Big 12 Football: 3 biggest storylines heading into spring 2020
By Phil Poling
2. What happens to Baylor without Matt Rhule?
Few schools have experienced a complete 180 like the Baylor Bears over the past three seasons. From Matt Rhule’s 1-11 inaugural campaign in 2017 to competing for the Big 12 championship this past season, the future never looked brighter for Baylor. Until Jan. 7 when the Carolina Panthers lured him away from Waco to the NFL.
Even without Rhule, Baylor’s roster is still talented. Starting quarterback Charlie Brewer returns for his senior season, along with leading rusher John Lovett. And while Denzel Mims will be playing on Sundays this fall, the Bears still have wide receivers Tyquan Thornton and R.J. Sneed to let grow. On defense, they return their leading tackler Terrell Bernard, but lose Grayland Arnold and James Lynch to the NFL.
The offense will look familiar with plenty returning faces, but the defense could have an entirely new look — particularly under first-year head coach Dave Aranda, LSU’s former defensive coordinator. He fielded great defenses at LSU, but he was of course deploying the top recruits the country had to offer.
Will this new voice hurt the Bears’ immediate chances? Or will the leftovers from Rhule’s tenure be good enough — both as players and as listeners — to compete for the Big 12 Championship for the second straight season? Only time will tell, but spring football should provide some interesting insight into that question.