Inside The Bears

Coveted 5-Star eliminates Baylor basketball

Where things stand in the recruitment of 5-Star Caleb Holt
Joshua Abraham|
Grayson Rams guard Caleb Holt (3) shoots the ball during the second quarter of a City of Palms Classic quarterfinal game against the Columbus Explorers at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Fla., on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024.
Grayson Rams guard Caleb Holt (3) shoots the ball during the second quarter of a City of Palms Classic quarterfinal game against the Columbus Explorers at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Fla., on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. | Jonah Hinebaugh/Naples Daily News/USA Today Network-Florida / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Baylor Bears

With the college basketball season in full effect, many programs across the country are beginning to see their stock go up or down after the first month or two of play. One team that has really flown under the radar but has been performing quite well is the Baylor Bears.

Coming into the 2025-2026 season, the expectations for the Bears were all over the place, mostly in part due to the fact that at one point this past summer, the Bears did not have any singular scholarship athletes. However, the Bears have proven that they are one of the premier teams in the country and should not be underestimated moving into Big 12 conference play.

Cameron Carr
Dec 21, 2025; Waco, Texas, USA; Baylor Bears head coach Scott Drew speaks with Baylor Bears guard Cameron Carr (43) during a break in play during the second half against the Southern University Jaguars at Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

While the transfer portal was relied on heavily by Scott Drew to fill out his roster, the name of the game this season has to be the performance of the freshmen. Across the nation, many freshmen have demonstrated that they are among the best players in the country. Whether that is Duke's Cameron Boozer, Kansas' Darryn Peterson, or BYU's AJ Dybantsa, a handful of freshmen have shown themselves to be true difference-makers. In the case of Baylor, that is no other than Tounde Yessoufou. The talented forward has been a do-it-all player for the Bears and has been an unstoppable two-way force.

With freshmen making such an impact this year, it begs the question as to whether Baylor has started to look to the future and has a new class of incoming talent for next season. One name in particular that the Bears had been recruiting is none other than 5-Star Caleb Holt.

The six-foot-five shooting guard has the mold of some of the best Baylor players to have come through Scott Drew's program. Holt is a gritty two-way guard that knows how to get downhill and find his way to the rim. Similar to Yessoufou, Davion Mitchell, and VJ Edgecomb, the only area of improvement for Holt could be his three-point shooting and his ability to space the floor, but we have seen strides being made in that area upon arrival to college.

Unfortunately for Scott Drew and the Bears, Holt released a top-five that did not contain the Bears in it. With that being said, the Bears must now go back to the drawing board and reconsider their approach for other talented recruits who could fit a similar role that Holt would have played.

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Joshua Abraham
JOSHUA ABRAHAM

Josh started covering Baylor athletics in July 2025. Prior to Baylor Bears on SI, he worked as an intern for TheMichiganInsider at 247Sports. Josh graduated from the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, with a bachelor’s degree in economics, where his passion for collegiate athletics continued to grow after attending his first game in The Big House. Combining his analytical background and his affinity for collegiate sports, Josh enjoys providing his unique perspective on the shifting dynamic equilibrium of the collegiate athletics landscape. When not watching sports, Josh enjoys cooking a nice meal, running, and traveling to new places with his friends and family.

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