Baylor heads into the 2026 opener against Auburn with a roster full of new faces and a few spots that still feel like a work in progress. Some groups inspire real confidence. Others, especially up front on offense, are still asking for proof.
The biggest wild card is DJ Lagway. Baylor’s new starting quarterback arrived in college as a five-star and the No. 1-ranked quarterback in his class, but his two seasons at Florida never matched that billing.
Now he’s back in an offensive system that should fit him better under Jake Spavital, and he’s doing it with a clean bill of health for the first time in a while. Head Coach Dave Aranda said this is the first offseason Lagway has been fully healthy, which gives Baylor a chance to find out what the quarterback can really be.
Still, there’s no pretending the uncertainty disappears just because the uniform changed. Lagway threw 14 interceptions in 12 games last season, and Baylor needs him to take care of the ball if he’s going to settle in quickly and play with the confidence coaches have been talking about all offseason. That matters even more with Auburn waiting this Saturday.
The receiving room also looks very different after Baylor lost Josh Cameron, Ashtyn Hawkins, Kole Wilson, and Kobe Prentice. Those four combined for 192 catches, 2,464 yards, and 20 touchdowns in 2025, so replacing that kind of production is no small task. The good news for Baylor is that the Bears went into the portal and added a group of receivers with different backgrounds and skill sets.
Louis Brown IV is the name that jumps out first. He transferred to Baylor last year after stops at Colorado State and San Diego State, where he totaled 103 receptions for 1,278 yards and 9 touchdowns. With the room loaded last season, he redshirted after appearing in four games, but he should be one of Lagway’s top targets now.
Baylor will also lean on Gavin Freeman and Dre'lon Miller. Freeman spent the last two seasons at Oklahoma State, where he caught 53 passes for 481 yards and four touchdowns and added 48 rushing yards on 12 carries in 2025. Miller came over from Colorado and produced 52 catches for 435 yards, plus 161 rushing yards and a touchdown on 50 carries over his last two seasons.
Jadon Porter and transfer Debraun Hampton are in the mix too. Porter is back at Baylor and has shown flashes, while Hampton arrived from Florida with Lagway. After losing so much production, this is still a group that looks capable of holding its own.
The line is where the questions get louder. Baylor returns just one starter on the offensive front and is counting on transfers to fill the rest of the spots. That means a lot of the burden falls on whether these new pieces can look like Power Four starters right away.
Kaden Sieracki is locked in at right tackle after starting all 12 games last season and logging 912 snaps without allowing a sack. His brother, Koltin Sieracki, is set to start at center after Memphis transfer Yakiri Walker had his eligibility denied recently. Koltin only started three games in 2025, but he still played 278 snaps.
South Alabama transfer Asher Hale is expected to start at right guard after opening 11 games last season as a sophomore. At left guard, Texas transfer Nate Kibble is the choice, though his resume is thin with only 38 snaps. UAB transfer Logan Moore will man left tackle after starting 11 games for the Blazers in 2025.
It’s a group with very little time together, and that’s the part worth watching most closely against an SEC defensive front in week one.
On the other side of the ball, Baylor’s defensive line is one of the team’s strengths, at least according to Dave Aranda. There’s depth here, and there’s even more optimism now that Indiana transfer Hosea Wheeler has been cleared to play this season.
The Bears loaded up through the portal with Coastal Carolina transfer Jordan Mack, Texas State transfer Kamren Washington, Indiana transfer Hosea Wheeler, Marshall transfer Jamaal Whyce, Southern Miss transfer Garrick Ponder, UTSA transfer Daemian Wimberly, South Carolina transfer Zavion Hardy, and South Florida transfer Traevon Mitchell. They also bring back Devonte Tezino, Braylen Jackson, Jackson Blackwell, Kyler Jordan, and Trent Thomas.
That combination of returning players and transfers gives Baylor a lot to work with, especially after last season’s issues against the run and in the pass rush. The Bears allowed nearly 200 yards per game on the ground and finished tied for last in the Big 12 in sacks, so this front is expected to be much more disruptive in 2026.
The secondary looks strong as well. Baylor has a solid group back at safety with Micah Gifford, Jacob Redding, Devin Turner, and Tyler Turner. Devin Turner is trying to bounce back after a season-ending injury last spring kept him out for the entire season, even though he was a key piece for Northwestern before that.
At nickel, Bo Onu and Kansas State transfer Daniel Cobbs are expected to be important pieces. Onu played a lot as a freshman in 2025, while Cobbs brought real production with 39 tackles and three interceptions at Kansas State.
Cornerback also has answers. LeVar Thornton Jr. returns after posting 30 tackles, seven pass deflections, and one interception last season, and Oklahoma transfer Devon Jordan adds another experienced option after playing in all 13 games in 2025.
So while Baylor still has plenty to sort out on offense, especially on the line, the defense carries real promise. The secondary in particular gives the Bears a reason to feel good heading into Auburn.
In Other News...
LSU Just Dropped Auburn Into A Fresh SEC Eligibility Fight
A Louisiana judges ruling in favor of LSU players Zxavian Harris and DaeQuan Wright has added another layer to the SECs eligibility headaches just as the season is getting underway. The court allowed both players to regain college football eligibility despite their recent NFL roster status, and it blocked the SEC, NCAA and LSU from taking actions that would hurt their standing, putting the conference in a spot Auburn fans know well: another rules fight with real on-field consequences.
Harris and Wright have already been practicing with LSU as the Tigers prepare for their opener against Clemson, and the final decision on whether to add them to the roster now sits with LSU. For Auburn, the broader significance is hard to miss. Anything that shifts the SECs eligibility landscape can ripple through the league, and this latest ruling only deepens the uncertainty around how schools and conference officials will handle similar cases moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Suddenly Has Another SEC Problem To Watch Closely
Auburns attention may be split between the usual late-summer roster questions and the broader SEC chessboard, because a new court ruling has suddenly opened the door for more than 40 athletes to remain eligible under NCAA and league rules. Among the players affected are former NFL players Zxavian Harris and DaeQuan Wright, both expected to land on LSUs football roster, a development that could ripple beyond Baton Rouge as conference programs monitor how the eligibility landscape is being handled.
The SEC is planning to appeal the injunction, and it has also filed a separate lawsuit aimed at enforcing new punishments against teams that add ex-professional players. For Auburn and the rest of the league, the practical issue is less about one roster move than the possibility of a longer fight over who can play, who can be added, and what penalties might follow while the legal process continues to work itself out. [Read more 🡒]
Auburns First Captains Under Alex Golesh Just Sent A Clear Message
Auburn named five captains for its upcoming game against Baylor, giving Alex Golesh a first look at which players the team is leaning on as his tenure begins. Quarterback Byrum Brown, safety Champ Anthony, offensive lineman Cole Best, safety Cade Carlson and linebacker Elijah Melendez will wear the honors when the Tigers open at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta as part of the Aflac Kickoff.
The list says plenty about how Auburn wants to frame this matchup: leadership on both sides of the ball, from the quarterback to the trenches to the back end of the defense. For Golesh, it is also an early snapshot of the voices in the room as he gets ready for a spotlight game that will serve as his debut on the Auburn sideline. [Read more 🡒]