Baylor signs former Oklahoma, Kansas State 4-star defensive back

He is now onto his third school, but Baylor is hoping it's the right fit.

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Secondary has been a top priority for Dave Aranda and Baylor in the transfer portal. On Friday, the Bears landed their third defensive back, and this time, Baylor signed former Oklahoma and Kansas State cornerback Jayden Rowe.

RELATED: Baylor transfer portal tracker: Every player coming in and out of the program in 2026

Rowe began his career with Oklahoma, where he played from 2022 to 2024 before transferring to Kansas State. Rowe saw only 22 snaps for the Sooners and was hoping to get back on track with the Wildcats. But this season, Rowe saw 12 total snaps for Kansas State. However, he must've built a good connection with new defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman for Rowe to follow him to Waco.

Baylor has signed former Kansas State and Oklahoma cornerback Jayden Rowe, @chris_hummer and I have learned.

The 6-foot-1, 230-pounder was a Class of 2022 four-star recruit. Played in nine games this season. pic.twitter.com/tk3Z1GNqyU

— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) January 9, 2026

Inexperienced but full of potential

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Rowe hasn't seen a ton of playing time at the college level, but he was a top recruit coming out of high school. The former Tulsa (OK) prospect was the No. 298 player in the 2022 class, and he was the No. 34 cornerback in the cycle.

Rowe redshirted his first year at Oklahoma, but then sustained a season-ending injury in 2023 during the home opener. In 2024, Rowe was buried on the depth chart and opted to leave Norman.

Coming to Baylor, Rowe hopes to use his potential and show why he was a hot commodity coming out of high school.

The need in the secondary is real

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The Bears had a poor defense in 2025, but Baylor is losing most of the talent it did have. Guys like Carl Williams, Caden Jenkins, Caldra Williford, and DJ Coleman all left via the transfer portal, and Baylor will have to rebuild the secondary.

So far, the Bears have landed three players from the portal. New Mexico's Stilton McKelvey and Oklahoma's Devon Jordan join Rowe in the new-look Baylor secondary.

There is still plenty of time for the Bears to make more moves on the defensive side of the football. It's clear that all three phases need retooling and coach Aranda is working hard to rebuild the defense.

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