Baylor football the favorite to land top LB target over Michigan, Texas

Dave Aranda has his work cut out for him if he’s going to get Baylor football back near the top of the Big 12 like it was in the final year of Matt Rhule.

The Bears went just 2-7 in their first year under Aranda and the defense was the lone bright spot, finishing in the top 50 nationally in total yards allowed per game. The offense, however, left a lot to be desired and Aranda knew he’d have to improve the talent pool on that side of the ball to become relevant in the Big 12 title race.

So far in the 2022 recruiting class, Baylor’s top six recruits could all end up playing on the offensive side of the ball, and while that’s a good focus for the new head coach with the issues the offense had last year, he’ll need to start focusing on his expertise: defense.

Three-star linebacker Jeremy Patton could become the top-ranked defender in the Bears’ class. He has been trending toward the Bears lately, as Baylor has picked up a slew of crystal balls on 247Sports for him over some big programs.

Focusing on recruiting this side of the ball and beating out top programs for talented defensive players will be key in the Bears’ return to glory.

If the Bears do land Patton, they would have beaten out Texas and Michigan for his services as both have battled hard to land him. This would be a huge recruiting victory for Aranda, but also not that shocking seeing as Patton is from nearby Tenaha, Texas.

Still, beating out Steve Sarkisian and Jim Harbaugh for a top target is a big win.

Baylor football’s class will move up in the top 25

Right now, Baylor owns the No. 25 recruiting class in the country, and with the pledge of Patton the Bears would probably move up a couple of spots. They have an average rating of .8600 which isn’t that bad and they have the Big 12’s fifth-best class.

Patton is the No. 586 overall recruit in the class and 62nd-best linebacker, according to the composite.

The Bears could get some good news here as soon as Saturday evening.