Redshirt freshman Devin Lemear graded out the highest of all the safeties this spring, Roberts said. Hill is among a number of players who could have breakout seasons in 2023. Powledge, a Huntsville, Texas, native who played fullback at Sam Houston, is also back in his Texas roots. Texas has a real opportunity to hold down this unit if theyre assignment sound and the corner opposite Ryan Watts comes to play. Michael has covered Baylor football, men's and women's basketball, baseball and more. The next group of schools Iowa State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, and TCU lost two starters. 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. 70 nationally), the players that the Cougars replace departures with are often older and more physically ready to step in than the traditional redshirt freshman or sophomore. If Shapen can take the passing game to another level, that adds another dimension to an already good team. @BUFootball pic.twitter.com/UGVc1Saj3L. If Bohanon takes to development the way many second-year starting quarterbacks so, Baylor could once again be the class of the league. The Bears return some experience at linebacker but must replace second-round draft pick Bernard. And while Nebraska quarterback transfer Adrian Martinez couldnt give it a go in the spring, hes certainly an experienced option and would seem to be the frontrunner to take over for the graduated Skylar Thompson at quarterback. With both coordinators back and all the returnees on the line of scrimmage, Baylor can figure it out. Venables defensive bonafides will be put to the test with a talented, but young, group that brings back four defensive starters. The players are responding well to him. Tay McWilliams is the top returning player at running back and he had just 181 yards on 17 carries last year. 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 Jayhawks may still be a year off; there a number of those projected starters still have more eligibility after this year. Add in Oklahoma State ranking 101st in returning defensive production, and the Cowboys have some question marks. Still, he said, players wondered: Why are we doing this? Younger possibilities include true freshman safety Alfonzo Allen. Craig Sqwirl Williams, 5-foot-8, 173 pounds, has battled injuries but was healthy this spring. Heres the thing on the Red Raiders: Like TCU, the Red Raiders were undefeated in one-score games in the regular season. Each team's returning starter count comes from Athlon's look at the conference. 124 nationally: 121st on offense and 107th on defense, are stepping up in conference AND are doing so while replacing head coach Luke Fickell, who went who went 53-10 over the last five years. Will Howard, Kansas State An injury to Adrian Martinez in mid-October opened the door for 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. We know. Starters Gabe All picks and predictions are suggestions only. The Bears badly miss Jalen Pitre and JT Woods. It resulted in nine 100-yard performances and 1,621 rushing yards, the most in Baylor history. Written by Brett Gibbons Brett is an avid sports traveler and former Division-I football recruiter for Bowling Green and Texas State. He and his wife, Karina, got married last January and have They were turnover magnets and sure tacklers that were instrumental in the Bears getting off of the field on 3rd downs. 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 Zeno (transferred to UAB) and Brown both entered the portal last September. Aranda stressed the need for reps among the candidates to get comfortable. 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. (Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports). The Wildcats return 14 starters from last seasons 8-5 team, with 10 being All-Conference players. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER. Each of the new schools comes in at a different place, and the 2022 Big 12 title game participants, TCU and Kansas State, both had major losses on at least one side of the ball. Ive watched them go through stretches where theyre utterly dominated by aggressive corner and nickel play. To fill the void, Aranda hired former Nevada assistant Ronnie Wheat. 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. He led the Bears in tackles in five games. The biggest piece were moving through right now is probably just immaturity, Aranda told The Athletic. Replacing some of the losses on defense will be a bigger challenge, though Joey McGuires first year saw the Red Raiders play with physicality and toughness on that side of the ball, and Texas Tech added four defenders through the transfer portal, including three players up front. 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. Powered by Capitol Presence & Olympus Cloud. 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, Expect Baylor to give Texas a wake-up call in the regular season finale but settle for a 9-3 campaign. No other Bear tight end has caught as many touchdowns as his nine career scores. 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. Expect more transfer help at running back (UNLVs Aidan Robbins) and on both lines. 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. Returning starters on offense: 7 Quarterback Spencer Sanders returns and brings 35 career starts with him. The Wolfpack will be competing in the ACC during the 2022 season. 19 in the nation, good for second in the Big 12 Conference. A lot of Longhorn offensive success will rest on Sarks ability to scheme up run game solutions on a short week. The Longhorns werent far off. Except for that group, every Baylor signing class since 2017 has ranked either fourth or fifth in the Big 12. . Prod. But expecting TCU to reach the Big 12 title game again might be too much. Ronnies smart, he cares a lot, hes a tireless worker, Aranda said. 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. #Baylor OL @grantmiller55 spoke highly of RB @TayeMcwilliams Thursday:I think hes like a little bit of a combination of both Abram and Trestan. The Bears have a three-headed running back group comprised of two scatbacks and one power runner. 10:00 AM on Aug 5, 2022 CDT. Josh Cameron, a former walk-on who was awarded a scholarship, gives the group some size (6-2, 210 pounds). Likely this will be another year like last year: West Virginia has the talent to sneak up and bite somebody, but might not have the consistent week-in, week-out results. Matt Jones, who played all 14 games and was fifth on the team in tackles, will begin the year as Bernards successor at weakside linebacker. While they lost to Oklahoma State and suffered a two-point defeat at TCU, they punched a ticket to the conference title game where they avenged their loss to the Cowboys for the crown. Both are expected to contribute immediately. 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. Seven months removed from winning the national championship, Baylor could be good enough to reach the final game again this season. Nobody has really stepped forward yet and said, Im the guy, and this is my job,' Grimes said. Get the fastest scores, stats, news, LIVE videos, and more. 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. 17 Baylor Bears football team kicks off week four with a Big 12 Conference showdown against the undefeated Iowa State Cyclones in Ames, 2022 Texas and Oklahoma are both in the middle of their respective builds: Steve Sarkisian heading into year three, Brent Venables in year two. On the move! Aranda recruited the 2020 four-star prospect while with the Tigers but left for Baylor before getting a chance to coach him. He covered the 2022 Allstate Sugar Bowl and multiple Texas Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in Waco. 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. 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. 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. 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. His confidence started to grow.. Get the fastest scores, stats, news, LIVE videos, and more. Finding another Terrel Bernard or Jalen Pitre on defense is a tall task. Dave Aranda enters Year 3 in Waco in considerably better shape than last year, with a Big 12 Championship in the trophy case. Previewing Baylor Bears defense for 2022 season. 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. Everybodys going to talk about Apu Ika, and rightfully so, but Gabe Hall is the real deal, he said. 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. Can a transfer class that brings in a few potential impact players turn the tide? Now its just about getting experience on the field so theyre comfortable.. Breakdown: Gabe Hall has come up in recent news as being one of college footballs top freak athletes, and its true. Ika made an immediate impact as a transfer from LSU, earning the 2021 Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year Award. 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. The 2021 second-team All-AAC selection should thrive being back in his hometown of Waco. Much of the fault is on Baylors second and third level defenders not hitting their run fits when runners spill wide. The Big 12 Conference lays claim to two of the top five small forwards in the country. He scored two offensive touchdowns (rushing and receiving) versus BYU. 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. Everything theyre doing, I feel good about it, Roberts said. 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. There may be inexperience at those key offensive spots, but sufficient talent exists. Hes a graduate of BGSU and works as an auditor for Google content curation products. The Buffs have just five returning starters on defense, and their offensive line still isnt ready to compete with the top programs in the Pac-12, let alone the entire country. 6 overall recruiting class, ranking in the top 10 both in incoming high school and junior college talent (fourth) and in 247Sports transfer class rankings (eighth). 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. Morgan, the one returning starter in the group, will be deployed either at safety or star, depending on need. Though none of those classes have been in the top 25, it doesnt mean they wont yield quality results. 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. However, they look to have a spectacular shot at doing so 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. The good news? Hes a great athlete, good blocker, and can get involved in the vertical pass game. Were winning every day. 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I dont say it in an ugly way, I say it as thats probably where it is right now. Baylor football shocked the Big 12 last year. 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. Try a week on us. Offensively, John Rhys Plumlee headlines a group that ranks 78th in returning offensive production, but may be more ready to hit the ground running with a strong group of wide receivers and Plumlees ability to impact games with his legs as well. Written by Brett Gibbons Brett is an avid sports traveler and former Division-I football recruiter for Bowling Green and Texas State. 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. Related: Early 2022 Big 12 QB Preview and Rankings 3. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. With Texas and Oklahoma moving their Big 12 ousters to 2024 rather than 2025, this season will mark the only one that includes the two departing conference schools along with the four new additions: BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF. Bohanons passing numbers were solid in nonconference play (66.6 percent completion rate, 626 yards, four touchdowns and one interception in three games) but his yardage and completion rate dipped in Big 12 games. Offensively, the coach praised the scheme and the job offensive line coach Eric Mateos does. Aranda called Player a twitchy and instinctive playmaker who creates havoc. With belief no longer an obstacle, Aranda fights different beasts: the teams attitude and maturity. No one should expect to make money from the picks and predictions discussed on this website. On3 is a registered trademark of On3 Media, Inc. Although not getting the glitz and glamour, the Bears can feel great knowing Apu is lining up opposite of the center this season. 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. There is still veteran talent on the roster. Your favorite teams, topics, and players all on your favorite mobile devices. He and his wife, Karina, got married last January and have a 4-month-old daughter, Zoe. But he questions the quarterback depth. Baylor (6-7 in 2022) (Photo: Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire, Getty) The biggest reason to propel the Bears down these rankings is that Baylor ranks 100th nationally in He looked inward, forcing himself to evolve. Remember, too, that while BYUs production numbers arent super high (middle of the Big 12 pack at No. 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). The Cyclones were one of the nations most experienced teams last year the reason for Iowa States lofty preseason expectations and now need to start over in a major way after a number of those players moved on. UW, of course, finished an 11-2 season with a No. 7:00 AM on Aug 19, 2022 CDT. Even with Bijan Robinson moving on, Texas still ranks third nationally in returning offensive production, and with Texas bringing in the No. 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. The school president and athletic director each signed 10-year extensions. 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. CLICK HERE to download the CBS Sports Mobile App and get the latest on your team today. Bill Bender of Sporting News projectsthe Bears will face Oregon in the Alamo Bowl. 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. 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