⚡ CFB Dashboard

By Jerry Hill Baylor Bear Insider FRISCO, Texas – After spending the bulk of the available NIL money on the outside skill positions last year, seventh-year Baylor head coach Dave Aranda built this year's football team from the "inside out as opposed to the outside in." "The line of scrimmage is where our attention and our money has gone this year," Aranda said Tuesday at Big 12 Football Media Day at The Star. Senior safety Michael Allen , one of the six team captains that represented Baylor, said that "going into it in January, the defensive line was made a priority." "Bringing in guys like Hosea Wheeler , Jamaal Whyce, Jordan Mack , Kamren Washington and Ryan Davis , they loaded up on the defensive side," Allen said. "That was certainly an emphasis was building it from the trenches. We saw the fruit of that in the spring. And now, we're going to need to put it on display." With limited returners on the defensive line, the Bears went heavy in the portal to land defensive tackles Whyce from Marshall, Washington from Texas State and Wheeler from national champion Indiana; defensive ends Zavion Hardy from South Carolina and Daemian Wimberly from UTSA; and edge rushers Ryan Davis from Kansas State and Garrick Ponder from Southern Miss. "At first, when I came in, it was like everybody just wanted to do what was right instead of everybody just playing football, be yourself, be loose, have fun," said Whyce, who played in 11 games with nine starts last year at nose tackle, recording 34 tackles, six tackles for loss, three sacks and a fumble recovery. "You're going to mess up, but I'd rather mess you up and do right within yourself versus trying to just do what Coach said. Put your own flow into it, have fun with it and build an identity, basically." While Wheeler's eligibility status remains in limbo, Whyce said their leadership "really goes hand in hand." "He's the one that's going to say the stuff that everybody wants to hear," Whyce said. "I'm going to say that stuff that everybody doesn't want to hear. The thing that I like about (Wheeler) is he knows what it takes to win. And when he talks, everybody listens. . . . Just learning from him, we get in the lab, and I just ask him a lot of questions. I just try to see the game versus how he sees it." The 6-3, 308-pound Wheeler played in all 15 games last year at Indiana with five starts, making 31 tackles with four stops behind the line and two fumble recoveries for the Hoosiers. "I'm a big fan of Hose and just his leadership and confidence," Aranda said. "He walks into a room, and when he talks, everybody listens. The guys believe him, and they want to play for him. . . . We're fighting for him. Right now, all of that's going to be in the courts, and we're hoping that we get a quick resolution, because the time is running down that we have before we start the season." First-year defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman brings an aggressive, attacking style that puts "guys in position to play fast," said fifth-year senior Kyler Jordan , who switched from linebacker to defensive end in the spring. "We're going to get vertical, cause havoc – (tackles for loss), sacks, turnovers, things like that. That's what we're going to excel at. . . . (Klanderman) lives, breathes and eats football. All the coaches were on a break, and Coach Klanderman's up at the facility watching film. That's just kind of who he is. We have a lot of respect for Coach Klanderman. I know he's going to do his absolute best to put us in a position to be successful." Davis, one of three players that joined Klanderman from Kansas State, is the projected starter at the Jack position, an edge rusher. He finished strong last season, finishing with 14 tackles, 5.5 tackles for losses, four sacks, four pass breakups, one fumble forced and one recovery. "Coach Klanderman brings a different energy to the defense," said Ryland, who started the last eight games a year ago, finishing with 50 tackles, 1.5 for a loss, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, two QB hurries and a pass breakup. "He's going to be fired up. He's going to make sure we're doing what we need to do, making sure we're running to the ball. And if you're not, he's going to get on you." The Bears open the 2026 season against Auburn on Sept. 5 in a 2:30 p.m. nationally televised game (ABC) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. Season tickets are available at 2026 Baylor Football.