CJ Baxter on Midseason Comeback Player of the Year Watch List
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky running back CJ Baxter Jr. has been named to the 2026 Comeback Player of the Year Award Midseason Watch List as announced by the College Sports Communicators in association with the Associated Press and the Fiesta Sports Foundation on Monday.
Since 2018, the award has recognized college football student-athletes for overcoming injury, illness, or other circumstances. At the conclusion of each season, in a vote by a panel of college football writers, editors and sports information directors, three college football student-athletes are honored at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl.
Kentucky has had two previous winners. J.J. Weaver was a recipient in 2021, and Kenneth Horsey was honored in 2020.
Baxter, a 6-foot-1, 230-pound running back from Boynton Beach, Florida, had a major right-knee injury in August of 2024 during training camp where he had a multi-ligament injury, tearing the ACL, LCL and PCL in his knee and missed the 2024 season. After working his way back to the field, he suffered a hamstring injury on the very first play of the game against UTEP in week three on Sept. 13, 2025, and was limited to just eight games and 196 yards rushing for the season. Baxter has continued to battle injury this season, missing the game at Oklahoma and he was limited vs. Vanderbilt.
He has served as Kentucky’s lead back this season, racking up 487 yards on the ground and a team-high eight touchdowns. Baxter is averaging a team-best 69.6 yards per game on the ground and a career-high 5.5 yards per attempt, while helping Kentucky to a 7-1 overall record and a No. 8/7 national ranking.
Baxter scored a touchdown on the opening drive of 2026 and finished with 48 yards and two scores on nine carries vs. Youngstown. He added two more rushing touchdowns in the win at Texas A&M.
He rushed 16 times for a career-high 149 yards and a touchdown against South Alabama. His previous best was 117 yards at Iowa State in 2023.
Baxter punched in UK’s first score at South Carolina and finished the day with 68 all-purpose yards, but most importantly he picked up the blitz to secure a clear pocket for Kenny Minchey on the quarterback’s game-winning 2-point conversion toss in overtime.
The senior running back had a career-long rush on UK’s first offensive snap in the victory over No. 10/10 LSU and scampered 77 yards. He then plunged in for a score. Baxter scored his second touchdown of the game in overtime and finished with 123 rushing yards for his second game with 100 or more this season and third of his career.
He currently ranks fourth in the Southeastern Conference in rushing touchdowns (8) and 26th nationally. He is also seventh in the league with 69.6 yards per game and fourth with an average of 5.53 per carry.
For his career, Baxter has seen action in 29 games, having started seven games for the Cats in 2026. He has rushed for 1,342 yards and 13 touchdowns. Baxter has totaled 1,606 yards from scrimmage with 44 receptions and a receiving TD. Baxter was a five-star prospect and one of the nation’s top overall players in the class of 2023.
The Wildcats return to action on Saturday in a road contest at No. 16/16 Tennessee. Kick is set for 6:15 p.m. ET and the game will air on ESPN.
For more information on the UK football team, visit ukathletics.com/football and follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and X.
