Baylor lands standout corner from New Mexico State
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The Baylor Bears football program has lost a ton of talent via the transfer portal since it officially opened last Friday. Fortunately, Dave Aranda and staff can make up for the losses by gaining commitments from the transfer portal.
RELATED: Baylor transfer portal tracker: Every player coming in and out of the program in 2026
Late Sunday night, Baylor landed former New Mexico State Aggies cornerback Stilton McKelvey. The Houston, Texas native racked up 18 tackles, two tackles for loss and an interception during the 2025 season. McKelvey garnered a season-high six tackles and the lone interception versus UTEP in November and had a 71-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown versus Western Kentucky on November 1st.
McKelvey started his college career at the JUCO level for the New Mexico Military Institute Broncos in 2023-2024. As a redshirt freshman in 2024, McKelvey recorded a NJCAA-leading seven interceptions and was named a Second Team All-American. McKelvey has one year of eligibility remaining, so it will be paramount for him to perform and get good game tape for a possible career in the NFL.
New Mexico State CB Stilton McKelvey has signed with Baylor, @On3sports has learned.
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos) January 5, 2026
Posted 18 tackles, 2 TFLs and 1 INT in 2025.https://t.co/wMrfFrdlE6 pic.twitter.com/lR5TkSl0bd
McKelvey continued as a standout corner in 2025 with 57.6 passer rating when targeted, which was the second lowest in the conference. Despite the solid career and numbers, McKelvey is the 143rd ranked cornerback in the portal and ranked #1,211 in the on3 overall transfer portal rankings. After not being a ranked prospect out of Kashmere High School, McKelvey is a three-star prospect with a rating of 86. McKelvey is the third portal commitment for Baylor as he joins fellow cornerback Devon Jordan (Oklahoma) and offensive tackle Logan Moore (UAB).
McKelvey is a much-needed addition for the Bears' secondary with cornerback KJ Makins and safeties DJ Coleman and Cameren Jenkins all entering the portal. The defense is taking the big hits with portal losses as Coleman, Jenkins and Makins were joined by DK Kalu (defensive line), Ronnie Mageo (defensive line), Kamauryn Morgan (edge rusher), Emar'rion Winston (linebacker), Keaton Thomas (linebacker) and Corey Kelly (linebacker).
From the 2025 roster, Baylor will return Kyler Beaty, Caldra Williford, Leo Almanza Jr, Reggie Bush II, LeVar Thornton Jr, Calvin Simpson-Hunt and MJ Artmore Jr at cornerback.
The transfer portal is open for any player to move until January 16th; it will be the only transfer portal window in 2026.
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- Baylor looks to fortify its O-line with first transfer portal pickup
Allen began covering college sports as an intern for InsidetheGators.com for the Florida Gators 2021 football season. He has been a freelance sportswriter for the past four years at newspapers such as the Ocala Gazette, Ocala Star-Banner and GatorBait Media. As a lifelong sports fan, Allen's dream is to cover sports every day.