Anticipate Gall to be another invaluable piece to a stellar offensive line group. He creates openings for himself that maybe others dont. 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. LSUs Josh White will try to bolster the linebacker corps, which does return middle linebacker Dillon Doyle. 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 By Matt Severance Updated: Dec 27, 2021 10:49AM PST . 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. It certainly helps that one of the offensive starters is Deuce Vaughn. 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. There was a point in spring where you say, Hes one of the top guys on our team, just based on production, Aranda said. 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. 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. Starters Gabe Hall, Siaki Ika and Cole Maxwell and rotational linemen TJ Franklin, Chidi Ogbonnaya and Brayden Utley return. There are also five transfers combined from those two cycles still around. 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. The sample sizes are small, but also very promising for Morris. 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. A native Houstonian, Sam graduated from the University of Houston. Without certainty at running back or in the back seven of the defense, its fair to expect the Bears to take a slight step back. (Top photo of Dave Aranda: Stephen Lew / USA Today). Preseason prognosticators that looked at 14 returning starters and picked the Bears to win the league are being punished for not understanding that Baylor losing six players to the NFL Draft 4 of them in the first first 3 rounds isnt something that can be replaced. Prod. We did some decent things last year at times, but we were just inconsistent, Grimes said. The next group of schools Iowa State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, and TCU lost two starters. Except for that group, every Baylor signing class since 2017 has ranked either fourth or fifth in the Big 12. And with the talent on hand on defense some of the teams most talented defenders are working with the second and third teams so far this spring improvement on that end should come quickly. 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. In the history of the Big 12, 2023 will always stand as an outlier. Baylor ranked 10th in the country and first in the Big 12 in rushing offense in 2021, averaging 219.3 yards per game, leading the way to a Big 12 Championship. Will Howard, Kansas State An injury to Adrian Martinez in mid-October opened the door for Projected defensive starters: DE Lonnie Phelps DT Kenean Caldwell DT Caleb Sampson* DE Malcolm Lee* LB Taiwan Berryhill* LB Gavin Potter* LB Rich Miller 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 has been one of the least active teams in the transfer portal nationally. The players are responding well to him. No other Bear tight end has caught as many touchdowns as his nine career scores. Their preferred front lines up Baylor size and power on the specific Longhorn OL whove dealt with that least well and its important that the Longhorns have some run game wrinkles that allow advantageous blocking angles inside and create some conflict in Baylors clean up crew. 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. 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. Why is Baylor the potential favorite to win its second consecutive Big 12 title? Aranda pointed to Fleeks and Baldwin as possibilities. 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. Hill is among a number of players who could have breakout seasons in 2023. They may not have won that award in 2021, that distinction belongs to Michigan. Although not getting the glitz and glamour, the Bears can feel great knowing Apu is lining up opposite of the center this season. Craig Sqwirl Williams, 5-foot-8, 173 pounds, has battled injuries but was healthy this spring. They can probably look at the 20-13 Norristown loss where the Eagles made a goal line stand and a few kneel-downs to pull off the upset as a turning point, CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. (Photo: Zach Boyden-Holmes, USA TODAY Sports), (Photo: Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire, Getty), (Photo: David Stacy/Icon Sportswire, Getty), (Photo: Mark J. Rebilas, USA TODAY Sports), (Photo: John David Mercer, USA TODAY Sports). He and his wife, Karina, got married last January and have a 4-month-old daughter, Zoe. But perhaps the single biggest reason to believe in Oklahoma: (Photo: Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire, Getty), (Photo: Jay Biggerstaff, USA TODAY Sports), (Photo: James Guillory, USA TODAY Sports), according to ESPNs Bill Connellys measurements, When we looked at how teams fared in one-score games. And with seven of 11 starters returning on defense, the Red Raiders could bow up on that side of the ball with increased experience and the toughness that McGuire is attempting to instill. With both coordinators back and all the returnees on the line of scrimmage, Baylor can figure it out. Bohanon, who started the other 12 games, hit the transfer portal after the coaches gave Shapen the nod and landed at South Florida. UW, of course, finished an 11-2 season with a No. Matthew Powledge, Baylors former safeties and special teams coach, joined Dan Lannings staff at Oregon in December. Much of the fault is on Baylors second and third level defenders not hitting their run fits when runners spill wide. 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 in returning offensive production theres reason to believe some of those close games are going to go the other way in 2023. A Big 12 championship game record 17-straight completions is one way to get into the spotlight, but thats just what Shapen did. Big TE Ben Sims is a chain mover, but 20 of his 30 catches happened in the first four games of the season. Whoever wins the job should have plenty of talent to utilize, but will need the offensive line to come together. But Texas Tech also just couldnt get healthy quarterback play with some downright awful injury luck at the position. Baylor has to settle its quarterback situation, and Grimes doesnt have a Zach Wilson to work with. He played pretty well against TCU, so maybe hes on the rebound. (Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports). "We got married in Katy, Texas, about a mile from the high school stadium," he said. The plethora of linebacker options is a good problem to have, Aranda said. 247Sports writer Kevin Flaherty joined Athlon Sports in predicting Texas to finish first in the Big 12 conference. His physical talent has always been there, but his improved maturity and preparation have readied him this season for the No. Jahdae Barron and Ryan Watts have the potential to shut down Baylors receivers if Dshawn Jamison or Terrance Brooks can bring it on the other side. 247Sports writer Kevin Flaherty joined Athlon Sports Will the unproven receivers step up? Baylor will contend for the Big 12 again this year. With who they return upfront, expect the road-grading to continue in 2022. Ika is a monster inside who will pose a handful for Majors and big defensive end TJ Franklin (6-5, 285) is a negligible pass rusher who is one of the best run stoppers in the league. This was a big component of their 38-35 win over OU in Norman, forcing Dillon Gabriel into 3 first half interceptions, even though OUs offense was otherwise humming along. Thats the bad. 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. Previewing Baylor Bears defense for 2022 season. Michael has covered Baylor football, men's and women's basketball, baseball and more. With Connor Galvin Its another to go from being a strength to being leaders. 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. 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. Note: the 3 Bear runners have combined for a healthy 41 total catches, but they average just over 7 yards per reception. 2021 stats: 183 rushing yards (fourth on team), two rushing TDs (T-third on team). 2021 stats: 91 tackles (second most), 8.5 TFL (second most), scored two offensive TDs (rushing and receiving). That was a full yard improvement over 2020, which was seventh in the Big 12 and 62nd nationally. The Wildcats return 14 starters from last seasons 8-5 team, with 10 being All-Conference players. The top three tight ends on the 2021 depth chart return. Now the Jayhawks are bringing back a number of those players who took their lumps in a winless season. 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. 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. Its safe to expect him to continue performing at a high level as a blocker and as a lethal receiving threat for Shapen. Get the fastest scores, stats, news, LIVE videos, and more. With belief no longer an obstacle, Aranda fights different beasts: the teams attitude and maturity. How will Shapen develop? After a 2-7 Will receive lots of Vita Vea comps. 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. Hes an athletic and ridiculously strong 0-tech NT thats very light on his feet for his size. Defensively, Kansas brings back most of its pieces on the back end, but will need to hope a transfer class of defensive linemen can hit the ground running if the Jayhawks are to make major (and much-needed) improvements on that side of the ball. 2023 On3 Media, Inc. All rights reserved. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. (Photo: Kansas State Athletics Media Relations). Were winning every day. 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. At safety, the Bears will be inexperienced but talented. The Cyclones starter count includes five on offense and three on defense, with the former group including a new starter at quarterback. The Bears do lose starting left guard Xavier Newman-Johnson, who had 36 career starts and earned Pro Football Network First-Team All-American Honors in 2021. 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. The secondary is being retooled with Christian Morgan providing the most veteran presence at safety. The 2019 class, which ranked 35th, has nine of the 24 signees still with the team, but the retention rates in 2020 (17 of the 18 signees are still with Baylor) and 2021 (16 of 17) are superb. Baylor football defensive tackle Siaki Ika and linebacker Dillon Doyle. Theyre veteran, older players and thats really where you want your leadership to come from. This makes the Bears Those expecting last year to be a one-off for Kansas arent looking at what Kansas brings back: the Jayhawks rank second nationally in returning production, including first offensively and 10th defensively. Run blocking has improved, Aranda said. The good news? 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. To fill the void, Aranda hired former Nevada assistant Ronnie Wheat. 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. Zeno (transferred to UAB) and Brown both entered the portal last September. Each team's returning starter count comes from Athlon's look at the conference. He and his wife, Karina, got married last January and have 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. 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. 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. 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 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. This page is Athletes in Action announced its winner for the coveted Coach Wooden Keys to Life Award, and its a Big 12 coach. Aranda said Baker has done wonders with the receiving corps and called it probably the most improved group of the spring. WebBaylors special teams will be in good hands with junior punter Issac Power and freshman kicker Isaiah Hankins returning. All betting content is intended for an audience ages 21+. AJ McCarty is ready to contribute at corner and Chateau Reed may be the most talented of Baylors corners, Roberts said. For more information, please read our Legal Disclaimer. Try a week on us. On3 is a registered trademark of On3 Media, Inc. The Bears brought in two scholarship players thus far, both in the defensive front seven: Player and White. Starters Gabe Qualan Jones, a fourth-year junior, hasnt seen many carries but is among the options. The Bears badly miss Jalen Pitre and JT Woods. The burst, football mind, physicality and speed that he has is gonna separate him, Aranda said. The Wildcats have their 12 returning starters equally spread across both sides of the ball, with six on offense and six on defense. The biggest piece were moving through right now is probably just immaturity, Aranda told The Athletic. Making the field bigger is preferable to playing in a phone booth. The Cowboys came within inches of the Big 12 championship last year, and are tied with two other schools with 12 returning starters. Younger possibilities include true freshman safety Alfonzo Allen. The Longhorns could go as far as the quarterback position will take them this year, whether thats Hudson Card, who started two games last year, or Quinn Ewers, the former top-ranked overall prospect in the 2021 247Sports Composite. In the three games Shapen saw significant action Kansas State, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State Shapen completed 71 percent of his passes and averaged 190 passing yards.
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. Another year in Venables defensive system couldnt hurt either, as Oklahoma struggled at times to be assignment sound on that side of the ball. Note: Baylor OC Jeff Grimes loves trick plays. The returning starters are listed in every preseason magazine and cited in nearly any preview. The Bears have six players on preseason watch lists for national awards. 13 in the FanSided Top 50 Preseason Rankings. But when looking at what most Big 12 teams lose and the Longhorns ranking second in the conference in returning production (according to ESPNs Bill Connellys measurements), a Texas team that finished a game out of the Big 12 Championship Game probably makes for the best bet. 1 and in charge of moving the Bears forward on offense. They combined for 2,400 yards and 14 touchdowns, so replacing them will be no easy feat. How the star shakes out will impact the rest of the secondary. Breakdown: Returning for his fifth season, the 2021 Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year will yet again be a force to be reckoned with in the trenches. Finding another Terrel Bernard or Jalen Pitre on defense is a tall task. The 2021 Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year eats up two-to-three blocks and plugs up running lanes, giving the rest of the Baylor defense lots of flexibility and reduced stress. I expect an all conference season.6 TD catches in 21 pic.twitter.com/gOOF8Armmd. All aboard the Aranda train. With the Wildcats tied for the fourth-highest number of returning starters, and some of the players that Kansas State has back, are the Wildcats in position to become a dark horse Big 12 candidate in a year where there are few true frontrunners? Copyright 2017-22 Heartland College Sports. Flahertys reasoning: While the team loses plenty on the defensive side, the Wildcats return Will Howard and all five offensive linemen. 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. Heres why he prefers it that way, Are these Rangers good? The NFL Draft and NFL Draft Logo are copyright of the National Football League and in no way are owned by Ourlads Scouting Services LLC. Build your customFanSided Daily email newsletter with news and analysis onFanSided.com and all your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and more. Following that group is a young trio: redshirt freshman Cisco Caston, true freshman Devyn Bobby and third-year sophomore Mike Harris. Hes got new ideas and new ways to look at things that are going to improve all of us.. A more consistent downfield and intermediate passing game will be the big difference., Added Aranda: (Shapens) ability as a thrower to read coverages, to anticipate looks his arm is strong, his delivery can be unique. And with the departure of Max Duggan, Kendre Miller and Quentin Johnston TCU ranks 130th (!!!) By Michael Haag. Returning starters on offense: 7 Quarterback Spencer Sanders returns and brings 35 career starts with him. It must replace the single-season school rushing record holder and both starting wide receivers. Those are some pretty big haymakers to take, and with Cincinnati bringing in 247Sports 11th-rated transfer class, Scott Satterfield could have a bit of an uphill climb to keep things where theyve been. The best aspect of the Bear secondary is their ability to hone in on an offenses preferred routes and force turnovers with sucker coverages. 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. Ika made an immediate impact as a transfer from LSU, earning the 2021 Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year Award. 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). 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.Fox 8 News Anchor Suspended,
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