Baylor defense falling apart fast as another linebacker enters the transfer portal
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The Baylor Bears suffered another setback on defense this week as redshirt junior linebacker Jeremy Evans officially entered the transfer portal, further thinning a unit already dealing with attrition at every level.
Evans arrived in Waco as a highly regarded recruit, a four-star prospect by ESPN and Dave Campbell’s Texas Football and a top-40 outside linebacker nationally. He chose Baylor over major programs including Texas, Oklahoma, Michigan, Arkansas, Nebraska, and TCU. But after four seasons and limited production, the former blue-chip prospect is looking for a fresh start.
A Career of Spot Duty, But Bigger Implications
Evans redshirted in 2022 and played sparingly through 2025. He appeared in 26 career games, finishing with 24 total tackles and one forced fumble. He made one start in 2023 and saw rotational action across the next two seasons, including four games in 2025. His departure isn’t about lost production, it’s about what it signals.
Baylor’s linebacker room is crumbling at a time when Dave Aranda’s defense can least afford instability. The Bears fielded one of the worst defensive units of the Aranda era last season, and their depth has only grown thinner.
A Linebacker Room in Crisis
Evans is only one piece of a much larger issue. Veteran linebacker Phoenix Jackson is also expected to enter the portal with one year of eligibility left. That adds to the certainty that Baylor is losing at least two starters, a blow that comes on top of the program’s natural roster turnover.
Keaton Thomas, widely regarded internally as the “heart and soul” of the defense, is gone to graduation. Transfer linebacker Travion Barnes, a potential anchor for 2025, suffered a season-ending injury this past fall. Barnes has a path to a medical waiver, but it’s unclear whether he will return in 2026.
If Barnes doesn’t come back, the Bears will have lost four linebackers who were expected to play major roles across the last two seasons. Even with Evans' minimal box-score impact, his departure only adds to a depth problem that already bordered on alarming.
Nowhere Near Enough Incoming Help
So far, Baylor has added just one linebacker in the 2026 recruiting cycle: three-star prospect Jamarion Phillips. That leaves a glaring personnel gap. The Bears now enter the offseason with glaring uncertainty on the defense and the transition in athletic directors could have significant influence on the program's spending power. Nonetheless, the transfer portal becomes not just an option but a necessity. Baylor will need to add multiple plug-and-play players to rebuild a unit that has suffered losses at every level.
Baylor’s defense has lacked identity and consistency over the past two seasons. Losing Evans may seem minor from a statistical standpoint, but the bigger picture is clear: Baylor’s defensive rebuild just got harder, and the urgency to restock the roster has never been higher.
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Jalon Dixon is a sports journalist with a passion for covering basketball at every level. He has written extensively on men’s and women’s college basketball, as well as the NBA, building a reputation for clear analysis and thoughtful storytelling. His work focuses on the players, programs, and trends shaping the sport, offering readers insight that goes beyond the box score. Whether breaking down a key matchup or highlighting emerging talent, Jalon’s goal is to provide balanced coverage that connects fans to the game’s strategy, culture, and ongoing evolution.