Baylor's top-13 portal class arrives amid injury questions and defensive struggles
- 5 new takes in the last 7 days
- Win total 6 — line down since open
- Baylor's highest-ranked portal class on record arrives as Dave Aranda confronts a 5-7 l…
QB · Florida
CB · Oklahoma
How past storylines turned out
Baylor's offensive coordinator change has died down — no clear next chapter yet.
How it developed newest first
Jul 4
Baylor win total fell from 6.5 to 6 (-0.5 wins) between Jul 3 and Jul 4, 2026 (tier B).
win total down 0.5 — crosses below projected winning season territory
why it mattersDave Aranda enters his sixth season at Baylor with a 5-7 losing record and a talent rank of #35, raising questions about sustaining the program's identity amid a win total. ~ our read
Mar 30
Baylor signed a top-13 transfer-portal class — 31 additions headlined by D.J. Lagway (QB) from Florida and Devon Jordan (CB) from Oklahoma.
program's highest-ranked portal class on record
why it mattersBaylor's highest-ranked portal class on record arrives as Dave Aranda confronts a 5-7 losing season, with QB DJ Lagway and CB Devon Jordan addressing gaps in a program rooted in faith and defensive identity. ~ our read
Baylor: an outside ruling reshaping the program's season.
why it mattersDave Aranda enters his 7th season with a 5-7 losing record, raising questions about whether Baylor's faith-driven identity can stabilize a program in flux. ~ our read
Baylor: coordinator change reshaping a unit.
why it mattersDave Aranda begins his sixth season at Baylor, inheriting a 5-7 losing record and a program seeking to redefine its identity beyond the Aranda era. ~ our read
Baylor: the fanbase's identity shifting.
why it mattersDave Aranda enters his sixth season at Baylor with a 5-7 losing record, navigating a fanbase in transition and a program redefining its identity beyond the Art Briles era. ~ our read
Baylor enters 2025 rated No. 71 in SP+ (+1.4), down 33 spots from 2024.
top-quintile returning production in FBS — 1% of production comes back
why it mattersBaylor collapsed 33 spots in SP+ — the steepest drop in the Big 12 this cycle, and Dave Aranda's job is to stop it before 5-7 becomes structural under his watch. ~ our read
Watch next
The non-obvious thing to track
Baylor’s new players will need to prove they belong in a competitive depth chart — especially at QB and CB, where high-profile transfers face immediate pressure to earn starting roles. Watch how D.J. Lagway and Devon Jordan perform against returning starters in fall camp — their success will define the value of Baylor’s top-13 portal class.
~ our read
Rooms tap to switch
The 'portal class fills the gaps' believers — upgrades at real positions of need.
The 'portal is a gamble' counter — departure losses and the 'plug-and-play doesn't work' read.
This event was in 63 of 1355 board posts (5%) over the last 60 days — engaged but not consumed. Fan text shown verbatim, attributed to the community not the individual poster.
Board health this week (201 posts): 18% positive · 44% neutral · 38% negative. Team-level weekly mood — not specific to this event. The boards ≠ the fanbase: a self-selected vocal slice.
The range the bull case vs the counter
“Kate Koval transfers to Baylor after leaving LSU”
“DJ Lagway injury update: Baylor makes decision on Week 2 starter amid ankle problem”