Baylor’s roster for next season is already taking shape, but there’s still a path for one more familiar name to come back into the mix: Caden Powell.
The Bears are set up with a strong batch of transfers and key returners such as junior guard Isaac Williams and redshirt junior center Juslin Bodo Bodo, and Scott Drew is heading into the year with big expectations after Baylor’s worst season since 2006. Even after a .500 overall finish and a 6-12 Big 12 mark, one of the few bright spots from last season could still be in play.
Powell, a senior forward and Waco native, arrived from Rice expecting to back up Bodo Bodo and play limited minutes. That plan changed fast when Bodo Bodo went down with a forearm injury before the season, and Powell was pushed into the starting center job.
He made the most of it, becoming a fan favorite through effort and production on a team that struggled. Powell finished the year averaging 6.9 points and 6.3 rebounds.
Now there’s a potential opening for him to return, thanks to the NCAA’s newest eligibility model tied to age. The proposal creates a five-year window for college athletes based on either their enrollment date at school or their 19th birthday, and it is awaiting a vote on Wednesday.
That model is also at the center of a lawsuit filed in Ohio seeking an injunction against the NCAA. The case includes 15 student athletes from the class of 2022 who used up their four years of eligibility but believe they should get one more season under the new framework. Powell is part of that case and is expected to be pursuing a return to Baylor.
The suit is led by Ryan Downton, the attorney who also won an extra year of eligibility for former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, allowing him to return for the 2025 season.
If the Ohio court grants the injunction, Powell would be eligible to take Baylor’s 15th and final roster spot.
That matters because the Bears already look deep. If the injury luck holds, Drew could be looking at a probable 10-man rotation. Powell would add another veteran to the mix, along with more size and someone who already knows the system.
There is a lineup question, though. Bodo Bodo is expected to start at the five, and redshirt freshman center Mayo Soyoye is lined up for the backup role. Powell’s return could create a crowd in the middle.
But if Baylor moves Powell to the four instead of keeping him at center, the Bears could lean into a bigger, more athletic front line. In that setup, Baylor would have a chance to get back to the kind of lengthy rim-runners it hasn’t featured in Waco since the mid 2010s.
With Powell at the four and either Bodo Bodo or Soyoye at the five, Baylor’s frontcourt could become the Big 12’s best lob threat.
The NCAA is scheduled to cast its final vote on the eligibility model Wednesday, and the Ohio case is expected to move ahead depending on that ruling.
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 🡒]