Sixth-year senior Gavin Holmes has starting experience but has endured multiple injuries in his career. Monaray Baldwin is their best deep threat, but the young 165 pounder can struggle to get off of physical corners. The Bears have been in the conference title game two of the past three years and have six double-digit win seasons and three Big 12 championships since 2011. 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. Many of them embodied the style and soul of what Aranda wants Baylor football to be. He and his wife, Karina, got married last January and have a 4-month-old daughter, Zoe. On the move! Both are expected to contribute immediately. Redshirt freshman Devin Lemear graded out the highest of all the safeties this spring, Roberts said. His physical talent has always been there, but his improved maturity and preparation have readied him this season for the No. Ranking 77th nationally in returning production, the Sooners are somewhat middle of the pack in the Big 12 in that category. How will Shapen develop? Aranda likes how Blake Shapen is developing leadership skills: "The thing Im most proud of is his leadership and the art of when to say something and how to say it and being authentic with everything youve got. 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. He currently resides in Kansas City where he is a talk show host and program director at KCMO Talk Radio. 8 national ranking last fall and has Pac-12 title and CFP aspirations in 2023. Its worth noting that while Baylor started the year rock-ribbed against the run with their massive interior Tite front, theyve surrendered 179 yards per game rushing over their last three games. The former Iowa Hawkeyes presence was shown even with Bernard on the squad, and hes beloved among his peers, so expect a big year from Doyle in 2022. 2023 On3 Media, Inc. All rights reserved. The third and final of the three Big 12 schools who return 12 starters, Texas joins Kansas State with six returning starters on both offense and defense. Although not getting the glitz and glamour, the Bears can feel great knowing Apu is lining up opposite of the center this season. 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. Hes a graduate of BGSU and works as an auditor for Google content curation products. Athletes in Action announced its winner for the coveted Coach Wooden Keys to Life Award, and its a Big 12 coach. 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 should once again field tough lines on both sides of the ball and an armory of speed. Over his last five games he has 3 touchdowns to 6 interceptions and while he hasnt had a Ewers level bottoming out, hes been shaky. Breakdown: There are so many other worthy names that could have made this list, but it felt wrong to exclude one of the best tight ends in Baylor football history. By far, this is the most depth weve had since Ive been here, Roberts said. Texas checks in at No. He joins an elite group of established, veteran O-lineman that are hoping to pound the rock en route to another successful season. 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. Baylors one-two punch of Abram Smith and Trestan Ebner left the program. 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. This year it could be the playoff by avoiding another loss like that pesky one against TCU. It resulted in nine 100-yard performances and 1,621 rushing yards, the most in Baylor history. Theres a fair amount of moxie in him.. Seven months removed from winning the national championship, Baylor could be good enough to reach the final game again this season. They may not have won that award in 2021, that distinction belongs to Michigan.
He scored two offensive touchdowns (rushing and receiving) versus BYU. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, Stand with us in our mission to discover and uncover the story of North Texas, 10 key Baylor players to know in 2022: Returning O-line, D-line alleviates concerns, Everything you need to know about Baylor football: Key storylines, predictions and more, Ray Davis optimistic, anxious about Rangers season amidst tumultuous TV situation, Cowboys Mike McCarthy has more power, fewer excuses. The nucleus of the 2021 team is largely gone, with six players chosen in the NFL Draft. A native Houstonian, Sam graduated from the University of Houston. 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. Roberts is leaning toward Walcott at star and Johnson at corner. Outside of those scheme induced meltdowns, theyve actually proven fairly susceptible to the passing game, giving up steady gains to Will Howard and Max Duggan in recent weeks. WebThe official 2022 Football schedule for the Baylor University Bears There are also five transfers combined from those two cycles still around. Will Howard, Kansas State An injury to Adrian Martinez in mid-October opened the door for Devin Leary returns at quarterback and so does plenty of impactful players on defense. If the offense can make the most of a strong group of running backs led by Richard Reese and an athletic crop of wide receivers, Baylor should be pretty good the defense has a chance to improve from where it was a year ago. UW, of course, finished an 11-2 season with a No. Its rare to see a combination of strength, speed and agility for someone with Halls frame. Run blocking has improved, Aranda said. Sneed (Colorado) entered after the 2021 season and Bohanon (USF) and Landry (Missouri) departed after spring football ended. Their star defensive ends will need to be replaced, but their five returning starters make the Wolverines worthy of a high ranking in the 2022 college football preseason top 25. Baylor tabbed a new starting quarterback. Starters Gabe Hall, Siaki Ika and Cole Maxwell and rotational linemen TJ Franklin, Chidi Ogbonnaya and Brayden Utley return. While talent and certainly coaching are major indicators, perhaps nothing is quite as important as having good players who have already seen the field. Jones missed spring with a foot injury, allowing Will Williams to get the first-team reps at weakside linebacker, and Roberts was encouraged by his development. Sam Khan Jr. is a senior writer for The Athletic covering college football and recruiting primarily in Texas. There are tangible questions that need answers, too. Dave Aranda enters Year 3 in Waco in considerably better shape than last year, with a Big 12 Championship in the trophy case. With a solid crop of returning players, the question will be whether that talent can start delivering results on the field. The 2021 second-team All-AAC selection should thrive being back in his hometown of Waco. The slinger has proven he has an elite arm, and if the cards fall right, he is a legitimate contender for Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. A year ago, Grimes found his running back by moving linebacker Abram Smith, a former running back recruit, back to the position. The next group of schools Iowa State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, and TCU lost two starters. "We got married in Katy, Texas, about a mile from the high school stadium," he said. The pass rush will be good, the run D will be great, and Baylor struggles to get an honest pass rush at times and they rely heavily on deceptive coverages on the back end to confound QBs and force sucker throws. Michael Haag, Baylor athletics blogger. He is the sports editor for the school's student newspaper, the Baylor Lariat. There was a point in spring where you say, Hes one of the top guys on our team, just based on production, Aranda said. Two years ago, Kansas had the youngest team in college football. The strength of the offense lies up front. A returning starting quarterback in Dillon Gabriel is a good thing, and the Sooners have the No. The Bears average recruiting ranking from 2019-22, per the 247Sports Composite Rating, is 40.25. BYU wide receiver Keanu Hill makes a touchdown catch against Utah Tech at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022. Leading receiver Tyquan Thornton is off to the NFL and No. Aranda stressed the need for reps among the candidates to get comfortable. Theyre veteran, older players and thats really where you want your leadership to come from. Another transfer, Gall made his way from Buffalo to a key role on Baylors excellent offensive line in 2021. Posted on January 10, 2022. March 1, 2023 12:56 pm CT. College football writers are taking notice of the Longhorns loaded returning roster. Baker played receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Florida Gators, winning championships with each. 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. They combined for 2,400 yards and 14 touchdowns, so replacing them will be no easy feat. Baylor had a backloaded schedule in terms of difficulty and theyre on a two game slide after being obliterated by Kansas State 31-3 and then losing a heartbreaker to TCU by one point in which they outplayed (an injured-riddled) TCU for most of the game. After a 12-2 season, a Big 12 championship and a Sugar Bowl win which could rank as the best season in school history there really arent those questions being asked now, he said. Collins joined the Baylor staff in 2020 and spent three seasons with Aranda at LSU. Previously, he spent eight years covering college sports at ESPN.com and seven years as a sports reporter at the Houston Chronicle. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 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. Last year it was the Big 12 title. Here's a look at each Big 12 team's returning starters for the 2022 season. You dont have to worry about a lot of things that you usually have to worry about. #SicEm, 2021 stats: 29 tackles, six pass breakups (led team), two tackles for loss. 2021 stats: Started all 14 games at left tackle. Bohanon, who started the other 12 games, hit the transfer portal after the coaches gave Shapen the nod and landed at South Florida. Hunter Dekkers is the likely Brock Purdy replacement, and he has some interesting traits to build around. The Bears have some athletes and plenty of raw speed, but theyre inconsistent. After helping the Bears reach the semifinalist phase for the Joe Moore Award, he could target individual honors in 2022. It might be way too early for college football predictions, but before the rest of the country hits the field for spring ball, here are our early predictions for Power-5 conference champions in 2023. UW, of course, finished an 11-2 season with a No. Sims had the best season of his career with 361 yards and six touchdowns last year. Hes the smallest guy out there but maybe the toughest guy, Grimes said. Will the Bears scratch and claw for progress the way the 2021 team did? The Cougars are the top-ranked newcomer here, though whether that plays out will likely depend on whether Kedon Slovis can re-find some of the magic he showed a few years back at USC. 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. Projected defensive starters: DE Lonnie Phelps DT Kenean Caldwell DT Caleb Sampson* DE Malcolm Lee* LB Taiwan Berryhill* LB Gavin Potter* LB Rich Miller Shouldnt we do it some other way?. Sanders may rank among the Big 12s best returning quarterbacks, and with the defense returning five starters from last years elite group, he could need to elevate his game, and the offense as a whole, for the Cowboys to finish this year atop the league standings. To fill the void, Aranda hired former Nevada assistant Ronnie Wheat. 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). For more information, please read our Legal Disclaimer. All advice, including picks and predictions, is based on individual commentators opinions and not that of Minute Media or its related brands. Wheat also worked with Aranda at LSU, spending seven seasons as a defensive analyst for the Tigers, including all four in which Aranda was defensive coordinator. He spent eight years covering college football and recruiting primarily in Texas feel! 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