The Jayhawks may still be a year off; there a number of those projected starters still have more eligibility after this year. But there are no proven backs with Smith and Trestan Ebner gone. February 8, 2023 7:57 pm CT. ESPN announced its returning production rankings for the 2023 season on Tuesday. 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. It was hard, but necessary. The biggest reason to propel the Bears down these rankings is that Baylor ranks 100th nationally in returning production, third-to-last in the Big 12. Prod. When former outside linebackers coach Joey McGuire took the Texas Tech head coaching job in November, Aranda elevated quality control coach Caleb Collins. And with the departure of Max Duggan, Kendre Miller and Quentin Johnston TCU ranks 130th (!!!) 2022 College Football Returning Production Rankings Team Ret. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. 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. 2021 stats: Six sacks (second most), 7.0 TFL, 17 total tackles. Hes the smallest guy out there but maybe the toughest guy, Grimes said. Aranda said Baker has done wonders with the receiving corps and called it probably the most improved group of the spring. Pass protection improved immensely, too. The Wildcats have their 12 returning starters equally spread across both sides of the ball, with six on offense and six on defense. 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. His confidence started to grow.. Breakdown: Another grizzled veteran, Morgan is stepping into a bigger role after playing alongside former Bear and current Los Angeles Charger JT Woods. Making the field bigger is preferable to playing in a phone booth. #Baylor OL @grantmiller55 spoke highly of RB @TayeMcwilliams Thursday:I think hes like a little bit of a combination of both Abram and Trestan. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. 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. He and his wife, Karina, got married last January and have a 4-month-old daughter, Zoe. When Baylors outside zone running game is humming, theyre a Bear to defend as Reese and Sqwirl are adept at finding small creases or using their quickness to make sharp cuts against the grain when second level defenders overrun to the sideline. The Bears average recruiting ranking from 2019-22, per the 247Sports Composite Rating, is 40.25. Web2020-21 Baylor Bears Men's Roster and Stats Previous Season Next Season Record: 28-2 (13-1, 1st in Big 12 MBB ) Rank: 3rd in the Final AP Poll Coach: Scott Drew More School 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. Enter Sonny Dykes, who took the short jaunt from Dallas, and SMU, to Fort Worth. 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 makes the Bears 2021 stats: 91 tackles (second most), 8.5 TFL (second most), scored two offensive TDs (rushing and receiving). 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. 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. 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. 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. There is still veteran talent on the roster. 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. This page is Big TE Ben Sims is a chain mover, but 20 of his 30 catches happened in the first four games of the season. Except for that group, every Baylor signing class since 2017 has ranked either fourth or fifth in the Big 12. Will that be enough for the Cyclones to overcome the leagues lowest returning starter count? 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. 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. Its safe to expect him to continue performing at a high level as a blocker and as a lethal receiving threat for Shapen. Baylor took a bold step by not only reopening the quarterback competition after its historic season, but opting for its 2021 backup, Blake Shapen, over starter Gerry Bohanon. The Bears match up well in some spots to Texas, but theyre a five loss team for a reason. 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. 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. 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. 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. Talent hasnt been and will continue to not be the issue in Austin. 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. With whats left of the returners, here is who will stand out among the bunch in hopes to repeat as conference champions. How the star shakes out will impact the rest of the secondary. 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. The strength of the offense lies up front. 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. Sneed (Colorado) entered after the 2021 season and Bohanon (USF) and Landry (Missouri) departed after spring football ended. The Bears have a three-headed running back group comprised of two scatbacks and one power runner. (We have) to come from a position of powerlessness, a sense of, Hey, were fighting for every edge. 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. in returning offensive production theres reason to believe some of those close games are going to go the other way in 2023. With both coordinators back and all the returnees on the line of scrimmage, Baylor can figure it out. Texas safeties and linebackers cant get caught up in trash and must fit the cutback lanes. By Matt Severance Updated: Dec 27, 2021 10:49AM PST . Thats the bad. 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. On the plus side, Shapen will have a veteran offensive line led by defending Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year Connor Galvin and reinforced y Buffalow transfer Jacob Gall. Following that group is a young trio: redshirt freshman Cisco Caston, true freshman Devyn Bobby and third-year sophomore Mike Harris. Baylor has added two more super-seniors to the list of returning players, as defensive linemen Cole Maxwell and Chidi Ogbonnaya have announced that they will be back in 2022. Sixth-year senior Gavin Holmes has starting experience but has endured multiple injuries in his career. There are certainly unknowns. SHARE If BYU football players, coaches were stocks, who would you buy? How will Shapen develop? 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. Seven months removed from winning the national championship, Baylor could be good enough to reach the final game again this season. And will Iowa States reluctance to fully embrace the transfer portal mean that the Cyclones wont fill the holes they do have? Returning that kind of experience should give Baylor the best offensive line in the Big 12, and possibly the country, in 2022. In the return game, Baylor lost Ebner, a third-round pick and the Big 12 special teams player of the year. If that offense can jell and the defense can take a step forward, the Red Raiders could surprise. With a solid crop of returning players, the question will be whether that talent can start delivering results on the field. They have 150+ combined starts in aggregate. 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. I always win. In that regard, the Big 12 is a league in transition. Remember, too, that while BYUs production numbers arent super high (middle of the Big 12 pack at No. Although not getting the glitz and glamour, the Bears can feel great knowing Apu is lining up opposite of the center this season. Each team's returning starter count comes from Athlon's look at the conference. On3 is a registered trademark of On3 Media, Inc. 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. The Bears have been a strong Big 12 road team, compiling a 3-1 record, and their play style and experience tends to travel well. 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. Now its just about getting experience on the field so theyre comfortable.. The 2021 class ranked 41st. 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). After a 2-7 Devin Leary returns at quarterback and so does plenty of impactful players on defense. Former Baylor standout linebacker and Sugar Bowl MVP Terrel Bernard is a Buffalo Bill, leaving Doyle to pick up the slack. Aranda pointed to Fleeks and Baldwin as possibilities. Ive watched them go through stretches where theyre utterly dominated by aggressive corner and nickel play. 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. The returning starters are listed in every preseason magazine and cited in nearly any preview. Nobody has really stepped forward yet and said, Im the guy, and this is my job,' Grimes said. 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 school president and athletic director each signed 10-year extensions. Bohanon, who started the other 12 games, hit the transfer portal after the coaches gave Shapen the nod and landed at South Florida. In the past four years, Baylor has more or less recruited at a top-40 level nationally. 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. Leading receiver Tyquan Thornton is off to the NFL and No. The 6-5 Baylor Bears represent one of the most physical teams that Texas has seen this season, but meeting the other teams physicality hasnt been a problem for the Longhorns. Shapen is 60 and quite mobile, but not the running threat represented by a Jalen Daniels or Adrian Martinez. Sims had the best season of his career with 361 yards and six touchdowns last year. The challenge for Texas wont be physicality. Offensively, the coach praised the scheme and the job offensive line coach Eric Mateos does. Sims is a staple of the Baylor offense and saw his production soar in 2021. A year ago, Grimes found his running back by moving linebacker Abram Smith, a former running back recruit, back to the position. Offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes hopes Shapen gives the offense a higher ceiling. 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. 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. Why is Baylor the potential favorite to win its second consecutive Big 12 title? Now the Jayhawks are bringing back a number of those players who took their lumps in a winless season. We know. He covered the 2022 Allstate Sugar Bowl and multiple Texas Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in Waco. With Tyquan Thornton gone via the draft and R.J. Sneed having transferred (Colorado), the Bears are young at wide receiver. Remaining steady in the trenches should be a big help to the offense. Baylor will get the Cowboys at home, but theyll be coming back from a road trip to Iowa State while OSU will be coming off a bye week. The Red Raiders rank 31st in returning offensive production but could also stand to get a full season from Tyler Shough, which would likely lead to improvement on that end. Perhaps the fog has never fully lifted as he was particularly ineffective as the season progressed against Kansas, Oklahoma and Kansas State. Oklahoma and Texas will loom in the second half of the season but the Oct. 1 matchup with Oklahoma State could be the early indicator of what the Bears are capable of. 2023 sets up for Texas to have its most experienced Get the fastest scores, stats, news, LIVE videos, and more. If he can win the job and take advantage of both of those returning offensive starters and some potential transfer upgrades, things may be all right. Related: Early 2022 Big 12 QB Preview and Rankings 3. Sam Khan Jr. is a senior writer for The Athletic covering college football and recruiting primarily in Texas. Unlike last year, they dont take care of the ball all that well. Previewing Baylor Bears defense for 2022 season. Baylor will contend for the Big 12 again this year. Dont be surprised either if five-star linebacker Anthony Hill bullies his way onto the field either; hes that good. 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. With nine offensive returning starters and eight defensive returning starters and Lance Leipold getting his first spring with the team after signing on after spring ball last year, the Jayhawks should have significantly better understanding of the teams system and what it takes to compete in the Big 12. 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 incoming Bears represent five different states, including Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah. Will the rushing attack be as reliable as it was a year ago? Powledge, a Huntsville, Texas, native who played fullback at Sam Houston, is also back in his Texas roots. Anticipate Gall to be another invaluable piece to a stellar offensive line group. Sling it, Shape >> @BShapen @kelseyjohnsonjr #SicEm | #PersonOverPlayer pic.twitter.com/ItRAKelqx2. There will be more on the QBs shoulders this season with reading rushers Abram Smith and Trestan Ebner gone. 8 national ranking last fall and has Pac-12 title and CFP aspirations in 2023. 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. 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. Note: the 3 Bear runners have combined for a healthy 41 total catches, but they average just over 7 yards per reception. Add in Oklahoma State ranking 101st in returning defensive production, and the Cowboys have some question marks. You gotta go down before you go up.. Cumulus and the Big 12 are not affiliated with this website. One opposing coach sees the Bears as a force in the Big 12 again. 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. It must replace the single-season school rushing record holder and both starting wide receivers. 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. No other Bear tight end has caught as many touchdowns as his nine career scores. Much of the fault is on Baylors second and third level defenders not hitting their run fits when runners spill wide. 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. Follow Sam on Twitter @skhanjr, Baylor quarterback Blake Shapen set an AT&T Stadium collegiate record with 17 straight completions en route to going 23-of-28 for 180 yards and a career-best three touchdowns against Oklahoma State in the Big 12 title game. 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.

Five best college football futures bets to make, including our Syracuse Orange, who return 80% of their starters this season. Hes joined by Matt Jones, who has been a massive drop off from the cat quick NFL draftee Terrel Bernard. True freshman Kyron Drones might be a factor in the fall camp battle for the open gig. 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. The Bears have some athletes and plenty of raw speed, but theyre inconsistent. In the starting lineup, Grimes expects competition at both guard spots. Gavin Yates saw action as a freshman walk-on last year, and freshman Kelsey Johnson has impressed since arriving. 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. But those are all a far cry from a year ago, when it wasnt certain if Baylor could block consistently and installed a whole new offense. The ranking takes a look at data on both sides of the football for all FBS teams in the country. The Wildcats return 14 starters from last seasons 8-5 team, with 10 being All-Conference players. 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). 2 spot, Grimes said. 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Yes, we know. 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, That was a full yard improvement over 2020, which was seventh in the Big 12 and 62nd nationally. Another opposing coach agrees that Baylors offensive and defensive lines will be the strength and expects the Bears to be a contender to return to the Big 12 championship game. Daniel Green has been among the Big 12s best linebackers when healthy, and hell try to shore up a defense that ranks 94th in returning production, but was sprinkling through some of the younger players over the course of the season. They may not have won that award in 2021, that distinction belongs to Michigan. LSUs Josh White will try to bolster the linebacker corps, which does return middle linebacker Dillon Doyle. I do stuff that I win, and I dont even make it look like Im trying that hard. Those are all things that have to die. Get the latest D-FW sports news, analysis, scores and more. Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards will take over a lot of the running duties with the potential to really be successful as a one-two punch. 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. They work really well together and dont necessarily need to physically dominate at the point of attack to make their outside zone system hum. The sample sizes are small, but also very promising for Morris. That could make picking the 14-team Big 12 an absolute madhouse with so many variables. The Cowboys came within inches of the Big 12 championship last year, and are tied with two other schools with 12 returning starters. Roberts will evaluate multiple options there, including returning safety Lorando Johnson, who backed up Pitre last year. He looked inward, forcing himself to evolve. Try a week on us. Baylor football shocked the Big 12 last year. Iowa State ranks 28th in returning production on offense, and while the defense looks vastly different in returning production, Jon Heacock gets a bit of benefit of the doubt there. On average, Baylor opponents had 8 yards to go on third downs, the longest average distance in the Big 12 and seventh best in the nation, according to PFF. He was an All-Big-12 honorable mention in 2021 and will look to prove he deserved more than that with a big 2022. It wont be a big one, but itll be enough for the Cowboys to close the gap. Aranda signed a contract extension in February that is scheduled to keep him at the school through 2029, quieting coaching carousel discussion. Another transfer, Gall made his way from Buffalo to a key role on Baylors excellent offensive line in 2021. In a classic good news, bad news situation, Houston ranks 24th nationally in returning offensive production, but 119th in returning defensive production. Losing Deuce Vaughn and Felix Anudike-Uzomah arguably the Wildcats best player on offense and defense, respectively certainly hurts. Returning starters on offense: 7 Quarterback Spencer Sanders returns and brings 35 career starts with him. He knows a thing or two because hes seen a thing or two over the course of his collegiate career. 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. With Connor Galvin Michael Haag, Baylor athletics blogger. Longtime starter Charlie Brewer is off to Utah, but backups Jacob Zeno and Gerry Bohanon are around with a little time logged in. 21 transfer class, the third-best in the Big 12. Hill is among a number of players who could have breakout seasons in 2023. Redshirt freshman Devin Lemear graded out the highest of all the safeties this spring, Roberts said.