The Texas Longhorns are unquestionably one of the few teams in 2024 who can win the College Football Playoff national championship. Having said that, they have already faced their fair share of adversity this fall, and they have yet to play a single game.
Steve Sarkisian’s team has been especially hard hit by the injury bug in the running back room.
CJ Baxter, a sophomore, was lost for the season in early August due to a torn LCL/PCL sustained during practice. Along with him was his freshman experience, which included 659 yards and five touchdowns.
A week later, freshman Christian Clark, one of the running backs slated to fill in for Baxter, had a torn Achilles tendon and was out for the season.
In the period of a week, Texas went from having a plethora of running backs to only three scholarship running backs available in 2024. Even with only 11 days till the season begins, Sarkisian stated that his crew is still working to resolve this issue.
“We absolutely have a space that we can use. Again, this late in the game, it’s more likely to be a graduate transfer or something similar. So we’re kind of looking at all of our possibilities there,” Sarkisian told reporters.
Junior Jaydon Blue is currently the most seasoned rusher on the squad, having rushed 65 times for 398 yards and three touchdowns last season. The roster also includes sophomore Quintrevion Wisner and freshman Jerrick Gibson.
The Longhorns have a need, but Sarkisian and his staff may also be selective. This is a championship-caliber roster, mind you.
“We just don’t want to take a body,” Sarkisian stated. “If it’s someone that can help us in some capacity, maybe limited role, bigger role, whatever that is, we are looking at all options.”
