Baylor’s 2026 season already has its quarterback answer, but plenty else is still being sorted out in Waco. DJ Lagway is locked in as the starter, and after a 5-7 year and a busy run through the transfer portal, Dave Aranda’s staff now has to settle the rest of the depth chart in fall camp.
The biggest questions sit up front on offense. Baylor returns only one starting offensive lineman from 2025 in Kaden Sieracki, who started last season at right tackle and appears set to stay there. The Bears will lean on him as a steady, veteran voice on a line that is being rebuilt around him.
At center, Yakiri Walker is expected to take over if he is eligible. Walker brings starting experience from both UConn and Memphis, which gives Baylor a proven option in the middle.
The real competition comes at left tackle, left guard and right guard. On the blind side, Baylor is weighing transfers Cole Rhett and Logan Moore against returning lineman Matthew Parker.
Parker entered school with plenty of buzz and is still trying to carve out his place. Rhett started 11 games for Toledo last season, mostly at right tackle, but he has also played left tackle.
Moore was also a starter at his previous stop, UAB, where he lined up at right tackle.
Another name in that mix is Isaiah Robinson, a four-star recruit who has yet to appear in a game across his three seasons at Baylor.
The guard spots are just as crowded. Lawson Petty, Nate Kibble, Asher Hale and Koltin Sieracki are all in the hunt for two jobs.
Kibble is especially worth watching after spending two seasons at Texas. He didn’t play much there, but the Longhorns wanted him for a reason, and he could push for the right guard spot.
Sieracki, the younger brother, played in 11 games last season and made three starts while working at center and right guard, so he may have an edge.
On the left side, Hale brings the most obvious starting résumé after opening 11 games for South Alabama last season at right guard. Petty is also in the conversation after serving as a rotational piece at both guard spots for UIW.
Baylor’s secondary is also getting a reset after losing Carl Williams and DJ Coleman to the portal. In Joe Klanderman’s system, three safeties can be on the field at once, and Jacob Redding should be the anchor after a breakout 2025 season. He was the heart and soul of the back end, and his return mattered a lot for Aranda’s team.
The Bears also have Tyler and Devin Turner, Bo Onu and Micah Gifford back in the room. But the transfer to circle is Colby McCalister, who came over from Kansas State. McCalister missed 2025 while recovering from an injury, but he was an important part of the Wildcats’ defense in 2024, when he played in 12 games and made starts.
Baylor wants more production from that group, and while McCalister’s 2024 form is the hope, the Turners and Gifford give the Bears some cover.
The defensive line may have the most urgent makeover of all. Losing Jackie Marshall hurts, but Baylor clearly went after reinforcements after struggling against the run.
One of the biggest additions is Indiana national champion Hosea Wheeler, though his eligibility is still being sorted out. If he is cleared, he is expected to handle nose tackle.
Southern Miss transfer Garrick Ponder is the likely starter at Jack, arriving in Waco as a top pass-rushing addition. Still, there are two more spots that should be decided in camp.
At defensive tackle, Jamaal Whyce and Kamren Washington are set to compete, with Devonte Tezino also in the picture as a returning Bear. Whyce started nine games at nose tackle for Marshall and profiles as a run-stuffer next to Wheeler. He posted 34 tackles, six tackles for loss and three sacks in his lone season there after three years at South Carolina with limited action.
Washington brings a different résumé. He played in all 13 games for Texas Tech in 2025 and finished with 15 tackles, four tackles for loss and one sack. He fits certain situations, but he does not bring the same run-stopping force as Whyce.
The final battle to watch comes at defensive end, where Jordan Mack and Zavion Hardy are competing for a role, with Kyler Jordan also a candidate to slide from Jack into a more traditional end spot. Mack played in all 13 games for Coastal Carolina last season and recorded nine tackles and a sack.
Hardy is the more intriguing upside play after a limited season at South Carolina, where he arrived as the No. 1 ranked JUCO prospect. If it clicks, Baylor may have found a real difference-maker.
In Other News...
Dave Aranda Just Sent A Clear Message About Baylor's 2026 Identity
As Baylor eyes 2026, Dave Aranda is making the programs priorities pretty clear: leadership and cohesion have to come first. The Bears have built a player-selected leadership council, and for the first time in Arandas tenure, he has also named team captains, a sign he wants the locker room to carry more of the load as the roster takes shape.
That message also fits the way Aranda is talking about the offense and the bigger college football picture. He is pushing back on the idea that the Bears future rests on transfer quarterback DJ Lagway alone, instead stressing an inside-out team approach, while also acknowledging the financial gap Baylor is navigating against programs with far more roster money. He has even raised concerns about where NIL and direct compensation could be headed next, including the high school level. [Read more 🡒]
The Baylor Line Just Earned National Respect Baylor Fans Know It Deserves
The Baylor Line is getting a national spotlight again, with the tradition landing among the top walk-out rituals in USA Today Sports 2026 Readers Choice Awards. For Baylor fans, it is the kind of recognition that feels overdue for one of college footballs most distinctive game-day scenes, where first-year students pack into McLane Stadium and form the human tunnel that greets the team before kickoff.
The nomination puts Baylor in a public vote against other celebrated traditions, and the window to support it runs through Aug. 17, with winners set to be announced Aug. 26. The Baylor Line has long been part of the programs identity, so this is less about introducing the tradition than about seeing whether a national audience will reward what Bears fans have known all along. [Read more 🡒]
Where Michael Turner Fits In Baylors Crowded Backfield Debate
Michael Turner gave Baylor a useful glimpse of what he can be as a true freshman, even after missing the first two games of his first season because of injury. He still found a way to matter in the offense, handling the ball 65 times for 320 yards and a touchdown while flashing the kind of efficiency that makes coaches take notice when they start sorting out a backfield.
That matters now because Dave Aranda has made it clear the Bears need a better running game in 2026, and Turner is in position to be part of the answer. He is expected to enter the season as a possible third back on the depth chart, which puts him in the middle of a crowded competition and leaves Baylor with one of its more interesting roster questions heading into Week 1. [Read more 🡒]