Building the Ultimate Baylor Football Dream Team: The Best Position Groups in School History
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What would the ultimate Baylor football roster look like if we took the best position group from a particular season and compiled them into a single Baylor superteam? I thought long and hard about this, and with the help of a lifelong Baylor fan, @clarkelivesay, I think I have constructed a team that would easily win the national championship any year.
Offense
Quarterback - 2011
While the best group of quarterbacks was either 2014 or 2015, the 2011 room had the Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III. This was a no-brainer for me, as Griffin is by far the best quarterback to ever wear the Baylor uniform. Without RGIII's contribution to the Baylor program, McLane Stadium may have never been built, and his Heisman Trophy win marked the beginning of Baylor's most successful period in its history. Not much needs to be said about RGIII on the field, and if it wasn't for injuries, he would have dominated the NFL throughout the 2010s.
— Great Pitch Moments (@greatsportsvid1) July 29, 2024
Running Back - 2021
I considered 2014, with prime Shock Linwood, and I also considered Walter Ambercrombie in 1980, but the 2021 duo of Tresten Ebner and Abram Smith were just immense. Abram Smith rushed for 1,621 yards by himself, and Tresten Ebner had 799 yards on top of that.
These guys could not be stopped. Everything from yards after contact to pass blocking, they had it all. This one-two punch would dominate games and had an offense that was perfectly suited to allow them to run all over teams.
Offensive Line - Baylor 2015
The offensive line was also a difficult decision for me, as the 2021 offensive line was really dominant. The line was anchored by unanimous All-American left tackle Spencer Drango, who won the 2015 Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year award.
Drango led all of college football with a 99.2 efficiency rating in 2015. This was also a veteran offensive line group that had grown through the years, culminating in a great 2015. They allowed 15 sacks that season, while the national average is about 30.
Wide Receivers - Baylor 2015
This one was a no-brainer for me. The 2015 wide receiver group headlined by Corey Coleman was unreal. This group included Baylor's only Biletnikoff Award winner, Corey Coleman, one of Baylor's only five-star recruits, KD Cannon, and athletic freak Jay Lee.
Coleman totaled 1,363 yards on the year with 20 touchdowns in just 12 games played. He was truly one of the most unstoppable college wide receivers of all time.
Tight end - Baylor 2025
Any hypothetical Baylor offense is gonna be spread out, so by that logic, we only need one tight end. That tight end has to be Michael Trigg from this past season. Although Trigg's 2025 team only won five games, he was just unbelievable throughout the year.
He had freaky athletic one-handed grabs that brought life to a dead Baylor season, and was a constant bailout for the offense when they would stall out. Trigg was also a finalist for the Mackey Award.
Defense
Defensive Line - 2019
The 2019 Baylor defensive line was one of the most dominant units in college football. The group was spearheaded by consensus All-American defensive tackle James Lynch, who broke the school's all-time career sack record and earned Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year honors with 13.5 sacks.
Linebackers - 1980
I had to give some love to the SWC era Baylor teams, and this is my way of doing so. Mike Singletary is arguably Baylor's greatest-ever player, especially if you consider his long NFL career. Singletary set a still-standing Baylor single-game record with 35 tackles against Houston and compiled a school record of 662 career tackles.
He played alongside another NFL draft pick, Doak Field, and Lester Ward. Together, they formed a linebacking corps that led the Bears to an undefeated Southwest Conference Championship and the Cotton Bowl in 1980,
Defensive Backs - 2021
Baylor's secondary was the best group of defensive backs I have ever seen in college football. They had speed throughout, as seen in the 2022 NFL Draft Combine, and were anchored by veteran leaders who never made a mistake.
Baylor adds another score. JT Woods picks off Luke Altmyer & they cash in. Gerry Bohanon swings it out to Tyquan Thornton for the 3 yard TD. The Bears have a 2 score lead.
— Brendan Moore (@bmoorecfb) January 2, 2022
BAYLOR 21
OLE MISS 7
pic.twitter.com/mIhohMCif6
These guys were all playmakers, and their star, Jalen Pitre, was the biggest playmaker of them all. He had 3.5 sacks and two interceptions on the season, but he made sure that the quarterback was uncomfortable on every play. JT Woods was also unbelievable in 2021, totaling six interceptions on the year.
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Jacob is a contributor for Baylor Bears On SI. A lifelong sports fan, he started writing game reactions and opinion pieces during Baylor football and basketball seasons, turning that hobby into a growing presence in sports media. He brings an authentic, fan-driven voice to his work and is excited to keep building his voice and breaking down the topics Baylor fans are talking about every day.
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