Spring Football Spotlight: Baylor’s Running Back Room Gears Up for Big Season Ahead
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As spring football continues in full swing, second-year running backs coach Khenon Hall is excited about the ceiling of his position group, headlined by returners Bryson Washington (RSo.) and Dawson Pendergrass (Jr.) and a trio of talented freshmen.
"I feel really good; I'm very optimistic for next year," Hall told the media on Tuesday. "The two guys we have with Bryson and Dawson are experienced guys who had really good seasons last year as freshmen and sophomores. So it's very promising, and I'm very excited about the guys that are coming up."
With the departure of rising senior tailback Richard Reese to the transfer portal, Pendergrass and Washington have become the elder statesmen inside the running back room and have both stepped up as leaders on and off the field, according to Hall.
"They know that for us to take that next step and go fight for the Big 12 championship, they have to be better — they understand that," Hall said. "They've done a great job leading and being first in meetings, being first in line, just pushing themselves. I think Dawson has made leaps and bounds and is more vocal. Bryson has that natural leadership where guys want to follow him."
Washington is coming off a year in which he shattered the program's single-season rushing record (1,028) for a freshman. The Franklin native had six 100-plus yard games, the most of any freshman in school history, and was named a Freshman All-American at the year's conclusion.
Despite the bevy of accolades, Hall believes Washington can grow his game to an even higher level this fall, saying, "He's a guy that's aiming to potentially try to go pro next year. He has a lot of work to do. He's working hard. He's putting himself in a position to be able to do that next year. I'm very excited about him. I like where his mindset is."
Meanwhile, Pendergrass is coming off a sophomore campaign where he totaled over 700 all-purpose yards and seven touchdowns.
Washington and Pendergrass were one of three running back tandems in the Power Four with a 1,000-yard rusher paired with a 600-yard rusher. Throughout the offseason, the two have continued pushing each other to be the best versions of themselves.
"It's a brotherhood," Pendergrass said of his relationship with Washington. "Our whole room and our whole team are a brotherhood, but it's the little things. I'll be sitting behind him, watching him, and if I see something he did that I thought he could do better, I'll tell him and vice versa. We feed off each other."
Pendergrass also noted that rotating in the backfield allowed both players to stay fresh last season, saying, "We're going out there, and we're not as beaten up. That was the main reason we got to the third and fourth quarter, and people didn't want to tackle us anymore. And our O-linemen were out there running through people, and people didn't want that for four quarters."
Off the field, both of Baylor's top two backs spent the last couple of months getting stronger in the weight room, with Washington adding 10 pounds of muscle and Pendergrass adding 15. Both noted that the added weight hasn't impacted their speed in the slightest.
"I'm a bigger back, but I still have faster feet," Pendrgrass said. "I mainly worked on trying to get stronger — it helps a lot. At first, I was a little scared that I might lose some speed, but I'm still as fast and a lot stronger now."
The Baylor backfield has also benefited this spring from the offensive line not skipping a beat with four of the five starters returning up front. Under the guidance of Mason Miller, the offensive line was arguably the most improved unit on the team last year.
"Without them, there's no us," Hall said of the O-line. "We work really well together, and we go hand in hand."
Pendergrass added, "It's a blessing to see as a running back and to be able to watch them, knowing those are the guys who are going to be making my pathway to success and the whole team's pathway to success. It starts up front with them."
Behind Washington and Pendergrass is a competition for who will step up as the third running back.
The battle is between Joseph Dodds (RFr.), a former four-star recruit who missed all of last season recovering from an injury, and Caden Knighten (Fr.), a four-star prospect and the 27th-best running back recruit in the nation. Michael Turner (Fr.), another four-star recruit, is not an early enrollee but is set to arrive in Waco in the summer.
"That's why you recruit the guys that we recruit," Hall said. "That's why you get Caden Knighten and Michael Turner. Joseph Dodds is obviously a really good player as well. … I expect those three young guys to fight it out. We are running back by committee, so they are going to get reps."
Hall, who was the lead recruiter for Knighten and Turner in the 2025 class, spoke highly of the true freshman duo, saying, "They have a different gear, a different element of mindset, and a want-to and a drive that, when you're recruiting big-time running backs, is what you want to see. You want to see alphas, and they're that."
As a senior at Pauls Valley High School, Knighten rushed for 1,883 yards, added 617 receiving yards and totaled 38 touchdowns. Upon arrival at Baylor, he's already impressed some of the older players on the team.
"He brings an aggressive attitude to the game," Washington said of Knighten. "I feel like he's going through the freshman process, where you come in and get humbled a little bit, but you work your way back up to get confident. I feel like he's going to be a great player for us."
Other Spring Football Content:
- Spring Football Spotlight: Led by Robertson & Spavital, Offense Eyes Greater Success
- Photo Gallery: Baylor Football Spring Practices Continue
- Presser: Khenon Hall, Washington & Pendergrass Talk Baylor RBs, Offense