The QB will also be working with a rebuilt receiving corps. 8 national ranking last fall and has Pac-12 title and CFP aspirations in 2023. Remember: this team went 1-6 in one-score games last year, including 0-6 in Big 12 play. But there are worse bets to take than a Kansas State team with a returning starter at quarterback in Will Howard, playing behind the bulk of his offensive line returning. (Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports). 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. Try a week on us. And they found some young pieces along the way, adding a few pretty good transfers as well. 2023 sets up for Texas to have its most experienced The Longhorns werent far off. 19 in the nation, good for second in the Big 12 Conference. This article was first published in the Cougar Josh Fleeks moved this offseason from receiver to running back. Projected defensive starters: DE Lonnie Phelps DT Kenean Caldwell DT Caleb Sampson* DE Malcolm Lee* LB Taiwan Berryhill* LB Gavin Potter* LB Rich Miller While Kansas State had six on both sides of the ball and added a transfer quarterback to fill one of the openings, Oklahoma State returns seven starters from the nations 53rd-best offense, according to SP+, including quarterback Spencer Sanders. Cornerback Al Walcott and safety Christian Morgan, both returning starters, will also see time at star, Roberts said. Another opposing coach agrees that Baylors offensive and defensive lines will be the strength and expects the Bears to be a contender to return to the Big 12 championship game. (Kevin Jairaj / USA Today), Baylor linebacker Dillon Doyle finished second on the team in tackles with 90 and second with 8.5 tackles for loss. Losing Deuce Vaughn and Felix Anudike-Uzomah arguably the Wildcats best player on offense and defense, respectively certainly hurts. Theres still plenty of talent in H-Town, and the offense still has enough pieces to cause havoc (the young receiving corps could be particularly nasty). Sanders may rank among the Big 12s best returning quarterbacks, and with the defense returning five starters from last years elite group, he could need to elevate his game, and the offense as a whole, for the Cowboys to finish this year atop the league standings. During a 12-0 regular season, the Horned Frogs went a perfect 5-0 in one-score games, meaning TCU wasnt far from a vastly different season. He looked inward, forcing himself to evolve. Roberts is leaning toward Walcott at star and Johnson at corner. Baylor ranked 10th in the country and first in the Big 12 in rushing offense in 2021, averaging 219.3 yards per game, leading the way to a Big 12 Championship. It was hard, but necessary. Returning Starters on Offense: 6 Offensive Coordinator Collin Klein, who was promoted to the position after a remarkable offensive output as the Wildcats Im truly excited to see what the defense will accomplish in Leading receiver Tyquan Thornton is off to the NFL and No. CLICK HERE to download the CBS Sports Mobile App and get the latest on your team today. WebThe official 2022 Football schedule for the Baylor University Bears 2021 stats: Started all 14 games at left tackle. Texas and Oklahoma are both in the middle of their respective builds: Steve Sarkisian heading into year three, Brent Venables in year two. The Wildcats have their 12 returning starters equally spread across both sides of the ball, with six on offense and six on defense. The slinger has proven he has an elite arm, and if the cards fall right, he is a legitimate contender for Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. Theres a fair amount of moxie in him.. "I thought football had to be part of it, somehow." That was a full yard improvement over 2020, which was seventh in the Big 12 and 62nd nationally. In 2021, that number rose to 2.2 yards per rush, sixth in the conference and 49th nationally, according to Pro Football Focus. Baylor tabbed a new starting quarterback. There will be more on the QBs shoulders this season with reading rushers Abram Smith and Trestan Ebner gone. Aranda recruited the 2020 four-star prospect while with the Tigers but left for Baylor before getting a chance to coach him. It certainly helps that one of the offensive starters is Deuce Vaughn. Although Baylor lost four key defenders via the NFL Draft and five starters total, theres a lot to like about the unit, starting with the defensive line. 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 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. 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. I dont say it in an ugly way, I say it as thats probably where it is right now. Grimes also looks at fifth-year senior Mose Jeffery, sophomore Micah Mazzccua and redshirt freshman tackle Tate Williams as possible contributors. 10:00 AM on Aug 5, 2022 CDT. Except for that group, every Baylor signing class since 2017 has ranked either fourth or fifth in the Big 12. I really felt we saw a different side of him, Grimes said. Breakdown: There are so many other worthy names that could have made this list, but it felt wrong to exclude one of the best tight ends in Baylor football history. If he can win the job and take advantage of both of those returning offensive starters and some potential transfer upgrades, things may be all right. 1 and in charge of moving the Bears forward on offense. 3 min read Oklahoma State actually topped our Big 12 power rankings at one point, then by years end, the Cowboys might have legitimately been the Big 12s worst team. Itll be giving up a soft edge (pretty unlikely) or second level defenders overrunning or being paralyzed by backfield candy (more likely) allowing Baylor runners a crease in the alley. 2021 stats: Six sacks (second most), 7.0 TFL, 17 total tackles. I always win. Hes the smallest guy out there but maybe the toughest guy, Grimes said. Despite the change, theres a sense of stability. Dont expect too big a slide, if any, overall. Still, he said, players wondered: Why are we doing this? But there are no proven backs with Smith and Trestan Ebner gone. To fill the void, Aranda hired former Nevada assistant Ronnie Wheat. Wheat joined the Nevada staff in 2020, coaching safeties before shifting to linebackers in 2021. True freshman Kyron Drones might be a factor in the fall camp battle for the open gig. He picked up All-Big-12 first-team honors and is now in pursuit of national recognition. BYU wide receiver Keanu Hill makes a touchdown catch against Utah Tech at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022. Much like Morgan, he is stepping into an expanded role. And while we dont think Cincinnati will be bad, the Bearcats rank last in the league in returning production, coming in at No. Galvin was an All-Big-12 first-teamer with All-American mentions to his name last season. After a 2-7 debut during a season impacted by COVID-19, the head coach pulled his team together to win the Big 12 for the first time since 2014, going 12-2 with a victory in the Sugar Bowl to cap things off. Sam Khan Jr. is a senior writer for The Athletic covering college football and recruiting primarily in Texas. 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. With Connor Galvin making the announcement that he will come back next season on Friday, the Bear will bring back all four of those guys. No other Bear tight end has caught as many touchdowns as his nine career scores. LSUs Josh White will try to bolster the linebacker corps, which does return middle linebacker Dillon Doyle. This makes the Bears With nine offensive returning starters and eight defensive returning starters and Lance Leipold getting his first spring with the team after signing on after spring ball last year, the Jayhawks should have significantly better understanding of the teams system and what it takes to compete in the Big 12. WebBaylors special teams will be in good hands with junior punter Issac Power and freshman kicker Isaiah Hankins returning. Seven months removed from winning the national championship, Baylor could be good enough to reach the final game again this season. Injuries certainly played a part, but the offseason attrition was also worrisome. But the defense let Houston down in a major way at times, including allowing 48 points to now-Big 12 foe Kansas, and will need to become more consistent in 2023. Their star defensive ends will need to be replaced, but their five returning starters make the Wolverines worthy of a high ranking in the 2022 college football preseason top 25. Iowa State enters 2022 without OT Derek Schweiger (67.1 Posted on January 10, 2022. 247Sports writer Kevin Flaherty joined Athlon Sports in predicting Texas to finish first in the Big 12 conference. Each team's returning starter count comes from Athlon's look at the conference. Those expecting last year to be a one-off for Kansas arent looking at what Kansas brings back: the Jayhawks rank second nationally in returning production, including first offensively and 10th defensively. (Kevin Jairaj / USA Today), He looked inward, forcing himself to evolve, Aranda signed a contract extension in February, but opting for its 2021 backup, Blake Shapen, over starter Gerry Bohanon. The incoming Bears represent five different states, including Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah. If Bohanon takes to development the way many second-year starting quarterbacks so, Baylor could once again be the class of the league. Will the unproven receivers step up? Returning that kind of experience should give Baylor the best offensive line in the Big 12, and possibly the country, in 2022. Iowa State ranks 28th in returning production on offense, and while the defense looks vastly different in returning production, Jon Heacock gets a bit of benefit of the doubt there. The Horns need Quinn Ewers to throw the ball capably within the construct of a run first offense. BYU wide receiver Keanu Hill makes a touchdown catch against Utah Tech at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022. And with the talent on hand on defense some of the teams most talented defenders are working with the second and third teams so far this spring improvement on that end should come quickly. The strength of the offense lies up front. It finished fourth in the Big 12 in total D and tenth in the nation in scoring defense, but the it was really, really good at was taking the ball away. If Johnson is at star, then Walcott will play corner and vice versa. The 2022 Georgia Bulldogs will be replacing a lot of experience on both sides of the ball especially on defense. The corners are unremarkable but have some size and are well schooled. While Gundy and Pokes fans seemed to have put their Hes watching closely, gauging whether the young players succeeding the departed stars will bring the same level of accountability. I expect an all conference season.6 TD catches in 21 pic.twitter.com/gOOF8Armmd. Zeno (transferred to UAB) and Brown both entered the portal last September. One opposing coach sees the Bears as a force in the Big 12 again. Craig Sqwirl Williams, 5-foot-8, 173 pounds, has battled injuries but was healthy this spring. Ronnies smart, he cares a lot, hes a tireless worker, Aranda said. . 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. 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