Most Underrated Player At Each Position on Offense For Baylor Ahead of Spring Practice

Spring practice is right around the corner. Baylor will begin practices, starting on March 24 and the Bears will have 15 practices overall, including five in March and 10 in April.

Baylor will wrap things up with its Fan Fest on April 18, which will be open to fans. The Bears will have a new-look team after losing 32 players to the transfer portal — and the addition of former five-star quarterback DJ Lagway.

Speaking of Lagway, we know he's the starting QB. But there are players who might be overlooked at every position. Here is one underrated Baylor player at every position on the offensive side of the football.

Quarterback: Nate Bennett

Lagway is the clear-cut starter for Baylor this season, but there is something telling about Nate Bennett. The former three-star prospect is entering his RS sophomore season and has been the primary backup to Sawyer Robertson both years.

Bennett beat out former four-star Walker White in 2025 and White opted to transfer away. Barring something crazy, Baylor hopes not to see Bennett this season — that means Lagway is either hurt or playing terribly bad — but the coaching staff must feel confident in his ability.

Bennett has completed 6-of-9 passes during his two seasons in Waco. He will enter 2026 as the backup to Lagway.

Running back: Michael Turner

Turner was the second-highest-ranked Baylor commit in the 2025 cycle, per the Composite, yet he will likely enter the 2026 season at No. 3 on the depth chart. This past season, Bryson Washington and fellow freshman Caden Knighten were ahead of Turner, and veteran Dawson Pendergrass — who missed last year with an injury — returns in 2026, along with Knighten.

Turner was ranked as the No. 282 prospect in the nation when he signed with Baylor and he has a strong lineage, the son of former Atlanta Falcons great Michael Turner.

Turner saw 65 carries last season for 320 yards and a score. He was second on the team, averaging 4.92 yards per carry and should make up a nice three-headed monster with Pendergrass and Knighten — depending on when Knighten can return following his scary injury last year.

Wide receiver: Taz Williams Jr.

With the additions of Hardley Gilmore, Gavin Freeman, and Dre'lon Miller, along with Louis Brown and Jadon Porter returning — Williams might not be getting the love he deserves. In Baylor's solid 2025 class, Williams was a four-star prospect with a loaded offer sheet.

The 6-foot speedster picked Baylor over programs like Michigan, Penn State, Texas A&M, and Alabama. Williams had one catch for 11 yards during his true freshman season, and he's not guaranteed to see much playing time this season.

The good news for Williams is that Baylor likes to rotate its WRs, and he possesses a lot of talent. The potential is there as long as he shows up and shows out.

Tight end: Tony Livingston

With Lagway in Waco, Baylor went out and landed a couple of players he is familiar with — one being Tony Livingston. The 2022 prospect was a four-star offensive lineman when he committed to Florida, but the extremely athletic player moved to tight end almost immediately.

Livingston has played tight end since he committed to the Gators and this past season, he caught 11 passes for119 yards and two touchdowns. He has great size, standing at 6'4", and could have a Trigg-type impact in Waco. However, Matthew Klopfenstein will likely get the first crack as the starting tight end, but don't forget about Livingston.

Both Trigg and Klopfenstein played in 2025, and I would suspect we will see a lot of Livingston with Klopfenstein in 2026.

Offensive line: Matthew Parker

The Baylor offensive line is going to look a whole lot different in 2026. Omar Aigbedion, Coleton Price, and Sean Thompkins, among others are gone.

The Bears went out and revamped their O-line with what appears to be solid additions for the offensive line — most notably Texas transfer Nate Kibble.

But let's not forget Matthew Parker, who is entering his redshirt freshman season. Parker, the Flowood (Miss.) prospect, was a four-star offensive tackle as a recruit and he was listed as the backup tackle this past season.

Parker has tremendous size, 6'7", 329-pounds and could be a wreaking ball for Baylor.