Inside The Bears

Baylor defensive starter to enter transfer portal

Not a great start for the offseason.

Trent Knoop

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ESPN's Adam Rittenberg was the first to report that Baylor LB Phoenix Jackson is set to enter the transfer portal with one year of eligibility remaining. Jackson, who transferred into Waco from Ferris State, played just three games for the Bears in 2025.

In Week 3, Jackson suffered a season-ending injury against Samford. In the previous week, against SMU, Jackson started for Aranda's defense. He came to Baylor after playing in 448 snaps for Fresno State in 2024.

Jackson ends his one-year Baylor career playing in three games and recording 11 tackles. In 2024, he recorded 49 tackles, four sacks, and picked off two passes. Aranda was hopeful that Jackson would be back in Waco for another season, but he will now search for another school.

Linebacker depth has taken a hit

With Jackson gone, Baylor is losing at least two starters. Keaton Thomas, who was the heart and soul of the Bears' defense, will be lost to graduation. Fellow transfer, Travion Barnes, is also a senior, but he was lost to a season-ending injury. Barnes could get an injury waiver and be back in 2026, but that hasn't been determined quite yet.

Younger players like Kaleb Burns and Kyland Reed, along with Jeremy Evans, all saw extensive playing time this season with the injuries at the position. Reed finished fourth on the team with 50 tackles and Burns had 19 tackles.

Baylor LB Phoenix Jackson
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All three of them should be back in Waco, but Aranda will have to look at the portal in hopes of bringing in additional bodies for linebacker. Losing Thomas, Jackson, and possibly Barnes is a major hit to the Bears' linebacker corps.

Best case scenario would have been seeing Jackson and Barnes both coming back and that would have been more than enough bodies entering the new season. But now Aranda can't focus on other areas and will have to attempt to bring in starting-caliber LBs.

This also happened following the dismissal of former starting CB Caden Jenkins. The former Freshman All-American was dismissed for breaking team rules.

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Trent Knoop
TRENT KNOOP

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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