College Football Playoff Contender Loses Two Running Backs For The 2024 Season

The 2024 college football season is over before it began for Texas Longhorns running back Christian Clark.

Reports surfaced on Monday night stating Clark had suffered an undisclosed injury in fall camp. Unfortunately, the school confirmed on Tuesday evening that the true freshman will miss his first collegiate season due to a torn Achilles tendon.

Clark (6-foot, 210 pounds) signed with the Longhorns as a four-star recruit in the class of 2024 out of Phoenix, Arizona. He was rated as the No. 23 tailback in his class, per 247Sports.

To make matters worse for the Longhorns, Clark was expected to contribute in place of projected starter CJ Baxter, who went down with a season-ending knee injury last week. Baxter, a sophomore, is a former five-star recruit that was rated as the No. 1 tailback in the class of 2023.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian and No. 4 Texas have some extra work to do to prepare for their first season in the SEC. There are limited, but inexperienced, options to work with to fill the void.

Texas already looked differently at tailback ahead of the pair of injuries. With Jonathan Brooks and Keilan Robinson departing for the NFL this offseason, the Longhorns were workshopping the position over the spring and summer. Baxter rushed for 659 yards (4.8 yards per carry) and five touchdowns as a true freshman and looked like the No. 1 option ahead of fall camp.

With Baxter and Clark out, position coach Tashard Choice is left with three available scholarship running backs for the 2024 season, including junior Jaydon Blue, sophomore Tre Wisner and true freshman Jerrick Gibson.

Blue totaled 65 carries for 398 yards and three touchdowns in 2023. Wisner rushed for 73 yards on 12 carries with a touchdown as a true freshman. Gibson signed with the Longhorns as a four-star recruit, rated as the No. 3 RB in the class of 2024.

Additionally, the staff is considering moving wide receiver Ryan Niblett to the backfield to help with the depth concern, according to Horns247's Chip Brown .

While this situation is certainly not something Sarkisian's staff expected to face just weeks ahead of kick off, the good news is the injuries happened in fall camp and not during the season. Texas has time to work things out before Colorado State comes to Austin on Aug. 31.

Related: Kirby Smart, Georgia Suffer Unfortunate Setback Weeks Before Season