2022 Baylor Football Preview. Written by Brett Gibbons Brett is an avid sports traveler and former Division-I football recruiter for Bowling Green and Texas State. Hunter Dekkers is the likely Brock Purdy replacement, and he has some interesting traits to build around. 2 spot, Grimes said. Much of the fault is on Baylors second and third level defenders not hitting their run fits when runners spill wide. WebVisit ESPN to view the latest Baylor Bears news, scores, stats, standings, rumors, and more Big 12 football schedule release: Every game for every team in 2023 2022 Team Leaders. You just dont typically see that kind of shift within a season. Per PFF, Baylor QBs were pressured 35.2 percent of the time in 2020 (8th in the Big 12, 96th in the FBS) but only 29.1 percent of the time in 2021 (first in the conference, 45th nationally). Our standards are so high that it is difficult to be who you say were going to be, but Im going to stay on the path, Aranda said. AJ McCarty is ready to contribute at corner and Chateau Reed may be the most talented of Baylors corners, Roberts said. This team went 2-3 in one-score games in the regular season; getting another win or two this year certainly wouldnt be a shock. Sling it, Shape >> @BShapen @kelseyjohnsonjr #SicEm | #PersonOverPlayer pic.twitter.com/ItRAKelqx2. 2021 stats: Started all 14 games at left tackle. Prod. 7:00 AM on Aug 19, 2022 CDT. "I thought football had to be part of it, somehow." But when looking at what most Big 12 teams lose and the Longhorns ranking second in the conference in returning production (according to ESPNs Bill Connellys measurements), a Texas team that finished a game out of the Big 12 Championship Game probably makes for the best bet. In 2021, that number rose to 2.2 yards per rush, sixth in the conference and 49th nationally, according to Pro Football Focus. Your favorite teams, topics, and players all on your favorite mobile devices. Aranda signed a contract extension in February that is scheduled to keep him at the school through 2029, quieting coaching carousel discussion. LSUs Josh White will try to bolster the linebacker corps, which does return middle linebacker Dillon Doyle. Joey McGuires first team will be fascinating to watch with an offense that returns four starters but also adds Zach Kittley, the architect of last years explosive Western Kentucky group. In that regard, the Big 12 is a league in transition. Their preferred front lines up Baylor size and power on the specific Longhorn OL whove dealt with that least well and its important that the Longhorns have some run game wrinkles that allow advantageous blocking angles inside and create some conflict in Baylors clean up crew. 17 Baylor Bears football team kicks off week four with a Big 12 Conference showdown against the undefeated Iowa State Cyclones in Ames, 2022 Hes got new ideas and new ways to look at things that are going to improve all of us.. Get the fastest scores, stats, news, LIVE videos, and more. Texas has a real opportunity to hold down this unit if theyre assignment sound and the corner opposite Ryan Watts comes to play. The good is that Brent Venables may be just the coach to deal with that kind of roster turnover and has already drawn rave reviews for the way hes circled the wagons and begun building culture. Kansas hasnt won more than three games in a season since 2009, Mark Manginos final season with the program. Baylors one-two punch of Abram Smith and Trestan Ebner left the program. Editors note:This ispart of a seriespreviewing Power 5 and top Group of 5 teams for the 2022 college football season. Michael has covered Baylor football, men's and women's basketball, baseball and more. However, this years group will have some major absences to contend with, including Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Jalen Pitre and All-Big-12 first-team linebacker selection Terrel Bernard. The Red Raiders rank 31st in returning offensive production but could also stand to get a full season from Tyler Shough, which would likely lead to improvement on that end. Bohanon averaged only 157.9 passing yards per game and his completion percentage dipped to 61.5 percent in conference play. The corners are unremarkable but have some size and are well schooled. Explosive Florida State running back transfer Treshaun Ward is among the Big 12s most exciting transfer additions, and hell join DJ Giddens in making sure the Wildcats can still run the ball. Wheat also worked with Aranda at LSU, spending seven seasons as a defensive analyst for the Tigers, including all four in which Aranda was defensive coordinator. Alan Bowman transferred in to potentially take over the quarterback spot after Spencer Sanders departure, but Bowman struggled to stay healthy at Texas Tech and he attempted all of 11 passes over the last two years at Michigan combined. The defense could improve, and the cupboard is far from bare in Fort Worth, where Sonny Dykes will get back his original starting quarterback in Chandler Morris, who should sling the ball to Alabama transfer JoJo Earle, among others. While Gundy and Pokes fans seemed to have put their Projected defensive starters: DE Lonnie Phelps DT Kenean Caldwell DT Caleb Sampson* DE Malcolm Lee* LB Taiwan Berryhill* LB Gavin Potter* LB Rich Miller The 2022 class, which includes 21 signees, finished 36th. Lost in last years rough season: the Cyclones had quite a bit of young talent that took its lumps and probably needed another year to come together. But there are no proven backs with Smith and Trestan Ebner gone. Tay McWilliams is the top returning player at running back and he had just 181 yards on 17 carries last year. The transfer portal will help the Sooners make up for some of the losses, and if Dillon Gabriel can join the five returning offensive starters and hit the ground running, the Sooners could take off. Note: the 3 Bear runners have combined for a healthy 41 total catches, but they average just over 7 yards per reception. Hes joined by Matt Jones, who has been a massive drop off from the cat quick NFL draftee Terrel Bernard. After helping the Bears reach the semifinalist phase for the Joe Moore Award, he could target individual honors in 2022. "We got married in Katy, Texas, about a mile from the high school stadium," he said. 2021 stats: Started all 14 games at center. For there to be an ascent, there has to be a descent first. If Alabama transfer Amari Kight can be part of an offensive line that keeps Plumlee upright, UCF could surprise and finish much higher than this. Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards will take over a lot of the running duties with the potential to really be successful as a one-two punch. Baylor has added two more super-seniors to the list of returning players, as defensive linemen Cole Maxwell and Chidi Ogbonnaya have announced that they will be back in 2022. The former Iowa Hawkeyes presence was shown even with Bernard on the squad, and hes beloved among his peers, so expect a big year from Doyle in 2022. Get the fastest scores, stats, news, LIVE videos, and more. The strength of the offense lies up front. The proof? The Bears O-line was the most improved unit in 2021, becoming a true strength as the Bears led the Big 12 in rushing and allowed the third-fewest sacks. STAR Al Walcott is of the Big Nickel variety (6-2, 220) and he can be exploited if Texas can hunt formations to put him 1 on 1 in the slot. 2021 stats: 62-86 passes for 596 yards and five TDs (six games, two starts). Newman-Johnson will play in the 2022 East-West Shrine Bowl in February and should have his name called at the 2022 NFL Draft in April. He and his wife, Karina, got married last January and have Baylor had a backloaded schedule in terms of difficulty and theyre on a two game slide after being obliterated by Kansas State 31-3 and then losing a heartbreaker to TCU by one point in which they outplayed (an injured-riddled) TCU for most of the game. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER. Will the unproven receivers step up? 70 nationally), the players that the Cougars replace departures with are often older and more physically ready to step in than the traditional redshirt freshman or sophomore. The Bears have some athletes and plenty of raw speed, but theyre inconsistent. Ranking 77th nationally in returning production, the Sooners are somewhat middle of the pack in the Big 12 in that category. Zeno (transferred to UAB) and Brown both entered the portal last September. All aboard the Aranda train. Redshirt freshman Devin Lemear graded out the highest of all the safeties this spring, Roberts said. WACO, Texas Baylor football head coach Dave Aranda announced the signings of 20 student-athletes to the class of 2022 on Wednesday. The nucleus of the 2021 team is largely gone, with six players chosen in the NFL Draft. Powledge, a Huntsville, Texas, native who played fullback at Sam Houston, is also back in his Texas roots. Texas and Oklahoma are both in the middle of their respective builds: Steve Sarkisian heading into year three, Brent Venables in year two. This makes the Bears Redshirt freshman Kyron Drones was thrust into the backup role after Bohanons November hamstring injury. On the plus side, Shapen will have a veteran offensive line led by defending Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year Connor Galvin and reinforced y Buffalow transfer Jacob Gall. They may not have won that award in 2021, that distinction belongs to Michigan. Baylor Bear Insider One of seven returning starters from a 31-20 Baylor team, sophomore infielder Tre Richardson didn't like that aching feeling last May when the Bears were the "first team out" when the NCAA Regional selections were announced. While talent and certainly coaching are major indicators, perhaps nothing is quite as important as having good players who have already seen the field. Leading receiver Tyquan Thornton is off to the NFL and No. Key stat to know: Baylors stout defense forced the second-most third downs (200) in the Big 12 and 11th most in the Power 5 last season, a result of good early down defense. Some of those bounces are likely to go the Sooners way this season, which could mean improvement in the win column just by being less unlucky. The Big 12 may look wide open but Baylor proved themselves last year and could come back as sharp as ever with a higher ceiling at quarterback and a defense capable of holding down whatever offense they face. Baylor football shocked the Big 12 last year. He returns the attention of major offensive line award voters. Try a week on us. WebThe official 2022 Football schedule for the Baylor University Bears Ronnies smart, he cares a lot, hes a tireless worker, Aranda said. Michael Haag is a Journalism student at Baylor University in Waco, TX. Almost a third of the league has less than 10 returning starters, and seven of the Big 12's teams have 12 or fewer. With the Wildcats tied for the fourth-highest number of returning starters, and some of the players that Kansas State has back, are the Wildcats in position to become a dark horse Big 12 candidate in a year where there are few true frontrunners? Despite the change, theres a sense of stability. But those are all a far cry from a year ago, when it wasnt certain if Baylor could block consistently and installed a whole new offense. Baylor struggles to get an honest pass rush at times and they rely heavily on deceptive coverages on the back end to confound QBs and force sucker throws. 240 pound interior linebacker Dillon Doyle leads them in tackles and is also solid dropping into zone coverages (2 interceptions). For more NCAA football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages. Ive watched them go through stretches where theyre utterly dominated by aggressive corner and nickel play. Venables defensive bonafides will be put to the test with a talented, but young, group that brings back four defensive starters. Expect more transfer help at running back (UNLVs Aidan Robbins) and on both lines. Another transfer, Gall made his way from Buffalo to a key role on Baylors excellent offensive line in 2021. The clearest strength of the Baylor offense is an OL that represents the 2nd most seasoned unit in college football. That has turned each team's returning starter count into one of the most panned metrics heading into a given season. Those are some pretty big haymakers to take, and with Cincinnati bringing in 247Sports 11th-rated transfer class, Scott Satterfield could have a bit of an uphill climb to keep things where theyve been. LT Connor Galvin, RG Grant Miller, RT Kahlil Keith, and C Jacob Gall are all seniors who were eligible to return for another season in 2022. Baylor had the most players of any team in the state of Texas chosen in the 2022 NFL Draft (six) and those recruits came from the 2017 and 2018 classes, which ranked 40th and 29th, respectively. 124 nationally: 121st on offense and 107th on defense, are stepping up in conference AND are doing so while replacing head coach Luke Fickell, who went who went 53-10 over the last five years. Remember: this team went 1-6 in one-score games last year, including 0-6 in Big 12 play. Starters Gabe Former Baylor standout linebacker and Sugar Bowl MVP Terrel Bernard is a Buffalo Bill, leaving Doyle to pick up the slack. Its safe to expect him to continue performing at a high level as a blocker and as a lethal receiving threat for Shapen. He looked inward, forcing himself to evolve. He scored two offensive touchdowns (rushing and receiving) versus BYU. He knows a thing or two because hes seen a thing or two over the course of his collegiate career. Baylor will contend for the Big 12 again this year. 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