The dreaded spring transfer portal window is creeping up on us and will officially begin on April 16, 2025, and remain open through April 25, 2025.
That means that two weeks from now, there’s sure to be chaos and panic across several fan bases after a star player unexpectedly enters the transfer portal and looks for another place to call home.
In this completely speculative series, we paint a picture of portal moves that would make sense for the player, but would leave their former team, and fan base, in shambles.
In today’s hypothetical emergency, we consider what might happen if Baylor running back Bryson Washington transferred to SMU.
Why It Would Make Sense
Before Washington signed with the Bears out of Franklin High School, he was originally committed to the SMU Mustangs. While his primary recruiting for SMU was Khenon Hall, who is now on staff at BU, the Mustangs are coming off a College Football Playoff appearance in 2024 and should be a serious contender in the ACC once again.
Washington Sets the Stage
As one of the best young running backs in the country, Washington draws a ton of attention from running-back-needy programs. With SMU running back Brashard Smith headed to the NFL, the Mustangs use some back channel communication to let people around Washington know that, should he enter the portal, they would be prepared to make him one of the highest-paid running backs in the country.
With junior Kevin Jennings set to start at quarterback again, the Mustangs’ offense is set to be among the best in college football, and very comparable to that of Baylor’s. With schools from all over attempting to contact him, Washington’s agent suggests it might be worth hearing some of the offers—if for nothing else but to get a bigger slice of the pie.
When SMU gets its shot, they knock it out of the park and land one of the best backs in the country. Meanwhile, the folks in Waco are shocked at how quickly all of this went down, and now they’re left to wonder, “What are we going to do now?”
Baylor Can’t Replace Washington’s Production
Baylor attempts to replace Washington with someone out of the portal, and adds someone, but it’s out of necessity. With Richard Reese already out, and now Washington, Dawson Pendergrass and freshman Michael Turner are all they have.
So, despite the loss of their best player in the room, the Bears are forced to double down on who they’ve already got and hope it’s enough
Baylor opens up the 2025 season with a home tilt against Auburn, and despite the Tigers missing a bowl game last season, their portal additions have a lot of people excited for the future. With one of the most dynamic wide receiver groups in the country, Auburn starts to press the Bears and it turns into a barnburner. While BU still finds success on the arm of Sawyer Robertson, their lack of a consistent rushing threat makes it hard to chew the clock late in the game. Tied at 35-35, the Bears are forced to punt with just under two minutes left in the game. A few plays later, Jackson Arnold connects with Eric Singleton Jr. on a crosser and he goes streaking wide open down the field before being stopped at the Baylor 19-yard-line.
Moments later, without a timeout to stop the clock, Baylor has to watch the Tigers line up for a game-winning field goal. Auburn converts with 0:02 left on the clock, and after an unsuccessful rugby-style kickoff return, the Bears fall, 38-35.
After the final stats are compiled, Baylor shows 349 total yards of offense, but 320 of it comes via Robertson’s arm or his legs. The non-QB rushing attack just can’t get going and is stymied for just 1.4 yards per carry.
Maybe Auburn’s rushing defense is elite?
That’s the hope in Waco as the Baylor faithful brush off a frustrating loss.
Up next? A trip to Dallas to face the SMU Mustangs and their new star running back.
Salt in the Wound
While Baylor stumbled out the gates in Week 1, their Week 2 opponent is coming off a 58-0 win over the East Texas A&M Lions. Running back Bryson Washington got his season started off with a bang, racking up 128 yards and three scores on the ground before sitting out the second half of a blowout.
Now, his former team is in town, and he can’t wait to put on a show.
The Bears commit as much as they can to stopping Washington, but with Kevin Jennings picking up right where he left off last year, when he threw for over 3,200 yards, there’s only so much they can do to stack the box.
When the dust settles inside Gerald R. Ford Stadium, Washington has 19 carries for 129 yards and two touchdowns and the Mustangs pick up a 34-24 win over the Bears. During postgame, Washington and his former teammates share some hugs and that’s the last the two parties will see one another this season.
Baylor Finds a New Feature Back
After getting to 1-2 with a blowout win over Samford, the Bears eke out a win over Arizona State and a win at Oklahoma State gets them to 3-2 before hosting Kansas State.
The Wildcats’ combination of Avery Johnson and Dylan Edwards shows glimpses of what Baylor had hoped it would have in 2025. K-State runs away with the game, but the Bears find a glimpse of hope, as Michael Turner has a breakout performance.
After a 3-3 start, Baylor travels to Fort Worth to take on their biggest rival. Despite the rushing attack not having the juice it needed earlier in the season, Turner gives them an edge against the Horned Frogs, and suddenly, the offense gets into a groove. Sawyer Robertson and Co. put 44 points up on the board, and the Bears pick up a 44-31 win.
From there, Baylor goes on to win four of their last five games and finishes the regular season with an 8-4 record, and a 7-2 mark in Big 12 play. It’s not good enough to get them into the Big 12 Championship Game, but it’s far better than things looked after two weeks.
Meanwhile, Washington and SMU work their way through the regular season with an 11-1 record and he leads the ACC in rushing yards and touchdowns. The Mustangs are right in the playoff discussion, and the difference between it being them and a team like Baylor is the standout rushing attack that’s been steady from Week 1.
