By Jeffrey Cohen | Sports Writer
Baylor offensive coordinator Jake Spatival found himself in an ideal situation a year ago.
He began spring ball with his breakout quarterback, leading receiver, thousand-yard rusher and most of his offensive line returning for his second season in Waco.
Spavital and his offense did not disappoint, ranking third in the Big 12 in yards per game and fifth in points per game.
“Last year, Sawyer and I were on the same page, and we had a lot of returning players,” Spavital said. “I just loved everything about that because I didn’t have to do as much. We could just fine-tune some things and tweak it.”
He does not have that same luxury entering spring 2026 with new faces across the board.
“It’s a brand-new team. We got a lot of new O-linemen, a lot of new receivers, new quarterback,” Spavital said. “You got to build this continuity up. You don’t know what some of these guys are capable of doing.”
Baylor lost notable names like quarterback Sawyer Robertson and wide receiver Josh Cameron to the NFL Draft as well as running back Bryson Washington and center Coleton Price to the transfer portal.
With new personnel premiering for Spavital’s offense, there will be some growing pains that were avoided last offseason. What was more of a seamless transition with Robertson under center will take more effort and time for the Bears.
“Now we’re back out there on the grass, coaching even harder, teaching these guys the day one install that Sawyer had mastered down so many times,” Spavital said. “That’s the part I love about a new group of men that come in, and it’s their opportunity to make a name for themselves.”
One of Spavital’s priorities this spring is discovering what kind of offensive scheme will work best with his new guys.
“I don’t know if we’re going to be a gap scheme team, an outside zone team, an inside zone team yet,” Spavital said. “We’re throwing it all at them, and they’re handling it pretty well.”
Spavital ran a pass-heavy offense in 2025 to utilize Robertson as a pocket passer, throwing to a bolstered receiving core that brought in transfers like Kole Wilson and Kobe Prentice.
Now, enter Florida transfer quarterback DJ Lagway.
Lagway poses as more of a dual-threat option compared to Robertson’s 17 yards rushing last season. But he struggled with turnovers across his first two seasons with the Gators, throwing 28 touchdowns to 23 interceptions.
The key for Spavital to unlock Lagway’s potential may be letting him march to his own beat.
“Me and Coach Spav’s relationship has been great, with his ability to let me be me, let me play freely,” Lagway said. “It feels good to go out there and just have fun and know I have a coach that believes in me and wants me to succeed.”
That relationship has been a major contributor to getting Lagway accustomed to how the Baylor offense runs. Spavital has emphasized the need for Lagway to focus on his timing, using plays like run-pass options (RPOs) to help his quarterback find his rhythm and get on the same page as his coordinator.
“The biggest thing that me and Coach Spav have been talking about is the flow of the game,” Lagway said. “We had a lot of RPOs, so knowing when to throw it, when to hand it, and the cerebral in that aspect of things.”
Spavital still has plenty of work ahead of him as the Bears conclude their first week of spring practice, which run through April.
