No. 1 Football’s Baxter, Wisner acknowledged on Doak Walker Award watch listing

By: Grace Tafolla

AUSTIN, Texas – No. 1 Texas Football’s CJ Baxter and Quintrevion Wisner have been chosen to the preseason watch listing for the Doak Walker Award, the PwC SMU Athletic Forum introduced Tuesday. The award is introduced yearly to the nation’s most excellent faculty working again.

Baxter has earned a spot on the watch listing for the second-consecutive season. Baxter and Wisner look to affix a prestigious quartet of Longhorns who’ve gained the Doak Walker Award, which started in 1990. Ricky Williams was a two-time winner, bringing residence the trophy in 1997 and 1998, whereas Cedric Benson collected it in 2004, D’Onta Foreman gained the distinction in 2016, and Bijan Robinson earned it 2022. Texas’ 5 all-time Doak Walker Award trophies are tied for essentially the most by an FBS faculty with Wisconsin. In 2023, former UT working again Jonathon Brooks was named a semifinalist for the award. Baxter and Wisner are the third Texas working again duo to be chosen to the preseason watch listing for the award within the final 4 years. Last season, Baxter and Jaydon Blue have been each positioned on the watch listing, and Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson have been chosen in 2022.

Baxter is a sophomore working again from Orlando, Fla., who has performed in 12 video games with six begins in three seasons. He missed the whole 2024 season after sustaining a season-ending damage throughout fall camp. As a real freshman in 2023, Baxter earned a second-team All-America nod by The Athletic, Freshman All-American Honorable point out by College Football Network, and honorable point out All-Big 12 honors, along with being honorable point out Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year. Baxter additionally obtained preseason second-team All-SEC accolades on offense in July. In his first season on the 40 Acres, Baxter ran the ball 138 instances for 659 yards (4.8 ypc) and 5 touchdowns whereas additionally catching 24 passes for 156 yards. His 659 dashing yards are the Twelfth-most for a Longhorn freshman in program historical past. Making the beginning at working again in Texas’ season-opening victory in opposition to Rice on Sept. 2, 2023, he grew to become the primary true freshman working again to begin for the Longhorns since Ricky Williams in 1995. In a win versus Kansas State, he had 10 carries for 90 yards and one landing, together with a 54-yard run. In the highway victory at Iowa State, he established profession highs in carries (20), dashing yards (117) and receptions (5), recording the primary 100-yard dashing efficiency of his profession. In the College Football Playoff semifinal in opposition to No. 2 Washington within the Sugar Bowl, he rushed 9 instances for 64 yards (7.1ypc) and one landing, whereas hauling in two passes for 39 yards, together with a career-long 31-yard reception.

Wisner is a third-year participant who has competed in 29 profession video games with 12 begins, garnering 2024 Third-Team All-SEC reward, 2025 preseason First-Team All-SEC recognition whereas claiming a spot on the preseason watch listing for the 2025 Maxwell Award. As a sophomore in 2024, he performed in 15 video games with 12 begins and rushed for a team-leading 1,064 yards and 5 touchdowns on 226 carries (4.7 ypc). The Glenn Heights, Texas, product had the third-most receptions on the workforce, hauling in 44 catches for 411 yards (7.1 ypc) and a rating. The 44 receptions have been the second-most in a single-season by a UT working again, whereas the 411 receiving yards have been the third-most. Altogether, he gathered 1,375 all-purpose yards and accounted for six touchdowns throughout his sophomore season. He pieced collectively 4 100-yard dashing performances with all 4 coming in opposition to SEC or CFP opponents. Additionally, he is the one returning 1,000-yard rusher within the SEC going into 2025 season.

The PwC SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors will title ten semifinalists in November, and three finalists, as voted on by the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee, will even be introduced in November. The committee will solid a second vote in December to find out the recipient. The National Selection Committee consists of previous recipients, former NFL All-Pro and faculty All-America working backs, media members and chosen particular representatives. The recipient of the 2025 Doak Walker Award will probably be introduced dwell on The Home Depot College Football Awards on Dec. 12, 2024.

The award is known as for SMU’s three-time All-America working again Doak Walker. Each Tuesday of this season, The PwC SMU Athletic Forum will as soon as once more announce a Doak Walker National Running Back of the week. University athletic departments nominate candidates for the award and might proceed to take action by means of October.

Baxter, Wisner and the Longhorns kick off the 2025 season on the highway at No. 2 Ohio State at 11 a.m. CT Saturday, Aug. 30, inside Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The sport will broadcast as a part of FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff, and ESPN’s College GameDay will broadcast dwell from the Ohio State University campus. College GameDay will air for 3 hours from 8-11 a.m. CT, hosted by Rece Davis, Lee Corso, Desmond Howard, Pat McAffee, Nick Saban, Kirk Herbstreit and different ESPN personalities. It would be the remaining present for longtime ESPN character Lee Corso as he’s set to retire following Week 1 of the 2025 season.