? One thing that might be a good induction that he will do is that Brooks was out of action in the spring practices. This opened up the opportunity for Blue and Baxter to take control of the starting job for the sessions, and the staff were impressed with the work they were given.

Baxter has shown in high school that he has been able to get a lot of the work as he carried the ball 495 times throughout his high school career. He had an impressive 3795 yards on the ground and went for an even more impressive 42 touchdowns. Baxter was the focal point of the offense at Edgewater. Baxter may have had a lot of touches in high school, but that didn’t come with its fair share of injuries. During his last year in high school, Baxter had a leg injury that hindered the 2nd half of his year, and that led to him not being perhaps as involved as planned. Not only that, but Baxter had been known to have problems with his hamstring in the past, and if this persists then it’s something to keep an eye out for.

Baxter wasn’t only effective on the ground though, as he was able to put up a respectable 17 receptions for 246 yards and 1 touchdown. This stat line may be as it is because Baxter had a background of being a WR, and this lends well to him running his routes as an RB. It is thought that he is the most fleshed-out RB in the class as he can do everything an RB needs, and at 6’1” and 215 lbs (with room to grow), it’s no wonder he can showcase his abilities at such a high level.

However, along with the benefits of being a bell cow comes some drawbacks. Baxter's ball security was not very reliable, as he had five fumbles during his high school career. Perhaps he needs to work on his ball security at college-level football as the level of competition is much higher the further up you go.

In terms of outlook in college, I see Baxter being involved in his freshman year (as expected from the number 1 RB of the class), but I don’t see him getting all of the work and the ball to be spread out across the board. Baxter may have to play the waiting game for his time at Texas and hope that the doors open for him to be able to showcase his talents as a bell cow RB because it doesn’t look like he will be able to take up that job in 2023 currently. 

His outlook past 2023 looks a bit more rosey as he should be able to learn under the new college system and cement his role as the seasons go on. Overall, I think the talent wins out in this case, and we see Baxter take it to the next level after 2023 and take the reins alongside Blue as a top-level 1-2 punch; he should be able to perhaps meet his projected draft capital of the 2nd or 3rd round.

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