Baylor Football Suffers In-State Recruiting Loss to SMU
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With six commitments in the 2027 class, Baylor is looking to add some numbers this month as official visit season is underway. The Bears are hosting several prospects as we speak, but Baylor did suffer a loss on Saturday on the trail.
Arlington (TX) Lamar linebacker Braylon Williams opted to commit to SMU on Saturday — during his official visit — over Baylor and Kentucky, among others. Williams had an official visit lined up to visit Waco next weekend.
As of now, it's not known if he will still take a visit to Baylor, but with his commitment to the Mustangs, it's possible Williams' recruitment is over.
Blessed to say I am 100000% COMMITTED TO THE SMU MUSTANGS @samspiegs @dctf @MikeRoach247 @CoachMoCrum @rhettlashlee @GPowersScout 🐎🐎🐎🐎 pic.twitter.com/Lue1ZfB3ie
— ⭐️Braylon “BEAST” Williams⭐️ 4⭐️MLB (@BraylonW2027) June 6, 2026
The 6-foot, 215-pound linebacker is a three-star prospect on Rivals Industrial Rankings, ranked No. 474 overall. However, ESPN is higher on Williams, giving him four stars and ranking him as the No. 280 player in the country. ESPN has Williams as the eighth-best linebacker in the 2027 class.
“SMU is just a great and awesome place,” Williams previously told Rivals. “I have been to a lot of visits there and I really like that atmosphere and the staff and the fans. They have been building men and that’s what I like about SMU … Just the staff and the loyalty they have with the players after ball, and it’s Dallas.”
Baylor will continue searching for linebackers on the trail
The Baylor Bears lost a few key linebackers to the transfer portal after their 5-7 season in 2025. But the Bears did add three linebackers in the 2026 class, along with a few additions via the transfer portal. But Dave Aranda's team will need to continue recruiting linebackers at a better level moving forward.
As of now, Baylor has one linebacker in its 2027 class. Three-star Bryson Brown picked Baylor over both Arkansas and Purdue. He is a three-star prospect out of Oklahoma, ranked as the No. 1126 player in the 2027 cycle.
The Bears are set to lose starter Travion Barnes following the 2026 season. After losing him to injury last year, Barnes is back in Waco for another season, and he is expected to have a major year. Two seasons ago, he was one of the nation's top tacklers at FIU. Back in Baylor, Barnes is looking to tally similar numbers in Joe Klanderman's defense.
But in order for Baylor to continue to produce better linebackers, Aranda will have to utilize both the recruiting trail and the transfer portal.
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