Roundtable Discussion: What Do You Need to See From Baylor Basketball?
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We are in the home stretch of the basketball season, with baseball heating up with Baylor coming off a disappointing performance. Of course, it’s always football season in Texas, so our experts gave another crack at a weekly roundtable with an eye toward some Baylor prospects going toward the NFL Draft.
It’s been a disappointing year , but what are you hoping to see for the rest of the season?
Bennett Parker
Resilience: give your fans something to get excited about; it would be highly discouraging to see this team roll over against Arizona tonight and then drag their feet through the rest of the season. Thanks to playing in the Big 12, the Bears will have a chance to prove themselves night in and night out; it would be great to see high energy and resilience during the home stretch.
Trent Knoop
Need to see some other players stepping up. It feels doubtful that Baylor will win against either Arizona or Houston, but beating both UCF and Utah are top priority.
We also have to assume Cameron Carr and Tounde Yessoufou are off to the NBA after this season. So, who is left? Let’s see a few guys step up for next season.
Jacob Westendorf
Realistically, a lot of players on this roster are likely to be on their way out the door after the season ends. That’s just the nature of college sports in the modern era. The question I have is can you give your fanbase a lasting memory? A buzzer-beating upset over Arizona or Houston? A big time performance against one of the other teams? A highlight-inducing game where you go score-for-score with one of the big dogs?
Any of those would do. This season has been miserable, to say the very least. Can you find a positive memory for fans to hold onto until camp begins next fall?
What are realistic expectations for DJ Lagway in 2026?
Bennett Parker
In the 2025 season, Sawyer Robertson threw for 3,681 yards and 31 touchdowns over 12 games. This is a very high bar for the Florida transfer to meet in his first season at Baylor. In Lagway's case, I'm not as concerned about where his counting stats land. The expectation for the new signal caller is to win games; if Lagway throws for less than 3,000 yards but wins 8-9 games, I would consider expectations met for the season.
Trent Knoop
I know DJ Lagway disappointed last season with Florida, but the kid was a top-five recruit in the nation for a reason. He came in during the 2024 season and sparked the Gators, but I also credit his downfall in 2025 with Billy Napier’s issues, among others.
Playing under Jake Spavital should really help Lagway and I think he puts up some big numbers.
Jacob Westendorf
Expectations are never realistic for a quarterback. I think that’s clear. In this conference, however, I think that there is a great chance for Lagway to put up big numbers with both his arm and his legs. The goal here more so is to restore Baylor to the top half of the Big 12 and threaten to win double digit games. Lagway is not going to be able to do that on his own, but that’s the price of being a quarterback. You’re judged on wins and losses.
What Baylor draft prospect do you think will be the most impactful as a rookie?
Bennett Parker
I believe Michael Trigg is the only Baylor Bear that can make a splash in the 2026 NFL season. His size and agility are a valuable combo, as he can jump off the line and create problems for smaller defensive backs. The Tampa Bay native could very well be a top 5 pick at his position and will be a great addition for an NFL team looking for some depth at the tight end position.
Trent Knoop
As much as I like Josh Cameron — I think he will have a consistent NFL career — it has to be TE Michael Trigg. He is a mismatch against LBs with his speed and his length will be tough for DBs.
He really reminds me of Kyle Pitts and if he can go to a system that would allow him to use his physical tools, I think he could make an instant-impact in 2026.
Jacob Westendorf
I think the key part of the question here is as a rookie. A rookie is going to find their way on special teams if they’re not a first round pick. That’s where Josh Cameron can make his impact as a punt returner. I think if he lands in the right situation, he could find his way as an impact player in the return game, which could be emphasized by teams this offseason after the excellence of Rashid Shaheed for the world champion Seattle Seahawks.
An NFL Draft expert named two #Baylor players as 'most underrated' heading into NFL Draft season.https://t.co/Id9pu4CFO9
— Baylor Bears On SI (@BaylorBearsOnSI) February 24, 2026
Jacob Westendorf is a contributing writer for Baylor Bears on SI. He is also a writer covering the Green Bay Packers for Packers on SI. Westendorf graduated from University of Wisconsin-Green Bay where he earned a degree in communication with an emphasis in journalism and mass media. He worked in newspapers in Green Bay and Rockford, Illinois. He also interned at Packer Report for Bill Huber while earning his degree. In 2018, he became a staff writer for PackerReport.com, and a regular contributor on Packer Report's "Pack A Day Podcast." In 2020, he founded the media company Game On Wisconsin. In 2023, he rejoined Packer Central, which is part of Sports Illustrated Media Group.
Bennett is an undergrad student at Baylor University, studying journalism on the sports track. He is from the DFW area and grew up playing and watching sports, which inspired him to pursue sports writing.
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Trent is the Publisher of Baylor Bears on SI and also serves as the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines on SI. His work has additionally been featured on Maryland on SI, Wisconsin on SI, and across the USA TODAY Sports network. Trent’s love of sports and being able to tell stories to fans is what made him get into writing.
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