When Will Stein was hired, he declared that he would go out and get the best and that everyone would want to play and work here. Turns out, he wasn't lying. He has nearly completed a monster staff full of experience and recruiting, he has won 2 College Football Playoff games with Oregon, and oh yeah, he just landed an official visit from CJ Baxter.
Sources: Former Texas tailback CJ Baxter's first visit will be to Kentucky. https://t.co/aLyqWavcxy
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 2, 2026
Former 5-star RB CJ Baxter sets visit for Kentucky football
Kentucky in the mix for a 5-star running back sounds like a dream, but folks, that is the reality of the portal era. Coming out of high school in the class of 2023, CJ Baxter was ranked as the number 1 overall running back in the country by 247sports. He was a top-20 overall player in that class that featured names like Arch Manning and Dante Moore.
In 2022, Andrew Irvins called him a "workhorse on Saturdays and Sundays" and said his game reminded him of the Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Mixon. Being able to be a 3-down running back is a huge deal in an offense as versatile as what Will Stein will be bringing to Lexington. If you are a running back and you can't catch the ball, it is going to be tough to be on the field for Stein.
Now the production has not matched the hype, and there is a knee injury in 2024. He tore his LCL/PCL before the season in 2024 and medically redshirted that year. In 2025, he dealt with hamstring issues that hampered him most of the year. He leaves Texas with just 855 on 192 carries over 3 years, also adding 36 catches for 197 yards.
But the pedigree is there, if he can stay healthy. In the SEC, that is always something you worry about with running backs. The hits they have to absorb are just brutal.
Kentucky's portal is just warming up, so be sure to click here and bookmark the portal page.