Baylor football at risk of losing another prized commitment
The state of the Baylor Bears football program is currently in an interesting predicament. After suffering a heartbreaking 31-24 loss to the Houston Cougars this past weekend, the Bears will finish the 2025-2026 season with an overall record of 5-7. Given the Bears failed to reach a win percentage above .500, they will not be eligible to play in a bowl game and will begin to look towards retooling their roster and making the necessary changes in preparation of next season.
The Bears have already indicated that head coach Dave Aranda is going to be back again for the 2026 season, and a lot of focus during the season has been on the incoming class of recruits that will be in Waco next season. Normally, following a successful season, recruits are more likely to stick with their commitments, however, given the Bears' lack of on-field production, the opposite effect has occurred.
Over the last couple of weeks, the Bears have seen their previously strong recruiting class start to crumble, specifically at the top. Their two prized recruits in the 2026 cycle, Jamarion Carlton and Jamarion Vincent, both have already flipped their commitments from Baylor to Texas and Michigan, respectively. Both Vincent and Carlton were Top 200 recruits and their subtraction from Baylor's recruiting class will be felt, especially given they were recruits of positions of need for Baylor. Along with both Carlton and Vincent, other universities have been looking at poaching other Baylor recruits, with one program making significant progress with Baylor's highest rated recruit.
This past Saturday, Baylor wide receiver commit Jordan Clay was on the University of Washington's campus for their clash versus the Oregon Ducks. Although the Huskies were unsuccessful and came up short against the Ducks, losing 26-14, they seem to have gained a lot of momentum in their efforts to flip Clay from the Bears. On Saturday, Rivals insiders Steve Wiltfong and Sam Spiegelman have logged predictions in favor of Washington to flip Clay. This was not Clay's first trip to Seattle, as he was on campus two weeks prior for the Huskies' victory over Purdue.
Although the Bears are going to fight this one to the end, at this point, all signs are pointing to Jedd Fisch and the Huskies pulling off the flip, leaving Baylor with only 1 recruit left ranked inside the Top 200. As always, we will stay tuned to see what happens, but Dave Aranda and company are going to need to fight in order to keep their remaining recruiting class together.
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Josh started covering Baylor athletics in July 2025. Prior to Baylor Bears on SI, he worked as an intern for TheMichiganInsider at 247Sports. Josh graduated from the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, with a bachelor’s degree in economics, where his passion for collegiate athletics continued to grow after attending his first game in The Big House. Combining his analytical background and his affinity for collegiate sports, Josh enjoys providing his unique perspective on the shifting dynamic equilibrium of the collegiate athletics landscape. When not watching sports, Josh enjoys cooking a nice meal, running, and traveling to new places with his friends and family.