22 Days till Kickoff: Baylor’s #22s Taye McWilliams & Reggie Bush II
As always, keep track of both the stats and roster countdowns in the Offseason Hub!
Taye McWilliams, a junior running back from Richmond, Texas, will share the brunt of the starting running back carries in 2022. All Baylor fans should be excited about the potential of a Craig Williams/Taye McWilliams backfield. McWilliams will have two years of eligibility remaining past this season, and he’s listed at 6-foot-1, 213 pounds on Baylor’s website.
Our own Travis Roeder thinks McWilliams can play a huge role this fall, saying, “Taye is a big, powerful, and fast dude. Standing at 6-foot-1, 220 pounds, he looks like a linebacker but has exquisite offensive skill… he’s a really shifty and a natural athlete who happens to be in a big frame. He has really good hip flexibility and is really good at making subtle movements with his body which make it very difficult for defenders to square him up.”
In 10 games in 2021, the Richmond native was fourth on the team in rushing yards with 183. He made his season debut against Texas Southern and scored his first career touchdown while totaling 102 yards on six carries. He rushed for 54 yards on six carries in the Big 12 opener against Kansas, including a rumbling, tumbling 20-yard-TD.
McWilliams played in five games as a true freshman in 2020. He recorded 31 yards on six carries against Texas Tech and had a team-high 33 yards on five carries in the blowout loss to Oklahoma State.
At Lamar Consolidated High School, just outside of Houston, McWilliams rushed for 1,582 yards and 19 touchdowns during his senior season in 2019. He finished the year with three consecutive 200-yard games and was voted District MVP while also being First Team All-District. He earned a four-star recruit, was the No. 25 running back in the nation, and the No. 40 player in Texas, according to 247. He was voted Tops in Texas Second Team by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football. Despite a coaching change, McWilliams committed to Baylor over Texas and Texas Tech in the 2020 class.
Travis shared a great story about McWilliams in his article, saying, “my favorite story about him is the one Matt Rhule told on signing day, where he went to go see Taye play down in Houston, saw how good he was, and messaged his assistants saying, “However hard we are recruiting this kid, recruit him harder.”
Reggie Bush II is a true-freshman cornerback from Frisco, Texas. Bush will have three or four years of eligibility remaining past 2022, depending on if he elects to redshirt this season. Baylor’s website has him listed at 6-foot-0, 183 pounds.
Our own Travis Roeder had this to say about the ultra-talented freshman,” Bush was Mr. Everything in high school which is why he was under-recruited. Now playing cornerback full time, he’ll have to learn the position, but I have little doubt it will come naturally to him. With some guys, you don’t have to watch their tape long before you realize they simply understand how to play the game. That’s Bush. Athletically, he’s probably not on the same level as McCarty, Reed, or Williams, but that’s no slight since those guys are all top-top-tier. But he’s still great and will be an above-average Big 12 corner.“
At Frisco Independence High School, Bush played everywhere. He saw time at safety, running back, and kicker. He carried the ball 89 times for 751 rushing yards and added 23 receptions for 395 yards and three touchdowns as a senior in 2021 He was named the District 5-5A Utility Player of the Year in 2021. His soccer background allowed him to be an all-around stud, and was even named Second Team All-State kicker in 2019. He was a three-star prospect and the No. 115 player in Texas, according to 247. Bush committed to Baylor over Navy, Yale, Air Force, and Tulane in the class of 2022.