All three specialists return: punter Issac Power, place kicker Isaiah Hankins and kickoff specialist Noah Rauschenberg. Here's a look at each Big 12 team's returning starters for the 2022 season. UW, of course, finished an 11-2 season with a No. The sample sizes are small, but also very promising for Morris. Expect more transfer help at running back (UNLVs Aidan Robbins) and on both lines. A year ago, Grimes found his running back by moving linebacker Abram Smith, a former running back recruit, back to the position. The Bears tend to be deliberate on offense and average 6.1 yards per play on the strength of an efficient running game and a sporadically explosive but inconsistent play action passing game. Michael Haag, Baylor athletics blogger. Im perfect. Breakdown: Returning for his fifth season, the 2021 Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year will yet again be a force to be reckoned with in the trenches. 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. There is still veteran talent on the roster. Key stat to know: Baylors stout defense forced the second-most third downs (200) in the Big 12 and 11th most in the Power 5 last season, a result of good early down defense. Here are our predictions for the Big 12's order of finish in 2023. 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. Another key defensive position to fill is the star, Baylors hybrid nickelback/outside linebacker role, previously occupied by 2021 Big 12 defensive player of the year and second-round pick Pitre. Theyre headlined by OT Connor Galvin and C Jacob Gall. However, this years group will have some major absences to contend with, including Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Jalen Pitre and All-Big-12 first-team linebacker selection Terrel Bernard. 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. Making the field bigger is preferable to playing in a phone booth. It wont be a big one, but itll be enough for the Cowboys to close the gap. A lot of Longhorn offensive success will rest on Sarks ability to scheme up run game solutions on a short week. 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. The Cyclones starter count includes five on offense and three on defense, with the former group including a new starter at quarterback. The Bears average recruiting ranking from 2019-22, per the 247Sports Composite Rating, is 40.25. Redshirt freshman Devin Lemear graded out the highest of all the safeties this spring, Roberts said. He scored two offensive touchdowns (rushing and receiving) versus BYU. Sneed (Colorado) entered after the 2021 season and Bohanon (USF) and Landry (Missouri) departed after spring football ended. The Cougars are the top-ranked newcomer here, though whether that plays out will likely depend on whether Kedon Slovis can re-find some of the magic he showed a few years back at USC. SHARE If BYU football players, coaches were stocks, who would you buy? Baylor returns four starters on the offensive line and has had five players return who have started at least eight games on the offensive line. There was a point in spring where you say, Hes one of the top guys on our team, just based on production, Aranda said. The Cowboys came within inches of the Big 12 championship last year, and are tied with two other schools with 12 returning starters. Aranda signed a contract extension in February that is scheduled to keep him at the school through 2029, quieting coaching carousel discussion. We did some decent things last year at times, but we were just inconsistent, Grimes said. That includes competition for incumbent quarterback Blake Shapen and likely plug-and-play starters on the offensive line for the Bears. Those returning starters include seven on offense and seven on defense, and while the Bears will be looking to replace some fairly irreplaceable players, Baylor After a 2-7 Baylor ranked 10th in the country and first in the Big 12 in rushing offense in 2021, averaging 219.3 yards per game, leading the way to a Big 12 Championship. Yes, we know. The Horned Frogs suffered a surprising collapse last year, particularly defensively, that ushered in changes at the highest levels. 2022 College Football Returning Production Rankings Team Ret. Redshirt freshman Kyron Drones was thrust into the backup role after Bohanons November hamstring injury. Newman-Johnson will play in the 2022 East-West Shrine Bowl in February and should have his name called at the 2022 NFL Draft in April. Over their last 7 games, the Bears have given up 13 turnovers. The Bears rotated anywhere from six to eight linemen per game last season, and the returning talent gives defensive coordinator Ron Roberts a chance to do that again, with potentially an even higher level of play. The returning starters are listed in every preseason magazine and cited in nearly any preview. Doyle and Jones are plenty physical, but Jones can miss assignments and both can be exploited in space by Bijan or Keilan. Anticipate Gall to be another invaluable piece to a stellar offensive line group. After losing eight players to the NFL over the summer, Baylor football will be forced to replace some big-time athletes from a 2021 Big 12 championship squad. Im truly excited to see what the defense will accomplish in Returning Starters on Offense: 6 Offensive Coordinator Collin Klein, who was promoted to the position after a remarkable offensive output as the Wildcats Almost a third of the league has less than 10 returning starters, and seven of the Big 12's teams have 12 or fewer. Written by Brett Gibbons Brett is an avid sports traveler and former Division-I football recruiter for Bowling Green and Texas State. Still, he said, players wondered: Why are we doing this? Perhaps the fog has never fully lifted as he was particularly ineffective as the season progressed against Kansas, Oklahoma and Kansas State. Few teams across the nation if any were as wrecked by the transfer portal as the Sooners, who didnt just lose multiple starters, but also a foundational quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate in Caleb Williams. The incoming Bears represent five different states, including Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah. With whats left of the returners, here is who will stand out among the bunch in hopes to repeat as conference champions. Brennan Armstrong entered the 2022 season as one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the ACC but had the lowest completion percentage of his career as a starter. Bohanon averaged only 157.9 passing yards per game and his completion percentage dipped to 61.5 percent in conference play. Josh Cameron, a former walk-on who was awarded a scholarship, gives the group some size (6-2, 210 pounds). They may not have won that award in 2021, that distinction belongs to Michigan. The Bears won the league last year, return their starting quarterback from a season ago in Gerry Bohanon and top all other projected contenders and rank second in the Big 12 in returning starters. #Baylor OL @grantmiller55 spoke highly of RB @TayeMcwilliams Thursday:I think hes like a little bit of a combination of both Abram and Trestan. Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards will take over a lot of the running duties with the potential to really be successful as a one-two punch. 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. And will Iowa States reluctance to fully embrace the transfer portal mean that the Cyclones wont fill the holes they do have? "We got married in Katy, Texas, about a mile from the high school stadium," he said. If that offense can jell and the defense can take a step forward, the Red Raiders could surprise. Ben Sims is the teams returning leader in receptions (31), receiving yards (361) and touchdown catches (six). 2023 On3 Media, Inc. All rights reserved. #Baylor RB @TayeMcwilliams on what its like behind a good O-line that returned so much talent:[Its] way easier, it makes life super easy. Bohanons passing numbers were solid in nonconference play (66.6 percent completion rate, 626 yards, four touchdowns and one interception in three games) but his yardage and completion rate dipped in Big 12 games. 13 in the FanSided Top 50 Preseason Rankings. Get the fastest scores, stats, news, LIVE videos, and more. But expecting TCU to reach the Big 12 title game again might be too much. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER. Venables defensive bonafides will be put to the test with a talented, but young, group that brings back four defensive starters. 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). In run blocking in 2020, the Bears averaged 1.4 yards per rush before first contact, which was last in the Big 12 and 111th in the FBS. Point, blank period. 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. Texas and Oklahoma are both in the middle of their respective builds: Steve Sarkisian heading into year three, Brent Venables in year two. The Bears have six players on preseason watch lists for national awards. Defensively, Kansas brings back most of its pieces on the back end, but will need to hope a transfer class of defensive linemen can hit the ground running if the Jayhawks are to make major (and much-needed) improvements on that side of the ball. Texas has to press their advantages here and not concede confidence building throws to Shapen. With both coordinators back and all the returnees on the line of scrimmage, Baylor can figure it out. Breakdown: Another grizzled veteran, Morgan is stepping into a bigger role after playing alongside former Bear and current Los Angeles Charger JT Woods. Follow Sam on Twitter @skhanjr, Baylor quarterback Blake Shapen set an AT&T Stadium collegiate record with 17 straight completions en route to going 23-of-28 for 180 yards and a career-best three touchdowns against Oklahoma State in the Big 12 title game. Were winning every day. In 2021, that number rose to 2.2 yards per rush, sixth in the conference and 49th nationally, according to Pro Football Focus. So though some may expect a return to the Big 12 title game, Aranda is zeroing in on how his team acts in these summer months. Except for that group, every Baylor signing class since 2017 has ranked either fourth or fifth in the Big 12. 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