What should fans expect in 2022? Dave Aranda can flat out coach defense, but 2021s elite unit was gutted by the NFL draft and theyre currently in a transitional phase. Wake Forest Demon Deacons Sam Hartman is likely back for Wake Forest, which makes a Returning starters (5): DT Cole Maxwell, NT Siaki Ika, WLB Matt Jones, MLB Dillon Doyle, S Christian Morgan. Grimes said Sims has improved as a blocker and Drake Dabney as a receiver. The 2021 class ranked 41st. Note: the 3 Bear runners have combined for a healthy 41 total catches, but they average just over 7 yards per reception. And with the departure of Max Duggan, Kendre Miller and Quentin Johnston TCU ranks 130th (!!!) Gavin Yates saw action as a freshman walk-on last year, and freshman Kelsey Johnson has impressed since arriving. When the Bear running game hits it rhythm, its a lot of fun to watch and loading up the box can actually make things worse for the run defense. 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. It takes trust and a sense of safety to put yourself out there to die and then to be born again.. Dont expect too big a slide, if any, overall. The Horns need Quinn Ewers to throw the ball capably within the construct of a run first offense. Sneed (Colorado) entered after the 2021 season and Bohanon (USF) and Landry (Missouri) departed after spring football ended. 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. @BUFootball pic.twitter.com/UGVc1Saj3L. The 2019 class, which ranked 35th, has nine of the 24 signees still with the team, but the retention rates in 2020 (17 of the 18 signees are still with Baylor) and 2021 (16 of 17) are superb. I do stuff that I win, and I dont even make it look like Im trying that hard. Those are all things that have to die. Im perfect. And it wont get too much easier in the second half. Theyre headlined by OT Connor Galvin and C Jacob Gall. Baylor tabbed a new starting quarterback. The travel schedule is brutal for Baylor with trips to BYU, Iowa State, Oklahoma and Texas on tap. Breaking down the five best futures bets, picks, and predictions for the 2022 season. But expecting TCU to reach the Big 12 title game again might be too much. Yes, we know. He picked up All-Big-12 first-team honors and is now in pursuit of national recognition. [Get a FREE 7-day trial of Inside Texas Plus!]. 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 Baylor Bears are riding a wave of momentum after a 21-7 victory over Ole Miss in the Allstate Sugar Bowl, and this announcement just makes things all the better down in Waco. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Baylors departing players registered 1,579 points, 512 rebounds, and 234 steals/blocks in the 2020-2021 season; those numbers rank 11th, 49th, and 7th in the country among non-returning players.

At jack, Baylors edge rusher, Garmon Randolph returns. Expect more transfer help at running back (UNLVs Aidan Robbins) and on both lines. Hunter Dekkers is the likely Brock Purdy replacement, and he has some interesting traits to build around. Safety Christian Morgan is an experienced starter (leads them in INTs with 3) and physical SPARQ freak and smallish safety Devin Lemear has traits, but hes too inexperienced. Baylor (6-7 in 2022) (Photo: Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire, Getty) The biggest reason to propel the Bears down these rankings is that Baylor ranks 100th nationally in Its another to go from being a strength to being leaders. Hes long and has some quickness, but hes a one trick finesse pony. Five different pass catchers have been 21-30 receptions and they dont have a true #1. That makes for a wide open race where it seems like the 12 teams that don't reach the Big 12 championship game are likely to finish somewhere between 8-4 and 4-8, decided by a bounce here or there. 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. He played pretty well against TCU, so maybe hes on the rebound. 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? Previewing Baylor Bears defense for 2022 season. The school president and athletic director each signed 10-year extensions. Get the latest D-FW sports news, analysis, scores and more. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. (Photo: Zach Boyden-Holmes, USA TODAY Sports), (Photo: Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire, Getty), (Photo: David Stacy/Icon Sportswire, Getty), (Photo: Mark J. Rebilas, USA TODAY Sports), (Photo: John David Mercer, USA TODAY Sports). Build your customFanSided Daily email newsletter with news and analysis onFanSided.com and all your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and more. 19 in the nation, good for second in the Big 12 Conference. While Gundy and Pokes fans seemed to have put their 2021 stats: Started all 14 games at left tackle. When Baylors outside zone running game is humming, theyre a Bear to defend as Reese and Sqwirl are adept at finding small creases or using their quickness to make sharp cuts against the grain when second level defenders overrun to the sideline. 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. The QB will also be working with a rebuilt receiving corps. Quinn Ewers should become more consistent in his second year as a starter, and getting a healthy Isaiah Neyor to catch passes next to Xavier Worthy could bring an impact newcomer who technically doesnt count as a newcomer. Max Duggan is a returning starter at quarterback, but must hold off last years backup in Chandler Morris. Dykes inherits six offensive starters and seven defensive starters, and theres plenty of room for growth on both sides. The best aspect of the Bear secondary is their ability to hone in on an offenses preferred routes and force turnovers with sucker coverages. 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. The players are responding well to him. 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. Gavin Byers, a sophomore who started the first eight games of the year at right tackle, also returns in 2022 and will provide depth for an already deep unit. The stuff youre battling, especially if youre a young team, is, Im cool. in returning offensive production theres reason to believe some of those close games are going to go the other way in 2023. 247Sports writer Kevin Flaherty joined Athlon Sports But West Virginia also ranks 89th in returning offensive production nationally, and doesnt really make up for it on the defensive side, where the Mountaineers are 49th. Remember, too, that while BYUs production numbers arent super high (middle of the Big 12 pack at No. But Baylor also brings in 247Sports No. Leading receiver Tyquan Thornton is off to the NFL and No. Offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes hopes Shapen gives the offense a higher ceiling. Losing Deuce Vaughn and Felix Anudike-Uzomah arguably the Wildcats best player on offense and defense, respectively certainly hurts. Seven months removed from winning the national championship, Baylor could be good enough to reach the final game again this season. After helping the Bears reach the semifinalist phase for the Joe Moore Award, he could target individual honors in 2022. The Bears average recruiting ranking from 2019-22, per the 247Sports Composite Rating, is 40.25. 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. 247Sports writer Kevin Flaherty joined Athlon Sports in predicting Texas to finish first in the Big 12 conference. The tricky part will be actually defending the title with Oklahoma State still rolling, Oklahoma with their own defensive guru at the helm and Texas strengthening. Taye McWilliams is the leading returning rusher but had only 17 carries in 10 games last year. Point, blank period. 2022 College Football Returning Production Rankings Team Ret. Powledge, a Huntsville, Texas, native who played fullback at Sam Houston, is also back in his Texas roots. Gavin Holmes is the senior statesman of the group, but after dropping 210 yards against West Virginia, hes had 84 yards receiving total over the last five games. 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. Powledge, a Huntsville, Texas, native who played fullback at Sam Houston, is also back in his Texas roots. 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. To fill the void, Aranda hired former Nevada assistant Ronnie Wheat. Its one thing to go from being a weakness to a strength, Grimes said. Jahdae Barron and Ryan Watts have the potential to shut down Baylors receivers if Dshawn Jamison or Terrance Brooks can bring it on the other side. Cornerback Al Walcott and safety Christian Morgan, both returning starters, will also see time at star, Roberts said. I see glimpses of speed from him where I feel like he can outrun guys, but hes also not afraid to put his shoulder down#SicEm, 2021 stats: 31 receptions (third on team), 361 receiving yards (fourth on team), six receiving TDs (second on team), recorded one rushing TD. And that would typically seem to indicate some regression. Injuries certainly played a part, but the offseason attrition was also worrisome. He creates openings for himself that maybe others dont. You just dont typically see that kind of shift within a season. A number of transfers doesnt hurt either. If Bohanon takes to development the way many second-year starting quarterbacks so, Baylor could once again be the class of the league. In the starting lineup, Grimes expects competition at both guard spots. How will Shapen develop? Wheat joined the Nevada staff in 2020, coaching safeties before shifting to linebackers in 2021. In the three games Shapen saw significant action Kansas State, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State Shapen completed 71 percent of his passes and averaged 190 passing yards. No one should expect to make money from the picks and predictions discussed on this website. (We have) to come from a position of powerlessness, a sense of, Hey, were fighting for every edge. Following that group is a young trio: redshirt freshman Cisco Caston, true freshman Devyn Bobby and third-year sophomore Mike Harris. Theyre certainly at their best running free on play action shots. The Bears badly miss Jalen Pitre and JT Woods. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. (Photo: Kansas State Athletics Media Relations). True freshman Kyron Drones might be a factor in the fall camp battle for the open gig. 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