Baxter has officially missed the last four games for Texas while rehabbing from a hamstring injury that he suffered against UTEP in week 3. Over the past month or so he's been working off to the side and inside the facility to get back on the field wtih Tre Wisner, Christian Clark, and James Simon.
He's been listed as "probable" throughout the majority of this week, but now it appears as though he's officially off the injury report and ready to go against Mississippi State today.
Baxter's availability for week 9 will allow Steve Sarkisian to open up the playbook a bit, especially in short-yardage and goal line situations. For as long as Baxter's been out, the offense has seemingly sputtered more than usual on 3rd & short because the Longhorns haven't had a "power" back to help convert in those areas. Tre Wisner has undoubtedly done a good job between the 20's, but he just simply doesn't have the power that the almost 230-pound Baxter has at the point of contact.
🚨CJ Baxter is Off the Injury Report! 🚨
— Orangebloods.com (@orangebloods_) October 25, 2025
🚨He Will Play Tomorrow! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/M9UDQknL1a
It's going to be interesting to see whether or not Texas' offense looks smoother today with Baxter in the fold. Baxter being out could actually be why Steve Sarkisian has been trying some odd things in crucial areas of the field, and we all know how that's been going.
Look for the Longhorns' rushing attack to carry the team today on offense against a Mississippi State defense that's allowing opponents to rush for 181 yards per game and average 4.8 yards per carry, good for 101st and 103rd in the league. The Bulldogs have been pretty feisty against the pass, so it's easy to see why teams have been choosing to deploy a heavy ground attack against them.
The game is set to kickoff at 4:15 pm EST/3:15 pm CST in Starkville, Mississippi.