With CJ Baxter's injury taking him out for the season, Texas backup running backs Jaydon Blue and Quintrevion Wisner will have to shoulder a lot more of the load than expected.

They'll be well prepared, having lived through a similar scenario in 2023 when Baxter's injury led to Jonathon Brooks breaking out as one of the best runners in college football. Brooks' impact, however, wasn't limited to the damage he was doing to opposing defenses.

The former Longhorn had a profound impact on Wisner, then a freshman who saw exactly what it took to be the workhorse that Brooks became for Texas.

"One day, I think it was fall camp, coach Choice made JB (Brooks) run through the blaster 15 times," Wisner said on the 3rd & Longhorn podcast. "He pushed JB through that mud so many times. I was like, 'practice over?'"

Practice was, in fact, not over.

"JB got out of that blaster ... went down that hill and he practiced like he didn't just do all that. Practiced like he was 100%," Wisner said. "And I took a moment and was like, JB been through some stuff in his life. JB been through some real-life trauma."

Brooks' life has been difficult beyond the injury that ended his 2023 season prematurely. His father, James "Skip" Brooks, died in 2022 at the age of 49 after struggling with kidney failure. Seeing Brooks persevere and continue to work through his hardships is something that Wisner hasn't forgotten.

"For him to come out here and be tested like that. And to answer like this? Man. It was amazing. JB is an amazing dude," Wisner said.

Wisner will likely be the No. 2 running back behind Blue. A former three-star recruit, he and freshmen Jerrick Gibson and Christian Clark project to be the next men up with the room's No. 1 option out for the year. And while it may be Wisner's first time getting consistent carries, he's been prepared well for his opportunity.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Amid injuries, Texas football RBs remember Jonathon Brooks' example