The Baylor Bears basketball team took their show on the road to Stillwater, Oklahoma. The hope on their end was to put a stop to a three-game losing streak that began with a loss to TCU on January 3, and finished off with their first 0-3 start in conference play since 2022.
Baylor's Dan Skillings Jr. played just 14 minutes in the Bears' loss to Houston on Saturday. Skillings Jr. limped to the locker room with an apparent leg injury.
Baylor lost some key linebackers to the transfer portal: Keaton Thomas, Jeremy Evans, and Phoenix Jackson. With the status of Travion Barnes up in the air, the Bears needed to hit he portal in hopes of adding some talent.
Baylor picked up a nice win in the portal with the flip of Kentucky transfer wide receiver Hardley Gilmore. He was previously committed to Louisville but made the switch to Waco, giving the Bears another veteran option in the wide receiver room as they continue to reshape the offense.
Heading into 2025, defensive lineman Zavion Hardy was a hot commodity and most teams wanted him on their D-line. Hardy would commit to South Carolina as the top-ranked JUCO player after starring at East Mississippi State Community College.
Baylor has added another body up front with the signing of South Carolina transfer Zavion Hardy. The former No. 1 JUCO prospect in the 2025 class played in just one game this season and didn’t record any stats, but the Bears are clearly betting on what he could become, not what he’s done so far.
On Saturday night, running back Bryson Washington confirmed he wouldn't be back in Waco in 2026 after he committed to the Auburn Tigers. Washington was somewhat of a surprising entrant into the transfer portal back on Jan.
Baylor just pulled off one of the more intriguing defensive line additions in the early cycle with the commitment of Marshall defensive lineman Jamaal Whyce.
After losing several key linebackers to the transfer portal, like Keaton Thomas, Phoenix Jackson, and Jeremy Evans, it was clear that Baylor needed to make waves via the transfer portal.
Although the NCAA has granted four years of college eligibility to 2023 second-round pick James Nnaji, who recently enrolled at Baylor, players who have signed NBA contracts will remain ineligible to play college basketball.