Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns had a rollercoaster 2025 college football season, but ultimately came up short of their goal of getting into the College Football Playoff.
Despite coming on strong at the end of the season, including knocking off the No. 3-seeded Texas A&M Aggies in the season finale, Texas was not selected by the committee. Of course, another major snub occurred when Notre Dame also missed the playoff.
Instead of playing in the CFP, the Longhorns will match up against the Michigan Wolverines in the Citrus Bowl. Thta game will be played on New Year’s Eve in Orlando.
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It’s a tough way to end what was a good all-around season. Texas was clearly punished for scheduling a brutal season opener on the road against the Ohio State Buckeyes. That could lead to teams playing cakewalk schedules until conference play moving forward.
Following the conclusion of the regular season and missing out on the playoff, the Longhorns received more bad news on Monday.
According to a report from ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel, Texas running back CJ Baxter has decided to enter the NCAA transfer portal this offseason.
“NEWS: Texas tailback CJ Baxter intends to enter the NCAA transfer portal, he tells ESPN,” Thamel wrote on X. “Baxter earned Big 12 offensive newcomer of the year in 2023, rushing for 659 yards and 4.8 yards per carry.”
Baxter did not have much of a role with the Longhorns in 2025. He carried the football 54 times for 196 yards and caught 12 passes for 41 yards and a touchdown.
However, as Thamel noted in his report, the 2023 season was a different story for Baxter. He broke onto the scene with 138 carries for 659 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 4.8 yards per carry. Also, he caught 24 passes for 156 yards.
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Losing Baxter for next season takes away a possible playmaker who could have helped Manning and the offense. He’ll be a sought after running back in the transfer portal and should land in a favorable destination as a lead back for another program.
Manning started the 2025 season slow, but picked up as the year moved along. He finished the regular season completing 61.4 percent of his passes for 2,942 yards, 24 touchdowns, and seven interceptions, while also running for 244 yards and eight more scores.
It is expected that Manning will be back for the 2026 college football season, although he could opt to enter the NFL Draft if he wanted to do so.
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