CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2023 Baylor

3–⁠9 (2–⁠7 Big 12), coached by Dave Aranda.

Schedule and results

Baylor in 2023, game by game: lost vs. Texas State 31–42; lost vs. No. 12 Utah 13–20; won vs. Long Island University 30–7; lost vs. No. 3 Texas 6–38; won at UCF 36–35; lost vs. Texas Tech 14–39; won at Cincinnati 32–29; lost vs. Iowa State 18–30; lost vs. Houston 24–25; lost at Kansas State 25–59; lost at TCU 17–42; lost vs. West Virginia 31–34+23−34Lost 31–42 vs. Texas State-11Texas StateLost 13–20 vs. No. 12 Utah-7No. 12 UtahWon 30–7 vs. Long Island University+23Long Island Uni…Lost 6–38 vs. No. 3 Texas-32No. 3 TexasWon 36–35 at UCF+1UCFLost 14–39 vs. Texas Tech-25Texas TechWon 32–29 at Cincinnati+3CincinnatiLost 18–30 vs. Iowa State-12Iowa StateLost 24–25 vs. Houston-1HoustonLost 25–59 at Kansas State-34Kansas StateLost 17–42 at TCU-25TCULost 31–34 vs. West Virginia-3West Virginia
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 2vsTexas StateL 31–⁠4276%
Sep 9vs12UtahL 13–⁠2039%
Sep 16vsLong Island UniversityW 30–⁠788%
Sep 23vs3TexasL 6–⁠3835%
Sep 30atUCFW 36–⁠3529%
Oct 7vsTexas TechL 14–⁠3949%
Oct 21atCincinnatiW 32–⁠2934%
Oct 28vsIowa StateL 18–⁠3045%
Nov 4vsHoustonL 24–⁠2552%
Nov 11atKansas StateL 25–⁠5915%
Nov 18atTCUL 17–⁠4225%
Nov 25vsWest VirginiaL 31–⁠3436%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to West Virginia 34–⁠31; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 11th in the Big 12.

In program history: The 94th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 121 on file).

Record
3–⁠9
Conference
2–⁠7 tied for 11th in Big 12
AP final
Unranked
Points
277–⁠400
Coach
Dave Aranda
Elo
1412 −139 this season
SP+ rating
-8.3 No. 97 of 133; offense No. 78, defense No. 103, special teams No. 78
SRS
−6.9 No. 98 of 133 in FBS
Returning
65% of last season’s EPA, No. 39 of 131
Recruiting class
No. 35 roster talent No. 46 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Jeff Grimes
Defensive coordinator
Matt Powledge
Offense
Multiple
Defense
3–⁠4

How good, play by play

  • Offense107th of 133
  • Defense125th of 133
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted96th of 133
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted123rd of 133
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.0139%1.29107th of 133
Defense0.2546%1.35125th of 133
Opponent-adjusted0.05 off
0.20 def		41% off
44% def		—96th off
123rd def
How these are measured

Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.

Drives and havoc

Points per trip inside the 40Average startHavoc
Offense3.1own 2918% allowed
Defense4.4own 3117% caused

CORE rating -16.8, 119th of 133 (offense -8.1, defense 8.7).

A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.

Leaders

Passing yardsBlake Shapen QB2,188 yds
Passing touchdownsBlake Shapen QB13 TD
Rushing yardsDominic Richardson RB519 yds
Rushing touchdownsDawson Pendergrass RB5 TD
Receiving yardsMonaray Baldwin WR623 yds
Receiving touchdownsDrake Dabney TE5 TD
TacklesMatt Jones LB84 tkl
SacksMatt Jones LB4 sacks
InterceptionsCaden Jenkins CB3 INT

Top recruits in the 2023 class

Isaiah Robinson OT★★★★No. 282
LeVar Thornton Jr. CB★★★★No. 377
Tay’Shawn Wilson CB★★★No. 452
Matthew Klopfenstein TE★★★No. 458
Corey Kelly LB★★★No. 542

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2023 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Receivers33.00.881
Offensive line33.30.886
Defensive line53.00.873
Linebackers13.00.884
Defensive backs53.20.879
Athletes and specialists33.00.854
Whole class203.10.876

High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.

Roster 108

The 2023 roster

108 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2023 line; 66 have a stat line. See the roster

Transfers in 13

The 2023 portal
Clark Barrington OL★★★★from BYU
Dominic Richardson RB★★★★from Oklahoma State
Ketron Jackson WR★★★★from Arkansas
Campbell Barrington OT★★★from BYU
Sawyer Robertson QB★★★from Mississippi State
Byron Vaughns LB★★★from Utah State
Jake Roberts TE★★★from North Texas
Mike Smith Jr. LB★★★from Liberty
Ajani Carter CB★★★from Utah State
Treven Ma’ae DE★★★from Oregon
Isaiah Dunson CB★★★from Miami
R.J. Martinez QB★★★from Northern Arizona

And 1 more, lower-rated or unrated.

Transfers out 12

Al Walcott S★★★★to Arkansas
Micah Mazzccua OL★★★★to Florida
Craig Williams RB★★★to Louisiana Tech
Devin Neal S★★★to Louisville
Lorando Johnson CB★★★to Arkansas
Kyron Drones QB★★★to Virginia Tech
Jaylen Ellis WR★★★to Colorado
Josh Fleeks WR★★★to Nebraska
Elijah Bean WR★★★no new school on file
Mike Harris CB★★★no new school on file
Seth Jones WR★★★to South Florida
Noah Rauschenberg K★★to North Texas

2023 Big 12 standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Texas8–⁠112–⁠23
Oklahoma7–⁠210–⁠315
Oklahoma State7–⁠210–⁠416
West Virginia6–⁠39–⁠4
Kansas State6–⁠39–⁠418
Iowa State6–⁠37–⁠6
Kansas5–⁠49–⁠423
Texas Tech5–⁠47–⁠6
UCF3–⁠66–⁠7
TCU3–⁠65–⁠7
BYU2–⁠75–⁠7
Houston2–⁠74–⁠8
Baylor2–⁠73–⁠9
Cincinnati1–⁠83–⁠9

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.