Florida Gators RB Target Cedric Baxter Commits to Texas
The top running back prospect in the 2023 cycle according to the newly released Preseason SI99 has come off the board.
The Gators missed out on their top running back target this cycle as Orlando (Fla.) Edgewater ball carrier Cedric Baxter announced his commitment to Texas over Florida, Miami and Texas A&M on Wednesday.
At one point, it looked as though the Gators were settling themselves in nicely to earn Sports Illustrated's No. 1 running back's services over other top contenders around the nation. However, when Texas-native Rueben Owens (SI's No. 3 RB) shockingly pledged himself to Louisville, the Longhorns turned their attention to another elite back in the cycle.
They quickly pushed to the front of Baxter's recruitment to assert themselves as the comfortable leader of late.
Now, Baxter is leaving the Sunshine State in favor of the Lone Star State to bolster a surging recruitment class Steve Sarkisian and Co. have pieced together thus far. He brings uncanny patience, speed and acceleration at 6-foot-1, 215 pounds to an already talented backfield in Austin, Texas.
The Gators, who already hold one running back commitment in the class with Jacksonville (Fla.) product Treyaun Webb, will shift their focus as they hope to find a complementary second player to man the backfield in the future. With running back being as integral to the offensive scheme employed in the Napier era of Florida football, a speed back to balance out Webb's power style of running will pay dividends in the end.
They will likely look in-state to find that guy before expanding their horizon if there is still no traction later in the cycle.
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