Baylor’s receiving room is getting a fresh look this offseason, and transfer Gavin Freeman might end up being the most important piece of the overhaul.
The Bears already made a major move by adding DJ Lagway to the quarterback room, but the wideout group needed work too. Freeman arrives with a chance to step right into a featured role, and the setup around him suggests plenty of touches could be coming his way.
Freeman spent his first two college seasons at Oklahoma before heading to Oklahoma State, where he became a true utility weapon. He worked as a receiver, a runner and a returner for the Cowboys, finishing with 53 catches for 481 yards and 12 carries for another 48 yards. He also handled primary punt return duties before entering the transfer portal at the end of the regular season and committing to Baylor.
At 5-foot-9, Freeman is built more for quickness than size, but that profile fits the slot nicely. He projects as a shifty option in 11 personnel, and Baylor can use him in ways that create easy offense through the run game and screen game.
That versatility is a big reason he lands at No. 5 on the list. Freeman is entering his final season of eligibility as a redshirt senior, and the path to playing time is wide open. With no major holdovers from last year’s receiving corps, he has a real shot to become Lagway’s top target from the moment fall camp begins.
Freeman also brings a skill set that matches what Jake Spavital wants to do on offense. His ability to contribute in multiple ways should give Baylor plenty of chances to feature him early while the unit finds its rhythm.
And with the way the NFL has leaned into smaller slot receivers, Freeman’s game could carry value beyond college too. Based on the opportunity in front of him, the prediction here is simple: he leads Baylor in receiving by season’s end.
In Other News...
These 3 Baylor Players Carry The Weight Of This Season
As Baylor opens fall camp, the spotlight is already fixed on three players who will shape how far this season can go. Linebacker Barnes is trying to show he can hold up over a full year after last seasons ACL tear, while edge rusher Ponder arrives with the kind of rsum that suggests immediate help for a defense that needs it. The Bears are counting on both to steady a roster that has plenty of questions before the first snap.
Ponders move from Southern Miss brought production and expectation, and Baylor needs both to translate quickly in a pass rush that struggled badly a year ago. Barnes, meanwhile, has a more personal test in front of him: proving he can stay on the field and be a reliable presence again. With camp now underway, those two storylines already carry real weight, even before the conversation shifts to the quarterback spot and everything attached to it. [Read more 🡒]
One Baylor Freshman Is Pushing A Portal Built Defensive Line
Baylors 2026 recruiting class brought in 16 signees and checked in at No. 53 nationally in On3s rankings, but the most immediate help for the defensive line may come from one of the freshmen. Four-star lineman Jaelin Battle enters a room that needed reinforcements after the Bears supplemented the front with transfer additions following the departure of key edge rushers.
Battle is expected to compete for a rotational spot right away, with early snaps possible at nose tackle or defensive tackle if he can translate his size and talent quickly. Among Baylors true freshmen, he appears to be the one closest to carving out a meaningful role this season, which gives his development a little extra weight in a defensive line mix that is still sorting itself out. [Read more 🡒]