Dave Aranda addresses severity of Baylor LB Travion Barnes' injury
The Baylor Bears took another blow to their defense on Saturday night when star LB Travion Barnes went down. He was carted off the field in the first quarter and never returned to the game.
Following the 27-24 loss against Arizona State, head coach Dave Aranda addressed Barnes' injury. Aranda said he is done for the year.
"His ankle is really bad, so he's going to be out. He's going to end up having surgery. That boy right there was becoming a leader for us. He's been a blessing to us, Baylor's been a blessing to him. He's been a natural leader, just taking the reins."
Baylor's Travion Barnes still hyped up his team as he was getting carted off the field 🥹pic.twitter.com/uH5s5U10GR
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) September 21, 2025
Barnes transferred into Baylor from FIU, where he was a star in the entire country. He was 5th in the country last year with 129 tackles. Since coming to Waco, Barnes had 11 tackles through three games. He started slow, but in the past two games, Barnes' play really picked up. Barnes rotated in during the first two weeks, but Baylor made him a starter for the Samford game in Week 3.
Barnes isn't the only Baylor LB to suffer an injury
Barnes isn't the only LB to get injured. Fresno State transfer Phoenix Jackson is also out for the year. It's a tough blow for the Bears' defense to lose two top LBs this early in the season. Baylor still has leader Keaton Thomas, but the Bears will lean on Kyland Reed and Jeremy Evans more and more moving forward.
Baylor will now host Oklahoma State this weekend. The Cowboys are 1-2 and Oklahoma State is in disarray. The Cowboys got blown out by Oregon and then suffered a home loss on Friday night against Tulsa. Mike Gundy is on the hot seat and rumors of his firing continue to heat up. Games are played for a reason, but next weekend is a great chance for Baylor to get back to its winning ways.
More From Baylor On SI:
- Takeaways from Baylor's heartbreaking loss to Arizona State
- Baylor falls to 2-2 after heartbreaker vs. Arizona State
- Baylor LB Travion Barnes exits on cart after injury against Arizona State
-c6d300a6cd3bbc37e5025fa0d47bc7a7.jpeg "Trent Knoop")
Trent is the Publisher of Baylor Bears on SI and also serves as the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines on SI. His work has additionally been featured on Maryland on SI, Wisconsin on SI, and across the USA TODAY Sports network. Trent’s love of sports and being able to tell stories to fans is what made him get into writing.