Position Preview: Who Will Emerge As Top Texas Longhorns Running Back in 2024?

With Jonathon Brooks continuing the trend of Texas Longhorns ’ running backs being the first taken in the NFL Draft, the Longhorns have a wide-open running back room, similar to the one it had last year.

In Brooks’ redshirt sophomore season this past year, the now-Carolina Panther rushed for 1,100 yards and 10 touchdowns, an impressive feat given he had missed the final four games of the season. Though a tough loss at the time for Texas, it gave head coach Steve Sarkisian and elite running back coach Tashard Choice a chance to showcase the talent of the future of the room in Austin.

In his absence, multiple names stepped up to fill in for the injured Brooks. The offense averaged over 200 rushing yards per game between their away game against Iowa State, home game versus Texas Tech, the B12 Championship, and the Sugar Bowl. Over a full season, that number would’ve been in the top 10 among Power 5 teams, even without the team's star running back.

Rising sophomore CJ Baxter carried the majority of touches for the Longhorns during this time, averaging 5.3 yards per carry, a noticeable improvement from the 4.5 YPC in the first nine games of the year. Baxter originally entered the year as the starter for the Longhorns due to his extreme profile entering college.

Baxter was 247Sports No.1 running back in the class of 2023, one of the crown jewels of the talented 2023 class for Texas. Baxter finished his final two seasons at Edgewater Highschool in Orlando with over 3,000 yards and 8.1 yards per carry with 35 touchdowns. Baxter entered college at 6’1, 218 pounds, an already extremely solid build for an 18-year-old. Expectations were high for the top recruit.

Though his season eventually was eclipsed by Brooks as the lead back, Baxter still registered 815 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns, a strong start to his Texas career. With a strong finish to the season and no more Brooks, Baxter is primed to join the likes of Brooks, Bijan Robinson and D’Onta Foreman as some of the best runningbacks in modern Texas football.

Another name to watch in the running back room is junior Jaydon Blue. As a true sophomore, Blue saw 29 attempts in the first 10 games of the season but exploded after Brooks’ injury. In the final four games of the season, Blue carried the ball 36 times for 231 yards, an absurd efficiency from the inexperienced back. His speed, something Sarkisian loves in his offense, allowed him to become an explosive runner and threat in the passing game where he averaged almost ten yards per reception.

Baxter and Blue project to be one of college football’s best running back duos, especially with the experience of working together in the absence of Brooks last year. Both will be splitting carries in a backfield committee, similar to how many NFL teams operate, but it is likely Baxter sees the slight majority of touches and opportunities.

Behind the two runners is much more up in the air. Alongside the vacated touches from Brooks, the Longhorns lost former Alabama transfer Keilan Robinson to the draft and wildcat specialist Savion Red to the transfer portal. Between the three, alongside 11 miscellaneous carries between other positions that graduated, the Longhorns have 240 vacated rushing attempts to replace. 

A number like that forces players to step up, and the most likely next-man-up is Tre Wisner. The freshman last year mostly saw special teams action, where he excelled, but did log 12 rushes for 73 yards in limited backfield time last year.

Between training camp buzz, a solid spring game and the opportunity to step up, many believe Wisner is in line to become the RB3 for Texas. Wisner is another speedster that can be used similar to how Robinson was last year, a tool in the passing and screen game. 

The final name to watch in the running back room is true freshman Jerrick Gibson. In many programs, Gibson would already be challenging for the head of the running back room. Another Florida running back commit, Gibson is the third highest-ranked running back recruit in the nation and is a former track star. See a pattern?

Sarkisian adds even more speed with Gibson, and with an injury in the room, he would be likely to see some advanced playing time. Gibson may not play a huge role in 2024, but Sarkisian almost assuredly sees the IMG product as a future starter for the Longhorns.

Despite the loss of Brooks, Robinson, and Red, the Longhorn's runningback room looks as deep as last year. With an extra year of experience for Baxter and Blue, the duo could bring the Texas offense to another level in the running game, with hopes of becoming Texas’ first top-10 rushing offense since the 2005 national championship season.