Baylor will open its 2026 season without one of its most important defensive pieces. Senior safety Jacob Redding is out for the year with a torn ACL, according to Grayson Grundhoefer, and the timing could not be worse with the Bears set to kick off in less than two hours against Auburn at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Redding’s absence leaves a real hole in the secondary. He paced Baylor with interceptions in 2025, added 53 total tackles and finished with two pass breakups. For a defense that already has to deal with a different look than it saw a year ago, losing that kind of production changes the equation fast.
The Bears are also rolling into this opener with a different cast on offense. DJ Lagway, the highest-rated recruit in Baylor program history, is set to make his debut later today. Even though he spent his first two college seasons with Florida in the SEC, he has never faced Auburn.
Auburn’s side looks different too. New head coach Alex Golesh brought his quarterback with him from his previous stop, and Byrum Brown will make his Auburn debut this afternoon. When asked earlier this week about the matchup with Baylor’s defense, Brown didn’t sound especially rattled.
One wrinkle heading into the game: Baylor does not have to release an official student-athlete availability report until Big 12 play begins. That means the Bears’ first report, whether initial or final, won’t arrive until the Week 4 meeting with Deion Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes.
Redding’s injury is the biggest health-related development for Baylor so far, but it also carries a deeper sting. The former walk-on went from a lightly used player in 2023 to a weekly contributor the next season and then a primary starter last year.
As for Auburn, the Tigers come into Saturday healthy. Baylor Bears On SI said it will update the situation if pregame warm-ups bring any new information.
In Other News...
Auburn Handed Baylor One Of The Weirdest Moments Of The Game
Alex Goleshs first game as Auburns head coach already had one of those moments that gets replayed and argued over long after the final whistle. In the third quarter, with the Tigers trying to settle into a new era under a coach hired after a successful run at South Florida, Auburn reached for a gadget play that immediately put everyone in the stadium on alert and left Baylor with a big break in the middle of a tight game.
The decision did not age well. What looked like a surprise answer to a field-position question instead became a fresh source of criticism, as fans and observers quickly questioned the timing and logic of the call in that spot. For Baylor, it was the kind of odd, sudden swing that can change the feel of a game without adding anything to the box score except another reminder that strange things tend to happen early in a season opener. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Volleyball Just Got An Early Test Fans Can't Ignore
No. 20 Baylor volleyball ran into an early measuring stick Friday at the Ferrell Center, where No. 17 Florida handed the Bears a straight-set defeat and left a notable mark on the home schedule. Baylor still had production at the net, with Ksenia Rakhmanchik leading the way with 12 kills and both Bailey Warren and Victoria Davis making meaningful contributions, but the match showed how quickly a ranked nonconference opponent can expose small gaps in rhythm and finish.
The loss also stood out because it was Baylors first home sweep loss since Sept. 18, 2024, a reminder that this kind of setback has been rare in Waco. The Bears will have little time to dwell on it, with the Ameritas Challenge in Lincoln, Nebraska, next on the schedule and another chance to see how they respond against quality competition. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Womens Golf Gets An Early Test For A Proven Core
Baylor womens golf is wasting no time finding out where it stands. The Bears open their 2026-27 season at the Cougar Classic on Sept. 7-8 in Charleston, South Carolina, a familiar early checkpoint for teams trying to gauge form against a deep field. Head coach Jay Goble, entering his 16th season, sounds eager to get the new campaign rolling, especially with a schedule that should offer an immediate read on how the roster is coming together.
The good news for Baylor is that this is not a group starting from scratch. Five returning players will make up the core of the lineup, with senior Yurang Li again set to anchor the top of the order after a strong year. Charleston will give the Bears a clean first look at that proven nucleus, along with the kind of competition that can quickly show whether experience translates into another step forward. [Read more 🡒]