Baylor’s ground game is heading into 2026 with a clear identity: hit first, keep coming, and grind opponents into the turf.
That approach should look a lot different than the version Baylor rolled out a year ago, when the Bears finished with the 42nd-ranked rushing attack. It was an improvement from 2023, but the season also came with ball-security problems, and star back Bryson Washington took a step back. Washington is gone now, and the Bears will get their first real test of life without him in Week 1 against Auburn in Atlanta.
The pieces around him are there. Baylor leaned on then-true freshmen Caden Knighten and Michael Turner last season, giving the rushing attack a balanced look even while veteran Dawson Pendergrass was sidelined by a season-ending injury.
Now Pendergrass is expected to be the lead option, with Knighten and Turner still in line for major roles. He says the injury is no longer an issue and that he’s back to full strength heading into fall camp.
"I feel like I'm back to 100%," Pendergrass said on 'The Bear Cast, presented by SicEm365. "I'm out there doing everything with everybody now. I got fully cleared right before summer break so you know I'm feeling great ready for the season."
With Pendergrass back and Khenon Hall back as the running backs coach, Baylor wants to be a downhill, physical team built around inside zone. The goal is simple: stack enough short gains early, then let those carries snowball as the game wears on.
"We like to identify ourselves as a very tough room," said Pendergrass. "Like we're gonna get the three yards, we're gonna get the crumbs, we're gonna get the four yards and we're just gonna keep like attacking and stacking it and stacking it and playing physical and wearing teams down until we get to like later in the game.
"Those four yard runs gonna turn to eight, twelve, and twenty. Stuff like that, but I feel like we got the people in the room to do it.
Everyone's out here working hard. I'm watching - we're all watching it.
Everyone's out here attacking each day. We got a bunch of dogs, got some small school players too you know.
A bunch of dogs in there and got Mike in there too. He's been attacking each day and I'm just excited to see it."
That’s the version of Baylor’s offense fans will get to size up right away when the Bears meet Auburn. The opener should show quickly what this backfield can be without Washington and whether the Bears’ physical style can set the tone in 2026.
In Other News...
Baylor Is Suddenly Back In A Familiar Portal Backcourt Debate
A familiar portal question is already taking shape for Baylor, with another backcourt target drawing interest from multiple high-major programs after a quiet freshman year at Illinois. Mihailo Petrovic entered the transfer portal after limited playing time, and his name has surfaced as a possible fit for teams looking to add depth and another ball-handler without having to remake the top of the rotation.
For Baylor, the appeal is pretty easy to see. The Bears are among the schools reportedly monitoring him, along with Texas Tech, Providence and Pittsburgh, and the fit would come down to how the staff wants to shape the backcourt around its current pieces. If Baylor wants more flexibility and insurance behind its primary guards, Petrovic could slide into a useful role, but he is not the kind of addition that settles the bigger roster questions by himself. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor's Backfield Suddenly Carries A Bigger 2026 Concern
Baylors ground game already had some room to grow after finishing 13th in the Big 12 last season, and the path forward looked clearer once Bryson Washington headed to Auburn. The Bears are expected to lean on Dawson Pendergrass, Caden Knighten and Michael Turner to help reshape the backfield in 2026, a group that gives the offense some intriguing upside if it can hold together.
What makes the outlook more complicated is that two of those projected lead options are working back from lower body injuries, which adds an immediate layer of uncertainty to a unit that needs stability as much as production. If Baylor is going to climb in the leagues rushing hierarchy next fall, it may not just come down to talent, but to how quickly that trio can get on the field and settle into roles. [Read more 🡒]
Former Baylor Linebacker Is Coming Home For A Bigger Game Day Role
Baylors 2026 radio broadcast team is taking on a more familiar feel, with longtime announcer John Morris adding former Bears linebacker Geff Gandy as color analyst and Bryson Jackson as sideline analyst. For Gandy, the move brings him back to his alma mater after a broadcasting run that included six seasons calling Texas State football, giving Baylor fans a new voice in the booth who already knows the program from the inside.
Gandy said the opportunity felt like coming home, and it marks another turn in a Baylor story that has already included a playing career, a post-football return to finish his degree and a second life in media. What makes this one notable is how it came together: Morris reached out personally, and Gandy is stepping into a role that should put him front and center for a program he has already spent decades around in one form or another. [Read more 🡒]