By Jackson Posey | Sports Writer
Baylor entered last season with a 1,500-pound conundrum.
Baylor was in the midst of a seismic shift in offensive line philosophy. Former offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes’ wide zone was out, replaced by Jake Spavital’s air raid-adjacent scheme. The two blocking schemes are polar opposites. For the first six weeks of the season, the unit struggled to adjust. Baylor averaged just 3.86 yards per carry against a slate of opponents which included Tarleton State and Air Force.
A mid-season reset turned the Bears’ season around. Baylor won six straight games to close out the regular season after the bye week, in large part due to the contributions of an offensive line which finally clicked. After failing to reach the century mark in consecutive games against BYU and Iowa State, the running game jumped to 5.85 yards per carry in the remainder of Big 12 play.
“I was pleased with what they did, ‘cause I knew they could do it,” offensive line coach Mason Miller said. “Once they figured out they could do it, it was really cool to see that lightbulb go on.”
Four established starters return from last year’s unit: left tackle Sidney Fugar, guards Ryan Lengyel and Omar Aigbedion and center Coleton Price. The right tackle slot is up for grabs between returning utility man Kaden Sieracki, Louisville transfer Joe Crocker and a handful of other options. So far, Sieracki seems to be in the lead.
“Kaden was our sixth guy in last year,” Miller said. “Now, that doesn’t mean he’s got the anointing … It doesn’t mean all these other guys, somebody may take their job. I mean, that’s part of the process, right? That’s what we’re talking about. But we all trust Kaden.”
Miller noted a few other players vying for reps along the offensive line: Crocker, Koltin Sieracki, former SEC transfers Colton Thomasson and Sean Thompkins and freshman Harrison Cluff were praised for “having a good spring.”
“There’s a lot of maturing going on,” Miller said. “And it’s gotta happen a little bit faster.”
Miller expects to get one more player out of the transfer portal, but for the time being, the top of the lineup card is secure. For Fugar, the increased experience in this year’s unit has been tangible.
“I feel like this is the most experienced group I’ve been with so far in my collegiate career,” Fugar said. “So it’s very exciting to play with the guys that I’m familiar with and who I get to play another season with.”
Aigbedion, who earned AP Second Team All-Big 12 honors last season, noted the team’s technical improvements played a major role in its improvement last season. The former Montana State transfer pointed to a sharpening of the team’s high-effort play throughout the season as a turning point.
“We finished the season in a good way, but we should have started the season well,” Aigbedion said. “We always played as a very physical group, and with lots of effort, but what came along in the second half was the technical side of things and understanding the entire play and getting all five guys on the same page.”
Baylor returns five of its top seven offensive linemen from last year — Campbell Barrington (graduation) and Alvin Ebosele (transfer portal) excepted — and suddenly finds itself with one of the most experience-laden units in the Big 12. Expectations are high.
“[We want to] build on last year,” Lengyel said. “We’re looking to have a hotter start as an offensive line, and kind of that mid-season shift that everyone saw of us performing at a high level, start that week one and continue that through the whole season.”
