Baylor Football: Dave Aranda 'proud' of the progression Bryson Washington has made on and off the field
Back in 2023, Baylor football flipped SMU commit Bryson Washington to the Bears. At the time, Washington was projected to play safety in college, and was ranked as a three-star recruit and the No. 673 player in the '23 cycle. He would come to Baylor and redshirt in 2023, carrying the ball 10 times for 45 yards.
But in 2024, Baylor went out and hired RB coach Khenon Hall and Washington exploded. Entering his 2024 season, Washington faced a few maturity issues, but with Hall hired and Washington focused -- he became one of the best backs in the Big 12. Washington finished seventh in the Big 12, rushing for 1,028 yards and added 12 touchdowns on top.
On Monday, during his press conference, head coach Dave Aranda was asked about Washington and the type of progression he has made.
"He – there's been a lot of maturity with him, and I'm just – I'm so proud of that," Aranda said on the progression of Washington. "You know, I think Khenon Hall has had a great impact on him. Our running back coach has done a great job. With Bryson, I think, you know, when we're hiring Khenon, Bryson was a big kind of question mark just in terms of just day-to-day stuff.
"And stuff that -- maturity, you know. And so I think that partnership has been really strong. And then I think for Bryson, it's been the change in offense has really benefited him. He's an explosive downhill guy. He's got great patience and vision. And so the ability to kind of open stuff up and get it to where he's able to make a cut or break an arm tackle.
"And it's just a bunch of grass has – I think those two things combined. But it's just way cool to see, you know, if this was a team meeting and we're here and we're talking that way and the players are facing this way, Bryson's like he's locked in, ready to go, eyes following you wherever you go. So it's a good – when I see that."
Several of the top running backs are gone like Cam Skattebo, RJ Harvey, and Devin Neal, among others. Washington enters his sophomore year and is being looked at as being the top back in the conference. With Sawyer Robertson behind center and Washington in the backfield, the Bears' offense could top the Big 12 in 2025.
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