WACO -- The first stop on our 2025 summer magazine tour across the 13 FBS schools in Texas was in Waco to visit the Baylor Bears.

Dave Aranda entered 2024 on the hot seat. He enters 2025 with a Big 12 championship contender. The Bears return nine starters on offense and seven on defense on a team that won their last six regular season games a year ago. 

Here are some news and notes from the visit. 

OFFENSE 

• Sawyer Robertson returns and is the clear leader of the offensive unit. The staff really likes his intangibles. He might not always throw the prettiest ball and NFL scouts might nitpick his delivery, but he’s a tough player with intangibles. The staff credited his high football IQ for his ability to make the right checks during a game. He’s also a better runner than given credit for. 
• The QB2 battle is up for grabs and sounds like a three-man race. Auburn transfer Walker White is a redshirt freshman with a big frame and strong arm. He was called “the most talented” quarterback on the roster, but he’s new to Baylor and the system, and that’s caused some growing pains through the first week of practice. He just needs more reps. Redshirt freshman Nate Bennett and true freshman Edward Griffin are also in the mix for the backup quarterback spot. The staff loves Griffin, saying that he’s obsessed with football. Aranda said they have a hard time getting him to go home because he’s always at the facility working on his craft or watching film. 
• Starting running back Bryson Washington isn’t a full participant in spring but that sounds more precautionary than concerning. He’s entering Year 3 and is a known commodity. If it was the fall, Washington would be playing. Dawson Pendergrass might be the best backup running back in the Big 12. That leaves the third spot open and it is a competition between Joseph Dodds, who was hurt last year, and incoming freshman Caden Knighten. Knighten is a natural runner of the football. He needs to improve at pass blocking and learning the offense, but that’s expected in Year 1. The staff thinks he can be special. 
• The X-factor for the Baylor offense is Michael Trigg. Offensive coordinator Jake Spavital said the offense unlocked in 2024 when the Bears started using Trigg more in the passing game. He’s a matchup nightmare who is too big for defensive backs and too athletic for linebackers. Baylor might dip into the portal for depth at tight end behind Trigg. 
• Obviously, Josh Cameron and Ashtyn Hawkins are atop that list. Newcomers Kobe Prentice (Alabama) and Kole Wilson (Texas State) are smaller players who likely end up in the slot, which means Hawkins will play more on the outside. Creating depth behind those guys is a focal point of the offseason. A trio of talented true freshman – Taz Williams Jr., Ashton Jones, and Jacorey Watson – are still wet behind the ears but obviously talented. 
• Baylor essentially returns five starters on the offensive line. Technically, the Bears lose starting right tackle Campbell Barrington, but his expected replacement – Koltin Sieracki – started a few games last year when Barrington was hurt. Sidney Fugar entrenching himself at left tackle ahead of the Texas Tech game last year was an unheralded move that jumpstarted the winning streak. Omar Aigbedion, Coleton Price, and Ryan Lengyel are the other starters. 
• Depth along the offensive line is the real focal point for Baylor between now and the start of the season. The staff has seen signs from Louisville transfer Joe Crocker and former Aggie Colton Thomasson. 

• The arrival of Texas A&M transfer Samu Taumanupepe provides Baylor with the big body the defense has been missing since Sianki Ika left two years ago. Taumanupepe is listed at 380 but is closer to 370 this spring. The coaches hope he gets to 350-360 by the start of the season to increase his snap count. His presence also allows Cooper Lanz to play boundary defensive end in a three-man front of the three-technique in a four-man front. He’s better suited there at 288 pounds. 
• Know the name Jackie Marshall. Baylor believes the highly graded defensive end is ready for an all-conference season. Devonte Tezino was another name mentioned among the defensive line group. 
• Linebacker Keaton Thomas is the leader on defense after posting over 100 tackles in his first year on campus. The staff says he’ll be even better in Year 2 because he’s learning how to play linebacker. He made plays with athleticism last year. The sky is the limit for him if he learns the finer points of the position. Thomas had only played one year of linebacker before transferring to Baylor from the JUCO ranks. 
• FIU transfer Travion Barnes is expected to replace Matt Jones as the other starting linebacker. He’s not cleared for spring practice after offseason surgery but is expected to resume non-contact training by the end of spring. Phoenix Jackson has impressed through the first week of spring with the extra reps. Jeremy Evans is another name that likely ends up on the two-deep.  
• Edge might be the biggest question mark, at least on paper. That’s because a lot rides on transfers Emar-rion Winston (Oregon) and Matthew Fobbs-White (Tulane). Winston is flashing the potential he posed as a recruit and he looks the part at 6-4, 255 pounds. Hobbs-White was complimented on his first step. Kyler Jordan is known as a run stuffer who never takes a bad step. But the wild card might be true freshman Kamauryn Morgan, especially on obvious passing downs. 
• Cornerback is another position with question marks. Caden Jenkins went through a sophomore slump last year and is four-man competition for two starting spots. Ohio State transfer Calvin Simpson-Hunt and returners Tevin Williams III and LeVar Thornton Jr. are also in that competition. Eye discipline and physicality were concerns at corner last year and newly hired assistant Paul Gonzales is hammering those home in the spring. 
• No starting spots are guaranteed at safety either. Carl Williams IV (nickel) and Devyn Bobby (deep safety) are multiple-year starters for the Bears. Transfers Tyler Turner (Oregon) and Devin Turner (Northwestern) are competing with Bobby in the back end. DJ Coleman is now a full-time nickel competing with Williams. Kendrick Simpkins is back from injury and he provides a weapon in run support or as a blitzer in six-defensive back sets. 

SPECIAL TEAMS

• Baylor thinks it has the best punter in America in Palmer Williams, who the Bears retained despite interest from other schools in the transfer portal. 
• Expect true freshman Rhett Armstrong to win the starting job at kicker even though Isaiah Hawkins is still in Waco.