Baylor returns four starters on the offensive line and has had five players return who have started at least eight games on the offensive line. A year ago, Grimes found his running back by moving linebacker Abram Smith, a former running back recruit, back to the position. This article was first published in the Cougar The Wolfpack will be competing in the ACC during the 2022 season. The Cowboys came within inches of the Big 12 championship last year, and are tied with two other schools with 12 returning starters. All advice, including picks and predictions, is based on individual commentators opinions and not that of Minute Media or its related brands. Baylor is the 45th ranked defense by FEI advanced statistics and while they allow only a reasonable 5.3 yards per play, offenses that are able to solve their disguised coverages and avoid turnovers will move the ball. That has turned each team's returning starter count into one of the most panned metrics heading into a given season. The proof? The Bears tend to be deliberate on offense and average 6.1 yards per play on the strength of an efficient running game and a sporadically explosive but inconsistent play action passing game. Already an A+ run defender and also shows flashes of having passing down value to melt the pocket. Much of the fault is on Baylors second and third level defenders not hitting their run fits when runners spill wide. LSUs Josh White will try to bolster the linebacker corps, which does return middle linebacker Dillon Doyle. The nucleus of the 2021 team is largely gone, with six players chosen in the NFL Draft. They may not have won that award in 2021, that distinction belongs to Michigan. Over their last 7 games, the Bears have given up 13 turnovers. He covered the 2022 Allstate Sugar Bowl and multiple Texas Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in Waco. The Bears badly miss Jalen Pitre and JT Woods. He was an All-Big-12 honorable mention in 2021 and will look to prove he deserved more than that with a big 2022. Lorando Johnson, S Lorando Johnson likely wont declare in the 2023 NFL Draft cycle, but his name is one to keep in the memory banks. Baylor Football: 2022 Bears Season Preview and Prediction Athlon Sports Jun 7, 2022 Blake Shapen and the Bears are ranked No. 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. UW, of course, finished an 11-2 season with a No. Shouldnt we do it some other way?. All betting content is intended for an audience ages 21+. There are certainly unknowns. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Its another to go from being a strength to being leaders. But at its core, the team is younger. Two years ago, Kansas had the youngest team in college football. A number of transfers doesnt hurt either. The Bears brought in two scholarship players thus far, both in the defensive front seven: Player and White. The Bears have six players on preseason watch lists for national awards. Sam Khan Jr. is a senior writer for The Athletic covering college football and recruiting primarily in Texas. The arrival of four-star freshman Armani Winfield could be right on time. 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. Get the latest D-FW sports news, analysis, scores and more. Safety Christian Morgan is an experienced starter (leads them in INTs with 3) and physical SPARQ freak and smallish safety Devin Lemear has traits, but hes too inexperienced. 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 Though none of those classes have been in the top 25, it doesnt mean they wont yield quality results. While talent and certainly coaching are major indicators, perhaps nothing is quite as important as having good players who have already seen the field. WebBaylors special teams will be in good hands with junior punter Issac Power and freshman kicker Isaiah Hankins returning. During a 12-0 regular season, the Horned Frogs went a perfect 5-0 in one-score games, meaning TCU wasnt far from a vastly different season. Hill is among a number of players who could have breakout seasons in 2023. A lot of Longhorn offensive success will rest on Sarks ability to scheme up run game solutions on a short week. Shapen can be very sharp in the play action game, but he tends to fixate on his first read and defenses that deny him quick decisions can turn him over and get to him in the pocket. But if he comes in and truly finds his footing, the Cougars could be too low here. This makes the Bears (Kevin Jairaj / USA Today), Baylor linebacker Dillon Doyle finished second on the team in tackles with 90 and second with 8.5 tackles for loss. Why is Baylor the potential favorite to win its second consecutive Big 12 title? It resulted in nine 100-yard performances and 1,621 rushing yards, the most in Baylor history. He and his wife, Karina, got married last January and have Craig Sqwirl Williams, 5-foot-8, 173 pounds, has battled injuries but was healthy this spring. 2022 College Football Returning Production Rankings Team Ret. Here are our predictions for the Big 12's order of finish in 2023. 3 min read #Baylor OL @grantmiller55 spoke highly of RB @TayeMcwilliams Thursday:I think hes like a little bit of a combination of both Abram and Trestan. 2 spot, Grimes said. Breakdown: Apu, one of Halls companions, is one of the best nose guards in the country. It takes trust and a sense of safety to put yourself out there to die and then to be born again.. 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The ranking takes a look at data on both sides of the football for all FBS teams in the country. 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 That could make picking the 14-team Big 12 an absolute madhouse with so many variables. If that offense can jell and the defense can take a step forward, the Red Raiders could surprise. Except for that group, every Baylor signing class since 2017 has ranked either fourth or fifth in the Big 12. Michael has covered Baylor football, men's and women's basketball, baseball and more. Jun 16, 2022 7:08 PM EDT The Baylor Bears offense had some serious turnover this spring, with quarterback Gerry Bohanon hitting the NCAA Transfer Portal in With belief no longer an obstacle, Aranda fights different beasts: the teams attitude and maturity. The players are responding well to him. The Big 12 may look wide open but Baylor proved themselves last year and could come back as sharp as ever with a higher ceiling at quarterback and a defense capable of holding down whatever offense they face. Tyquan Thornton, R.J. Snead and Drew Estrada have all departed, leaving tight end Ben Sims as the leading returning pass-catcher along with tight end Drake Dabney. Hes got new ideas and new ways to look at things that are going to improve all of us.. Expect more transfer help at running back (UNLVs Aidan Robbins) and on both lines. Sophomore Tony Anyanwu, whom Roberts said was the starting jack before foot surgery forced him to miss the season, will be in the mix, as well as redshirt freshman Jackie Marshall. Redshirt freshman Devin Lemear graded out the highest of all the safeties this spring, Roberts said. While Gundy and Pokes fans seemed to have put their Seth Jones, another sophomore, is up to nearly 200 pounds after being recruited at 180. 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! Will that be enough for the Cyclones to overcome the leagues lowest returning starter count? Although Baylor lost four key defenders via the NFL Draft and five starters total, theres a lot to like about the unit, starting with the defensive line. It finished fourth in the Big 12 in total D and tenth in the nation in scoring defense, but the it was really, really good at was taking the ball away. Hes a graduate of BGSU and works as an auditor for Google content curation products. Baylors departing players registered 1,579 points, 512 rebounds, and 234 steals/blocks in the 2020-2021 season; those numbers rank 11th, 49th, and 7th in the country among non-returning players. Many of them embodied the style and soul of what Aranda wants Baylor football to be. It certainly helps that one of the offensive starters is Deuce Vaughn. I see glimpses of speed from him where I feel like he can outrun guys, but hes also not afraid to put his shoulder down#SicEm, 2021 stats: 31 receptions (third on team), 361 receiving yards (fourth on team), six receiving TDs (second on team), recorded one rushing TD. Kansas hasnt won more than three games in a season since 2009, Mark Manginos final season with the program. I always win. Galvin was an All-Big-12 first-teamer with All-American mentions to his name last season. After losing eight players to the NFL over the summer, Baylor football will be forced to replace some big-time athletes from a 2021 Big 3 overall class (including both high school talent and the Longhorns smaller transfer class), Texas should get some increased firepower on both sides of the ball. The good is that Brent Venables may be just the coach to deal with that kind of roster turnover and has already drawn rave reviews for the way hes circled the wagons and begun building culture. Gabe Hall (6-6, 300) is the best pass rusher of the group (3.5 sacks) but all three of them exist to dominate the run and own the line of scrimmage from tackle to tackle. For more NCAA football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages. Whoever wins the job should have plenty of talent to utilize, but will need the offensive line to come together. 14. I really felt we saw a different side of him, Grimes said. To replace receivers coach Chansi Stuckey, who joined Marcus Freemans staff at Notre Dame, Aranda hired former Buffalo and Marshall receivers coach Dallas Baker. That makes for a wide open race where it seems like the 12 teams that don't reach the Big 12 championship game are likely to finish somewhere between 8-4 and 4-8, decided by a bounce here or there. Im truly excited to see what the defense will accomplish in Per PFF, Baylor QBs were pressured 35.2 percent of the time in 2020 (8th in the Big 12, 96th in the FBS) but only 29.1 percent of the time in 2021 (first in the conference, 45th nationally). Note: the 3 Bear runners have combined for a healthy 41 total catches, but they average just over 7 yards per reception. The sample sizes are small, but also very promising for Morris. Those returning starters include seven on offense and seven on defense, and while the Bears will be looking to replace some fairly irreplaceable players, Baylor 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. There was a point in spring where you say, Hes one of the top guys on our team, just based on production, Aranda said. The Bears O-line was the most improved unit in 2021, becoming a true strength as the Bears led the Big 12 in rushing and allowed the third-fewest sacks. WebVisit ESPN to view the latest Baylor Bears news, scores, stats, standings, rumors, and more Big 12 football schedule release: Every game for every team in 2023 2022 Team Leaders. Fleeks has all the ability in the world, and Baldwin is a dynamic player with really good speed. Other receivers could get looks at returner. Few teams across the nation if any were as wrecked by the transfer portal as the Sooners, who didnt just lose multiple starters, but also a foundational quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate in Caleb Williams. The Waller native is set for another huge year, playing alongside some of the nations best D-lineman, who are good candidates to be on this list. Although Baylor lost four key defenders via the NFL Draft and five starters total, theres a lot to like about the unit, starting with the defensive line. Only five scholarship players have entered the portal since August: Bohanon, Sneed, defensive lineman Josh Landry, former backup quarterback Jacob Zeno and safety Tyrone D. Brown. No other Bear tight end has caught as many touchdowns as his nine career scores. 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 "I thought football had to be part of it, somehow." But there are worse bets to take than a Kansas State team with a returning starter at quarterback in Will Howard, playing behind the bulk of his offensive line returning. The travel schedule is brutal for Baylor with trips to BYU, Iowa State, Oklahoma and Texas on tap. The Bears will ride the hot hand the 175 pound Reese has two games where he had 30+ carries, the 170 pound Sqwirl has a 25 carry game and theyre not going to worry about work load in a season finale. Only two of Baylors 18 sacks allowed last season came within three seconds of the snap, the fewest in the country, per PFF. Oklahoma State actually topped our Big 12 power rankings at one point, then by years end, the Cowboys might have legitimately been the Big 12s worst team. March 1, 2023 12:56 pm CT. College football writers are taking notice of the Longhorns loaded returning roster. And with the departure of Max Duggan, Kendre Miller and Quentin Johnston TCU ranks 130th (!!!) By Michael Haag. Sling it, Shape >> @BShapen @kelseyjohnsonjr #SicEm | #PersonOverPlayer pic.twitter.com/ItRAKelqx2. 2022 Sugar Bowl odds: Baylor starting quarterback Gerry Bohanon expected to return from injury vs. Ole Miss Baylor should have starting QB Gerry Bohanon available off injury for Saturday's Sugar Bowl matchup vs. Ole Miss. Now its just about getting experience on the field so theyre comfortable.. Despite the change, theres a sense of stability. If Shapen gets hurt this year, theyre (in trouble).. One of the most important factors in a team's success in college football is its returning experience. Starters Gabe Hall, Siaki Ika and Cole Maxwell and rotational linemen TJ Franklin, Chidi Ogbonnaya and Brayden Utley return. Prod. Previewing Baylor Bears defense for 2022 season. 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. You gotta go down before you go up.. Dont expect too big a slide, if any, overall. If youre talking about which team is the Big 12 favorite, Im going with Baylor because of what they have up front, the coach said. 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. We did some decent things last year at times, but we were just inconsistent, Grimes said. 2021 stats: 183 rushing yards (fourth on team), two rushing TDs (T-third on team). Baylor football is riding high after the program attained its first 12-win season, highlighted by a Big 12 Championship and Sugar Bowl win. Will Howard, Kansas State An injury to Adrian Martinez in mid-October opened the door for 8 national ranking last fall and has Pac-12 title and CFP aspirations in 2023. The Bears won the league last year, return their starting quarterback from a season ago in Gerry Bohanon and top all other projected contenders and rank second in the Big 12 in returning starters. Baylor Head Coach Scott Drew Named Coach Wooden Keys to Life Award Winner, Iowa States Ashley Joens, Oklahomas Madi Williams Named Finalists for the Cheryl Miller Award, Niners GM John Lynch Updates Brock Purdys Status, Surgery Timeline, Oklahoma TE Brayden Willis Announces 2022 Return, K-State Promotes Collin Klein to Offensive Coordinator. The Bears are returning a total of 13 starters from last season, but they lost nearly all of their offensive production from 2021 and almost all of their starting secondary. Defense drove the Bears to the Big 12 title and if theres one thing Aranda can be counted on having, its a good defense. (Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports). Hes joined by Matt Jones, who has been a massive drop off from the cat quick NFL draftee Terrel Bernard. Although not getting the glitz and glamour, the Bears can feel great knowing Apu is lining up opposite of the center this season. 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). Younger possibilities include true freshman safety Alfonzo Allen. This team went 2-3 in one-score games in the regular season; getting another win or two this year certainly wouldnt be a shock. 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. Heres why he prefers it that way, Are these Rangers good? Explosive Florida State running back transfer Treshaun Ward is among the Big 12s most exciting transfer additions, and hell join DJ Giddens in making sure the Wildcats can still run the ball. Miller returns after a solid year, Byers could play guard or tackle and Jeffery and Mazzccua will also compete for those spots. Returning that kind of experience should give Baylor the best offensive line in the Big 12, and possibly the country, in 2022. 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