By Michael Haag | Sports Editor
Baylor football’s offensive line is in a much different spot compared to last spring.
The group returned four of five starters from 2021 and was poised to elevate its play in 2022. But a 6-7 season ensued, and those four athletes have moved on. It didn’t help that Micah Mazzccua, a starting guard from last season, entered the transfer portal on Dec. 19, 2022.
That leaves senior offensive lineman Gavin Byers as a the only member of last year’s team that saw significant time on the field. Even with the massive overhaul at the position, offensive line coach Eric Mateos said it’s not as bad as fans make it out to be.
Olivia Havre | Photographer
“A lot of people make a lot of hoopla about returning starts, how many starts you have coming back on your O-line,” Mateos said. “I think that’s one of the silliest things to talk about, and the only reason they talk about it is because they don’t have any other stats for the offensive linemen.”
Mateos, who’s entering his third year with the Bears, now has to rebuild an O-line squad that lost some of its most tenured members. Connor Galvin, Jacob Gall, Grant Miller and Khalil Keith were all starters, and Baylor also lost Mose Jeffrey, who rotated at the guard spot. All five of those offensive linemen participated in the Bears’ Pro Day on March 27.
Mazzccua, the sixth offensive lineman departure from 2022, transferred to the University of Florida on Jan. 10 after three seasons at Baylor, two of those in which he saw action. The former three-star recruit started 10 games at left guard for the Bears last season and was expected to be a big piece moving forward.
Without those familiar faces at the forefront of the depth chart, Mateos said it’s a new challenge to see what this crew can do in the fall.
“I like it because it forces you to go to the roots of your teaching, go to the base level and really just kind of rebuild it from the ground up,” Mateos said. “And that’s a fun thing as a coach. You have guys that are either hungry or soaking it up. It’s been a lot of fun. I’ve enjoyed it.”
Head coach Dave Aranda and his staff started preparing for the mass exodus even before Mazzccua left. On Dec. 13, 2022, Baylor landed a commitment from Brigham Young University transfer Campbell Barrington, a two-year starter with the Cougars.
Nine days later, the same day as the Bears’ Armed Forces Bowl game, Baylor ushered in Campbell’s brother, Clark Barrington, who also played at BYU. Clark was expected to come in as an immediate starting guard, and that may end up being the case. But SicEm365.com reported Clark has been working at the center position and that he could be the replacement to Gall, who held down that role for the last two seasons.
Clark, a fifth-year senior, said the athleticism among the offensive linemen has stood out to him since his arrival on campus.
“[There’s] a bunch of athletic freaks in the room,” Clark said. “It’s a bunch of young guys who know what they’re doing and they’re able to do it. The ceiling for the O-line is sky high and we’ll see where we go.”
Mateos said the trio of Byers, redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Tate Williams and junior offensive lineman Elijah Ellis have stepped into leadership roles so far this spring.
Mateos also piggybacked off of Clark’s notion that there are “a lot of young freaks in the room.”
“There are a lot of guys right now that have four years of eligibility that are going to make a lot of money playing football on Sundays,” Mateos said. “They’re coming along great. I’ve been super impressed with them, and they’ve all taken huge steps.”
Byers, who played in all 13 games in 2022 — including eight starts at right tackle — said there won’t be one designated guy to lead the group this year.
“We’re always going to need leadership positions, but I feel like having a lot of young guys that have been through this too, they don’t really need a lot of people telling them what to do,” Byers said. “We mesh really well together.”
Williams, another key returner alongside Byers, said Mateos has been a big part in orchestrating such a friendly bond around the offensive line.
“I really enjoy having a coach like him because he really takes the time to care about his players,” Williams said. “He wants to know how we’re feeling about certain things. It’s more of a democracy rather than a dictatorship. He’s not yelling at you all the time. He’s coaching you rather than cussing [at] you.
“Everything about him screams, ‘I love football!’ He spends more time than anyone else watching film and understanding film, understanding defenses. It’s really awesome to have somebody like that on my side.”
The Bears have four more practices before their annual Green & Gold Game, which is scheduled for April 22 at McLane Stadium. Kickoff is set for noon, and the contest will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
