Baylor DT Jaxon Player is Back Home and Ready to Make an Impact in Big 12
This fall will be defensive lineman Jaxon Player’s first in a Baylor Bears uniform, but it’s not a complete change of scenery for the fifth-year senior. Before committing to and playing at Tulsa, Player was putting on the pads for nearby Midway High School here in Waco, TX.
“I’m a big family guy, I come from a big family and with [them] being eight minutes away from me down the road…I can go relax with them,” said Player of coming back home. “It’s way better than being six hours away like I was [at Tulsa].”
He was a three-star recruit coming out of high school and played well above expectations for Tulsa in his four seasons there. He was named to the AAC all-conference first team in 2020 and 2021, as well as being selected as a third-team All-American by Pro Football Focus. After dominating for the Golden Hurricanes, Player is back home in Texas and ready to add to this already formidable Bears defensive line.
Player had 14 tackles for loss last season, second most in the AAC, but it’s not just the frequency at which he gets behind the line that makes him such an impact player. The 6’0” 300-pound bulldozer doesn’t just get into the backfield; he gets deep into the backfield.
On his 14 tackles for loss last year, he ate up 40 yards of would-be offense in the process, an average of nearly three yards lost per tackle. That means when the running back takes the handoff, Player’s likely already wrapping him up. And according to him, Baylor’s defensive scheme may allow him to make even more big plays.
“It’s a react-attack defense,” said Player during media availability following Bears practice. “[This defensive scheme] is more patient, letting things develop, and it allows us to make more plays.”
The veteran lineman also said that he would be playing both tackle and end which he says will make him an even more dynamic defender by allowing him to focus on certain situations. Player and fellow tackle Siaki Ika will form a menacing duo on the Baylor front line that will only get better through competing against the Bears’ elite offensive line in practice.
For Player, the chance to play in a Power 5 conference near his childhood home is a dream come true. He mentions a photo of him attending a Baylor game in 2004, a photo he still has to this day and thinks about his journey before summing it up in one short sentence.
“I’ve been loving Baylor since I was a kid, and I finally get to rep the green and gold.”
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