TCU’s defense may have a long season ahead of it when Baylor comes calling, because the Bears are making no secret of what they want to become: a team that can really stress opponents through the air.
That message came through loud and clear at Big 12 Media Days, where quarterback DJ Lagway talked like a player eager to open things up. When asked what has him most excited for the season, he said he is "excited to put the ball in the air and let it fly, throw it around."
Lagway also pointed to head coach Dave Aranda as a big reason for that optimism. "I've seen what [Aranda] did with [former Baykor quarterback] Sawyer [Robertson] and him being top five in the country on the ball, so I'm just excited to just go out there and just play free, have fun, and just learn from him."
The Bears appear ready to build plenty around Lagway’s connection with his tight ends, a group they believe can become a real problem for defenses in the middle of the field and near the goal line. That kind of production would give Baylor another layer in a passing game it clearly wants to expand.
Inside the locker room, the belief is already taking hold. Tight end Matthew Klopfenstein called getting Lagway a "confidence builder" and said it "wakes the team up a little bit". He added, "I've been here through the highs and lows, but this is the most confident I can say going into a summer and into the season."
Lagway said he feels good physically and mentally after spending the offseason focused on long-term body care. Whether that work and the relationships he has built away from football show up on Saturdays is still to be seen, but the tone around Baylor is unmistakably upbeat.
For TCU, the first order of business will be keeping Lagway from settling in early. Baylor wants rhythm, confidence and quick momentum, and if the Bears get their passing game rolling, the Horned Frogs will be under pressure fast.
And it won’t be enough for TCU to just worry about the ball in the air.
Lagway can hurt a defense with his legs, too. He has the ability to extend plays, turn broken snaps into gains and create explosive runs whether the call is designed for him or not.
That means the Horned Frogs’ pass rush has to stay patient and disciplined. Defensive ends can’t just fly upfield, and linebackers will have to account for his running threat.
If TCU gets too locked in on Baylor’s receivers and tight ends, Lagway can make them pay somewhere else.
The game is still months away, but Baylor left its mark at Big 12 Football Media Day: the Bears believe they have one of the conference’s most dangerous offenses. If Lagway delivers as both a passer and runner, TCU’s secondary could end up being the unit that decides one of the Big 12’s biggest rivalry games.
Media Day confidence is one thing. Containing it in October will be another.
In Other News...
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Day 2 of Big 12 media days brought the full circuit of individual school turnouts, with Arizona, Cincinnati, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, TCU, Utah and West Virginia all taking their turns at the podium and in Q&A sessions. The biggest coaching news of the day came from Utah and Kansas State, where Morgan Scalley and Collin Klein were introduced as new head coaches and spent time explaining the transition from assistant roles into the spotlight, along with the philosophies they want to bring to their programs.
For TCU, the conversation had a different edge. Sonny Dykes addressed the NCAAs letter of inquiry to Cincinnati over Brendan Sorsbys gambling situation and made clear where he stands on the Big 12 side of the issue, backing commissioner Brett Yormarks handling of it. It was the kind of media-days moment that can get lost in the shuffle, but Frogs fans will notice when their coach is weighing in on a league matter that could shape how the conference handles similar problems going forward. [Read more 🡒]