Baylor Football Predicted to Land In-State 2027 Edge Rusher

As of this writing, Baylor has a four-man class for the 2027 recruiting cycle. While the Bears don't have a large class in terms of numbers, Baylor is ranked inside the top 25. Dave Aranda and Co. currently have the No. 23 ranked class, per On3, and Baylor is looking to add to it soon.

Recently, Baylor was predicted to land three-star edge rusher Cael Thigpen by Rivals' Sam Spiegelman.

Thigpen is from Houston (TX) and is a 6'3", 220-pound edge rusher. Baylor currently has a 96.2% chance of landing Thigpen, per Rivals' Recruiting Prediction Machine, and Spiegelman's prediction had a 60 confidence level.

Thigpen has plans to visit Waco

Thigpen is currently ranked as the No. 1060 player in the 2027 cycle, per the Composite. He is the No. 75 edge rusher and the No. 127 player from the state of Texas. Thigpen is new to 247Sports' rankings. Until March, he wasn't ranked at all, but he's beginning to show why he should be ranked.

Thigpen announced he was taking an official visit to Baylor, which is scheduled for June 12-14. He has also announced an official visit to UNLV. Thigpen has offers from programs like Iowa State, San Diego State, SMU, Texas State, and Wake Forest, among others.

He recently told Rivals that Baylor was recruiting him the hardest and it would be a dream to play for the Bears.

Thank you @CoachCarsonHall for the opportunity. Lets GO! #sicem 🐻@CoachDaveAranda @Jamar51Chaney @EdParisJr @LarryBaylorFB @JeffGrigus @AppleberryBU @BaylorBears247 @GrayGrundhoefer @SicemRecruiting @CoachNorris3 @adamgorney @samspiegs @Perroni247 @thevillfootball @_JadynWells pic.twitter.com/OaWH7QvmZh
— Cael Thigpen (@caelthigpen) February 26, 2026

Baylor's current 2027 class

As mentioned above, Baylor currently has four members in its '27 recruiting class. The headliners are four-star athlete Karece Hoyt and four-star defensive back Davontrae Kirkland. The Bears also hold commitments from three-star linebacker Bryson Brown and three-star defensive lineman Jalen Price.

Baylor Bears on SI recently spoke with Kirkland and he named a few other players he hopes to bring to Baylor with him. Kirkland said he is really working on bringing four-star Waco Midway RB Lathan Whisentonand three-star Waxahachie QB Jerry Meyer with him in the 2027 class.

"Yessir," Kirkland said of putting his recruiting hat on. "I have started trying to pull some recruits in. Some players I’m trying to get to come with me are Lathean Whisenton and Jerry Meyer."

Baylor had a top-25 recruiting class this past cycle for most of it, but late decommitments from Jamarion Carlton, Jordan Clay, and Jamarion Vincent caused the Bears to fall.

As long as Baylor can win on the field, the Bears have a shot to land a top-25 class this cycle. But Aranda has to win on the field first.