Texas Longhorns Football 2025 Position Preview: Running Backs

The Texas Longhorns backfield is still good to go despite losing a key part to the NFL.

Jan 10, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns running back Quintrevion Wisner (26) runs against Ohio State Buckeyes cornerback Jordan Hancock (7) and defensive tackle Ty Hamilton (58) during the third quarter of the College Football Playoff semifinal in the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images | Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

Losing a key player to the NFL is never an easy task to come back from for any college football coach, regardless of experience.

But when you have a multitude of skillful running backs like Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns do, that definitely makes the job easier going forward.

The Texas rushing attack wasn't as fluent as many of the other elite college football programs but still averaging 158.8 yards a game is certainly nothing to scoff at, either, especially when one of them goes off for 186 yards against your biggest rivals.

As the 2025 season gets ever so closer by the second, here are the running backs you can expect to see on a full healthy depth chart for the Horns.

Quintrevion Wisner, Junior

The back we previously mentioned that went off for 186 yards? Yep, that's Tre Wisner, who torched the Texas A&M run defense in the first Lone Star Showdown in 13 years to finish out the regular season.

Despite all the acclaim that Blue received during his final collegiate season, it was Wisner that not only led the Longhorns in terms of rushing yards but also exceeded 1,000 yards on the ground in 2024, finishing with 1,064 to go along with five touchdowns, leading the Burnt Orange in yards from scrimmage as well.

And whether this is Wisner's final or penultimate collegiate season, he doesn't seem to be showing any signs of slowing down on the gridiron anytime soon.

C.J Baxter, redshirt sophomore

A torn ACL prematurely ended Baxter's 2024 campaign, but after the season he had in 2023, expect him to come back with a vengeance.

In 2023, Baxter totaled 138 carries for 659 yards, including 117 in a game against Iowa State during Texas' final Big 12 season.

Baxter's speed is just the replacement for Blue that the Longhorns need in the backfield, so expect Sarkisian and crew to use Baxter efficiently as he makes his return to the field in 2025.

Jerrick Gibson, sophomore

Gibson may not have gotten as many rushing attempts as Wisner or Blue did last year, but he was still benficial to the Longhorn game plan.

Gibson took the rock 78 times for 377 yards and four touchdowns, with 100 of those yards and one of those touchdowns coming in the Longhorns' 49-17 manhandling of the Florida Gators.