The challenge for Texas wont be physicality. 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 youre talking about which team is the Big 12 favorite, Im going with Baylor because of what they have up front, the coach said. Prod. The Horns need Quinn Ewers to throw the ball capably within the construct of a run first offense. I dont say it in an ugly way, I say it as thats probably where it is right now. Sixth-year senior Gavin Holmes has starting experience but has endured multiple injuries in his career. He played pretty well against TCU, so maybe hes on the rebound. Breakdown: Another grizzled veteran, Morgan is stepping into a bigger role after playing alongside former Bear and current Los Angeles Charger JT Woods. Cornerback Al Walcott and safety Christian Morgan, both returning starters, will also see time at star, Roberts said. Two years ago, Kansas had the youngest team in college football. There are certainly unknowns. 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. Matt Jones, who played all 14 games and was fifth on the team in tackles, will begin the year as Bernards successor at weakside linebacker. 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. Sneed (Colorado) entered after the 2021 season and Bohanon (USF) and Landry (Missouri) departed after spring football ended. Morgan, the one returning starter in the group, will be deployed either at safety or star, depending on need. The 6-5 Baylor Bears represent one of the most physical teams that Texas has seen this season, but meeting the other teams physicality hasnt been a problem for the Longhorns. The second coach expects Baylors running game will again be solid but noted how little production returns at receiver. The biggest piece were moving through right now is probably just immaturity, Aranda told The Athletic. February 8, 2023 7:57 pm CT. ESPN announced its returning production rankings for the 2023 season on Tuesday. The school president and athletic director each signed 10-year extensions. Im perfect. Written by Brett Gibbons Brett is an avid sports traveler and former Division-I football recruiter for Bowling Green and Texas State. He and his wife, Karina, got married last January and have Shapen showed promise in his two starts last year, the regular-season finale versus Texas Tech and the Big 12 championship win over Oklahoma State. The Bears match up well in some spots to Texas, but theyre a five loss team for a reason. Dykes inherits six offensive starters and seven defensive starters, and theres plenty of room for growth on both sides. I act like this. 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). Bill Bender of Sporting News projectsthe Bears will face Oregon in the Alamo Bowl. The Bears will ride the hot hand the 175 pound Reese has two games where he had 30+ carries, the 170 pound Sqwirl has a 25 carry game and theyre not going to worry about work load in a season finale. But perhaps the single biggest reason to believe in Oklahoma: (Photo: Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire, Getty), (Photo: Jay Biggerstaff, USA TODAY Sports), (Photo: James Guillory, USA TODAY Sports), according to ESPNs Bill Connellys measurements, When we looked at how teams fared in one-score games. The QB will also be working with a rebuilt receiving corps. He creates openings for himself that maybe others dont. The Mountaineers will be leaning fairly heavily on the transfer portal after bringing back six offensive starters and three defensive starters from last years team. Previously, he spent eight years covering college sports at ESPN.com and seven years as a sports reporter at the Houston Chronicle. He scored two offensive touchdowns (rushing and receiving) versus BYU. After a 12-2 season, a Big 12 championship and a Sugar Bowl win which could rank as the best season in school history there really arent those questions being asked now, he said. 2021 stats: Started all 14 games at left tackle. The ranking takes a look at data on both sides of the football for all FBS teams in the country. Miller returns after a solid year, Byers could play guard or tackle and Jeffery and Mazzccua will also compete for those spots. Returning starters on offense: 7 Quarterback Spencer Sanders returns and brings 35 career starts with him. Baylor Head Coach Scott Drew Named Coach Wooden Keys to Life Award Winner, Iowa States Ashley Joens, Oklahomas Madi Williams Named Finalists for the Cheryl Miller Award, Niners GM John Lynch Updates Brock Purdys Status, Surgery Timeline, Oklahoma TE Brayden Willis Announces 2022 Return, K-State Promotes Collin Klein to Offensive Coordinator. That has turned each team's returning starter count into one of the most panned metrics heading into a given season. They pulled a similar mind screw on Texas Tech, forcing three different QBs to throw a combined a 5 interceptions. The Bears have six players on preseason watch lists for national awards. With Tyquan Thornton gone via the draft and R.J. Sneed having transferred (Colorado), the Bears are young at wide receiver. Theres a fair amount of moxie in him.. It wont be a big one, but itll be enough for the Cowboys to close the gap. Aranda had to replace three departures from his on-field staff. 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. 2022 College Football Returning Production Rankings Team Ret. It takes trust and a sense of safety to put yourself out there to die and then to be born again.. Enter Sonny Dykes, who took the short jaunt from Dallas, and SMU, to Fort Worth. Here are our predictions for the Big 12's order of finish in 2023. Seven months removed from winning the national championship, Baylor could be good enough to reach the final game again this season. Returning Starters on Offense: 6 Offensive Coordinator Collin Klein, who was promoted to the position after a remarkable offensive output as the Wildcats Now that hes gotten to the top, he needs to figure out to how keep Baylor there. Hill is among a number of players who could have breakout seasons in 2023. Roberts is leaning toward Walcott at star and Johnson at corner. Wake Forest Demon Deacons Sam Hartman is likely back for Wake Forest, which makes a In comparison to Baylors six returning starters, BYU has a clear advantage in this department as they return a colossal 19 players from last years already stacked team. 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. Heres why he prefers it that way, Are these Rangers good? Offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes hopes Shapen gives the offense a higher ceiling. SHARE If BYU football players, coaches were stocks, who would you buy? At least the defense will be anchored by Siaki Ika and a defensive line that should be just as stout as last year, especially with the addition of Jaxon Player from Tulsa. Tay McWilliams is the top returning player at running back and he had just 181 yards on 17 carries last year. Aranda recruited the 2020 four-star prospect while with the Tigers but left for Baylor before getting a chance to coach him. But there are no proven backs with Smith and Trestan Ebner gone. Sophomore Tony Anyanwu, whom Roberts said was the starting jack before foot surgery forced him to miss the season, will be in the mix, as well as redshirt freshman Jackie Marshall. The stuff youre battling, especially if youre a young team, is, Im cool. Why is Baylor the potential favorite to win its second consecutive Big 12 title? The good news? 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. 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. That could make picking the 14-team Big 12 an absolute madhouse with so many variables. On the move! Sling it, Shape >> @BShapen @kelseyjohnsonjr #SicEm | #PersonOverPlayer pic.twitter.com/ItRAKelqx2. Texas has to press their advantages here and not concede confidence building throws to Shapen. But he questions the quarterback depth. 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. Baylor took a bold step by not only reopening the quarterback competition after its historic season, but opting for its 2021 backup, Blake Shapen, over starter Gerry Bohanon. Thats the next challenge.. To fill the void, Aranda hired former Nevada assistant Ronnie Wheat. Baylor football is riding high after the program attained its first 12-win season, highlighted by a Big 12 Championship and Sugar Bowl win. Get the latest D-FW sports news, analysis, scores and more. Baylor tabbed a new starting quarterback. 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. Fleeks has all the ability in the world, and Baldwin is a dynamic player with really good speed. Other receivers could get looks at returner. Expect Baylor to give Texas a wake-up call in the regular season finale but settle for a 9-3 campaign. The Bears enter the season ranked No. Can Iowa State replace Xavier Hutchinson, who seemed like the offenses only option at times last year? 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. One opposing coach sees the Bears as a force in the Big 12 again. 2023 On3 Media, Inc. All rights reserved. The Bears have some athletes and plenty of raw speed, but theyre inconsistent. The Bears should be one of the top three teams in the Big 12, and it shouldnt surprise anyone if theyre back in the conference title game in December. To replace receivers coach Chansi Stuckey, who joined Marcus Freemans staff at Notre Dame, Aranda hired former Buffalo and Marshall receivers coach Dallas Baker. On average, Baylor opponents had 8 yards to go on third downs, the longest average distance in the Big 12 and seventh best in the nation, according to PFF. Redshirt freshman Devin Lemear graded out the highest of all the safeties this spring, Roberts said. The proof? UW, of course, finished an 11-2 season with a No. "I thought football had to be part of it, somehow." Point, blank period. Yes, we know. 8 national ranking last fall and has Pac-12 title and CFP aspirations in 2023. That includes competition for incumbent quarterback Blake Shapen and likely plug-and-play starters on the offensive line for the Bears. With those two moved on, fall camp has indicated the Richmond native as being the likely bell cow back starting in Week 1, and hes impressed many as of late. Hes joined by Matt Jones, who has been a massive drop off from the cat quick NFL draftee Terrel Bernard. The Bears have been in the conference title game two of the past three years and have six double-digit win seasons and three Big 12 championships since 2011. A native Houstonian, Sam graduated from the University of Houston. The sample sizes are small, but also very promising for Morris. 10:00 AM on Aug 5, 2022 CDT. "I thought football had to be part of it, somehow." 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. Diminutive Richard Reese (908 yards, 14 tds, 5.2 per carry) and Sqwirl Williams (530 yards, 4 tds, 5.8 per carry) are the speed component while 245 pound Qualan Jones (403 yards, 7 tds, 5.5 per carry) brings the pain. Baylors offensive line was one of thirteen finalists for the Joe Moore Award, presented annually to the nations top offensive line in college football. Breakdown: Of course, Blake Shapen was going to make this list, but the Shreveport native should be well-known already. 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. Besides Alabama or Georgia, I dont know whos got a better front scheme-wise than Baylor.. Will the Bears scratch and claw for progress the way the 2021 team did? Players Im most excited to see in CFB - Pt 20Ben Sims - TE - BaylorSims was very productive on @BUFootball Big 12 championship run. The Cyclones starter count includes five on offense and three on defense, with the former group including a new starter at quarterback. Baylor has to settle its quarterback situation, and Grimes doesnt have a Zach Wilson to work with. A veteran leader on the back end, Baylor will rely on Morgan to make an impact in 2022. This was a big component of their 38-35 win over OU in Norman, forcing Dillon Gabriel into 3 first half interceptions, even though OUs offense was otherwise humming along. The Bears do lose starting left guard Xavier Newman-Johnson, who had 36 career starts and earned Pro Football Network First-Team All-American Honors in 2021. In 2021, that number rose to 2.2 yards per rush, sixth in the conference and 49th nationally, according to Pro Football Focus. 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