Could Baylor Have Big 12's Best Defense?
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It's evident that Baylor lost a good portion of its defensive production from last season with Terrel Bernard and Jalen Pitre being drafted. Still, maybe Dave Aranda's Bears have enough in the chamber to reload and return as a premier unit in the Big 12.
Judging by just the defensive line and linebacking corps, Baylor could vie for a top-5 defense nationally in 2022. The problem, then, starts when you consider the secondary and its woes last season. Not only does Baylor lose production, but it loses production from a group that was already the worst area of the team. Not to say the secondary was outright bad, but it could not match the rest of the Bears' elite position groups.
But fear not. Luke Jones joins today's podcast to make the case that Baylor's defense is the strongest in the Big 12 and the secondary will be a big reason why. Rather than analyzing skill alone, Luke first looks at scheme and how Aranda and company have developed an identity in the secondary that the team is now comfortable with.
Maybe the athleticism of the team without Jalen Pitre will be noticeable, but it will come down to how well Aranda's plan is executed. Not only is Aranda's scheme elite, but it worked more and more against superiorly athletic teams as last season went on — see the Ole Miss game as an example.
Moreover, returning Christian Morgan, Snaxx Johnson and Al Walcott will be huge in turning Baylor's already good defense into great.
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