Bears Well Represented Among Top Big 12 Playmakers
The Baylor Bears enter the 2022 season looking to repeat as Big 12 Champions for the first time since they won the conference in 2013 and 2014.
The Bears return a good amount of talent on both sides of the ball, which they will rely heavily on if they want to claim another Big 12 championship. Their strength comes in the trenches, as their offensive and defensive lines could very well be some of the best in college football.
In fact, On3 ranked their top 20 Big 12 players in the Big 12 which featured five Bears, all of which can be found along the offensive and defensive lines.
20. Defensive Tackle Jaxon Player
The Bears managed to land Jaxon Player via the transfer portal, as the former Tulsa Golden Hurricane will call Waco home this season. Player is an immediate impact transfer, having been named to First Team All-AAC in 2021. He racked up 6 tackles, 14 tackles for a loss, 11.5 sacks and five forced fumbles, wreaking havoc on opposing offenses.
18. Center Jacob Gall
Jacob Gall is the first of three Bears' offensive linemen on this list, as he anchors the unit from the center position. After transferring to Baylor prior to the 2021 season he would go on to start all 14 games for the Bears. If the Bears want to repeat their success from 2021, Gall continuing to anchor the offensive line will go a long way in that happening.
17. Offensive Tackle Khalil Keith
Right ahead of Gall on this list is tackle Khalil Keith, one of Baylor's two dominant offensive tackles. Keith has been an off-and-on starter for the Bears over his three seasons in Waco, but provides plenty of experience, having started 15 games over his career.
14. Defensive Tackle Siaki Ika
Siaki Ika joins fellow defensive tackle Jaxon Player on this list, as they look to help anchor a solid Baylor defensive line. In 2021 he would rack up 24 tackles, including four sacks. Now, he and Player will look to repeat their success in 2022, with the duo set to disrupt opposing offenses.
8. Offensive Tackle Connor Galvin
Connor Galvin is the other half of Baylor's pair of dominant offensive tackles, as he opted to return for a fifth year in 2022. He was named a Third Team All-American in 2021 and is set to be one of the highest-rated tackles in the country, helping anchor what could be the best offensive line in the Big 12.
You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98
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Connor Zimmerlee is a writer and reporter for the FanNation network. Zimmerlee received his Bachelor's of Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and graduated from Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism with a Master's of Science in Journalism with a Specialization in Sports Media.