Baylor Defensive Line Ready to 'Lead From Up Front' in 2022
While the Baylor Bears had the most NFL draft picks (six) of any Texas school this past April, they are loaded in the area of the field they think is most important - the trenches.
Not only do the Bears return all four of their starters on the defensive line (including JACK Garmon Randolph) but all four of their backups all received significant playing time in 2021.
With inexperience plaguing the other units on offense and defense, the lines will have to step up for the Bears to defend their Big 12 title.
"We have [the defensive line] and the O-line that are the oldest on the team," defensive lineman Chidi Ogbonnaya said. "We're going to have to lead from upfront if we want to get where we want to go."
Leading from upfront shouldn't be difficult for the Bears since they bring back All-Big 12 selection Siaki Ika and added two-time All-AAC (Tulsa) selection Jaxon Player as a graduate transfer.
The Bears made their mark last stuffing the run, ranking in the top 20 nationally allowing just under 120 yards a game on the ground.
"I think we take the biggest pride in stopping the run," Ogbonnaya said. "We won a championship off of [stopping the run]."
Towards the end of the 2021 season, the Bears added a lethal pass rush to their arsenal, culminating in a record-setting 10-sack performance in the Sugar Bowl against Ole Miss.
"We have an even more experienced and better defensive line than last year," Ogbonnaya said. "We feel like we can do the exact same thing, but it's all about how we approach the games."
Ogbonnaya isn't the only player talking about the scary proposition that the Bears' pass rush could be even better this year than in 2021.
"I'm very excited about our pass rush," defensive tackle Gabe Hall said. "We've been putting emphasis on that and getting better every day, so it's going to be exciting."
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