Baylor RB Ryelan Morris Wins Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week Honors
In this story:
On Baylor’s second possession, after going 3-and-out and allowing the Sun Devils to score a field goal, head coach Dave Aranda gave Ryelan Morris the green light.
Although opportunities had been scarce for Morris entering the matchup, he made the most of them, turning 13 carries into 98 yards across three appearances. Through Baylor’s first four games, the Bears averaged a modest 3.7 yards per carry, while Morris averaged 7.5 yards per attempt, including a 33-yard run against Louisiana Tech.
Morris Provides an Early Spark
Morris’ first opportunity against Arizona State came on Baylor’s fifth offensive play from scrimmage, and he delivered once again.
The speedster found a massive hole after Arizona State was overpowered at the line of scrimmage, then split two defenders and raced 63 yards to the end zone, giving Baylor a 7-3 lead with nine minutes left in the first quarter.
Morris went on to finish with 84 yards on nine carries, tying sophomore Caden Knighten for the team lead. Knighten matched that total on six carries, highlighted by a 75-yard touchdown late in the third quarter that extended Baylor’s lead to 29. The duo powered Baylor to 244 rushing yards, its most in a Big 12 game since 2024.
Morris’ outing brings his four-game total to 182 yards on 22 carries, good for an average of 8.3 yards per attempt. With Morris emerging as Baylor’s most efficient runner so far — albeit on the smallest sample size — it’s worth keeping an eye on his usage to see if he can challenge Knighten, who has run the ball 49 times, for RB2 duties behind senior bell cow Dawson Pendergrass.
Baylor Saw the Big-Play Potential Early
Morris’ early success should come as little surprise given the pedigree he brought to Waco. The Honey Grove, Texas, product was a consensus four-star and top-250 prospect in the 2026 class, ranking as high as No. 208 nationally and No. 10 among athletes.
Morris initially committed to the Bears in July 2024 before flipping to Stanford the following June. Baylor continued pursuing him, however, and Morris returned to the Bears on Oct. 26, 2025, before signing in December.
When Morris signed with Baylor in December, head coach Dave Aranda pointed to the big-play ability he could bring to the Bears’ backfield.
"He's a mismatch guy," Aranda said of Morris. "Out of the backfield, he's a threat. Special teams-wise, he's a threat. Anytime you can give a guy the ball, and three yards can go to 80 yards, there's a positive. And we've got that with him."
Morris showed that ability throughout his high school career, rushing for more than 5,000 yards and 88 touchdowns over his final three seasons at Honey Grove, including 2,109 yards and 30 touchdowns as a senior.
Sign up for our Free Newsletter and follow us on X and Facebook for the latest news.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Blake Hollingsworth is a Baylor University graduate who began covering sports with the Baylor Roundup yearbook, where he wrote about Baylor athletics. He later worked as a reporter for the Waco Tribune-Herald, covering breaking news and enterprise stories. A lifelong sports fan, Blake enjoys telling in-depth stories that give fans greater insight into the teams and athletes they follow.