BREAKING: BYU transfer Caleb Lohner chooses Baylor over UCLA and Utah

Scott Drew and the Baylor basketball program picked up a second forward commitment from a key transfer Friday when BYU transfer forward Caleb Lohner chose Baylor over Utah and UCLA. Lohner, who was four-star prospect out of high school and held an offer from Baylor in 2020, has three years of eligibility at Baylor

The 6-foot-8, 240-pound forward played 24 minutes per game last season for BYU. He averaged 7.0 points and 6.4 rebounds.

He is one of the best rebounders in the country as his rebounding rate per minute is elite on the offensive and defensive glass.  He’s also a committed defender.

As a freshman at BYU, Lohner shot 33% (19/57) from three. That number dipped to 21% (13/61) as a sophomore but he played most of the season with a fracture in his thumb and was also being asked to put on a lot of weight to play inside for BYU.  

He would be expected to play the 3 or the 4 for Baylor and should be expected to shoot over 30% from deep and do a lot of the glue guy stuff that Ish Wainright, Mark Vital and Royce O’Neale did for Baylor in past seasons.  

What are the Bears Getting in Lohner?

• A great rebounder, pick setter, physical presence who Mark Pope at BYU described as the hardest worker on his team. His rebounding rate per 40 minutes was over 11 per game.  

• A good athlete who played on the perimeter most of his career but is strong enough to play in the post when needed.
   
• His shooting numbers took a dive his sophomore season (42% FG; 21% 3pt; 55% 3pt) but having a broken hand on your shooting hand will impact that.  
   
• A good fit for Baylor's roster. I thought the most glaring need this upcoming season was a physical glue guy that would set picks, rebound and do some of the things that Royce O’Neale, Ish Wainright and Mark Vital did for the Bears in the past. Lohner brings these traits to the table.   

With the addition of Lohner the Bears have an expected 12 of their 13 scholarships filled for next season.  This seems to be a clear sign that Matt Mayer will stay in the NBA draft.  I would expect the Bears to fill their final scholarship with a JUCO guard to replace the loss of Dillon Hunter who decommitted from the Bears and committed to Clemson in the past week.