Baylor Football Starts and Sits: Breaking Down Every Position Battle
In this story:
Looking at the roster for the upcoming season, Baylor is rolling with a real blend of returning starters and a good mix of portal guys. Dave Aranda and Joe Klanderman, the defensive coordinator, clearly went into the portal to fill some major holes, but that does not mean the starting lineup is set in stone just yet.
Whether you are looking at the depth in the backfield or the fresh faces in the secondary and wide receiver units, there is a lot of opportunity for change. With game week right around the corner, we are going to dive into a few positions that you should keep an eye on for the first few weeks of the season.
Offensive Position Battles
Running Back
This position could really have a three-player battle throughout the season for the first-drive reps. Although I mostly believe Dawson Pendergrass will be the main man, Caden Knighten and Michael Turner are two very athletic younger guys that I think can have the ability to be very successful in the run game. Pendergrass will be ready to have a takeover season after an injury held him back, but I would expect multiple rotations in order to keep them all healthy and effective.
Receivers
Baylor's wide receiver room was definitely a focus for Aranda after losing five wide receivers last year, with the three main starters coming out of the portal. I expect Dre'lon Miller and Gavin Freeman to be the two leading receivers this season, but Baylor has some young recruits that I would expect to get many opportunities as second-stringers.
Look for Freshman London Smith and Sophomore Taz Williams to make a name for themselves this year. They are both major recruits who chose Baylor over other strong schools and will have immediate reps in the special teams unit to start the season.
Tight End
Aranda brings over Florida teammate of Lagway, Tony Livingston. Definitely an underrated pickup for the Bears; heard a lot of things about his skill set not being used to its full advantage last year. He was a former offensive lineman recruit in high school, then later converted to tight end at Florida. Only had 22 catches in the past two seasons, for over 225 yards and four touchdowns.
Backup is a six-foot-four senior, Matthew Klopfenstein, who played in all 12 games last year, with eight catches for 73 yards and a touchdown. I think both will have an important role this year, but unlocking Livingston's full capability in this system of offense could make him a major key this year.
Defensive Position Battles
Secondary
Joe Klanderman brought over two very talented, experienced backs with him this year, but other transfers and some returning Baylor players are looking to take that starting role in the secondary. Including LeVar Thornton at corner and sophomore Bo Onu , who had a very impressive camp, will likely be your starting noseback in week one.
One spot I'm interested in seeing is how they settle the safety position this year. Baylor's leading tackler, Jacob Redding returns for his senior year and will likely get the free safety spot.
But the strong safety spot is going to be a battle between two transfers: Devin Turner, a senior from Northwestern, and Colby McCalister, who was Klandermans' Safety at Kansas State for the two previous seasons.
Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on X and Facebook for the latest news.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Tyler is a writer for Baylor Bears On SI with a deep focus on football and basketball. Professional stat cruncher and high school athlete. Passionate NFL, college, and NBA fan. I love sports and want to put that passion into my writing.
Follow TylerGillum_83