43 Days till Kickoff: Baylor’s #43s Issac Power & Gavin Yates
As always, keep track of both the stats and roster countdowns in the Offseason Hub!
Issac Power, a fifth-year senior from Colorado, is the Bears’ starting punter. Power was a key piece in Baylor’s special teams unit last season and could return in 2023 if he wanted to use his Covid eligibility. While at BU, Power is majoring in business and has made the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll six times while being nominated to the Big 12 All-Academic Team an impressive four times.
As a junior in 2021, Power played in all 14 games. He punted 50 times for 2,249 yards (45.0 avg.), with a long of 68. Twenty of his punts went for 50+ yards, and twenty were downed inside the 20 yard-line. He finished the season eighth in career punts at Baylor (175), ninth in career punting yards (7,298), and ninth in career yards per punt at Baylor (41.7).
In the Covid shortened 2020 season, he punted in all nine games and had a total of 55 punts on the season for 2,219 yards and an average of 40.3 yards per kick. He had 11 punts inside the 20 and seven of 50 yards or more.
He appeared in all 14 games as a redshirt freshman in 2019. He punted 69 times for 2783 yards, with an average of 40.3 yards per punt, and a long of 59.
Power was the nation’s No. 5 punter coming out of Ponderosa High School in Colorado. He was a 2018 US Army All-American Bowl selection and was rated 4.5 stars by Chris Sailer Kicking. He was the 2016 and 2017 Prokickers.com Top Prospect Award winner. He committed to Baylor as a three-star prospect in the class of 2018 and redshirted his first season in Waco.
Gavin Yates is a sophomore tight end from Frisco, Texas. Yates will have two years of eligibility remaining past this season, and Baylor’s website has him listed at 6-foot-3, 250 pounds. While at Baylor, Yates is planning on majoring in business, and he made the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll in the fall of 2021.
As a true freshman in 2021, Yates scored a touchdown on his first career rushing attempt against Kansas. He had one catch in each of the games against West Virginia, Texas, and Oklahoma State. He finished the year seeing time in all 13 games and added four receptions for 35 yards.
At Frisco Memorial High School, Yates played both tight end and defensive end as a senior. He finished his high school career with 101 tackles, nine sacks, and 46 QB hurries. He also played lacrosse and was the team defensive MVP in 2021.