Jacob Redding’s rise at Baylor has been one of the more striking stories on the Bears’ roster, and the redshirt junior safety heads into 2026 carrying a load that looks a lot heavier than the one he arrived with. Once an unranked preferred walk-on from New Braunfels, he now sits sixth on Baylor’s list of most important players for the coming season.
That climb started with a dream that never really pointed anywhere else. Redding grew up less than two hours from Waco and followed Baylor from the beginning, so when it was time to pick a school, he had his eyes locked on the Bears.
The path wasn’t straightforward, though. He had to settle for a preferred walk-on spot, but he didn’t back off from the chance to play where he wanted.
He was already a proven playmaker in high school, where he was a unanimous First Team All-District selection as a senior. College football asked for more patience, and Redding had to wait for his opening. That chance came in 2025, when senior safety Devin Turner suffered a season-ending injury during spring practice and Redding moved into the starting lineup.
Once he got on the field, he made the most of it fast. In Week 2 of the 2025 season, Redding grabbed two key interceptions in Baylor’s 48-45 double-overtime win over No.
17 SMU, a result that gave the Bears their first win over a ranked opponent since the 2021 season. That game put him on the radar in a big way, and it wasn’t a one-night spike.
Redding closed out 2025 with 53 tackles and the highest defensive rating on Baylor’s roster according to PFF. He also delivered the Bears’ only defensive touchdown of the year, taking an interception back at home against Kansas State.
Now the expectations have shifted. Baylor needs him to keep producing at that level, but his role goes beyond the stat sheet. He’s also being counted on as the primary vocal leader for a secondary that is expected to be talented and reloaded, with a number of new faces in the mix.
In defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman’s blackshirts, Redding is almost certain to start, and the pressure on him isn’t just about matching what he did a year ago. Baylor will lean on him to help set the tone for the entire defensive backfield.
For a player who entered college as a walk-on, that’s a long way to come. But Redding has already shown the kind of edge that made the climb possible. If that same chip on his shoulder shows up again in 2026, Baylor has every reason to believe he can keep turning heads.
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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
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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 🡒]
Baylor May Have Finally Found The Receiver This Offense Needed
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For Baylor, the appeal is obvious: Freeman fills a spot the receiving corps needed and gives the staff a player who can move around the formation and handle more than just routine targets. He is expected to spend plenty of time in the slot, where his quickness and experience could make him a useful piece right away, while also giving himself one last chance to sharpen his game for the next level. [Read more 🡒]