Three Baylor Football Transfers Who Will Struggle to Earn Playing Time in 2026
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Baylor made a plethora of moves through the portal over the offseason, overhauling a great deal of the Bears roster. Coach Dave Aranda and company have brought in 32 players through the portal in total, per 247Sports.
Consequently, it means there won't be a starting role for many of these additions. They will have to scrap for playing time against other portal acquisitions and returning players for the Bears.
This article will highlight three additions that might not see much of the field during the beginning of the season.
Cole Rhett, Offensive Tackle, Toledo Transfer
The offensive line has been a position unit of interest of late for the Bears. With legal battles and scarcity at the position, there is still a good bit up in the air.
Entering camp, Rhett was expected to compete for the left tackle starting role but seems to have been beaten out by UAB transfer Logan Moore.
"Cole's playing kind of all over the place," said OL coach Austin Woods. "We're kind of getting him some reps and working him into different spots."
Not exactly what you want to hear if you are expecting him to be the day-in, day-out starter. While the versatility will be helpful, it sounds like Rhett is sliding towards a backup piece for the offensive line.
Jayden Rowe, Cornerback, Kansas State transfer
Rowe is currently listed as a fifth-year cornerback for the Bears but has an injury-riddled career and really only played special teams with very limited defensive snaps for his previous teams.
Rowe is listed as a 3-star transfer per 247Sports, yet he hasn't been mentioned much around guys like Devon Jordan, who is currently expected to start at the right corner.
Rowe only has three total college tackles across 18 games played; the ceiling might be high, but it will be risky to run him out as a starter early in the season while he remains unproven.
Jamaal Whyce Jr., Defensive Tackle, Marshall transfer
Whyce Jr. played three years at South Carolina, largely sitting on the bench before having a productive 2025 season at Marshall with 34 tackles, three sacks, and nine starts as the nose tackle.
While the nose tackle position is locked up by Indiana transfer Hosea Wheeler, Whyce has a real chance to beat out Kamren Washington for the other defensive tackle spot.
The defensive line is a competitive unit for the Bears this season, and Whyce might have to be the one with an uphill battle for a starting role.
There is time for these guys
The good news is there is a lot of football to be played for all three of these guys. While they might not get the nod against Auburn in a couple weeks, they have a season's worth of practices and games to prove themselves as crucial rotation pieces.
Hopes are still high for these gentlemen. Sometimes the scrappiest players on a team are the ones that had to fight their way to where they wanted to be.
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Bennett is an undergrad student at Baylor University, studying journalism on the sports track. He is from the DFW area and grew up playing and watching sports, which inspired him to pursue sports writing.
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