Teams:

• Arizona
• Arizona State
• Baylor – At bat
• BYU – On deck
• Cincinnati – In the hole
• Colorado
• Houston
• Iowa State
• Kansas
• Kansas State
• Oklahoma State
• TCU
• Texas Tech
• UCF
• Utah
• West Virginia

Portal Team Rankings:

• On3: Big 12 12th | National 58th
• 24/7 Sports: Big 12 5th | National 36th
• The Athletic: B

Via AI:

• DJ Lagway (Quarterback): A massive addition who arrives in Waco with immense hype, expected to immediately command the offense and push for the starting role.
• Garrick Ponder (Linebacker / Edge): Transferred from Southern Miss, bringing heavy pass-rush prowess. He is poised to be a major anchor for the defensive front after recording 11.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks in 2025.
• Hosea Wheeler (Defensive Lineman): Arriving via Western Kentucky, he provides elite size (6-3, 300 lbs) and immediate starting-caliber depth to the defensive interior.
• Jayden McGowan (Wide Receiver): A dynamic speedster from Vanderbilt who adds a much-needed explosive element to the Bears’ receiving corps.
• Devon Jordan (Cornerback): Brought in from Oklahoma to help spearhead a much-needed secondary overhaul following portal departures.

Via The Athletic:

Top players added: QB DJ Lagway (Florida), WR Dre’lon Miller (Colorado), OL Nate Kibble (Texas), DL Hosea Wheeler (Indiana), edge Garrick Ponder (Southern Miss)

The Bears lost 18 players who started at least six games, 12 to exhausted eligibility and six to the portal. Among the notable outgoing transfers: leading rusher Bryson Washington (Auburn), leading tackler Keaton Thomas (Ole Miss) and safety DJ Coleman (Florida). Baylor, meanwhile, signed 11 starters from other FBS programs, but only four came over from other P4 schools. Lagway, who is 10-9 in his career as a starter with 28 touchdown passes and 23 interceptions in his two-year career, takes over an offense that brings back only one starter (right tackle Kaden Sieracki). Baylor signed four offensive linemen who started 11 games or more last season. That’s good. But the collection of new receivers and tight ends lacks high-level production. Four starters, meanwhile, return from the second-worst scoring defense in the league. Only one of the eight defensive linemen picked up in the portal had four or more sacks last season — former Kansas State edge rusher Ryan Davis. That just doesn’t feel like enough to fix things in Waco.

ESPN’s Bill Connelly:

Baylor wasted a good offense and a great special teams unit last season. Sawyer Robertson threw for 3,681 yards, the top three backs combined for 1,577 rushing yards, kicker Connor Hawkins and punter Palmer Williams were excellent, and the Bears lost every single game in which they didn’t score at least 30 points.

Aranda has to hope his third defensive coordinator hire is the charm. Baylor has averaged a 92.0 ranking in defensive SP+ over the past three seasons and has gone a combined 16-21 in that span — safe to say, Aranda’s seat is among the hottest in the country — but he brought in a solid DC in former Kansas State coordinator Joe Klanderman, who has a lineup’s worth of new transfers to work with.

There’s more at the link.

Team Recruiting Rankings:

• On3: Big 12 10th | National 54th
• 24/7 Sports: Big 12 11th | National 57th

Via AI:

• Ryelan Morris (RB): A top-tier running back out of Honey Grove who provides major explosiveness for the Bears.
• London Smith (WR): A highly-sought local talent from Waco’s University High School.
• Jae’Lin Battle (DL): An imposing defensive line presence from Oklahoma who remained loyal to the program.
• Quinn Murphy (QB): A four-star signal-caller from Liberty Christian committed to leading the future of the offense.

Big 12 Power Rankings

• ESPN’s Bill Connelly: 11th in the Big 12 & 51st nationally
• CBS Sports’ Shehan Jeyarajah: 11th in the Big 12
• The Big Lead: 10th
• Desert News’ Brandon Judd: 10th

AI Projection: What is the outlook for Baylor Bears football for 2026?

The outlook for the 2026 Baylor Bears football season centers on a crucial, make-or-break year for head coach Dave Aranda. Coming off a 5-7 campaign, the Bears are rebuilding but feature a highly anticipated new offense spearheaded by transfer quarterback DJ Lagway under coordinator Jake Spavital. Expectations are tempered following a heavy exodus of offensive production and key defenders to the transfer portal, causing Baylor to slide in national power rankings. However, there are some specific bright spots for the Bears:

Offensive Reloading: With Sawyer Robertson departed, former Florida standout DJ Lagway takes the reins. He will be supported by a highly experienced offensive line and a physical rushing attack led by a healthy Dawson Pendergrass, alongside incoming transfers like WR Dre’lon Miller.

Defensive Reset: The defense is undergoing a massive reload through the transfer portal, leaning on experienced additions like nose tackle Hosea Wheeler to improve a unit that struggled heavily against the run in 2025.

Challenging Slate: Baylor faces a brutal schedule, opening against Auburn in Atlanta before navigating a difficult Big 12 stretch that includes road trips to Arizona State and BYU, and a tough home closer against Texas Tech.