By Jeffrey Cohen | Sports Writer
Baylor’s top three high school commits flipped ahead of Wednesday’s National Signing Day after the Bears failed to reach a bowl game. Baylor lost its season finale to Houston on Saturday, 31-24.
Defensive lineman Jamarion Carlton (Temple) committed to Texas and cornerback Jamarion Vincent (Waco Connally) flipped to Michigan within 24 hours of the final game of the season. Wide receiver Jordan Clay (San Antonio Madison) announced his flip to Washington on Tuesday. All three were four-star recruits.
The recent shift in the class marks the culmination of recruiting battles for an underperforming team. The Bears (5-7, 3-6 Big 12) had preseason expectations of competing for a Big 12 championship but ended up missing a bowl game. Holding onto top prospects was a fight — one that Baylor did not win.
“It’s a tough fight to have,” head coach Dave Aranda said. “It’s the circumstances that we’re in right now that are by our own doing, and it’s tough circumstances to be in.”
Beyond the top three flips, offensive linemen Kole Seaton (Oklahoma State) and Marcus Page Jr. (Rice) decommitted in recent days. The pair exits the class as Baylor remains without an offensive line coach following Mason Miller’s departure from the program in October.
Baylor ultimately signed 12 players on National Signing Day. Aranda still sees promise in the new class despite slipping to No. 79 in the nation.
“We’re looking for guys that can put themselves out in front,” Aranda said. “They can take responsibility and accountability for not only them, but for the team.”
Leading the way on defense is four-star defensive lineman Jae’Lin Battle. The Edmond, Okla., native is listed as 247Sports’ No. 160 player in the nation, No. 2 in Oklahoma and No. 22 among defensive linemen. He is the Bears’ highest-rated recruit in the Top247 rankings.
Battle appears to be a force on the interior defensive line with upsides in short-area power and athleticism. He recorded a single-season best 62 total tackles with 17 for loss this season. He will be joining a defensive line that allowed 197 rushing yards per game and is losing redshirt senior Jackie Marshall.
“He’s so powerful, with his lower center of gravity, he can make plays sideline to sideline,” Aranda said. “His pass rush ability is underrated.”
Four-star athlete Ryelan Morris is making his way to Baylor from Honey Grove. He is believed to have plenty of upside at the Power Four level despite playing small school (Class 2A) football and measuring at 5-foot-9 and 160 pounds.
“He is a home run hitter out of the backfield,” Aranda said. “Anytime you can give a guy a ball and three yards can go to 80 yards, there’s a positive, and we got that with him.”
Morris has emerged as a running back and wide receiver while also sprinkling some time at quarterback throughout his four seasons on varsity. This past year, he has accumulated over 2,100 yards and 30 touchdowns on the ground while making 18 receptions for 295 yards and five scores through the air. He is projected to give Baylor the opportunity for more creative play calling while also having big play potential.
The highest-rated receiver in the Bears’ 2026 class is four-star London Smith. The hometown receiver from Waco’s University High School is the No. 43 player in Texas and the 45th-best receiver in the country.
“He has the quickness and the agility to play in the slot, but he’s got the hands and the release mechanics to win one-on-one,” Aranda said. “We’re excited for him. A playmaker and a leader.”
He totaled over 1,400 yards and 20 touchdowns as a senior, capped off by a 256-yard, three-touchdown performance in University’s final game of the season.
Smith’s father, Rodney, was a safety at Baylor from 1996 to 1999 and ranks in the top 10 all-time in solo tackles for the program.
“He loves Baylor,” Aranda said. “He wants to be here. He wants to win. He wants to flip [the program].”
The other receiver and highest rated three-star in Baylor’s class is Davion Peters. The Temple native finished his senior season with 38 catches for 738 yards and nine touchdowns while gaining 193 yards and a score on the ground for Lake Belton.
Peters chose Baylor over Arkansas and rounds out a receiver group hoping to help with the departure of Baylor’s top four pass-catchers.
“You want kids that are from here locally, who want to come and play here in front of their families,” Aranda said. “You want them to be proud about representing.”
Quarterback Quinn Murphy is a three-star recruit who has thrown for over 3,000 yards in his last two seasons at Argyle Liberty Christian, tallying 83 touchdowns to eight interceptions. Murphy committed to Baylor over Stanford, Arizona and Kansas State.
Aranda said Murphy exudes many leadership qualities. He messaged Aranda multiple times about the recruits flipping and enforced his desire to play at Baylor. He hopes to emulate redshirt senior quarterback Sawyer Robertson and his ability to lead on and off the field.
“He saw what Sawyer was doing … and the way Sawyer was using his platform for his faith,” Aranda said. “That was a big inspiration for Quinn.”
Donel Robinson is the only offensive line signee for the Bears. The 19th-best player in Mississippi has experience on both sides of the line of scrimmage but has been recruited as an interior offensive lineman. Robinson committed to the Bears over Florida State.
“There’s some rawness to him,” Aranda said. “His best football is ahead of him. There’s a nastiness and an aggressiveness and dog mentality.”
Three-star Jamarion Richardson comes to Waco as the No. 43 cornerback in the nation. Richardson played all three phases in high school, appearing at cornerback, receiver and returner. He also ran a 10.71 100-meter time as a junior to go to Texas 4A regionals for Texarkana Pleasant Grove.
“Jamarion’s got great speed, great ability to go up and make a play and his ball skills are elite,” Aranda said. “He’s a little bit shorter in stature, but way fast. He can jump really high, can come down with the ball.”
Jordan Davis committed to Baylor as the only safety in the class. The No. 57 safety in the country recorded 78 tackles and seven tackles for loss as a senior. Davis is poised to be a big physical presence in the secondary at 6-foot-2 and weighing 193 pounds.
“His ability to pack on weight and his physicality at that position is something that we have not had since we’ve been here,” Aranda said.
Davis comes from a family full of athletes. His father, Reggie, played for Washington before playing for the Chargers and coaching in the NFL, UFL and college football. He also has the potential to take a similar path to his father’s.
“He’s very analytical on the way he thinks,” Aranda said. “He’s going to end up being a coach at some point.”
His mother, Jennifer, also played basketball at Duke, and his sister, Kayla, is a former Davidson volleyball player.
Kai Wesley is the top-rated tight end in Baylor’s 2026 class. The three-star from Orem, Utah, towers over defenders at 6-foot-7, 240 pounds. Wesley gained 401 yards and five scores on 21 receptions for the 12-2 Orem Tigers. He is listed as the No. 14 player in Utah and the No. 47 tight end in the country.
The Bears’ second tight end is Parker Almanza, a three-star out of Trophy Club Byron Nelson. The brother of Baylor freshman cornerback Leo Almanza Jr., Parker Almanza has mainly played quarterback. He has thrown for over 2,600 yards with 31 touchdowns and five interceptions under center, while catching two passes for 48 yards and a touchdown.
“I think Kai gives us that ability and Parker does too, where they can play on the line and then play flexed out,” Aranda said. “If I can take someone that’s an inside guy and put them outside and the guy that walks out with them is a matchup advantage for us, then you want that.”
Edge rusher Tyrone Morgan is a three-star from Baton Rouge, La., standing at 6-foot-3 and weighing 240 pounds. Morgan found himself in the backfield often, with 17 tackles for loss and 12 sacks in his senior season. He is listed as the No. 42 player in Louisiana.
Jamarion Phillips is a three-star recruit from South Oak Cliff. The 6-foot, 220-pound linebacker chose Baylor over Arkansas, Florida State and Georgia Tech. Aranda praised him for his speed and “suddenness,” while also having a “nose for the football.”
“He’s been underrated his whole career,” Aranda said. “He’s battled through some stuff this year but is one of the most electric playmakers that we’ve got.”
The new signing class is the first domino of an offseason full of questions to answer for the Bears and their ability to bounce back from an underwhelming 5-7 season.
