Two weeks into spring football practice, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian admitted to some concerns about his running game.

Where were the explosive plays from CJ Baxter and Jaydon Blue, who are expected to spearhead the group? Why couldn’t the interior of the line get a consistent push against a rebuilt defensive line? And who would emerge as a reliable pass catcher out of the backfield?

But after Tuesday’s practice, Sarkisian could breathe a bit easier.

“After practice five (last week), I was like, man, we need to get going,” Sarkisian said. “And then the last two practices, the run game has really started to come to life. And so that's been definitely encouraging.”

Things look encouraging for the 2024 season, even with the loss of star running back Jonathon Brooks to the NFL. Brooks, who’s expected to be the top running back taken in the NFL draft later this month, emerged as one of the nation’s leading rushers before suffering a season-ending knee injury against TCU in November. But Baxter and Blue proved capable of carrying a heavier load — quite literally. Baxter ran for 269 of his 659 yards in the four games after Brooks’ injury. Blue had 231 of 398 yards rushing in those final four games.

As a team, Texas averaged 201 yards rushing a game after Brooks’ injury, which topped the season average of 188 yards.

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CJ Baxter, Jaydon Blue leading the way for RBs

Baxter and Blue should again lead the ground game, based on how they’ve divvied up the carries in the first few weeks of spring practice. The 6-foot-1, 218-pound Baxter weighs about the same as he did during his freshman season, but coaches and teammates have raved about how the Florida native has reshaped his body. The 6-foot Blue, an incoming junior, has added about seven pounds and now weighs 198 pounds.

There’s depth, too. Junior Savion Red has bulked up to 240 pounds and almost looks like a fullback while blue-chip freshmen Christian Clark and Jerrick Gibson have caught the eye of the veterans.

“Those two, they're funny, they're always with each other, and they're always willing to work,” said linebacker David Gbenda, a sixth-year senior and one of the team’s leaders. “And that's what I like about them. They're always head down and just always asking me questions, and they're always out there working. If I go to the weight room now, I'm probably going to see one of them or both of them together.”

And then there’s Tre Wisner, a 6-foot, 195-pound sophomore who emerged as a breakout special-teams star last season. Sarkisian raved about his receiving skills on Tuesday, and Wisner looks like a strong candidate to fill the role of a third-down back handled by Keilan Robinson the past few years.

“Tre has really been really impressive this spring,” Sarkisian said. “And I think that started for him the second half of last season. His role on special teams really grew and improved (and) I think he got some confidence.

“The one thing about Tre, he is right there at the top of hardest workers on our team. I mean, that guy goes for it every day, every rep. And it's paying dividends for him. He’s been a really good runner, he's catching the ball out of the backfield, he's been great on special teams. I think his understanding schematically of what we're doing is growing. And so I do foresee him having a role with us in the fall.”

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Is Neto Umeozulu earning a starting job on OL?

The interior of the offensive line has gotten stronger as the spring wears on, too. Jake Majors returns for a fifth year as the starting center, and DJ Campbell keeps showing flashes of dominance at right guard. At left guard, sophomore Neto Umeozulu is pushing returning starter Hayden Conner for the starting job as well as shoving around some of the defensive linemen.

Of course, finding room to run in practice creates another set of concerns for coaches that are always striving for perfection.

“I think now we need to shore some things up, run defense-wise, right?” Sarkisian said. “If the run game starting to come to life offensively, then where are the issues defensively?”

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas football's rushing gaining ground in spring, says Steve Sarkisian