Former Texas Longhorns running back CJ Baxter officially announced his intention to enter the transfer portal in early December, ending a tumultuous three-year stint in Austin. The former five-star recruit and nation’s top-ranked running back in the 2023 class would be a huge get for any program. And naturally, that’s attracted some attention, both legitimate and otherwise.

When the news of his entry into the transfer portal starting doing the rounds, it didn’t take long for the misinformation machine to fire up. A parody account called 274NEWS sent out a “BREAKING” tweet claiming Baxter had committed to Auburn. They called him “one of the highest-profile additions of the offseason” who would “join a reloading Auburn offense.”

But Baxter’s response was swift and blunt. “fake…” he quoted the post, shutting down the rumor before it could gain any real traction. It’s become an all-too-common occurrence in the transfer portal era. Fake commitment announcements spread like wildfire while players still weigh their options. 

But how did we get here? Baxter arrived in Texas with enormous expectations. He earned Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year honors as a true freshman in 2023 after rushing for 659 yards on 138 carries with five touchdowns. He showed the vision, power, and breakaway speed that made him such a coveted recruit out of Orlando. And then the injury bug struck hard.

Just a week into preseason camp before the 2024 season, CJ Baxter tore both his LCL and PCL in his right knee. It ended his sophomore year before it even started. That’s especially a brutal injury for a running back whose game relies on cutting, acceleration, and lateral movement.​

The 2025 season was supposed to be his comeback story, but it never quite materialized. Baxter returned to action in Texas’ season opener against Ohio State, rushing for 40 yards on 10 carries. He then followed that up with a season-high 64 yards against San Jose State. 

But when starting back Quintrevion Wisner went down with an injury before the UTEP game, Baxter got his shot at being the featured back. And he immediately suffered a hamstring injury after just one carry. He’d miss another six weeks. And by the time he returned, the depth chart had shuffled around him. He finished the season with just 196 yards on 54 carries, a far cry from his freshman production.​

The writing was on the wall when Texas signed Derrek Cooper, one of the nation’s top running back recruits. With Wisner still in the mix and younger talent emerging, Baxter’s path to significant playing time in Austin had essentially evaporated. 

Miami has been mentioned as the next logical landing spot for him. They recruited him heavily out of high school; he’s from Orlando, and they’ve got NIL money to spend. Wherever he ends up, Baxter’s got something to prove. And that might be exactly the motivation he needs to recapture that freshman-year magic.​

The portal exodus continues

Baxter isn’t the only Longhorn packing his bags. Quarterback Trey Owens, a four-star recruit from the 2024 class, also hit the portal just around the same time. The redshirt freshman out of Cy-Fair has three years of eligibility remaining, but saw the writing on the wall in Austin.

With Arch Manning likely returning for another season and five-star quarterback Dia Bell already committed for 2026, Owens’ path to meaningful snaps was basically nonexistent. He appeared in just two games this past season, completing two passes for 19 yards, and didn’t see the field at all during the 2025 campaign. 

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The bleeding didn’t stop there though. Redshirt freshman defensive tackle Melvin Hills III became the third player that day to announce his transfer portal intentions. The Louisiana native from Lafayette Christian Academy had barely gotten his feet wet in Austin.

He had just 28 snaps across four games in 2025 after redshirting his first year. He was one of only two defensive tackles signed in Texas’ 2024 class and was essentially a depth piece, ranked as the lowest non-specialist in that recruiting class at No. 685 nationally.

With three years of eligibility still on the table, Hills is betting he can find a place where he’ll actually see the field instead of collecting splinters on the bench.