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...
Baylor Suddenly Has A Defensive Line Question Slug Mitchell Could Answer
Baylors defensive front may have gotten an unexpected late-season boost, with fifth-year lineman Traevon Mitchell, better known as Slug, cleared by temporary injunction to remain eligible for at least the rest of the regular season. The ruling from Judge Alan Bennett gives the Bears another experienced body in a position group that can always use more depth, especially as the grind of conference play wears on.
Coach Dave Aranda has already pointed to Mitchell as a possible answer after another player went down with a season-ending injury, which only adds to the intrigue around what his role could become now. The legal battle is not finished, with the next trial date still estimated to be about 90 days away, so Baylor has a short-term solution but not necessarily a permanent one, leaving the Bears to plan while the situation around Mitchell remains unsettled. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Heads Into La Tech With One Big Problem Up Front
Baylor is heading into its matchup with Louisiana Tech trying to patch things together along the line of scrimmage, where the loss of fifth-year senior Devonte Tezino has left a noticeable hole on defense. Tezinos season-ending lower body injury changes the look of a unit that had counted on his experience, but Baylor at least got one bit of relief when fellow fifth-year senior Traevon Mitchell was granted a temporary injunction to play out the rest of the season.
The Bears will need that depth to hold up, especially with players like Kyler Jordan expected to take on more responsibility up front. On the other side of the ball, starting center Koltin Sieracki is expected back after missing a game with an injury, and Baylor is still trying to clean up penalties and sharpen its overall execution before taking on Louisiana Tech. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Has A Week 3 Problem It Needs To Fix Fast
Baylor heads into Week 3 at McLane Stadium with the same 1-1 record as Louisiana Tech, and the Bears already know the formula they need to sharpen if they want to avoid digging a bigger hole. The margin for error has been thin through two games, and the focus has turned to the basics that decide September football: winning the turnover battle, controlling time of possession and cutting down on the penalties that can stall drives or extend them for the wrong team.
Those are not glamorous fixes, but they are the kind Baylor has to make quickly if it wants the matchup to feel routine instead of tense. Players have pointed to discipline and consistent effort on both sides of the ball as the standard, and this week offers a chance to show it in a setting where the Bears should be able to settle in. The question is whether they can turn those reminders into cleaner football before the schedule starts demanding it. [Read more 🡒]