No. 1-ranked Texas Football’s CJ Baxter, DeAndre Moore Jr., and Quintrevion Wisner have been named to the preseason watch list for the 2025 Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award. The announcement was made by the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce and SPORTyler on Wednesday.
The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award is presented annually to the top offensive player in Division I football from Texas or currently playing at a Texas college. It honors players who exemplify characteristics associated with Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinee Earl Campbell, including integrity, performance, teamwork, sportsmanship, drive, community involvement, and tenacity.
Nominees must have either played high school football in Texas or be currently attending a Texas Division I four-year college. The watch list will be narrowed down to up to 16 semifinalists in November and up to five finalists in December. Broadcasters, commentators, journalists, fans, and previous winners will select the winner, who will be announced and celebrated during the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Banquet scheduled for Jan. 21, 2026, in Tyler.
Last season saw former Longhorn quarterback Quinn Ewers and tight end Gunnar Helm reach the semifinal stage for this award. Running back Jonathan Brooks was a finalist in 2023; Bijan Robinson also reached finalist status in 2022; D’Onta Foreman won the award in 2016.
CJ Baxter is entering his sophomore year after playing twelve games with six starts last season. He was also recently included on other preseason watch lists such as Comeback Player of the Year and Doak Walker Award for a second consecutive year. Baxter ran for 659 yards and five touchdowns as a freshman and made history as the first true freshman running back to start for Texas since Ricky Williams in 1995.
DeAndre Moore Jr., now a third-year wide receiver from Anaheim, California, ended last season with thirty-nine receptions for 456 yards and seven touchdowns over twenty-five games with nine starts. He posted two one-hundred-yard receiving performances as a sophomore.
Quintrevion Wisner enters his third year after claiming Third-Team All-SEC honors last season along with First-Team All-SEC preseason recognition by media and coaches this year. In fifteen games during his sophomore campaign he led Texas with 1,064 rushing yards on 226 carries while adding forty-four receptions for 411 yards—a mark that stands second all-time among UT running backs for single-season catches.
Texas begins its upcoming season against No. 3-ranked Ohio State on Aug. 30 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus. FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff will broadcast live coverage starting at 11 a.m., while ESPN’s College GameDay will air from Ohio State University campus from eight to eleven o’clock that morning during host Lee Corso’s final show before retirement.
