Browsing: Jake Spavital

Since hiring Spavital this offseason (and moving redshirt junior quarterback Sawyer Robertson into the starting lineup), Baylor’s offense has sped light years ahead of where it was a year ago. Jeff Grimes’ wide zone offense finished No. 101 nationally at 23.1 points per game. In less than a full season on the job, Spavital has the Bears up to No. 23 nationally and second in the Big 12 at 35.1 points per game.

From watching Baylor football win a Big 12 Championship on the sidelines to starting in the Bears’ highest-scoring game against a Big 12 opponent under Aranda, Lengyel’s journey has been far from easy. But with a smile on his face, he rode the lows of struggling to find a place on the team to becoming one of the most exciting offensive linemen in the Big 12.

With 22 transfers making their Baylor football debut, fresh faces wasted no time writing their way into the record book. Led by sixth-year senior quarterback Dequan Finn, four transfers each scored a touchdown to lead the Bears to a season-opening 45-3 win over Tarleton Saturday night on the 10th anniversary of the first game played at McLane Stadium.

The stage is set, and the cards are on the table as the 2024 NCAA football season begins. With Week 0 in the rearview mirror, Big 12 football on the Brazos is on deck. Here are some of the Lariat Sports Desk’s predictions for Baylor football in a make-or-break season.

The Biletnikoff Award is given to the season’s most outstanding receiver, with the most recent winner being Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. Winning the praise wouldn’t be new for a Bear, as in 2015, Baylor wide receiver Corey Coleman took home the hardware. Bringing the award back to Waco may not be too big of a stretch with offensive coordinator Jake Spavital’s Air Raid offense inducing a heavy dose of passing.