Four-Star SEC commit shares what stands out about Baylor football

In-state SEC commit shares thoughts on Baylor as recruitment starts to ramp up.

X/Twitter: @ben_duncum

In a recent article, I went over how Baylor has been on the rise as a program that is trying to flip an in-state prospect from an SEC program -- the 2026 Kentucky commit Ben Duncum. Baylor is currently in a recruiting battle with another Big 12 program, Colorado, to try and flip away from the Wildcats. Duncum had visited Waco right before his trip to Kentucky as the staff had been in long contact as the Bears originally viewed Duncum as a tackle but after seeing him in person they shifted their evaluation and are now seeing him as more of an edge rusher in their scheme.

Head Coach Dave Aranda made the offer to Duncum personally, he stated, but when he was on campus in Waco, he spent some valuable time with the assistant defensive line coach Inoke Breckterfield. The time together gave Baylor the opportunity to showcase its facilities and the atmosphere around campus. Duncum recently shared that one of the biggest things that separates Baylor from other programs during his recruitment has been "Baylor's facilities and staff," which stood out the most to him as Dave Aranda and his staff have worked to build in Waco.

#AGTG after a great conversation with @CoachNokesDL I’m blessed to receive my 29th offer from @BUFootball @ChadSimmons_ @adamgorney @RivalsFriedman @JScruggs247 @GregBiggins @SWiltfong_ @BrandonHuffman @samspiegs @GPowersScout pic.twitter.com/GwW5xwnEVF

— Ben Duncum 4⭐️ (@ben_duncum) June 19, 2025

With Baylor firmly in the picture, Duncum's recruitment won't be a pushover over and the Wildcats will not be going down without a fight. The Bears shifting their eval on the Texas product has shown some adaptability in their recruiting strategy, while the personal connections seem to be picking up in recent weeks, which should be high praise for the staff to turn up the pressure on this recruitment, time is only ticking as time is slowly running out in this 2026 class before early signing day in December so the few months will be a huge factor in trying to make a strong connection with the in-state prospect and will determine will whether their change in their recruiting approach can translate into securing the pledge of one of the top defensive prospects in the state.

Duncum has already taken an unofficial visit to Waco and has not yet decided whether he will return for an official visit. He stated, there is a lot of hype around the 2025 season as the Bears have been even projected to possibly win the Big 12 as they have had some key pieces return on both offense and defense. Can Baylor turn things around and impress Duncum enough that he could want to take an official visit this season?

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