Baylor didn’t bring in Gavin Freeman just to add depth. The senior transfer from Oklahoma State arrived with a reputation for being a steady hand, a player who could settle in and give the Bears a dependable target every Saturday. Two games into the season, he’s done a lot more than that.
Freeman is sitting atop college football with 22 receptions, and he’s also seventh nationally in receiving yards. That kind of start has put him squarely in the middle of the conversation around Baylor’s passing game, especially after he delivered a huge opening performance against Auburn and then kept it rolling against Prairie View A&M.
Against Auburn, Freeman went off for 12 catches, 154 yards and a touchdown. He followed that up with 10 more receptions last Saturday, and his work when DJ Lagway was sidelined in week two gave Baylor a reliable outlet in a 44-3 win. Nate Bennett leaned on Freeman as the offense’s top option, and Freeman kept the chains moving.
What makes the production stand out is how Baylor is using him. Freeman has been effective in zone coverage, whether he’s snapping off quick outs and slants or working deeper routes up the seam. From the slot, he’s shown he can threaten defenses at multiple levels.
He’s also been a first-down machine. Fourteen of his 22 catches have moved the chains, a reflection of his route running and what he does after the catch. Baylor’s offense has found a player who can stay on schedule, win consistently, and turn routine throws into productive gains.
The pace is eye-catching. If Freeman keeps landing somewhere around 8-12 catches and 95-115 yards per game, he could finish with more than 100 receptions, over 1,200 yards and five to eight touchdowns. That would put him in rare company in Baylor history.
The benchmark is clear. K.D.
Cannon was the last Baylor receiver to top 100 catches and 1,200 yards, doing it in 2016. Tyquan Thornton was the last one to even get close to 1,000 yards, back in 2021.
Freeman’s start has him tracking toward a season that could land him among the most productive wideouts the program has ever had, with a strong case to be an underrated name in next year’s NFL Draft.
In Other News...
Former Auburn WR Could Change How Dangerous Florida Looks Saturday
Eric Singleton Jr.s return to Auburn is suddenly one of the more important storylines to watch heading into Saturday. The former Tigers wideout, now at Florida, has been limited in practice after suffering a left ankle injury in the Gators season opener, and he already sat out the second week of play. For Auburn, the matchup gets a little cleaner if Singleton is unable to go, because he has been one of the more productive receivers in college football throughout his career and gives Florida a dimension the Tigers will have to account for.
Florida has enough around its passing game to keep Auburn honest, but Singletons status could shape how dangerous the Gators look if the game tightens up. Even being available in a limited role would matter, because his ability to stretch coverage and create separation changes the way defenses have to play. Auburn will keep an eye on the injury report, and Florida will be hoping one of its most dynamic targets can get close enough to full strength to make a difference. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Heads To Florida With One Big Question About Its Identity
Auburn heads into Week 3 looking like a team still trying to settle its football identity, and the trip to Florida offers a clean test of where it stands. The matchup carries plenty of similarity on paper, with both teams leaning on physical play, but ESPN analyst Cole Cubelic sees the Gators holding an edge in that department, especially on offense. Auburn, meanwhile, has had its strongest moments on defense, helped by the return of key edge rushers, even as the offense continues to search for steadier footing.
The line of scrimmage may tell the story, particularly for an Auburn rushing attack that has not yet found the consistency it needs. If the Tigers are going to leave Gainesville with a better sense of who they are, the offensive line will have to answer a lot of the questions that have followed it through the opening weeks. Against a Florida team built to make games feel uncomfortable, Auburns margin for error looks slim, and its identity may be just as dependent on how it handles the trenches as on anything else. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn's Expensive Roster Overhaul Just Raised The Pressure On Alex Golesh
Auburns offseason reset came with a price tag that already says plenty about the expectations around Alex Goleshs first year. According to a report from The Athletic, the Tigers spent between $31 million and $35 million on the roster, landing 17th among Power 4 programs and ninth in the SEC, a striking figure for a team that turned over so much of its depth chart after Golesh was hired.
The churn was massive, with roughly 40 players leaving and a similar number coming in, including a dozen who followed Golesh from South Florida. That kind of investment does not buy patience, and it helps explain why Auburns roster was the fifth-most expensive among first-year head coaches. The numbers do not guarantee results, but they do make the pressure on Golesh feel very real before the season has even started. [Read more 🡒]