Aranda's Call Sheet: Baylor Football Closes Spring Camp on a High Note
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Instead of a traditional spring game, the Baylor football program wrapped up its spring camp with an open practice last Saturday that featured a competitive showcase of drills. The idea behind shifting away from spring games has become a common theme across college football, and it’s mostly to avoid injuries and prevent any further transfer portal-related issues.
After the event, sixth-year head coach Dave Aranda spoke to the media and said that his team had accomplished a lot this spring, noting, “There are a lot of boxes that we checked off. Injuries and not having everyone as healthy as you’d like probably pulled us back a little bit. There’s time in the summer and preseason to get that right. Outside of that, I think we did.”
As for particular players' improvement this spring, Aranda discussed a notable mindset shift with his starting signal-caller, rising redshirt senior Sawyer Robertson, who is coming off a spectacular junior campaign. Robertson is entering his second year with offensive coordinator Jake Spavital, but his first offseason as the unquestioned “QB1” on Baylor’s roster.
“We would not be the team that we are without him,” Aranda said of Robertson. “His ability to walk in a room knowing that, ‘Hey, I'm the guy, and this is my time.’ That's a game changer. It's crazy what the amount of belief can do when someone believes in somebody else.”
The spring transfer portal window was another storyline from the last couple of weeks. Despite rampant tampering, the Bears managed to keep their roster almost entirely intact. The only key loss was redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Brendan Bett, who landed at Florida less than a week after entering the portal.
“This particular transfer window has been primarily defensive for us,” Aranda said. “It hasn’t been intentional. We haven’t been trying to come out and play defense. We very much wanted to be offensive-minded in our approach, but it was one thing after another. Now that we’re on the other side of that, it gives us the ability to play a little bit more offense.”
The sixth-year head coach mentioned potential needs, highlighting depth on the offensive line, as well as another wide receiver, cornerback and nose guard as necessities, but noted that keeping the top players in Waco and away from potential suitors was the most significant accomplishment.
“It speaks to Sawyer. It speaks to [Keaton Thomas]. It speaks to Josh Cameron. It speaks to Omar [Aigbedion]. It speaks to Jackie Marshall,” Aranda said. “I think the guys know that we have a chance to do something with all of the [talent] this year, and they want to be a part of it.”
Aranda later praised the leadership of the top players on the roster, saying, “For your best people to be your best players, it’s a special thing. We have that this year with Keaton, Josh and Sawyer.”
Two areas on last year’s roster that left a lot to be desired were the lack of consistent pass rush and the inability to defend the pass. The Bears allowed the fourth-most passing yards per game (234) in the conference and finished eighth in total sacks (23), but eight of those came in an overtime loss to Colorado on Sept. 21, 2024.
In the offseason, Aranda made staff changes at both positions, bringing in a new cornerbacks coach, Paul Gonzales from TCU, and Carson Hall from Western Kentucky to coach the outside linebackers.
The Bears also made some significant offseason additions, welcoming Ohio State transfer cornerback Calvin-Simpson Hunt (RSo.) to Waco, as well as four-star freshman EDGE Kamauryn Morgan, Oregon transfer Emar’rion Winston (RJr.) and Tulane transfer Matthew Fobbs-White (Jr.).
“Our ability to cover improved, and I thought our attention to detail there and confidence improved in covering people,” Aranda said. “Our pass-rush also vastly improved with Emar’rion and Fobbs, [Kamauryn Morgan] and the guys that are returning as well. They can win. They won pretty consistently in pass-rush situations, and we tried to get them in as many one-on-ones as they could. It’s a game-changer for us. Nothing helps your coverage more than a pass rush. I’m excited about how that can look coming up in the fall.”
From the first spring practice, Aranda saw improvement in the cornerbacks under Gonzales' guidance. Despite going head-to-head with one of the best offenses in the conference, Aranda is bullish on the backend of the defense, saying, “Paul’s been a great addition there. His attention to detail, his teaching methods and his connection with the guys have all been strong suits for us. Guys believe in him.”
He later added, “Last year, there were things that would have taken a nine-page paper report with Appendices A, B and C, to get something across or taught. Our guys were doing it naturally, so it was exciting to see that when it happens, that breakthrough can occur when the learning sticks. We're not there, by any means, but we're a lot further along than we ever were last year.”
Another top takeaway from the spring was that the freshmen outperformed expectations. Aranda believes that some of the players from the highest-rated recruiting class during his tenure at Baylor will make an immediate impact, particularly Morgan and Jackson Blackwell, a three-star defensive tackle and local product from Lorena.
“I thought Jackson had a really strong spring,” Aranda said. “There are times when he looked anything but a freshman — he looked like a vet, and that’s versus good people. K3 is going to play; he’s going to contribute in pass-rush situations. I think he can work himself into more first and second-down things, too.”
With spring practices wrapped up and summer rapidly approaching, Aranda wants the Bears' next focus to be on becoming more disciplined, something that the 2024 team lacked at times, saying, “I go back to the bowl game and just the big plays that we got on both sides of the ball and how they're negated with this or that, whether it's a penalty or Baylor beating Baylor.”
He continued, “With the firepower on both sides of the ball on this team, I feel really strong about how we have to go into these competitive spaces when the juices get turned up and we’re all rolling, we have to get right to the edge and not go over it where we self-combust. That’s an area for improvement, and we’ll find ways in the summer to get us in those spots where we can do the right thing.”
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