When former outside linebackers coach Joey McGuire took the Texas Tech head coaching job in November, Aranda elevated quality control coach Caleb Collins. 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. Dave Aranda can flat out coach defense, but 2021s elite unit was gutted by the NFL draft and theyre currently in a transitional phase. That has turned each team's returning starter count into one of the most panned metrics heading into a given season. On3 is a registered trademark of On3 Media, Inc. It certainly helps that one of the offensive starters is Deuce Vaughn. Ika made an immediate impact as a transfer from LSU, earning the 2021 Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year Award. 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. "We got married in Katy, Texas, about a mile from the high school stadium," he said. I dont say it in an ugly way, I say it as thats probably where it is right now. The Wildcats return 14 starters from last seasons 8-5 team, with 10 being All-Conference players. One opposing coach sees the Bears as a force in the Big 12 again. 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. 2 spot, Grimes said. Sophomore Blake Shapen leads the Bears offense and hes had an inconsistent season, playing pretty well up to the West Virginia game where he had over 300 yards passing at halftime! He led the Bears in tackles in five games. Written by Brett Gibbons Brett is an avid sports traveler and former Division-I football recruiter for Bowling Green and Texas State. Starters Gabe Hall, Siaki Ika and Cole Maxwell and rotational linemen TJ Franklin, Chidi Ogbonnaya and Brayden Utley return. He and his wife, Karina, got married last January and have a 4-month-old daughter, Zoe. This article was first published in the Cougar 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 Hes a graduate of BGSU and works as an auditor for Google content curation products. The 2021 season was no fluke. Texas checks in at No. 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. (Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports). Former Baylor standout linebacker and Sugar Bowl MVP Terrel Bernard is a Buffalo Bill, leaving Doyle to pick up the slack. Kansas hasnt won more than three games in a season since 2009, Mark Manginos final season with the program. 1 and in charge of moving the Bears forward on offense. The Mountaineers looked like a better team with Garrett Greene at quarterback because of his toughness and ability to make big plays with his legs when he needed to. In 2021, that number rose to 2.2 yards per rush, sixth in the conference and 49th nationally, according to Pro Football Focus. The nucleus of the 2021 team is largely gone, with six players chosen in the NFL Draft. Hes long and has some quickness, but hes a one trick finesse pony. Seven months removed from winning the national championship, Baylor could be good enough to reach the final game again this season. Alan Bowman transferred in to potentially take over the quarterback spot after Spencer Sanders departure, but Bowman struggled to stay healthy at Texas Tech and he attempted all of 11 passes over the last two years at Michigan combined. Wake Forest Demon Deacons Sam Hartman is likely back for Wake Forest, which makes a At jack, Baylors edge rusher, Garmon Randolph returns. 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. 240 pound interior linebacker Dillon Doyle leads them in tackles and is also solid dropping into zone coverages (2 interceptions). 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 Baylor football defensive tackle Siaki Ika and linebacker Dillon Doyle. Will the Bears scratch and claw for progress the way the 2021 team did? The biggest piece were moving through right now is probably just immaturity, Aranda told The Athletic. Iowa States Ashley Joens and Bad blood spilled over in a major way during the opening round of the SEC Womens Basketball Tournament between Florida and Kentucky About us: HCS is owned and operated by Pete Mundo. In the return game, Baylor lost Ebner, a third-round pick and the Big 12 special teams player of the year. The Wolfpack will be competing in the ACC during the 2022 season. Anticipate Gall to be another invaluable piece to a stellar offensive line group. Sophomore quarterback Baylor Romney, brother of wide receiver Gunner Romney, announced Friday on Twitter that he will not return to the Cougars in 2022. Studying what Oklahoma and Kansas State did to them will be instructive. BYU wide receiver Keanu Hill makes a touchdown catch against Utah Tech at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022. Will that lead to more wins? The Bears have a three-headed running back group comprised of two scatbacks and one power runner. Baylors one-two punch of Abram Smith and Trestan Ebner left the program. The OL is also stacked with returning starters and a few players who havent spent as much time in the trenches, so Im hoping that those who have led in the past: senior RG Sam Tecklenburg and C Jake Fruhmorgen will encourage the younger players to step up when theyre needed. After a 2-7 debut during a season impacted by COVID-19, the head coach pulled his team together to win the Big 12 for the first time since 2014, going 12-2 with a victory in the Sugar Bowl to cap things off. 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 second coach expects Baylors running game will again be solid but noted how little production returns at receiver. 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. A number of transfers doesnt hurt either. It takes trust and a sense of safety to put yourself out there to die and then to be born again.. 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. Will the unproven receivers step up? 2021 stats: Six sacks (second most), 7.0 TFL, 17 total tackles. Redshirt freshman Tyrone M. Brown is also a potential reserve option. Devin Neal, who played 13 games last year, is also in the hunt. The lowest-ranked class in that span, unsurprisingly, came in 2020 (49th), the transition class from former coach Matt Rhule to Aranda. 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 12 championship squad. The buildup to the 2021 season was full of change. Get the fastest scores, stats, news, LIVE videos, and more. Dykes inherits six offensive starters and seven defensive starters, and theres plenty of room for growth on both sides. #Baylor DT Siaki Ika (6-4, 354, SR) LSU transfer. The Bears have some athletes and plenty of raw speed, but theyre inconsistent. Expect Baylor to give Texas a wake-up call in the regular season finale but settle for a 9-3 campaign. That was a full yard improvement over 2020, which was seventh in the Big 12 and 62nd nationally. Making the field bigger is preferable to playing in a phone booth. 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. 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, Texas safeties and linebackers cant get caught up in trash and must fit the cutback lanes. 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 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. There is still veteran talent on the roster. Michael Haag is a Journalism student at Baylor University in Waco, TX. The 6-5 Baylor Bears represent one of the most physical teams that Texas has seen this season, but meeting the other teams Posted on January 10, 2022. They were turnover magnets and sure tacklers that were instrumental in the Bears getting off of the field on 3rd downs. Theyre headlined by OT Connor Galvin and C Jacob Gall. It must replace the single-season school rushing record holder and both starting wide receivers. The wild card at linebacker is LSU transfer Josh White, who just arrived on campus this month. Some of those bounces are likely to go the Sooners way this season, which could mean improvement in the win column just by being less unlucky. Returning starters (5): DT Cole Maxwell, NT Siaki Ika, WLB Matt Jones, MLB Dillon Doyle, S Christian Morgan. The Bears return some experience at linebacker but must replace second-round draft pick Bernard. He is the sports editor for the school's student newspaper, the Baylor Lariat. A '21 start against Baylor (461 passing yards and two scores and 70 rushing yards) showcased Morris' talent. Somebody has to be last. The Jayhawks may still be a year off; there a number of those projected starters still have more eligibility after this year. A year ago, Dave Aranda sensed his team still having doubts. The top three tight ends on the 2021 depth chart return. UFC 278: Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards fight card, start time, channel guide, Mets: Buck Showalter pours cold water on potential call-ups, Oregon football 2022 season prediction, preview, awards, 2022 bowl game, Jake Paul Is Hilariously Bad at Taking Batting Practice, Sorry Calipari, Paul Finebaum has spoken: Kentucky is a football school, Oklahoma football 2022 season prediction, preview, awards, 2022 bowl game, Nebraska WR Decoldest Crawford debuts in coolest HVAC ad possible. The stuff youre battling, especially if youre a young team, is, Im cool. BYU wide receiver Keanu Hill makes a touchdown catch against Utah Tech at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022. 2021 stats: Started all 14 games at center. Sneed (Colorado) entered after the 2021 season and Bohanon (USF) and Landry (Missouri) departed after spring football ended. There are tangible questions that need answers, too. But Texas Tech also just couldnt get healthy quarterback play with some downright awful injury luck at the position. 7:00 AM on Aug 19, 2022 CDT. Mark Milton, who started two games at corner last year, is a strong candidate at cornerback. What should fans expect in 2022? If he can avoid making mistakes, the Cougars should be physical enough a trait BYU has shown in recent matchups with Big 12 teams to at least compete. 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. His physical talent has always been there, but his improved maturity and preparation have readied him this season for the No. before going out with a concussion. 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. 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. Related: College Football's Top Quarterbacks on the Rise for 2023 4. To fill the void, Aranda hired former Nevada assistant Ronnie Wheat. If Alabama transfer Amari Kight can be part of an offensive line that keeps Plumlee upright, UCF could surprise and finish much higher than this. 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. After an awful 2020, in which the Bears went 2-7 and looked listless by seasons end, Aranda overhauled the offensive staff. With who they return upfront, expect the road-grading to continue in 2022. [Get a FREE 7-day trial of Inside Texas Plus!]. Hes a graduate of BGSU and works as an auditor for Google content curation products. 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. 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. This article was first published in the Cougar And that would typically seem to indicate some regression. The Bears rotated anywhere from six to eight linemen per game last season, and the returning talent gives defensive coordinator Ron Roberts a chance to do that again, with potentially an even higher level of play. CLICK HERE to download the CBS Sports Mobile App and get the latest on your team today. 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