Baylor football offense report card for the 2025 season
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Baylor finished an underwhelming 2025 season, 5-7. There were some amazing moments, like the comeback win at SMU, and the comeback win against Kansas St, but there were also very low lows which defined the season. The season started with so much excitement; McLane Stadium was sold out for the home opener against Auburn. Little did Bears fans know that the Auburn game would set the blueprint for the season: go down early, bring it back close, and then inevitably collapse and lose by multiple scores.
The offense started the season as many thought. Scored 24 against a very strong Auburn defense and 48 on the road to SMU. They stumbled against Arizona State, with turnovers ultimately being the reason the Bears dropped that game. They once again were strong against Oklahoma St. and Kansas St., moving the ball with relative ease. They stumbled in the back half of the season, often playing from behind and continually turning the ball over as they force the issue trying to comeback.
Let's get into assigning letter grades to each position group, analyzing their production and highs and lows.
Quarterback: B+
Sawyer Robertson started the year pretty well. He had a great game against Auburn and an even better one against SMU the next week. That game against SMU was one of the most notable Baylor quarterback performances of all time. Sawyer seemed to slightly taper off as the season went on. He threw multiple picks against Samford, and the loss against Arizona State was damning. He bounced back in the next two games, reestablishing himself as one of the best in college football. The last 6 games for Baylor were a mess, but Sawyer's quarterback play was not the reason for the five losses. Sawyer warrants a B+ on the season because, at his best, he is the best quarterback in college football, but he simply had moments where a silly interception or bad sack would kill the offense.
Running Back: B
Khenon Hall's running back room went through it in 2025. Before the season began, Junior Dawson Pendergrass was ruled out for the whole year, meaning freshman Caden Knighten would feature as the second running back behind Junior Bryson Washington. Washington would have a conflicting year himself; he was far less productive than in 2024. His 2025 season total yards dropped to 788, and he had half the touchdowns that he had in 2024. He faced injuries all year, which affected his snap count and maybe his play style. Along with this, Washington would face a fumble problem, having four fumbles on the season as opposed to his one in 2024.
Caden Knighten was surprisingly productive. He showed lots of promise throughout the year, but he was no Dawson Pendergrass. Freshman Michael Turner also featured for the Bears often, fighting through injuries late in the season. Both freshmen showed lots of promise; they were able to break off long runs and break through arm tackles. Both had pass blocking issues, but that is always going to be the case for freshmen being asked to block.
The story for this group was injury, which culminated in the season finale against Houston. Bryson Washington is injured on his second carry, Dawson Pendergrass is already out the whole season, Caden Knighten faces a brutal injury in the third quarter and is ruled out, and Michael Turner is ruled out pregame. Leaving Joseph Dodds, the 5th string running back, as the primary back to finish the season. Just a brutal season for Khenon Hall's guys, who I believe will bounce back in 2026.
Tight End: A
There were two feature tight ends for the Bears in 2025, Michael Trigg and Matthew Klopfenstein. Michael Trigg was the best tight end in the country this year and would have my vote for the John Mackey Award. Trigg was this offense's safety blanket and was the engine for the offense many times. Arizona St. had no answers for Trigg, showing his strength for his first touchdown and his speed and agility for the second in that game. He had 7 catches for 99 yards and a touchdown against Auburn, and 8 catches for 155 yards and a touchdown against Kansas St. Trigg will be busy this Spring as he prepares for the NFL Draft. Matthew Klopfenstein also featured for the Bears as a blocking tight end. He was productive in his role and showed flashes of what he could do as a receiver against Houston. The tight end tandem receives an A grade for 2025.
This 2-Catch Sequence from Baylor TE Michael Trigg is absurd 😂 pic.twitter.com/HJcWxVbfiX
— Coach Dan Casey (@CoachDanCasey) October 4, 2025
Wide Receiver: A-
Dallas Baker will be proud of what his room accomplished in 2025. Josh Cameron had the most productive year of the group, totaling 69 catches, 872 yards, and 9 touchdowns. Ashtyn Hawkins would also have a good year, but disappeared in a few games. Against SMU, he had 10 catches for 145 yards, against TCU, he had 7 catches for 95 yards, and against Utah, he had 7 catches for 119 yards. At his best, he is nearly unstoppable; the problem was the disappearing act in some games, Arizona and Cincinnati being prime examples. Kole Wilson had a productive year as well, grabbing 5 touchdowns and totaling 591 yards on the year. Kobe Prentice was a touchdown machine early on in the year, grabbing 6 touchdowns through the first 6 games. He only totaled 380 yards on the year and dramatically slowed down as the year went on.
The reason this group does not receive an "A" grade is the fumbling problem. The wide receiver group totaled 7 fumbles on the year, 2 of which came in 3 3-point loss vs Arizona St. This group has a lot to look forward to in 2026, with Louis Brown IV and Jadon Porter showing lots of promise. These two, paired with a transfer receiver, will form a great core, whoever the quarterback is in 2026.
Josh Cameron is a name I don't hear enough. Very skilled WR after the catch. A true threat
— Prospect Film Room (@FilmProspect) November 20, 2025
Vs Utah :
- 13 receptions
- 165 receiving yards
- 2 TDs
He's an interesting name to keep an eye on pic.twitter.com/ZYNlJAHMCs
Offensive Line: C+
The offensive line had a rough year. The group went through many changes throughout the year. Notably, offensive line coach Mason Miller and the team mutually parted ways for personal reasons in the middle of the season. Omar Agbideon and Colton Price had to step up as leaders of the group, and I believe they did. Aigbedion was by far the best player on the line all year, ranking 16th amongst all guards in the country. Colton Price was the next best player on the line, ranking 30th amongst all centers in the country. The rest of the line left a lot to be desired. Sean Thompkins took over for Sidney Fugar at right tackle midway through the year for performance reasons. Kaden and Koltin Sieracki both fielded PFF grades of 62.7 and 60.0, respectively. This puts them slightly below average when compared to the rest of the country.
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Jacob is a contributor for Baylor Bears On SI. A lifelong sports fan, he started writing game reactions and opinion pieces during Baylor football and basketball seasons, turning that hobby into a growing presence in sports media. He brings an authentic, fan-driven voice to his work and is excited to keep building his voice and breaking down the topics Baylor fans are talking about every day.
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