5 Days till Kickoff: Baylor’s #5 Dillon Doyle
Dillon Doyle is a fifth-year senior linebacker from Iowa City, Iowa. This will likely be Doyle’s final season in Waco, and Baylor’s website has him listed at 6-foot-3, 240 pounds. With Jalen Pitre and Terrel Bernard off to the NFL, Doyle has taken on the responsibility of being a leader on and off the field. Aside from his leadership capabilities, Doyle is a legit All-American candidate at the linebacker position. He was voted preseason All-Big 12 by the media and multiple other outlets.
This is what our own Travis Roeder had to say about the unequivocal leader of the defense, “a thoroughly dominant run defender, Doyle is also a better athlete than many realize. He’s not fast or necessarily explosive, but he has terrific hips and is very fluid in space. While he won’t bring as much to the table as Terrel Bernard did from a pass-rushing perspective, he’s no slouch in that arena. He’ll be very valuable to Baylor this year as a guy who sets the tone from the middle of the defense but can also play big on the edge. There are some good linebackers in the Big 12 this year, including guys like O’Rien Vance, Trace Ford, Gerry Vaughn, etc., but Doyle is in a class of his own. NFL Draft pick.”
The best season of Doyle’s career came in 2021. The Iowa native started in all 14 games and finished second on the team in tackles (91) and TFLs (8.5). He was an honorable mention All-Big 12 for the second year in a row. His best statistical game of the season came in the loss to Oklahoma State, where he recorded a career-high 15 tackles and his first-career interception. Doyle’s game against BYU had quite the diverse stat line; while tallying four tackles and a sack on defense, he also added a rushing and a receiving touchdown in the win over the Cougars.
In 2020, his first season as a Bear, Doyle started all nine games at linebacker. He was an honorable mention All-Big 12 at linebacker and finished the season 20th in the conference in tackles per game (6.2). he was second on the team in total tackles (56) while also recording two TFLs and a forced fumble.
Doyle redshirted his true-freshman season in 2018 but appeared in four games, mostly on special teams. In 2019, he played in all 13 games and recorded 13 solo tackles, ten assists, and one forced fumble, as well as being Academic All-Big 10. Shortly after the season, Coach Aranda and his staff recruited Doyle out of the transfer portal to come play for Baylor.
Doyle racked up the awards during his senior year at West High School. He was a finalist for Gatorade Player of the Year, named to the All-Iowa Elite team, named the District Defensive Player of the Year, and was a team captain. In that season, Doyle recorded 73 tackles, 12 TFLs, two sacks, and three fumble recoveries. On offense as a tight end, he racked up 19 receptions for 242 yards and four TDs. In back-to-back seasons as an All-District performer, Doyle led his team to appearances in the state championship game. He chose Iowa in the class of 2018. Off the field, Doyle maintained a 4.0 throughout high school was a member of the National Honor Society.