7 Baylor Players OUT against Prairie View A&M, including DJ Lagway

The Baylor Bears will kick off their 2026 home opener against the Prairie View A&M Panthers in less than two hours. While few expect the visitors to put up much of a fight -- Disney banished the broadcast to its over-the-top ESPN+ service -- injuries can quickly level the playing field.

And indeed, Baylor will have some significant players in street clothes on Saturday, including one who sat out a week ago. Senior safety and defensive leader Jacob Redding suffered a torn ACL at some point prior to the Bears' season opener against the Auburn Tigers. As a result, he will miss the entire 2026 season.

At least for Week 2, DJ Lagway appears set to join Redding on the sidelines. During last Saturday's tilt with Auburn, Lagway landed awkwardly on his right foot while attempting to hurdle a defender. He didn't miss any snaps during the remainder of the game, but he spent the remainder of the matchup with a large wrap around his right ankle. That injury will prevent Lagway from suiting up today and could potentially keep him out longer, though that remains uncertain at this stage.

So, who will suit up for (and against) the Bears today?

Baylor injury news

Despite Baylor head coach Dave Aranda describing Lagway as merely "day-to-day" during his Monday press conference, reports began to surface on Friday that the Bears' starting quarterback would probably miss Saturday's matchup with Prairie View A&M. Reports have since confirmed that Lagway will not play in the game, though the program has not yet determined how much time he will need to return to action.

With Lagway unavailable, Baylor will give the keys to Nate Bennett. The third-year quarterback has made zero career starts entering Saturday, but he has appeared in five games over the previous two seasons. While losing Lagway for any length of time will have negative downstream consequences for the offense, Bennett's first start will come at home against an FCS opponent, a relatively favorable set of circumstances.

In addition to Lagway, Baylor will take the field without multiple players. Here is the full list:

WR Chase Collier
WR Ashton Jones
QB DJ Lagway
WR Jadon Porter
DB Jacob Redding
OL Koltin Sieracki
WR Taz Williams Jr.

Baylor Bears On SI will update this space if/when pregame warm-ups provide additional health information.

Prairie View A&M injury news

Baylor Bears On SI will update this space if/when pregame warm-ups provide additional health information.

How to watch Baylor take on Prairie View A&M

Day: Saturday, Sept. 12
Time: 7 p.m. CT
Where: McLane Stadium (Waco, TX)
Network: ESPN+
On the call: Mark Neely, Barrett Brooks

Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on X and Facebook for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google