Baylor’s Palmer Williams is back in the spotlight before the season even starts.
The senior punter was named a First-Team Preseason All-America selection by the Walter Camp Football Foundation on Tuesday morning, giving the Bears one of the top specialists in the country a little more than a month before kickoff.
Williams was one of just two punters recognized across the first and second teams, sharing that distinction with Troy’s Evan Crenshaw.
The honor comes on the heels of a big 2025 for the Advance, N.C., native. Williams was a finalist for the Ray Guy Award and earned All-America status after helping Baylor finish first nationally in net punting at 45.0. He also picked up Big 12 Conference Special Teams Player of the Year honors from the league’s head coaches after averaging a conference-best 46.92 yards per punt.
The numbers tell the story of how hard he was to beat in field-position battles. Williams punted 27 times, had only 12 returns, and gave up just 32 return yards.
Eleven of his punts landed inside the 20, seven were fair caught, and 11 traveled at least 50 yards. He has now piled up 39 career punts of 50 yards or more, which ranks seventh in Baylor history.
His career average of 46.55 yards on 107 punts sits atop the program record book. And his 2024 season was even better in the moment: 49.35 yards per punt on 43 attempts, a school record and the best mark in the nation among punters who averaged at least 2.5 punts per game.
Baylor’s 2026 season opens Sept. 5 in Atlanta at the Aflac Kickoff Game against Auburn. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. and the game will air on ABC.
Williams was the only Baylor player listed on the Walter Camp preseason teams. The full first and second teams also included names such as Arch Manning, Jeremiah Smith, Trey'Dez Green, Colin Simmons, Xavier Atkins, and Da'Realyst Clark on the first team, with Julian Sayin, Cam Coleman, David Stone and Evan Crenshaw among the second-team selections.
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
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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 🡒]