Sources: John Lovett expected to remain at Baylor, finish season

After news broke on Sunday evening that Baylor running backs Trestan Ebner and John Lovett had made a decision to opt out for the remainder of the 2020 season, the tide turned later that evening for at least one of the two Bears.

According to multiple sources close to the situation, Lovett plans to stay with the team the remainder of his senior season. The news comes after a secondary report on SicEm365 later Sunday evening that both players were carefully considering all options with plans to visit with the coaching staff.

Lovett was Baylor’s leading rusher in each of his first three seasons and has rushed for 1,795 yards and 17 touchdowns. He was part of Baylor’s 2017 recruiting class.

A decision by Lovett to play the remainder of the season is good news for the Baylor offense that hopes to build consistency under new offensive coordinator Larry Fedora.

After seeing spring drills canceled because of COVID-19, the Bears have had a revolving door on the offensive line with players in and out of the lineup for a variety of reasons. Most recently, Baylor was without starting junior left tackle Connor Galvin and starting senior center Xavier Newman against Texas.

The initial decision by the players to opt out came after three weeks of an emotional rollercoaster for Baylor, a period where the team saw a COVID-19 outbreak within the program that forced postponement of a game against Oklahoma State accompanied by a shut down team activities for nine days.

After that announcement—which followed the cancellation of games against Louisiana Tech and Houston—Baylor practiced just four times in a 21-day window leading up to a game against Texas on Saturday and continued to play at less than full strength on both offense and defense against the Longhorns. Players were tested daily for COVID-19 during that period. 

Newman also missed the season opener due to suspension while starting senior right guard Blake Burton and starting senior right tackle Blake Bedier also missed the game. 

At the time of this report there was no new information on the status of Ebner who continues to weigh his decision.