Bears Travel to Face No. 11 Utah on Saturday

	#12/13 UTAH UTES (1-0, 0-0 Big 12) Location: Salt Lake City, Utah Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Kyle Whittingham (BYU) Roster | Stats | Game Notes	#12/13 UTAH (1-0, 0-0 Big 12) vs. BAYLOR (1-0, 0-0 Big 12) Sept. 7 • 2:30 p.m. CT Salt Lake City, Utah • Rice-Eccles Stadium (51,444) LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast WATCH: FOX Talent: Jason Benetti (PBP), Brock Huard (Analyst), Allison Wiliams (Sideline) LISTEN: Baylor Sports Media Network via ESPN 1660 AM / 92.3 FM in Central Texas and worldwide at centexsportsfan.com Talent: John Morris (PBP), J.J. Joe (Analyst), Ricky Thompson (Sildeline) SIRIUS XM: SiriusXM 137 or 200 or on the SXM App Baylor Social Media:
	BAYLOR BEARS (1-0, 0-0 Big 12) Location: Waco, Texas  Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Dave Aranda (Cal Lutheran, 1999) Roster | Stats | Game Notes (PDF)

WACO, Texas — Baylor hits the road for the first time in 2024 for a non-conference clash at No. 12/13 Utah on Saturday in Salt Lake City. Kickoff at Rice-Eccles Stadium is slated for 2:30 p.m. CT and the game will be televised live on FOX and broadcast live on the Baylor Sports Media Network. 

 

The game will be called on FOX by Jason Benetti (play-by-play), Brock Huard (analyst) and Allison Williams (sideline). The Voice of the Bears, John Morris (play-by-play) will be joined on the radio call by BU greats J.J. Joe (analyst) and Ricky Thompson (sideline). 

 

Baylor (1-0) will face off with the Utes (1-0) in a non-conference game in Utah’s first year in the Big 12 Conference. The game is a return trip from a 2023 game between the schools in Waco, and despite the addition of Utah to the conference, the teams and league agreed to keep this contest as a non-league matchup. The Bears will play 10 Big 12 teams in 2024, with its non-Big 12 opponents including Tarleton State in week 1 and Air Force in week 3. 

 

The Bears are coming off a 45-3 win over Tarleton in the season opener, which marked the 10^th anniversary of the opening of McLane Stadium, which debuted on Aug. 31, 2014 with a 45-0 shutout of SMU. The defensive performance vs. Tarleton was Baylor’s best since the 45-0 win over SMU in 2014 in the lid-lifter for McLane Stadium. 

 

Baylor saw its defense hold Tarleton to nine first downs, 181 yards of total offense and just 80 yards passing. Offensively, QB Dequan Finn had a pair of TD passes and added a 39-yard rush in his debut, throwing for 192 yards. Ketron Jackson Jr., Michael Trigg and Ashtyn Hawkins each hauled in TD grabs, with sophomore RB Dawson Pendergrass adding his sixth career rushing TD. The Bears rolled to 442 yards of total offense, including 164 on the ground and 278 passing. Defensively, LB Matt Jones and DL Jackie Marshall each had seven tackles to lead the team and LB Keaton Thomas returned an interception for a TD, adding four stops. 

 

SCOUTING THE UTES

• Utah comes into the matchup with the Bears having posted a 49-0 on Aug. 29 vs. Southern Utah in Salt Lake. The Utes rolled to 513 yards of total offense and held Southern Utah to just 150 yards total, opening up a 35-0 lead in the first half, all in front of the second-largest crowd in Utah history, 52,210. 

• The Utes win over Southern Utah saw the return of veteran QB Cameron Rising and Brant Kuithe, with Rising throwing for 254 yards and five TDs on 10-of-15 passing. The Utes combined for 185 yards rushing and saw Dijon Stanley catch three balls for 150 yards and two scores and Kuithe go for three TDs. 

• Last year, Utah went 8-5, including a 5-4 mark in the Pac 12, while averaging 23.2 points, 348.4 yards of total offense, 165.9, and 182.5 yards per game rushing. Defensively, UU allowed 307.2 yards per game, including 224.9 passing and 82.8 rushing. Utah posted non-conference wins over Florida, Baylor, Weber State and in a bowl game vs. Northwestern last year, while earning league ranked wins over No. 22 UCLA and No. 18 USC. 

• Rising returns for 2024 as a veteran leader for the Utes, oning 5,826 yards passing and 51 TDs over his career, to just 14 interceptions. He has also rushed for 978 yards and 12 TDs in his career. 

• Utah is led by the all-time winningest coach in Utes history, Kyle Whittingham, who is in his 20th year at the helm with a 162-79 record, including an 11-6 mark in bowl games. He previously spent 11 years as an assistant coach and has led Utah to a winning record in 17 of his previous 19 years, including 10 straight seasons. He is a graduate of BYU and owns two degrees from the school as a native of Provo. Whittingham has four children, including a pair of sons who played for him. 

• Morgan Scalley is the defensive coordinator and safeties coach, Andy Ludwig coordinates the offense and coaches QBs and Jim Harding is the assistant head coach and offensive line coach. Scalley is in his 19th year as a coach at Utah and his eighth as the DC. He is a former All-America safety who was a finalist for the Broyles Award in 2019 when Utah ranked second in the nation in total defense. He leads a defense with the monikor RSNB – Relentless, Smart, Nasty, Ballhawks. Ludwig is in his sixth year of a second stint at Utah, where he was also the OC for the undefeated 2008 season (also from 2005-08), also spending time at Cal (2009-10), SDSU (2011-12), Wisconsin (2013-14) and Vanderbilt (2015-18). Harding is in his 11th season as the offensive line coach and has been the assistant head coach since 2017. 

 

LAST MEETING

• Utah won the first meeting in the series last year in Waco in Week 2, using a late-game, fourth-quarter rally to post a 20-13 win. The Bears enterd the fourth quarter leading 13-6, using a gutsy performance from backup QB Sawyer Robertson, who was playing with an injured ankle. The Bears owned a 13-3 lead late in the third quarter before Utah rattled off 17 unanswered, including a game-tying TD with 1:59 left, before getting the ball back on an interception and scoreing the go-ahead TD with 17 seconds remaining. Baylor’s quick drive put the game in a spot for a heave towards the endzone from Robertson to Ketron Jackson but Jackson couldn’t come down with the contested catch. 

• Utah totaled 377 yards of offense, icnluding 153 in the air and 224 rushing. Baylor had 339 yards of total offense, going for 218 passing and 121 rushing. Robertson was 12-for-28 for 218 yards and a pair of interceptions, with Dominic Richardson rushing 14 times for 77 yards, Hal Presley catching four balls for 72 yards and Matt Jones totaled 10 tackles. Kyler Jordan notched his first career interception late in the first half. For Utah, Ja’Quinden Jackson rushed 19 times for 129 yards, Mikey Matthews caught four balls for 48 yards and Levani Damuni had nine tackles. 

 

CONNECTING THE TEAMS

• Baylor Coach Dave Aranda served on the Wisconsin staff with then UW offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig, the current OC for Utah. The two were on the same staff in 2013 and 2014, with each serving as the coordinators of their respective sides of the ball. 

• BU long snapper Garrison Grimes is from American Fork, Utah.

 

BAYLOR VS. TOP-25 FOES

• Baylor will be facing Utah in its first ranked foe matchup of the year. 

• BU is 59-197-6 against ranked foes all-time. In 2021, Baylor went 5-1 against ranked teams, including wins in four-straight chances, and three straight against top-eight foes. 

• Under Coach Dave Aranda, the Bears are 5-12 vs. AP top-25 ranked foes but have lost eight straight. 

• By comparison, former coach Art Briles lost 14 straight games against ranked foes to open his career, going 11-22 against ranked opponents in his career. Jim Grobe went 0-2 in his season in Waco, and Matt Rhule went 0-11 against ranked opponents at Baylor. 

 

10TH ANNIVERSARY OF MCLANE STADIUM OPENING

• The game vs. Tarleton marked the 10th anniversary of the opening of McLane Stadium, a 45,140-seat facility sitting on the banks of the Brazos River. McLane Stadium opened on Aug. 31, 2014 with a 45-0 drubbing of SMU in front of 45,733, the first game after a 2013 Big 12 Conference Championship season and the first game of a 2014 Big 12 Conference Championship season. 

• The 45-3 win over Tarleton actually marked the best defensive performance in the program since the 45-0 shutout of the ‘Stangs in 2014. 

 

BEARS IN SEASON OPENERS

• Baylor owns an 82-37-4 all-time record in season lid-lifters. 

• The Bears are 92-27-4 in home openers.

• Under Coach Dave Aranda, the Bears are 4-1 in season lid-lifters and 4-1 in home openers. 

 

PRESEASON HONORS

• The Bears have had several players honored in the preseason during watch list season. Among the most notable include senior WR Monaray Baldwin, who is No. 41 on the Bruce Feldman Freak’s List, in addition to a spot on the Reese’s Senior Bowl Watch List. WR Josh Cameron is a preseason All-America selection as a punt returner, Ashytyn Hawkins is on the Biletnikoff Award Preseason Watch List, given to the nation’s best WR, and CB Caden Jenkins is a preseason all-conference pick. 

• QB Dequan Finn is on the Maxwell, Davey O’Brien, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm and Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Preseason Watch List. Hall Presley sits on the College Sports Communicators Comeback Player of the Year Award Watch List and OLB Kyler Jordan is on the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List. 

• RB Richard Reese sits on the Hornung Award and Jet Award preseason watch lists. 

 

FINN IS QB1

• A story throughout the spring and into fall camp has been the battle for the starting quarterback job. The Bears returned junior QB Sawyer Robertson, who made four starts in his debut season in 2023 after transfering as a former four-star recruit from Mississippi State, and in the spring added former MAC Player of the Year Dequan Finn from Toledo. 

• After the second scrimmage of fall camp and on Monday, Aug. 19, the Bears named Finn the starting quarterback. The 6-foot-2, 206-pound fifth-year senior played in 45 games over his career at Toledo, throwing for 7,074 yards with 63 TDs and 539 completions, also rushing for 1,840 yards and 26 TDs in his 32-start career, where he went 23-9 as a starter. 

• Finn led Toledo to an 11-2 record in 2023 and an 8-0 mark in conference play, including 11 straight wins to end the regular season. A two-time invitee to the Manning Passing Academy, Finn was named 2023 MAC Championship Game MVP and the Boca Raton Bowl Offensive MVP a year after an all-conference season in a nine-win campaign as a junior. 

• Among active NCAA QBs, Finn ranks 25th with 7,271 career passing yards, ninth with 91 total TDs responsible for and 13th with 65 career passing TDs. 

• The matchup on Saturday with Utah’s Cam Rising marks a battle of two accomplished QBs, with Rising ranking 33rd among active QBs in passing TDs (51) and 49th in passing yards (5,826)

 

FINN EFFORTING HISTORY

• Baylor QB Dequan Finn is in elite company as a player who has thrown for 2,000+ yards and rushed for 500+ yards in three consecutive seasons. 

• If Finn can accomplish that feat again in 2024, he will be the third player in the history of college football, joining Colin Kaepernick (Nevada) and Dan LeFevour (Central Michigan). 

 

FRESHMEN SNAPS LED BIG 12 IN 2023

• Baylor played a very freshmen heavy roster in 2023 and that total plays out when sorting the number of snaps played by freshman on offense and defense by Big 12 schools in the regular season. 

• The Bears played a total of 4,505 snaps on offense and defense from freshmen, which was tops in the Big 12 and ahead of second place Iowa State (3,327) and third-place Oklahoma (2,612). Kansas played only 126 snaps on both sides of the ball by freshmen, tops in the league. 

• Conversely, Baylor played the third-fewest snaps by freshmen in the Big 12, with 5,159 snaps by seniors. Iowa State played the fewest senior snaps (3,214), followed by West Virginia (4,038). Oklahoma State played seniors 11,713 snaps, with Texas Tech playing 11,617 snaps by seniors. 

• Baylor ranked seventh in the Big 12 in terms of offensive/defensive snaps by juniors (led by WVU) and sixth by sophomores (led by Iowa State). 

 

FOURTH-MOST WINS IN TEXAS IN LAST 10+ YEARS

• Through week 1 of the 2024 season, Baylor has won 100 games since 2011, fourth-most among the state of Texas’ 12 FBS teams during that time.

• BU’s 100 wins in the last 10+ years are shy of Texas A&M (103), TCU (102), Houston (101), and ahead of Texas (96), SMU (82), UTSA (79), Texas Tech (77), North Texas (70), Rice (60), Texas State (48) and UTEP (46).

 

ROSTER FULL OF GRADUATES

• Baylor boasts 13 players who have already earned their undergraduate degrees, including Isaiah Davis (Abilene Christian), JaQues Evans (Western Kentucky), DeQuan Finn (Toledo), Caleb James (Rice), Matt Jones, Devin Lemear, Steve Linton (Texas Tech), Treven Ma’ae, Brooks Miller, Garmon Randolph, Chateau Reed, Colin Truett (UT Chattanooga) and Josh White. 

 

SPRING ENROLLEES

• A total of 19 of Baylor’s newcomers arrived on campus to participate in spring practice. 

• Among the spring enrollees included transfers Michael Trigg (Ole Miss), Ashtyn Hawkins (Texas State), Dequan Finn (Toledo), Steve Linton (Texas Tech), Keaton Thomas (NE Miss. CC), Kendrick Simpkins (Western Kentucky), Lorando Johnson (Arkansas), Jamaal Bell (Nevada), Cameren Jenkins (UNLV), JaQues Evans (Western Kentucky) and Omar Aigbedion (Montana State). 

• Freshman early enrolees included Kyler Beaty, Nate Bennett, Kris Wokomah, Kyland Reed, Brock Jackson, Koltin Sieracki and Jadon Porter. 

• Several transfers have enrolled during the summer, including Rara Dillworth (East Carolina), Ronnie Mageo (Miss. Gulf Coast CC), Sidney Fugar (South Carolina), Colin Truett (UT Chattanooga), Colton Thomasson (Texas A&M), Tonga Lolohea (Tyler JC) and Elinus Noell III (Texas Southern).

 

ARANDA TAKES OVER DEFENSE

• Coach Dave Aranda enters the 2024 season in his fifth season leading the Bears. 

• Aranda has taken over defensive play calling duties and serves as the lead position coach for the inside linebackers in 2024. This came after he previously let his defensive coordinators call plays, including Ron Roberts and Matt Powledge. Powledge remains the defensive coordinator and is the safeties coach in 2024. 

• Aranda led the LSU defense in 2019 as the Tigers posted a perfect 15-0 record and won the National Title with a 42-25 victory over Clemson in CFP National Championship Game.

• In six seasons as defensive coordinator at Power 5 schools from 2014-19, his defenses were ranked top-12 nationally in total yards five times. The units also ranked top-10 in scoring four times in seven years from 2013-19.

 

DISCIPLINE SHOWS IN PENALTY AVOIDANCE

• Under Coach Dave Aranda, the Bears have consistently been one of the best teams in the nation in avoiding penalties. In 2023, the Bears led the Big 12 in fewest penalty yards per game and rank sixth nationally. 

• Baylor ranks fourth in the Big 12 in terms of fewest penalty yards per game from 2020-23 and third among teams that have been in the Big 12 all of those seasons. 

• Baylor has ranked first or second in penalty yards per game over the last two seasons. 

 

BAYLOR LEADS NCAA IN FOOTBALL, BASKETBALL WINS

• Baylor athletics is in the midst of a historic run of success, including recent national titles in men’s and women’s basketball, and football coming off a Big 12 Conference Championship in 2021 and the 2022 Sugar Bowl. 

• Since 2011, and as of the end of the 2023-24 athletics season, no other school can compete with Baylor’s run, as the Bears lead the nation in wins combined among football, and men’s and women’s basketball. Baylor has 46 more wins than the next closest school, UConn. 

 

ADDING VIA THE PORTAL

• Coach Dave Aranda has added 22 players via the transfer portal for the 2024 season. It marked the second largest portal addition for the Bears under Aranda, as BU added 13 players via the portal for the 2023 season, which came a year after adding a limited number for the 2022 season. 

• Baylor has a total of 39 new players in 2024, with 56.4 percent of that group coming in the from of transfers, including walk-ons. 

• Portal additions include Michael Trigg (Ole Miss), Ashtyn Hawkins (Texas State), Dequan Finn (Toledo), Steve Linton (Texas Tech), Keaton Thomas (NE Miss. CC), Kendrick Simpkins (WKU), Lorando Johnson (Arkansas), Jamaal Bell (Nevada), Isaiah Davis (Morehead State), Cameren Jenkins (UNLV), Rara Dillworth (East Carolina), JaQues Evans (WKU), Ronnie Mageo (Miss. Gulf Coast CC), Ka’Marii Landers (Copiah-Lincoln [Miss.] CC), Omar Aigbedion (Montana State), Sidney Fugar (South Carolina), Colin Truett (UT Chattanooga), Colton Thomasson (Texas A&M), Seth Weller (Redlands CC), Tonga Lolohea (Tyler JC), Elinus Noell III (Texas Southern) and Caleb James (Rice). 

 

FOURTH OLDEST NON-KICKER IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL

• Baylor junior defensive lineman David Marshall is the fourth-oldest non-kicker in college football. Marshall joined the roster prior to the 2023 season after a junior college season at Navarro College. He previously served in the military. 

• Only New Mexico’s Colby Brewer (age 29), Arkansas WR Monte Harrison (27) and Kansas LB Alex Raich (27) are older than Marshall in college football. 

 

WELCOME TO THE FUDGE CENTER

• On Monday, Aug. 19, after a weekend move, the Baylor football program officially opened the Fudge Family Development Center, a sparkling new $89.6 million dollar facility that houses all things Baylor football. 

• On the strength of a $15 million dollar gift from the Fudge Family, Baylor has built one of the best football development centers in the nation, housing state-of-the-art locker rooms, team meeting spaces, walk-thru rooms, coaching offices, athletic medicine and strength & conditioning spaces. In addition, the facility added 20 yards and revamped the Allison Indoor Facility. 

 

PERSON > PLAYER

• A hallmark of Coach Dave Aranda‘s philosophy in building a program is placing an importance on understanding that the person is more important than the player. This mantra is executed in everything the program touches on a daily basis. Throughout the football building, signage adorns the walls that emphasize, “better people make better players” and that Baylor will “win with character”. 

• Aranda preaches that players focus on today and be authentically themselves in an effort to be comfortable and confident in their roles.

 

FEMALE LEADERSHIP IN PROGRAM

• Baylor is one of just two power-4 conference schools in the country with a lead female sport program administrator and a female director of operations, with Deputy AD Jovan Overshown leading the program and Landrie Walsh serving as Director of Football Operations. 

• Only Kansas State and Baylor qualify in this category, with Kacey Harper serving as the DFO for the Wildcats and Jill Shields as the SPA. 

• There are 10 female DFOs in college football and just five in power-4 conferences, including three in the Big 12. 

 

ARANDA THROUGH 49 GAMES IN BAYLOR HISTORY

• Dave Aranda is 24-25 in his first 49 games as the Baylor head coach, which is the best record through that stretch since John D Bridgers (1959-63) went 27-21. Only George Sauer (1950-54), Morley Jenkins (1926-30), Frank Bridges (1920-24) and Charles P. Mosely (1914-19) have more wins through the first 49 games of their BU head coaching career. Through the same 49-game stretch Art Briles was 24-25. 

            

REESE’S PIECES 

• Baylor junior running back Richard Reese enters his third year in the backfield for the Bears and is quickly carving out a spot in Baylor history with his production. 

• The Bellville, Texas, native sits No. 32 all-time in Baylor rushing history entering his junior season. He is coming off a season that saw him rush for two TDs and 306 yards, a year after he ranked fifth among college football freshman in rushing with 982 yards and 14 TDs. His 16 career rushing TDs ranks shy of the top-10, which starts with Bryce Petty and Devin Chafin with 21 TDs. 

• Reese was selected to attend the 2024 Big 12 Media Days in Las Vegas in the preseason and is a key member of a running back room that also includes Baylor’s top two rushers from 2023, Dominic Richardson and Dawson Pendergrass, and dynamic redshirt freshman Bryson Washington. 

• Reese shined in 2023 as a kick returner, taking a pair of kickoff to the house for TDs in the season finale vs. West Virginia. 

 

D-PENDY EMERGES

• In 2023, the Bears used true freshman running back Dawson Pendergrass extensively as his brusing nature of running and ability in the pass game proved to be productive. A 6-foot-2, 218-pound product of Alba, Texas, Pendergrass totaled 79 carries for 338 yards and a team-leading five TDs. He also caught 26 balls – fourth on the team – for 199 yards and two TDs. 

• Among freshmen with 75 or more carries in 2023, Pendergrass ranked sixth in terms of total offensive grades. 

 

HANKINS TAKING AIM AT RECORD BOOKS

• Baylor returns a three-year starter in the field-goal role, redshirt junior Isaiah Hankins. Hankins has been the starting kicker for the majority of the 2021 and 2023 seasons. He opened the year in the role in 2022 before veteran John Mayers – who finished his career ranked third all-time in points scored – regained the job that he had previously lost to Hankins in 2021. 

• Hankins, a native of Little Rock, Ark., is a lefty kicker who enters his fourth year on campus ranked among the program leaders in a bevy of kicking categories. In BU career history, he checks in in the top 10 in points, field goals made, attempts, field-goal percentage, PAT kicks made, PAT attempts and PAT kick percentage. In Baylor single-season history, his 2021 season ranked him eighth in points scored, sixth in PATs made and PAT attempts, third in field-goals made and fourth in attempts in 2023.

 

NATION’S TOP-RANKED SPECIAL TEAMS UNIT IN 2023

• According to the 2023 FEI Rankings via BCFToys.com, Baylor finished the year with the top-ranked special teams unit in college football. A combination of kickers Isaiah Hankins, kickoff specialist Jack Stone, punter Palmer Williams, long snappers Garrison Grimes and Dylan Schaub, and returners Josh Cameron and Richard Reese, helped the Bears lead the FEI special teams rankings. 

• FEI Special Teams Ratings (SFEI) are opponent-adjusted possession efficiency data representing the scoring advantage per non-garbage possession a team’s non-offensive and non-defensive units would expect to have on a neutral field against an average opponent.

 

LONG SNAPPER OF EXCELLENCE

• Baylor returns a three-year starter at long snapper in redshirt junior Garrison Grimes. After suffering a season-ending injury in week six at UCF, Grimes turned the job over to true freshman Dylan Schaub, a former high school linebacker who excelled in the role in place of Grimes, including a spot coming off the bench to snap the game-winning field goal of the UCF comeback win. 

• Grimes is a clear leader of the team, is a 6-foot-4, 225-pound physical presence who has returned fully from injury to solidify the role again in 2024. Grimes boasts a tremendous ability as a punt coverage specialist and had a pair of fumble recoveries in a matchup with No. 4 Texas in 2023. 

• Grimes, a native of American Fork, Utah, is the son of former Baylor offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Jeff Grimes. Jeff took over as the offensive coordinator at Kansas in the offseason and Garrison’s younger brother joined his father at Kansas as a walk-on defensive end. 

 

WALK-ON TO WEAPON – THE JOSH CAMERON STORY

• Baylor junior wide receiver Josh Cameron is a veteran presence and leader for the BU wide outs. He came to the Bears as a walk-on receiver from powerhouse Cedar Park High School and quickly earned a role after his redshirt season. 

• Cameron, a 6-foot-1, 218-pounder, is a noted tough-catch maker, with a real ability to make crucial, clutch catches while going across the middle. He has routinely been singled out as one of the best run blockers among the receiving corps while also showcasing an ability to be a surehanded option in punt returns. 

• Largely limited to fair catches in his punt return role, when Cameron was unleashed in that role he excelled, including a 15.5 yard average in 2023 that saw him return a punt 70 yards. He enters the 2024 season in a position battle for the punt return job with speedy slot receivers like Jamaal Bell, Monaray Baldwin and Ashtyn Hawkins, but is also a preseason All-America selection by Phil Steele in the role. 

 

BROTHER BEAR

• Baylor has a pair of brothers on its 2024 roster, including defensive backs Caden and Cameren Jenkins, and offensive lineman Kaden and Koltin Sieracki. 

• The Jenkins are reunited after Cameren started his career in the safety rotation at UNLV last year and joins his 2023 Freshman All-America brother, Caden, who starred at cornerback in 2023. 

• The Sierackis are reunited after Kaden played his last two years for the Bears, redshirting in 2022 and earning a starting job in 2023. Koltin was a highly recruited prospect out of The Woodlands and is currently a true freshman who is fighting for time at center. 

 

DEEP RB ROOM

• Baylor’s running back room is loaded with talent, including 2022’s leading rusher, Richard Reese, who had 14 TDs as a freshman, and a pair of backs who ranked first and second on the team in rushing yards, senior Dominic Richardson and sophomore Dawson Pendergrass. 

• Redshirt freshman Bryson Washington has also emerged as a key member of the room, after playing in three games in 2023 to maintain a redshirt and following an injury in fall camp that limited his ability to make a splash, despite being a story of spring practice. 

• The tailbacks are set to shine in an new offense that shifts from the grind-it-out style of 2021-23, opening up the offensive attack under new offensive coordinator Jake Spavital, who while at his last stop in 2023 at Cal, helped Jayden Ott to a prolific season. 

 

GRAB YOUR SNAXX

• A welcome addition to the Baylor secondary in the offseason was the re-addition of redshirt senior cornerback Lorando Johnson. 

• Johnson played his first three years at Baylor and was a key member of the cornerback rotation, before transferring to Arkansas for the 2023 season. Johnson, nicknamed “Snaxx” for his love of snacks, started all 12 games at Arkansas between corner and nickel, with career highs in tackles (29), TFLs (4), and PBUs (5). 

• Johnson, a 6-foot, 192-pounder started the Sugar Bowl in 2021 for the Bears, during his redshirt freshman season, then started 12 games in 2022. He has the ability to play both cornerback and STAR and brings an experience, competitive energy and juice to the secondary that benefits the back-end of the defense. 

 

JONES, THOMAS LEAD INSIDE LINEBACKERS

• A story of spring and fall camp has been the play of Baylor’s inside linebackers. Led by sixth-year senior Matt Jones, and future standout JUCO transfer Keaton Thomas, the Bears are positioned to have that group be a unit of strength in 2024. 

• Jones, a 6-foot-4, 245-pounder, has been a three-year starter for the Bears, including last two years at inside linebacker and one year at outside linebacker during the 2021 Big 12 Championship season. In 2023, Jones started all 12 games at inside linebacker and led the team with 82 tackles and 11.5 tackles for a loss. He added three sacks, five pass break-ups and one QB hurry with two 10+ tackle games. 

• Since 2013, Jones 11.5 TFL were the fifth-most by a Baylor ILB, behind only Taylor Young’s 13.5 TFL in 2015, Eddie Lackey’s 13.0 in 2013, Terrel Bernard’s 12.5 TFL in 2021 and Bryce Hager’s 12.0 in 2014. 

• It took Baylor very little time to recognize that Thomas had star potential opposite Jones at the linebacker level. Thomas was a choice to attend Big 12 Media Days, along with Jones, due to his clear vocal and physical leadership, in addition to this ability to change the game with a quick-twitch nature and athleticism. A former walk-on safety at West Virginia who transitioned to Northeast Mississippi Community College, Thomas, a 6-2, 224 pound native of Jacksonville, Fla., had 107 tackles – second most in junior college football – in 2023 as a redshirt freshman. 

• This position  group, coached by Dave Aranda and Jamar Chaney, also boasts several additional talented options, including redshirt sophomore Jeremy Evans, redshirt sophomore Carmello Jones, senior transfer Rara Dillworth, redshirt senior Josh White, and a freshman options in Kyland Reed. 

 

CADEN JENKINS READY FOR ENCORE

• As a freshman Caden Jenkins was a big-play machine and earned freshman All-America honors as a second teamer from The Athletic. He had three interceptions to lead the Baylor defense, which ranked tied for second in the nation among freshmen. 

 

YOUNG DB TALENT

• Baylor had a smorgasbord of freshman talent on the field in 2023 and none shined more than a pair of freshmen corner backs, including Caden Jenkins and Carl Williams IV. 

• Jenkins earned All-America honors while making seven starts. The 6-foot-1, 177-pounder had 37 tackles, three interceptions, three PBUs and two fumble recoveries. 

• Williams emerged quickly as a leader for the defense, playing in all 12 games with five starts at STAR. He ranked No. 38 in the nation among all qualified cornerbacks in pass coverage. He came in as a cornerback and shifted full time to the STAR role midway through the year. 

• Beyond Jenkins and Williams the Bears are boosted by Levar Thornton Jr., a redshirt freshman who stands 6-foot-3, Reggie Bush II, Tevin Williams III, and the return of senior Lorando Johnson, who started 12 games at CB for the Bears in 2022 before starting 12 games for Arkansas in 2023. Miami (Fla.) transfer Isaiah Dunson is working his way back from injury, and started the season opener in 2023.  

• At safety, juniors Devin Lemear and Devyn Bobby have been key starters on the back end of the defense, and Chateau Reed had a breakout season where he started all 12 games at cornerback in 2023.

 

UP NEXT

• Baylor will return home to McLane Stadium to host Air Force in a black-out game dubbed Mission Black Ops, which will kickoff live on FS1 at 6:30 p.m. 

 

REVAMPING TIGHT ENDS

• From 2021-23 Baylor’s tight ends were coached by its offensive coordinator, Jeff Grimes, making him one of a handful of OCs nationally to also coach tight ends. This has led to a large amount of talent in the tight end room at the fingertips of new OC Jake Spavital. 

• The Bears return several key players in the rotation at TE in 2024, including sophomore Matthew Klopfenstein and junior Kelsey Johnson. In addition, the Bears have welcomed dynamic talent Michael Trigg to the roster. A 6-foot-4, 246 pound fourth-year junior, Trigg transferred  in the spring from Ole Miss and Southern Cal, as a former four-star, top-100 recruit. Trigg is a former Mackey Tight End of the Year Award Watch List member. 

• In addition to Trigg, Klopfenstein and Johnson, the Bears have redshirt freshman Hawkins Polley as a key option, with Polley playing in two games that included a touchdown grab in an overtime clash with Houston. Veteran Gavin Yates has taken to the new Spavital system and gives the Bears great options at the up-back role, in addition to tight end sets and as a special teams force. 

 

MCLANE STADIUM ENHANCEMENTS

• Baylor has enhanced the nation’s best game stadium, McLane Stadium, in the offseason, completing an eight-figure project, including installation of upgraded and additional videoboards, the construction of new production control rooms, and the addition of a premium hospitality structure.

.• The LED ribbon board displays and the main videoboard display, which were original to McLane Stadium since its construction in 2014, have been upgraded to enhance both functionality and the visual elements of the fan experience. A high-quality video display is being added to the back of the main videoboard structure to add revenue opportunities and enhance the South Plaza experience on game days. 

• The south end zone of McLane will become even more of a focal point during games, as a premium hospitality clubhouse will be added beneath the video board, providing a one-of-a-kind experience along with a Berm-view of the action. 

• The construction of new production control rooms on the east side of the stadium will allow Baylor to produce multiple broadcasts at one time and fully centralize operations.

 

JACKIE MARSHALL BACK TO FULL HEALTH

• One of the most impactful injuries for the Bears in 2023 came in the form of defensive lineman Jackie Marshall, who went down during the spring and missed the 2023 season. 

• Marshall, who played linebacker as a redshirt freshman in 2022 and earned praise as a future standout, was shifting full time to the defensive line to rave reviews in the spring before the 2023 season. 

• Since returning from injury in the spring of 2024, Marshall has been a key member of the defensive line. An athletic 6-foot-3, 290-pounds, Marshall has worked hard to add strength to his frame and is positioned to have a big season as a redshirt junior, with the possibility of him getting a medical redshirt for his missed 2023 season. 

• As a redshirt freshman in 2022, Marshall had 22 tackles, two for a loss and one fumble recovery, owning two QB hurries and three PBUs in 12 of 13 games. 

 

SLEW OF ELITE WR OPTIONS

• The Bears are boosted by a group of standout wide receiver options in 2024, including key returners in Monaray Baldwin, Ketron Jackson Jr., Hal Presley and Josh Cameron. That group of four have played significant football and been key targets throughout their careers, with Baldwin, Jackson and Presley working through injuries over the 2022-23 seasons and Cameron establishing himself as a weapon after coming to the Bears as a walk-on from powerhouse Cedar Park High School. 

• In addition to the veteran returnees, the Bears have added weapons in Ashtyn Hawkins, a transfer from Texas State, where he set the program standard in receiving, Nevada’s all-time leading kickoff returner Jamaal Bell, and freshman standout Jadon Porter. 

• Additional options at WR include Cameron Bonner, Jonah Burton – who was a story of 2023 fall camp and earned starting roles in 2023. True freshman Jadon Porter has also made a spash early in his career and has earned significant praise from WR coach Dallas Baker. 

 

OFFENSIVE LINE SEASONING

• The Baylor offensive line is looking to regain a pride point in the program after a season that saw the Bears play a bevy of youthful talent in 2023. BU returns four offensive line starters, welcomes some key transfers, and has created some talented depth in the offseason. 

• From 2023, Baylor returns starting sophomore center Coleton Price, starting tackles in senior Campbell Barrington and sophomore Alvin Ebosole, and has competition at guard including junior Ryan Lengyel and transfers in junior Omar Aigbedion and junior Sidney Fugar. Freshman Koltin Price is in the mix at center and his brother, sophomore Kaden, was a key starter in 2023, seeing time at tackle and guard. 

• The Bears have also added a transfer option at tackle in Colton Thomasson and center Colin Truett, with freshmen who redshirted in 2023, including Sean Thompkins and Isaiah Robinson, providing the line some depth. 

• Baylor had one of the nation’s best offensive lines in 2021 when it won the Big 12 Championship and a productive group in 2022. With four freshmen starting throughout the season in 2023, the Bears have gained valuable experience and have added strength to the group in terms of size. 

 

YOUTHFUL CORE RETURNS

• The Bears returned a bevy of youthful talent from a roster that got significant experience in 2023. 

• Among the players who played as true freshman and enter 2024 as sophomores, including CB Caden Jenkins, S Carl Williams IV, S DJ Coleman, RB Dawson Pendergrass, TE Matthew Klopfenstein, WR Micah Gifford, DL Brendan Bett, DL Trey Wilson, LS Dylan Schaub, CB LeVar Thornton Jr., RB Bryson Washington, CB Tay’Shawn Wilson, S Jacob Redding, TE Hawkins Polley,  and P Palmer Williams. 

• The Bears also return three-year sophomores that saw significant action in 2023, including CB Reggie Bush II, S Corey Gordon Jr., LB Carmello Jones, LB Jeremy Evans, OLB Kyler Jordan, DL Devonte Tezino, C Coleton Price, OL Kaden Sieracki and OL Alvin Ebosole. 

 

HALL MAKES 40 UNDER 40 LIST

• Baylor first-year associate head coach / running backs coach Khenon Hall was honored as a member of the Dave Campbell’s Texas Football 40 Under 40 List, honoring the top up-and-coming football coaches in the state. 

• Hall is a recruiting dynamo who joined the Bears after two seasons on the staff at SMU, where he was the running backs coach. 

• Hall is a product of Dallas South Oak Cliff High School and boasts previous coaching stops at Texas Southern, Illinois State and New Mexico. 

 

WINNING THE TURNOVER BATTLE

• Baylor has forced considerably more turnovers than it has allowed in 49 games under head coach Dave Aranda.

• BU has 80 takeaways (52 INTs, 27 FR) and 58 giveaways (36 INTs, 22 FL) in 49 games under Aranda.

• Baylor has scored 16 non-offensive touchdowns in 49 games under Aranda – five kickoff returns (Reese x 2, Ebner x 3), six interception returns (Pitre x 2, Thomas, McCarty, Walcott, Woods), one punt return (Holmes) and four fumble returns (Vaughns, Jenkins, Hall, Woods).

 

RANKED IN 10 OF LAST 14 SEASONS

• Baylor has been ranked in the AP Top 25 in 10 of 14 seasons since 2010, after going 17 years between national rankings (1993-2010). BU has been ranked in 23 of 25 spots since 2013 (exceptions No. 1 and No. 23).

• Baylor was ranked or receiving votes in 10 of 16 polls in 2022 and was receiving votes in the 2023 preseason poll. 

 

PALMER WILLIAMS YEAR 2

• A strength of the nation’s top-ranked special teams unit in 2023 was the emergence of freshman punter Palmer Williams. A 6-foot-2, 201-pound native of Advance, N.C., joined the program as the No. 3 punter recruit in the nation out of high school. He punted 37 times for 43.08 yards per punt with a long 53 and six punts of 50 or more yards. 

• In 2023, he downed eight punts inside the 20-yard line and allowed just one touchback, with 13 forced fair catches. A total of 20 of his 35 punts were either fair caught or downed inside the 20-yard line. 

 

STAFF ADDITIONS

• Baylor had a productive offseason in terms of adding to its coaching staff. The Bears have a new offensive coordinator in Jake Spavital, the former Texas State head coach and most recently the OC at Cal, with previous stops at Texas A&M and West Virginia.

• Baylor added a recruiting dynamo in Khenon Hall, the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator, after he previously led SMU’s recruiting efforts. New offensive line coach Mason Miller comes to the Bears from Tarleton, where he was the offensive coordinator and was a former head coach at McMurray. Miller is from the Air Raid tree, having served as the offensive line coach under Coach Mike Leach at Mississippi State and Washington State. 

• The Bears have also added a new tight ends coach in longtime state of Texas assistant Jarrett Anderson, who served as the OC and longtime assistant at TCU, and one of the nation’s best defensive line coaches in Inoke Breckterfield, who helped Washington to a 14-1 season in 2023 while leading that defensive front, and reunites Breckterfield with Coach Dave Aranda, who had him on his staff as the DC at Wisconsin. 

• Baylor also welcomed Jamar Chaney as the inside linebackers coach after he coached linebackers at Western Kentucky. It is a key role as Aranda is the defensive play caller and leading the inside linebackers room. 

• Beyond the on-field staff, the Bears have added coaching veterans to the quality control and graduate assistant staff, including former on-field coaches in Joe D’Orazio – from Maine – Weston Glaser – from Sam Houston – Mark Scott – who will lead special teams after serving in assistant role at Houston – and Kyle Segler – from ULM. GAs include former NFL wide out and Georgia staffer C.J. Germany, Elijah McQueen and former NFL offensive lineman Craig Watts. In addition, former college basketball player Duke DaRe is on the QC staff, along with returning QCs in Rhett Holcomb, Ryan Pollard and Joe Ludwig. 

• Off the field, veteran administrator Jeff Grigus was elevated to Chief of Staff, Landrie Walsh directs all operations and the Bears added Callie Cameron as Director of Player Personnel, Earl Chevalier as Director of Player Development and Operations and former LSU safety Ed Paris as Assistant Director of Player Personnel. 

• The Bears revamped their approach to NIL in the offseason, starting with a strong approach to retaining its youthful talent in November. Behind the addition of NIL General Manager David Kaye – a longtime administrator at Baylor – and Keava Soil-Cormier moving into the Associate AD for NIL Administration & Pro Relations role, the Bears have quickly emerged as an industry leader in the NIL space, working alongside the Baylor collective, GXG. 

 

BEARS LAUNCH BAYLOR+

• Baylor Athletics has launched Baylor+, the official content platform for the Bears. It will offer fans an insider’s look into the experiences of student-athletes and coaches as well as the compelling stories that shape Baylor Athletics. Baylor+ will feature exciting coverage of the current teams in Waco, while celebrating beloved Bears’ Legends and pivotal moments from the past.

• Through an exciting new partnership with Sport & Story, the leading provider of creative storytelling content in college athletics, Baylor+ is unlike anything Baylor fans have experienced before. The platform will be the home for an extensive range of original content covering all of Baylor’s sports programs, with behind-the-scenes access, captivating interviews, never-before-seen archival material and historical documentary films, as well as news and information.

 

FOOTBALL HISTORY

• The Bears are entering their 123rd season of football in 2024. The Bears have fielded a varsity team every year since 1899, save the 1906, 1943 and 1944 seasons. 

• BU has won nine conference titles, including in 2021, with three Big 12 Championships and six Southwest Conference Championships. 

• Baylor’s first season came in 1899-1900, a 5-1 record under Coach R.H. Hamilton that included two wins over Toby’s Business. 

 

ONE STANDARD. ONE ACCORD. 

• Baylor unveiled a mission statement under Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Mack Rhoades in the fall of 2018, “One Standard. One Accord”, which is centered on the distinct purpose of Preparing Champions for Life through academic achievement, athletic success, spiritual growth and character formation. 

 

ABOUT BAYLOR  

• Baylor is situated on a 1,000-acre campus located on the Brazos River in Waco, Texas, and was chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers. It is the oldest continually operating university in Texas. Baylor is a R1 Institution according to the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education 

• BU sponsors 19 varsity sports as members of the Big 12 Conference and boasts the 2021 Men’s Basketball National Champions, the 2005, 2012 and 2019 Women’s Basketball National Champions and the 2004 Men’s Tennis National Champions, in addition to 88 Big 12 Conference Championships in the league’s 25-year history.

 

– BaylorBears.com –