One Returning Player Who is Ready to Become a Star for Baylor
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College football has changed. When the season ended, most fans would start focusing on the recruiting class for the following year to provide hope for the future.
There are still some elements of recruiting that are alive and well, but the world has changed. The transfer portal essentially acts as college free agency, which gets a plethora of attention in the offseason.
Sometimes, however, the best additions are the ones that are made internally. Baylor basketball learned the hard way how much relying on the transfer portal and a brand new roster can come back to bite a team, no matter how talented they are.
Internal development is going to be the key to any football roster, because there are more players on the field. Replacing an entire side of the ball, for example, is not feasible.
If Baylor is going to be better in 2026, they’re going to need some internal players to develop.
Who is ready to become a star? The bet here, is someone returning from an injury, linebacker Travion Barnes.
Who is Travion Barnes?
Barnes is somebody who Baylor fans are familiar with. He was a transfer student after spending time at both Georgia Military Academy and FIU before transferring to Baylor for the 2025 season. He was set to be one of the top players in Dave Aranda’s defense, and a potential breakout player for the 2025 season.
He ranked third nationally in tackles per game during his one year at FIU. He had 10 TFL’s, three sacks, and two interceptions. He was always around the ball, and looked to take his game to new heights when he chose to play for Aranda and the Baylor defense.
He had 11 tackles and one sack in his four games as a Baylor linebacker with the sack coming against an SMU team that made a run at the postseason in 2024.
Unfortunately, Barnes’ season ended prematurely with a torn ACL against Arizona State, which left him unable to fulfill some of the potential that he was flashing as he became more comfortable in Baylor’s defense.
Why Now?
The simple answer to this is Barnes looked like somebody ready to breakout a season ago. He was a member of the Preseason All-Big-12 team according to both Athlon and Phil Steele. There was momentum building for Barnes to make his case as one of the top linebackers in the conference, if not nationally.
Now, Barnes has had the ability to soak up all of the nuances of Baylor’s defense while he was attacking his rehab.
From a mental perspective, Barnes should know the defense like the back of his hand. On defense, that inherent knowledge can allow a defender to play without thinking.
Playing fast is one of the most important aspects that any defender can have at their disposal.
Baylor needs a linebacker to emerge
Barnes has the physical ability, as he started to prove in a short period of time. Now, Barnes will be more motivated as he will feel as if he has to make up for lost time and have a better knowledge of the defense.
Beyond that, Baylor needs him. They need to be better on defense than they were in 2025 if they’re going to have a bounce back season.
There is little doubt that it is on Barnes’ mind as well as he continues to work his way back onto the field.
If there were ever a perfect opportunity for a player to break out at a position of need, it’s Barnes, and he’s our pick to do just that.
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Jacob Westendorf is a contributing writer for Baylor Bears on SI. He is also a writer covering the Green Bay Packers for Packers on SI. Westendorf graduated from University of Wisconsin-Green Bay where he earned a degree in communication with an emphasis in journalism and mass media. He worked in newspapers in Green Bay and Rockford, Illinois. He also interned at Packer Report for Bill Huber while earning his degree. In 2018, he became a staff writer for PackerReport.com, and a regular contributor on Packer Report's "Pack A Day Podcast." In 2020, he founded the media company Game On Wisconsin. In 2023, he rejoined Packer Central, which is part of Sports Illustrated Media Group.