44 Days till Kickoff: Baylor’s #44s Josh White & Mark Patton
As always, keep track of both the stats and roster countdowns in the Offseason Hub!
Josh White, a junior linebacker from Houston, Texas, will have an opportunity to thrive in Dave Aranda’s defense with his uncanny speed and natural instincts in 2022. He should have two years of eligibility remaining past this season, and Baylor’s website has him listed at 6-foot-0, 230 pounds.
Our own Travis Roeder is extremely excited about Josh White’s addition to the team, saying, “White is an elite prospect because he’s anywhere from good to elite at every aspect of being a linebacker. He’ll be instinctive in the run game, he’s tough inside the box, he’s unreal running sideline to sideline, and he’ll be good rushing the passer.”
White was injured throughout the 2021 season and did not appear in any games for the Tigers. At the conclusion of the season, White entered the transfer portal and committed to Dave Aranda and his staff at Baylor. White’s addition was one of the biggest transfer portal gets in the country.
As a freshman in 2020, White appeared in 10 games and recorded six tackles on the season, two each against Texas A&M, Auburn, and Ole Miss.
At Cy Creek High School, White was a two-time District defensive MVP. He was a four-star recruit and was the TD Club of Houston’s Defensive Player of the Year. Rivals ranked him as the No. 8 recruit in the state of Texas and the No. 12 player at his position nationally. White had 332 career tackles, 7.5 sacks, three fumble recoveries, two blocked punts, seven forced fumbles, and an interception in his high school career. With a plethora of P5 offers, White committed to Dave Aranda and LSU in the class of 2020.
Mark Patton is a junior tight end from Tyler, Texas. Baylor’s website has him listed as 6-foot-5, 230 pounds, and he should have two years of eligibility remaining. He played at Tyler Junior College in 2020, where he caught three passes for 59 yards and a touchdown before transferring to BU.
At Tyler Lee High School, Patton played quarterback, fullback, and punter as a senior. He was an All-State selection as a fullback in 2019 and was named to the Academic All-State First Team as well.