All picks and predictions are suggestions only.

If that offense can jell and the defense can take a step forward, the Red Raiders could surprise. 240 pound interior linebacker Dillon Doyle leads them in tackles and is also solid dropping into zone coverages (2 interceptions). When former outside linebackers coach Joey McGuire took the Texas Tech head coaching job in November, Aranda elevated quality control coach Caleb Collins. Your favorite teams, topics, and players all on your favorite mobile devices. In that regard, the Big 12 is a league in transition. Related: College Football's Top Quarterbacks on the Rise for 2023 4. If Shapen can take the passing game to another level, that adds another dimension to an already good team. Web2022 Football Roster - Baylor University Athletics Baylor University Athletics Scoreboard Football UAlbany Sep 3 6 PM ESPN + Football vs UAlbany September 3, 2022 6 PM The defense could improve, and the cupboard is far from bare in Fort Worth, where Sonny Dykes will get back his original starting quarterback in Chandler Morris, who should sling the ball to Alabama transfer JoJo Earle, among others. I act like this. Sixth-year senior Gavin Holmes has starting experience but has endured multiple injuries in his career. How will Shapen develop? Web2020-21 Baylor Bears Men's Roster and Stats Previous Season Next Season Record: 28-2 (13-1, 1st in Big 12 MBB ) Rank: 3rd in the Final AP Poll Coach: Scott Drew More School They were turnover magnets and sure tacklers that were instrumental in the Bears getting off of the field on 3rd downs. BYU wide receiver Keanu Hill makes a touchdown catch against Utah Tech at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022. This year the Bears are out to prove they can retain their crown by reloading instead of rebuilding. Power is in contention to be named the top punter in college football after averaging 45 yards per punt in 2021. In comparison to Baylors six returning starters, BYU has a clear advantage in this department as they return a colossal 19 players from last years already stacked team. He knows a thing or two because hes seen a thing or two over the course of his collegiate career. Expect more transfer help at running back (UNLVs Aidan Robbins) and on both lines. The defense was stifling and the offense pounded the rock as the Bears worked their way through the Big 12 slate and took down ranked BYU. Aranda recruited the 2020 four-star prospect while with the Tigers but left for Baylor before getting a chance to coach him. We looked at not just the numbers for each team, but breakdowns on each side of the ball and whether teams return starters at the most important positions on the football field as well. Powered by Capitol Presence & Olympus Cloud. However, this years group will have some major absences to contend with, including Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Jalen Pitre and All-Big-12 first-team linebacker selection Terrel Bernard. 14. With Connor Galvin making the announcement that he will come back next season on Friday, the Bear will bring back all four of those guys. 8 national ranking last fall and has Pac-12 title and CFP aspirations in 2023. Only one league team brings back more than 14 starters, meaning that there's something of a hole at the top of the conference from where it has been in previous years. On the line, starters at four positions return: left tackle Connor Galvin, center Jacob Gall, right guard Grant Miller and both right tackles, Khalil Keith and Gavin Byers. Powledge, a Huntsville, Texas, native who played fullback at Sam Houston, is also back in his Texas roots. On defense, the second coach sees Baylors defensive line as the deepest in the Big 12. Find more Baylor coverage from The Dallas Morning News here. The ranking takes a look at data on both sides of the football for all FBS teams in the country. Follow Sam on Twitter @skhanjr, Baylor quarterback Blake Shapen set an AT&T Stadium collegiate record with 17 straight completions en route to going 23-of-28 for 180 yards and a career-best three touchdowns against Oklahoma State in the Big 12 title game. On the other side of the ball, West Virginia will need some of the younger players it has landed in recent classes to pan out sooner rather than later. Theres talent on hand, particularly at quarterback where the Mountaineers added USC and Georgia transfer JT Daniels, giving West Virginia its most talented signal-caller in years. Whoever wins the quarterback job out of Tyler Shough and Donovan Smith has both starting experience and a high ceiling. Will the rushing attack be as reliable as it was a year ago? Dykes inherits six offensive starters and seven defensive starters, and theres plenty of room for growth on both sides. Baylor tabbed a new starting quarterback. It was hard, but necessary. They have 150+ combined starts in aggregate. Our standards are so high that it is difficult to be who you say were going to be, but Im going to stay on the path, Aranda said. Qualan Jones, a fourth-year junior, hasnt seen many carries but is among the options. Baylor has to settle its quarterback situation, and Grimes doesnt have a Zach Wilson to work with. WACO, Texas Baylor football head coach Dave Aranda announced the signings of 20 student-athletes to the class of 2022 on Wednesday. Redshirt freshman Devin Lemear graded out the highest of all the safeties this spring, Roberts said. The Bears brought in two scholarship players thus far, both in the defensive front seven: Player and White. Will the unproven receivers step up? SHARE If BYU football players, coaches were stocks, who would you buy? A big physical front headlined by plus size nose tackle Siaki Ika isnt designed to compile stats, but to dominate the interior line of scrimmage and force runners to either collide into an interior wall or bounce wide on a rounded angle that allows easy clean up. Brennan Armstrong entered the 2022 season as one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the ACC but had the lowest completion percentage of his career as a starter. Newman-Johnson will play in the 2022 East-West Shrine Bowl in February and should have his name called at the 2022 NFL Draft in April. 1 and in charge of moving the Bears forward on offense. And they found some young pieces along the way, adding a few pretty good transfers as well. But there are no proven backs with Smith and Trestan Ebner gone. Guess you have to call 2022 a disappointment for Coach Billy Hawthorne entering his sixth season in 2023 off a .500 season when 16 starters returned including four OLers and a TE. Much like Morgan, he is stepping into an expanded role. The top three tight ends on the 2021 depth chart return. With belief no longer an obstacle, Aranda fights different beasts: the teams attitude and maturity. March 1, 2023 12:56 pm CT. College football writers are taking notice of the Longhorns loaded returning roster. How the star shakes out will impact the rest of the secondary. And while the Cyclones are getting younger on defense, theres talent there and Iowa State boasts one of the Big 12s top defensive coordinators in Jon Heacock. Everything theyre doing, I feel good about it, Roberts said. Arandas second season in charge could hardly have gone more perfectly. Early spring success has Texas filling fans with hope, Judge rules in favor of Michael Irvin in request for expedited evidence in $100M lawsuit, Mike McCarthy calls taking over play-calling most fun Ive had as Cowboys coach, PK winners! They pulled a similar mind screw on Texas Tech, forcing three different QBs to throw a combined a 5 interceptions. Point, blank period. Defensively, the Texas DL will match up just fine against Baylors experienced offensive line. Gavin Holmes is the senior statesman of the group, but after dropping 210 yards against West Virginia, hes had 84 yards receiving total over the last five games. 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You gotta go down before you go up.. With whats left of the returners, here is who will stand out among the bunch in hopes to repeat as conference champions. Freshmen Reggie Bush and Tevin Williams III are also long, fast corner possibilities. When the Bear running game hits it rhythm, its a lot of fun to watch and loading up the box can actually make things worse for the run defense. This year it could be the playoff by avoiding another loss like that pesky one against TCU. Related: College Football's Top Quarterbacks on the Rise for 2023 4. Two years ago, Kansas had the youngest team in college football. 21 transfer class, the third-best in the Big 12. The Bears have young athletes out wide capable of explosive plays, but they are remarkably inconsistent and inexperienced. Baylor had the most players of any team in the state of Texas chosen in the 2022 NFL Draft (six) and those recruits came from the 2017 and 2018 classes, which ranked 40th and 29th, respectively. Breakdown: Of course, Blake Shapen was going to make this list, but the Shreveport native should be well-known already. Why is Baylor the potential favorite to win its second consecutive Big 12 title? The average sack allowed by the Baylor line in 2021 took 4.6 seconds from snap to sack, the second-longest average in the FBS. Theres still plenty of talent in H-Town, and the offense still has enough pieces to cause havoc (the young receiving corps could be particularly nasty). ", 2021 stats: Four sacks (T-third most), six TFLs (T-sixth most), played 13 games with 12 starts. Athletes in Action announced its winner for the coveted Coach Wooden Keys to Life Award, and its a Big 12 coach. Editors note:This ispart of a seriespreviewing Power 5 and top Group of 5 teams for the 2022 college football season. The plethora of linebacker options is a good problem to have, Aranda said. To fill the void, Aranda hired former Nevada assistant Ronnie Wheat. He led the Bears in tackles in five games. Hes a great athlete, good blocker, and can get involved in the vertical pass game. Breakdown: McWilliams time on the turf was limited, as he played behind two NFL running backs in Trestan Ebner and Abram Smith. But at its core, the team is younger. All aboard the Aranda train. Powledge, a Huntsville, Texas, native who played fullback at Sam Houston, is also back in his Texas roots. The Bears badly miss Jalen Pitre and JT Woods. The transfer portal will help the Sooners make up for some of the losses, and if Dillon Gabriel can join the five returning offensive starters and hit the ground running, the Sooners could take off. The Bears match up well in some spots to Texas, but theyre a five loss team for a reason. Zeno (transferred to UAB) and Brown both entered the portal last September. If Bohanon takes to development the way many second-year starting quarterbacks so, Baylor could once again be the class of the league. Hes a guy that opened up his heart to the team and led his team in a real prideful, courageous way, Aranda said of Bohanon. Heres the thing on the Red Raiders: Like TCU, the Red Raiders were undefeated in one-score games in the regular season. The Horned Frogs suffered a surprising collapse last year, particularly defensively, that ushered in changes at the highest levels. Its rare to see a combination of strength, speed and agility for someone with Halls frame. Remember, too, that while BYUs production numbers arent super high (middle of the Big 12 pack at No. With the heartbreak kid gone, Morgan has a great chance to shine in the spotlight as one of Baylors best defensive players. The 6-5 Baylor Bears represent one of the most physical teams that Texas has seen this season, but meeting the other teams Injuries certainly played a part, but the offseason attrition was also worrisome. Its another to go from being a strength to being leaders. Baylor football shocked the Big 12 last year. Im truly excited to see what the defense will accomplish in Will that be enough for the Cyclones to overcome the leagues lowest returning starter count? Thats the next challenge.. So though some may expect a return to the Big 12 title game, Aranda is zeroing in on how his team acts in these summer months. (Kevin Jairaj / USA Today), He looked inward, forcing himself to evolve, Aranda signed a contract extension in February, but opting for its 2021 backup, Blake Shapen, over starter Gerry Bohanon. This is a let it hang out game and Sark and PK should expect Dave Aranda to go for it on 4th down until Texas punishes them for it. Only two of Baylors 18 sacks allowed last season came within three seconds of the snap, the fewest in the country, per PFF. STAR Al Walcott is of the Big Nickel variety (6-2, 220) and he can be exploited if Texas can hunt formations to put him 1 on 1 in the slot. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER. The Wolfpack will be competing in the ACC during the 2022 season. The school president and athletic director each signed 10-year extensions. Returning that kind of experience should give Baylor the best offensive line in the Big 12, and possibly the country, in 2022. It takes trust and a sense of safety to put yourself out there to die and then to be born again.. Ive watched them go through stretches where theyre utterly dominated by aggressive corner and nickel play. Diminutive Richard Reese (908 yards, 14 tds, 5.2 per carry) and Sqwirl Williams (530 yards, 4 tds, 5.8 per carry) are the speed component while 245 pound Qualan Jones (403 yards, 7 tds, 5.5 per carry) brings the pain. UW, of course, finished an 11-2 season with a No. But Oklahoma would tell you that some of the departures arent the worst thing in the world, and Brent Venables upset the apple cart a bit in the offseason by going guns blazing into the transfer portal. A better, and more cohesive showing on defense would both be a welcome sign and would allow either Card or Ewers a bit more cushion to get comfortable. The Horns need Quinn Ewers to throw the ball capably within the construct of a run first offense. Note: the 3 Bear runners have combined for a healthy 41 total catches, but they average just over 7 yards per reception. It must replace the single-season school rushing record holder and both starting wide receivers. Get the fastest scores, stats, news, LIVE videos, and more. Baylor Bear Insider One of seven returning starters from a 31-20 Baylor team, sophomore infielder Tre Richardson didn't like that aching feeling last May when Breakdown: Gall is as dependable as they come. A returning starting quarterback in Dillon Gabriel is a good thing, and the Sooners have the No. Blake Shapen rode an excellent performance in the Big 12 title game to the starting job this spring, unseating Gerry Bohanon, who has since transferred and is now the starter at USF. 2020-21 Season-Ending Roster (bold denotes returning for 2021-22): F Flo Thamba (6-foot-10), G LJ Cryer (6-1), G/F Jordan Turner (6-8), G Adam Flagler (6-3), G/F Mark Vital (6-5), G Jared Butler (6-3), G/F Jackson Moffatt (6-7), F Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua (6-8), G/F Matthew Mayer (6-9), G MaCio Teague (6-4), F Zach Loveday (7 With both coordinators back and all the returnees on the line of scrimmage, Baylor can figure it out. A veteran leader on the back end, Baylor will rely on Morgan to make an impact in 2022. Six four-star prospects and 14 three-star recruits headline BU's 26th-ranked class, according February 8, 2023 7:57 pm CT. ESPN announced its returning production rankings for the 2023 season on Tuesday. Defensively, adding Player and having the entire two-deep back up front is viewed as a strength. Younger possibilities include true freshman safety Alfonzo Allen. Now its just about getting experience on the field so theyre comfortable.. Another key defensive position to fill is the star, Baylors hybrid nickelback/outside linebacker role, previously occupied by 2021 Big 12 defensive player of the year and second-round pick Pitre. Gavin Byers, a sophomore who started the first eight games of the year at right tackle, also returns in 2022 and will provide depth for an already deep unit. LSUs Josh White will try to bolster the linebacker corps, which does return middle linebacker Dillon Doyle. Powledge, a Huntsville, Texas, native who played fullback at Sam Houston, is also back in his Texas roots. Another year in Venables defensive system couldnt hurt either, as Oklahoma struggled at times to be assignment sound on that side of the ball. Aranda stressed the need for reps among the candidates to get comfortable. #Baylor DT Siaki Ika (6-4, 354, SR) LSU transfer. Written by Brett Gibbons Brett is an avid sports traveler and former Division-I football recruiter for Bowling Green and Texas State. Joey McGuires first team will be fascinating to watch with an offense that returns four starters but also adds Zach Kittley, the architect of last years explosive Western Kentucky group. Hes long and has some quickness, but hes a one trick finesse pony. LT Connor Galvin, RG Grant Miller, RT Kahlil Keith, and C Jacob Gall are all seniors who were eligible to return for another season in 2022. Key stat to know: Baylors stout defense forced the second-most third downs (200) in the Big 12 and 11th most in the Power 5 last season, a result of good early down defense. Try a week on us. The 2021 second-team All-AAC selection should thrive being back in his hometown of Waco. Four of five starters return on the offensive line, and the entire defensive line two-deep is back. Texas safeties and linebackers cant get caught up in trash and must fit the cutback lanes. "I thought football had to be part of it, somehow." The Longhorns werent far off. His confidence started to grow.. Despite the change, theres a sense of stability. With those two moved on, fall camp has indicated the Richmond native as being the likely bell cow back starting in Week 1, and hes impressed many as of late. Craig Sqwirl Williams, 5-foot-8, 173 pounds, has battled injuries but was healthy this spring. But those are all a far cry from a year ago, when it wasnt certain if Baylor could block consistently and installed a whole new offense. #Baylor RB @TayeMcwilliams on what its like behind a good O-line that returned so much talent:[Its] way easier, it makes life super easy. 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