Johnny Jefferson

Although Baylor is generally viewed as a high-flying offense with a big time passing attack, the run game fuels the Bears’ success on that side of the ball. Jefferson was one of two Baylor backs to run for 1,000 yards last season, and he did so on just 136 carries, which averages out to an astounding 7.35 yards per carry. A good chunk of Jefferson’s production came late in the season when Baylor retooled its offensive philosophy after having to turn to a converted wide receiver at quarterback in light of season-ending injuries to Seth Russell and Jarrett Stidham. Still, Jefferson was dangerous and explosive before Baylor started putting an extra emphasis on the run game. Seth Russell will be back under center for the Bears, but Baylor will still likely be leaning plenty on the run game. Jefferson may have done enough late in the year to overtake Shock Linwood as the lead back, but Baylor does distribute its carries relatively evenly. In all, Jefferson has the explosiveness and the team context to reach the 1,000 yard mark yet again in 2016.