Baylor Bears Must Attack Defense in Transfer Portal
Perhaps Lorando Johnson entering the transfer portal shouldn’t have come as a surprise.
Since October, eight Bears have entered the transfer portal, including four defensive backs (Johnson, Devin Neal, Alfahiym Walcott, and Mike Harris). Three have transferred since Baylor hired Matt Powledge to replace Ron Roberts as defensive coordinator on Dec. 29.
With the notable exception of quarterback, Baylor had been pretty successful in the transfer portal. Former BYU offensive linemen Campbell and Clark Barrington bring talent and experience to a position group that is set to be rocked by graduations, and Arkansas receiver Ketron Jackson and Oklahoma State running back Dominic Richardson add juice to the skill positions. But Baylor has yet to add a defensive player in the portal.
When Dave Aranda took the Baylor job in January of 2020, he immediately jump-started the defense by bringing in Dillon Doyle from Iowa and William Bradley-King from Arkansas State. A year later, he brought in Siaki Ika from LSU. All three played key roles for the Bears.
But in 2022, a down year for the Baylor defense as a whole, new portal additions Jaxon Player and Josh White struggled to get acclimated. Player only managed 19 tackles, and White – expected by some to win a starting linebacker job – totaled just three tackles all season.
With so much talent leaving, particularly in the defensive backfield, Aranda needs multiple big hits to get this defense back on track. Baylor ranked 70th in scoring defense in 2022 – down from 10th in 2021 – and are at risk of another down season.
While most of the top transfers have already committed, talented options with Texas ties still remain. According to the 247 Sports Composite, the top two defensive linemen available are Davon Sears and Levi Bell, both at Texas State, and the top available linebacker is Texas A&M product Ish Harris.
No matter which direction Aranda chooses to go, at least some of the solution should come from the transfer portal. He’s proven his loyalty by trusting in his players to develop and take on bigger roles. But that’s a different proposition coming off a losing season than a conference championship. Baylor has the talent to compete in the Big 12, but the Bears can’t afford to pass up this opportunity to restock its defensive cupboard.
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