Most Underrated Player At Each Position on Defense 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. There will be excitement to see what the Bears' defense will look like this season with new defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman taking over and calling plays.

The Bears' defense will look different this season after Baylor lost 32 players to the transfer portal and more to graduation. After looking at the offense already, we are going to shift focus to Baylor's defense and name the most underrated player at each position.

Defensive line: Jae'lin Battle

Baylor lost three of its top commits this past cycle, but the Bears were able to keep Jae'lin Battle, who finished the cycle as a four-star prospect. Baylor had to fend off Missouri, Washington, and Auburn, among others, who were trying to flip Battle, but the Bears kept the No. 4 ranked prospect out of Oklahoma.

Battle might be a true freshman, but Baylor lost some important bodies on its line from last season. Jackie Marshall, Cooper Lanz, and DK Kalu, among others are done. The Bears made moves via the portal, but if Battle shows that he's ready to play in Year 1, Baylor will likely try and get him early snaps.

He's likely not going to be a popular pick to start in Year 1, but Battle's talent is real and once he bulks up more — he could be a force the Bears need.

Edge rusher: Garrick Ponder

Baylor lost its two starting edge rushers: Matthew Fobbs-White and Emar'rion Winston. Using the portal, the Bears landed Ryan Davis (KSU), who was a sought-after transfer target, along with Garrick Ponder.

You never know how it's going to work out when a player transfers from a school like Southern Mississippi to Baylor, but Ponder has the tools to become a force in Waco. Last season, he had 37 tackles, 11.5 TFLs, and 4.5 sacks for Southern Miss and now he will likely see a ton of playing time under Klanderman.

The 6'2", 250-pound edge rusher had a terrific 79.5 pass rushing grade by Pro Football Focus last season and Baylor would love to see more production from its edge rushers in 2026 — that's where Ponder could thrive.

Linebacker: Kaleb Burns

The four-star linebacker wasn't expecting to see a ton of playing time in 2025 when he came to campus. But injuries to Travion Barnes and Phoenix Jackson made Burns grow up quickly in Dave Aranda's defense.

Both Burns and Kyland Reed saw a lot of playing time alongside former Baylor star linebacker Keaton Thomas. Burns will now enter Year 2, possibly coming off the bench behind Barnes and Reed in 2026. But Burns' upside is arguably the highest of any linebacker on the roster and Baylor will make sure he sees the field.

After a 19-tackle Year 1 for Baylor, Burns could be in store for a big rise in 2026.

Cornerback: Calvin Simpson-Hunt

Things didn't materialize the way Calvin Simpson-Hunt had thought they would when he transferred from Ohio State to Baylor. He was hoping to use the experience he had from the Buckeyes' national championship and bring it to the Bears.

But the former four-star prospect saw the field in just seven games for Baylor in a reserve role. The Bears went out and landed multiple cornerbacks from the transfer portal and the unit is a little full right now, and Simpson-Hunt will have to show that he's ready to see the field.

The one thing about it is that Ohio State rarely misses on talent evaluation and Simpson-Hunt's tape was good and it's just about putting it all together. The Bears need a few players to step up with LeVar Thornton.

Safety: Bo Onu

Onu saw action in seven games for Baylor in a reserve role as the STAR. The Carrollton (TX) native had some hype coming out of spring practice last season and he could be ready to step into a bigger role for Baylor in 2026.

Jacob Redding is back for another year, but after losing Carl Williams, DJ Coleman, and Devyn Bobby, Baylor will be looking for somebody to emerge this spring.

Redding, Tyler Turner, and Onu could make up a good safety trio for Klanderman to utilize this fall.