FRISCO, Texas (KXXV) — Big 12 Media Days is in full swing at the headquarter of the Dallas Cowboys.
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Baylor football takes the stage as we get the first look at the 2026 edition of the Bears.
One of the biggest questions is that Baylor defense. They did not meet expectations last season and with a new defensive coordinator in Joe Klanderman, the team is hungry.
"The standard is so high, whenever you have a season like we did last year, it's like getting back to the drawing board, you know, you're starting from scratch. Like, where do we gotta be better?," defensive end, Kyler Jordan said.
"We got fire a lit lid on us just because last year. Things we put on tape, we don't wanna do that again. I think a lot of defensive players have stepped up this year and now we're the leaders of the team," linebacker Kyland Reed said.
On the offensive side, the DJ Lagway era begins. The Bears made headlines after signing the Florida transfer, and DJ has already made an impact.
"I'm in the best place I've ever been mentally and even physically. I'm so excited for this year, man. I've been working on things that I've been meaning to work on since freshman year and I'm excited to really put it all together," Lagway said.
"His character and his ability to just kind of be genuine in himself, you know, it's a characteristic that will take him far. I'm grateful he's on our team, you know, he's a heck of a ballplayer," tight end Matthew Klopfenstein said.
And all eyes are on head coach Dave Aranda. Fans questioned the decision to return Aranda as the head coach after the Bears missed a bowl game last season.
Aranda takes a backseat on defensive calling and his main focus is culture.
"I think the biggest thing with coach is he's done an incredible job at being a CEO this year and so kind of passing off the defense to Coach Klanderman. He's taken full stride with the culture and the identity of this team. It's been really cool to see him go full in on that," defensive back Michael Allen said.
"All I knew is that he's a championship coach, so just knowing I'll be able to learn from that and he's defensive-minded, and I'll be able to pick his brain and he can help me, me knowing I'm a smart defensive player, I was like, yeah, I gotta get around that," defensive tackle Jamaal Whyce Jr. said.
Baylor begins their season on September 5 in Atlanta against Auburn
