By Michael Haag | Sports Editor
Before Baylor football’s assistant coach and defensive line coach Dennis Johnson took any questions from the media on Tuesday, he made sure to shout out his hometown of Amory, Miss., which was recently hit with a raging EF-4 tornado.
“I’m asking for the Baylor Family [and] the Waco community to send special prayers out to those people in that particular area,” Johnson said. “They’re taking up donations … supplies or anything. Just continue to pray for my family and all those guys during this time.”
Johnson said his loved ones that are still in Amory are doing well and that they are recovering like the rest of the community. It was reported by WJTV that at least 25 people were killed as a result of the Friday night tornadoes. Dozens of others were reportedly injured.
But after showing some love to the place he grew up, Johnson shifted back to the football field, where he said fifth-year senior defensive lineman TJ Franklin and senior defensive lineman Gabe Hall are expected to take major strides going into the 2023 season.
Franklin and Hall were both part of the 2019 recruiting class and have been at Baylor ever since. Franklin has seen the field every single year, while Hall redshirted during the 2020 season.
Since the two defensive linemen have “been through the whole process,” Johnson said it’ll pay big dividends in helping the younger athletes grow up.
“Their journey [makes them] able to mentor the young guys in the room on that similar journey,” Johnson said. “Because it can be hard when you walk in a room and you have a guy who’s really talented, like some of the guys up front, [yet] you’re in the back and you’re watching [the] film and your play is not like that right now. But you have to understand, you have to go through it all. They had to go through it all to get to this point.”
Franklin announced he would exercise his fifth year of collegiate eligibility on Jan. 16 on his personal Twitter account. He had that option in his back pocket due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which granted athletes the chance at an extra year to play.
The Temple native said he was being relied on as a leader in his true senior season last year, but that he “wasn’t real comfortable with it.” Now, he’s in the process of stepping up for those teammates around him.
“I just kind of sat in the back and let the older guys lead [last year],” Franklin said. “But this year, I feel it’s my responsibility to take that leadership role and try to push everybody.”
The Bears’ D-line will have to replace Siaki “Apu” Ika, an All-Big 12 First Team selection, along with Jaxon Player, Chidi Ogbonnaya and Brayden Utley. All four of those men participated in Baylor’s annual Pro Day on Monday.
Hall, a native of Waller, said he and Franklin are being looked up to as leaders by not just the other defensive linemen, but the defense as a whole.
“Me and TJ are among the few guys who have a lot of experience on the defense,” Hall said. “It’s important for us to work hard because they’re always looking at you.”
Johnson said he still expects big things out of other guys around Franklin and Hall. The Louisiana State University graduate mentioned the following players as potential playmakers in 2023:
- Redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Jackie Marshall
- Redshirt freshman defensive lineman Devonte Tezino
- Freshman and early enrollee defensive lineman Trey Wilson
- Redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Cooper Lanz
- Redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Jerrell Boykins Jr.
Johnson noted positive things from those specific members of the D-line and said he’s shifting guys around in order to see where players fit best. He also said the group has been adjusting well to new defensive coordinator Matt Powledge and the schemes he’s bringing to the table.
Marshall played at the Jack position in 2022, which is a type of outside linebacker. Boykins transferred to Baylor from Hutchinson [Kan.] College, a Junior College, and is expected to play nose tackle to fill Ika’s role.
Redshirt freshman defensive lineman Kaian Roberts-Day has also made his way to the D-line group after utilizing his redshirt a year ago. Roberts-Day was listed as a running back in 2022, but played multiple positions as a four-star recruit in high school.
With so many moving pieces and lots of young guys being thrusted into bigger roles, Hall said there’s a great weight on him and Franklin’s shoulders in order to keep the standard high.
“It’s going to take guys like me and TJ pushing the players,” Hall said. “They [Apu, Player, Ogbonnaya and Utley] were young guys who grew into special players, and I think the guys we have right now can become special players.”
Johnson said the benefit of this time of the year is that it’s just the spring. He said it’s important to get better and show growth, but that he and his group have a long way to go to tweak things in order to put forth the best unit possible.
“We’re going to find out what we’re good at,” Johnson said. “And I think this is what you do in the spring when they give you these 15 practices to get that done.”
