CJ Baxter arrives at Kentucky with a clear chip on his shoulder, and the Wildcats are more than happy to hand him the ball.
The former five-star recruit’s path took a hard turn at Texas, where a torn ACL stalled his climb and Steve Sarkisian ultimately let him move on without giving him the full chance to erase that lost time. Now Baxter is at Kentucky, where he finally gets the opportunity to reset his career and, in the process, make his old coach second-guess the decision.
Baxter isn’t feeding that storyline himself. When asked about Sarkisian’s comments about letting some “pretty good players” go, he shut it down with a simple: “No comment,” he said, per KSR.
That’s about as much edge as Baxter is willing to show publicly. On the field, though, the message is a little louder.
He’s back to 100%, and Will Stein was the one who gave him another shot at finding the player Texas once signed. Baxter is now positioned for a significant role as the Wildcats’ starting rusher in Joe Sloan’s offense, and Kentucky is counting on him to be a central piece as the season gets rolling.
At Kentucky’s Media Day, Baxter opened up about the injury and called the experience “very humbling,” explaining how far it pushed him. “I had a point where I couldn’t take a shower by myself... but I think that God wouldn't have gave me that if he didn't think I could handle it.”
That kind of perspective fits the moment Kentucky finds itself in. Baxter’s comeback is happening alongside a broader push from Kentucky Football to rebuild from within, and the Wildcats are asking a lot from him and Kenny Minchey on the scoring side of the ball.
The challenge ahead is steep. Kentucky’s nine-game SEC schedule is ranked as the fourth toughest in the nation, and plenty of people are already writing off Stein’s first group of Wildcats. Baxter, like the team around him, has heard the skepticism.
Still, there’s a reason this situation carries so much intrigue. Kentucky may not get Texas on the schedule, but the path ahead gives Baxter and the Wildcats plenty of chances to answer the doubt.
If he gets back to the level that made him such a prized recruit in the first place, Kentucky could end up looking like a much tougher out than most are expecting. And if that happens, Sarkisian will be watching from afar.
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Mark Stoops Starts A New Chapter As Kentucky Enters One Too
Will Stein is stepping in as Kentuckys new head coach this season, and the change closes a long chapter in Lexington while opening another. Mark Stoops, who spent 13 seasons leading the Wildcats, is moving on to a new assignment after being hired as a special assistant to Texas coach Steve Sarkisian, a notable next stop for one of the programs most recognizable figures.
For Kentucky fans, the transition is more than a coaching note. It is the sort of handoff that invites reflection on what Stoops built, what Stein inherits and how quickly a program can turn the page in modern college football. Stoops new role at Texas adds another layer to the offseason story, even as the focus in Lexington shifts to what comes next under a new staff. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky May Finally Have The Offensive Line Fans Have Been Waiting For
Kentuckys offensive line enters the season with something fans have wanted for a while: real recognition attached to the units two most important anchors. Senior center Coleton Price landing on the Rimington Trophy preseason watch list for the second straight year gives the Wildcats a proven presence in the middle, while senior left tackle Lance Heard drawing a spot on the Outland Trophy watch list adds another veteran name to a group trying to set a sturdier tone up front.
Price and Heard also bring the kind of college football experience that can make an offensive front feel less theoretical and more dependable. Both have been graded by Pro Football Focus, which only adds to the sense that Kentucky may finally have the makings of an offensive line capable of matching the expectations around it, even if the true test still waits on the field. [Read more 🡒]