SicEm365 Staff Roundtable: Who Will be Baylor's Biggest Breakout Player this Fall?

As fall camp approaches, the SicEm365 staff will address the most pressing questions about the football team. Today, the staff will give their opinion on who Baylor’s likeliest breakout player is this fall.

Colt Barber – Defensive Lineman, Jackie Marshall (RJr.)

There aren’t many guys with the potential that Jackie Marshall possesses. Coming off of a knee injury, Marshall did not play in a game last fall. He is now fully recovered and ready to earn a starting position in fall camp. The former linebacker and EDGE has continued to add girth while maintaining an athletic ability that Baylor hasn’t had on their three-down front. As a red-shirt freshman in 2022, Marshall collected 22 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss with two hurries and three pass breakups from the JACK position in 236 snaps. I wouldn’t be surprised to see those snap numbers double, and his production do so as well. 

Grayson Grundhoefer – Offensive Lineman, Alvin Ebosele (RSo.)

There are quite a few good answers here, but I think a guy going under the radar a little bit is Alvin Ebosele, a 6-foot-6, 315-pound left tackle. A big reason is that there are so many question marks about the offensive line as a whole, but I believe Ebosele has a chance to be a star as early as this season. The anchor at left tackle struggled last season as he was asked to play a year before he was truly ready, and it showed especially in the run game, where his strength was tested. This past offseason in the weight room and a new offensive scheme will allow him to flourish during this upcoming season and be Baylor’s best offensive lineman and a true preseason All-Big 12 candidate going into 2025.

Travis Roeder – Linebacker, Keaton Thomas (RSo.)

Keaton Thomas brings a level of athleticism, twitch and potential leadership that Baylor has been missing in recent years. With this only being his second year playing inside linebacker, I doubt he will become an All-Big 12 level guy this fall, but I think he’s going to bring splash and excitement. He’s the kind of guy who, when a quarterback is escaping the pocket on third and long and it looks like he has an easy path to a first down, has the speed and acceleration to track him down for a big stop. He should be a playmaker who gets a fair number of TFLs, sacks, and breaks up passes. 

Craig Smoak – Wide Receiver, Ketron Jackson (Sr.)

Ketron Jackson enters his senior season after finishing third on the team in receiving yards a year ago, with 28 catches for 489 yards, a single score and one 100-yard game, missing two contests due to a head injury. I'm not anticipating a crazy jump to 1,000+ yards and double-digit TDs, but I believe he can be far more impactful overall, helping move the chains and finding the end zone more than once all year. The wide receiver room appears crowded, thanks to Monaray Baldwin and several highly-discussed transfers. But I think Jackson will cut through the noise and make some big catches this season that elevate his status, the offensive outlook and potentially the team's win total.