Note: This story is featured in the 2026 edition of Dave Campbell's Texas Football's Summer Magazine, which you can order here.
DCTF’S TAKE
Baylor is at a crossroads as a football program and is at risk of being passed by in the Big 12 by in-state rivals such as TCU or Houston if it doesn’t break out of its recent funk. Head coach Dave Aranda’s job was saved by disfunction in the athletic director’s office at the end of 2025 and he enters 2026 on the hottest seat in college football.
The additions of former five-star quarterback DJ Lagway and new defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman provide some hope for a Bears squad that has finished with a losing record in three of the last four seasons. Aranda is 36-37 in six years with the Bears and 15-21 against Big 12 foes since winning a conference championship in 2021.
THE OFFENSE
Former Mr. Texas Football DJ Lagway transferred to Baylor in the offseason after two seasons at Florida, where he started 19 games and threw for 4,179 yards and 28 touchdowns to 23 interceptions. He’ll replace Sawyer Robertson, who led the Big 12 in passing yards last year and engineered a unit that averaged 31.1 points per game.
Lagway was a five-star prospect who put up video game numbers at Willis High School, passing for 8,392 yards and 100 touchdowns in his career. He was a Freshman All-American with the Gators in 2024, leading the squad to a 6-1 record as a starter. Nagging injuries and a head coach on the hot seat turned his 2025 into a sophomore slump.
“Missing the spring and summer with injuries is the hardest thing you could imagine as a quarterback,” Lagway said in the spring. “Being a 19-year-old kid with the weight of the world on your shoulders and not being able to do the thing you love to do is really hard.”
Lagway was healthy in the spring and that gives the Bears hope of a Big 12 rise. Offensive coordinator Jake Spavital praised Lagway’s anticipation, ball placement, and elite arm talent, suggesting that his offense could be more vertical this season and that the passing game will also attack the middle of the field more often. Head coach Dave Aranda believes the hardships Lagway suffered through at Florida put a chip on his shoulder and allowed him to fit in immediately with his new program.
“I think Florida was hard for him so he’s got a lot of scars,” Aranda said of Lagway. “In that way, he’s not too different from me or us over here. He’s been a great fit and there’s an opportunity for us to come together over those shared struggles and do something special and rewrite some narratives.”
Lagway should be able to lean on a strong ground game that features Dawson Pendergrass, Caden Knighten, and Michael Turner. Pendergrass is back from an injury that cost him all of 2025. He rushed for 671 yards and six touchdowns in 2024 and is expected to slide into the starting role. Knighten and Turner were thrust into action last season because of that injury and the young duo combined for 824 yards and two scores on 169 attempts.
Baylor lost its five leading receivers from last year, including All-American tight end Michael Trigg. Louis Brown IV, who caught six passes for 79 yards and a touchdown last year in four games, is expected to be WR1. Gavin Freeman is the team’s next best wide receiver. The hope is that young receivers like Jadon Porter and Taz Williams become more consistent and reach their potential. Matthew Klopfenstein and Tony Livingston are two names to know at tight end.
Spavital believes the Baylor offensive line is deeper and that center and right guard are position battles that could linger into fall camp. UAB transfer Logan Moore is the expected starter at left tackle with the experienced Kaden Sieracki back at right tackle. Texas transfer Nate Kibble was the projected left guard during spring ball. Guys like Harrison Cluff, Koltin Sieracki, Yakari Walker, and Asher Hale are amongst the options at center and/or right guard.
BY THE NUMBERS
24.7 – Average number of points scored by Baylor in its seven losses. The Bears scored 40 points per game in the five wins.
24.8 – Average number of first downs per game by Baylor, which ranked fifth in the country and second in the Big 12.
24 – Number of turnovers lost for Baylor, which was the most in the Power Four and ranked 130th out of 136 in the FBS.
KEEP AN EYE ON
Bringing in a quarterback of DJ Lagway’s pedigree offers the Bears real upside on offense. His history of injuries can’t be ignored, however, and that makes the battle for QB2 in Waco an important one to monitor. Redshirt sophomore Nate Bennett and redshirt freshman Edward Giffin are the names to know. True freshman Quinn Murphy has upside but asking him to play competitive snaps in 2026 is a tall task. Griffin had the best spring of the trio and entered the summer as the primary backup to Lagway, though we expect that competition to continue into the season.
BREAKOUT CANDIDATES
WR Dre’lon Miller – The Colorado transfer is a Swiss-army knife who is effective as a wide receiver and as a runner. Miller played in 18 games at Colorado and was a four-star recruit out of Silsbee High School in East Texas. He’ll earn snaps all over the field for the Bears in 2026.
TE Tony Livingston – The 6-foot-6 senior transferred to Baylor from Florida alongside quarterback DJ Lagway. Livingston started five times in 2025 and played in 27 games over three years with the Gators. He caught 23 passes for 232 yards and four touchdowns during that time and is considered an excellent blocker.
PROJECTED STARTERS
QB 12 DJ Lagway 6-3, 247, Jr. Willis
RB 35 Dawson Pendergrass 6-2, 225, Jr. Mineola
WR 16 Gavin Freeman 5-8, 185, Sr. Oklahoma City, Okla.
WR 24 Louis Brown IV 6-2, 203, Sr. Los Angeles, Calif.
WR 83 Jadon Porter 6-1, 190, Jr. Lorena
TE 85 Matthew Klopfenstein 6-4, 247, Sr. Scottsdale, Ariz.
LT 77 Logan Moore 6-8, 291, Jr. San Diego, Calif.
LG 70 Nate Kibble 6-3, 321, Soph. Humble Atascocita
C 68 Yakiri Walker 6-2, 298, Sr. DeSoto
RG 66 Koltin Sieracki 6-4, 314, Soph. The Woodlands
RT 74 Kaden Sieracki 6-9, 317, Sr. The Woodlands
K 98 Rhett Armstrong 6-5, 215, Soph. Monument, Colo.
THE DEFENSE
Dave Aranda relinquished defensive play calling duties and hired former Kansas State defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman to save a defense that allowed 32.6 points per game last year, which was second-to-last in the Big 12 ahead of only Oklahoma State. The Bears haven’t posted a scoring defense inside the Top 10 in the Big 12 since 2022.
Klanderman bases out of a 4-2-5 and believes in “beautiful simplicity” and being fundamentally sound more than being exotic. He wants his defense to be disruptive close to the line of scrimmage, focusing on building a defensive line that can create havoc and make plays and a backend that can clean up any mistakes.
The goal is to eliminate explosive plays and excel on third down and in red zone touchdown percentage.
“We’re not going to do a lot of things, but we’ll be multiple enough to cover up some of our deficiencies through disguise,” Klanderman explained. “We want to be sound. We want to win with numbers. I’m not a guy who changes what we do week to week. We’re going to be good at what we do and we’re going to play our tails off.”
Baylor’s defensive line is eight or nine players deep and was the strength of the football team in the spring. The Bears spent more money on defensive players in the portal than they ever did with Aranda as the play caller.
Defensive tackles such as Hosea Wheeler (Indiana), Jamaal Whyce Jr. (Marshall), Kamren Washington (Texas State), and Jordan Mack (Coastal Carolina) should figure heavily into the rotation alongside returners such as Devonte Tezino, Jackson Blackwell, and Braylen Jackson. Kyler Jordan and Trent Thomas are battling for one of the defensive end spots.
Baylor also attacked the portal at edge rusher – known as the JACK – in this defense. Ryan Davis followed Klanderman from Kansas State where he came on at the end of 2025 after dealing with an injury in the first half of the season. Southern Miss transfer Garrick Ponder recorded 11.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks last year in the Sun Belt. Jaylin Jones is a former C-USA All-Freshman Team selection at UTEP who redshirted at Baylor in 2025.
Travion Barnes has emerged as the alpha at linebacker. He only played in four games last year before suffering a season-ending injury but he was the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year at FIU in 2024, ranking fifth nationally in tackles with 129. He’ll be flanked by the dependable Kyland Reed with the athletic Kaleb Burns serving as the primary backup for both. Kendrick Walker and Kaleb Arteberry are other names to know at linebacker.
The cornerback room is deep, experienced, and talented. Oklahoma transfer Devon Jordan is fast and knows how to make plays on the ball. Klanderman called him “incredible” in the spring and he could be the breakout player at his position in the Big 12. Reggie Bush II and Levar Thornton Jr. have loads of experience with Baylor. Stilton McKelvey and Jayden Rowe are also pushing for starting snaps.
Former walk-on Jacob Redding is back and expected to start at free safety. The strong safety position is less of a certainty. Upperclassmen such as Devin Turner, Daniel Cobbs, Micah Gifford, and Colby McCalister provide options.
BY THE NUMBERS
32.6 – Average number of points allowed by Baylor, which ranked 122nd in the FBS and second-to-last in the Big 12 behind Oklahoma State.
12 – Number of sacks the Bears racked up over 12 games. The defense didn’t register a single sack in the month of October.
11 – Turnovers forced by Baylor, which was 112th nationally and 14th in the Big 12. Baylor’s turnover margin was -13, which was the second worst in the P4.
KEEP AN EYE ON
Joe Klanderman’s defensive system will require the nickel position at Baylor to play more man coverage than the previous scheme and that makes it harder to find reliable options. Daneil Cobbs, a Fort Worth native, transferred to Waco from Kansas State where he played roughly 300 snaps for the Wildcats but was out in the spring with an injury. Other options include Bo Onu and Tyler Turner, who was moved to the position from deep safety this offseason. Onu played in 11 games as a reserve for the Bears last year, finishing with nine tackles.
BREAKOUT CANDIDATES
Edge Ryan Davis – The Bears need to improve their pass rush and Kansas State transfer Ryan Davis arrived on campus with a leg up on the competition at the JACK position because of his understanding of the new defensive system. He recorded 5.5 tackles for loss and four sacks in nine games in 2025.
CB Devon Jordan – Oklahoma transfer Devon Jordan seemingly locked up one of the two starting spots at cornerback in the spring and earned rave reviews from Baylor’s new defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman. Jordan was credited with16 tackles in 25 games over two seasons as a reserve for the Sooners.