Texas coach Steve Sarkisian on CJ Baxter RB replacement: 'Tre's a baller'

When CJ Baxter was (all but officially) lost for the 2024 season with a knee injury, the Longhorns were forced to pick right back up where they did midway through the 2023 campaign when they lost now-Panthers running back Jonathan Brooks. The difference is that this time teammates will be filling in for Baxter, rather than the other way around.

Baxter fell injured during the team's practice on Tuesday, with a subsequent MRI confirming that he suffered a torn PCL and LCL in his left knee. He is expected to miss the entire 2024 season.

No sooner than Baxter had gone down that Texas fans began digging into precisely who would fill the sophomore's sizable shoes. While rising junior Jaydon Blue will be expected to absorb the largest share of Baxter's carries, the program's frequent use of multiple backs also helped shine a light on Tre Wisner.

The fifth back behind the aforementioned Brooks, Baxter and Blue -- as well as wildcat quarterback Savion Red, who left the program in the offseason -- Wisner turned heads when he actually got to see the field against Texas Tech and in the Big XII championship game against Oklahoma State. While those were the only contests in which he saw meaningful touches, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian told reporters during practice Thursday that he has full confidence in Wisner's ability to take the ball and run with it ... all puns intended.

"Tre's a baller. We saw the physicality that Tre possessed last year on special teams. I mean, he was a demon on special teams for us last year. That was a deep running back room that he was sitting in with Jonathan and Keilan, and then Cedric and Jaydon. So when you're sitting there as the fifth back -- and then we had Savion even at wildcat -- he didn't maybe get as many carries in-game, but we saw what he could do at practice."

Will Wisner be able to replace the expected production lost by Baxter's injury? Only time will tell. For now, Texas fans have to feel some confidence after such a sterling recommedation from the man who will ultimately decide how many snaps be gets each week.