Baylor loses another DB to the transfer portal

It appears the transfer portal is the “12th man” against the Baylor football eleven. 17 players have now announced their intention to leave the program. The transfer portal opens tomorrow, January 2, and will stay open until January 16.

Yet another Bears defender will enter the portal. Defensive back KJ Makins is a graduate transfer looking for playing time elsewhere. He leaves Waco after one season with Baylor. Makins saw no game action for the Bears during the 2025 campaign.

Makins transferred in to the Bears after two seasons at Lenoir-Rhyne and two years at Houston Christian and has 25 games of collegiate experience. In those 25 games, Makins racked up 52 tackles, eight pass breakups, one forced fumble and 0.5 tackle for loss.

Snippets 📸 pic.twitter.com/txp5TFfW61
— Kj Makins (GRAD TRANSFER) (@KJ_238) January 25, 2025

Baylor has a problem. These transfer numbers are significant when you consider that Baylor did not replace their head coach. Dave Aranda was given a blessing and retained by Baylor President Linda Livingstone for the 2026 season. That does not include any graduating seniors that have exhausted their eligibility, including quarterback Sawyer Robertson, receivers Josh Cameron, Ashtyn Hawkins, Kole Wilson, Kobe Prentice and tight end Michael Trigg.

The fact that players are transferring with no head coaching change is telling.

The Bears have made coaching changes on the defensive side of the ball, hiring Joe Klanderman away from Kansas State as the defensive coordinator and Jacori Greer as the defensive line coach. But change is good. And in the case of the 2025 Baylor football squad, a team that struggled to a 5-7 season with a ton of returning experience, change is warranted. The Bears were picked by one college football analyst to win the Big 12 Conference this season.

The importance of tomorrow, January 2, cannot be overstated. Baylor has holes up and down the depth chart, and Baylor signing quality players from the portal to fill those holes will be critical. In a story by Bill Bender of The Sporting News, Bender mentions Baylor as a possible destination for former Florida signal-caller and Texas native DJ Lagway. That would be a huge pickup for the Bears at the most important position on the field. Its going to be a sleepless night for Baylor football fans and for Aranda and his staff.

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