Baylor Football Earns Four AP All-Big 12 Honors

[Calderone, Max]

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – Dec. 12, 2024

Baylor Football Earns Four AP All-Big 12 Honors
Jones, Thomas, Williams pick up first-team praise, Aigbedion lands on second team
For more information contact: Brent Ingram, 210-845-8651, Brent_Ingram at Baylor.edu<mailto:Brent_Ingram at Baylor.edu>; Max Calderone, 254-265-1639, Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu<mailto:Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu>; Josie Hutton, 254-709-7720, Josie_Hutton at baylor.edu<mailto:Josie_Hutton at baylor.edu>

WACO, Texas – Baylor football earned four All-Big 12 honors as announced by the Associated Press on Thursday.

Sixth-year senior Matt Jones (LB), redshirt sophomore Keaton Thomas (LB) and sophomore Palmer Williams (P) were each named to the first team, while junior Omar Aigbedion (OG) landed on the second team.

BU’s four AP honors are its first since 2021 and second-most under fifth-year head coach Dave Aranda, behind 2021’s eight. All four of the Bears’ recipients also earned All-Big 12 praise by the league’s head coaches, as previously announced.

A sixth-year man out of Odessa, Texas, Jones put together his most complete season in the green and gold with a career-high 103 tackles, including 61 solo stops. He added 9.5 tackles for loss and four sacks, along with six pass breakups, a forced fumble and his first-career fumble recovery. Jones logged six games with double-digit tackles, the most by a Bear in a single season since Bryce Hager’s six in 2012.

In his first season in Waco, Thomas turned heads by leading the team with 107 total tackles, the most by a Bear in a single season since Terrel Bernard’s 112 in 2019. Thomas added seven tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks with one interception, a pick-six that he returned 35 yards in the season opener against Tarleton. Thomas produced four double-digit tackle outputs in 2024, including in three consecutive games against TCU, at West Virginia and at Houston.

Williams punted 41 times for 2,034 yards this season, leading the Big 12 with a BU school-record 49.6-yard average. In 2024, the sophomore from Advance, N.C., booted 21 kicks beyond 50 yards and downed 14 punts inside the 20. Williams had a career day at Utah in Week 2, setting a school record with 62.7 yards per punt, including massive boots of 57, 60, 76 and 79 yards, becoming the first Bear in program history with a pair of 70+ yard punts in the same game.

Aigbedion made significant impact on the BU offensive line in his first year as a Bear, starting all 12 games at right guard. The product of Katy, Texas, helped Baylor’s offensive line efficiency rating to ranking sixth in the nation after a finish at No. 112 in the 2023 season. Aigbedion logged an 80.9 pass block rating on the year, according to Pro Football Focus, and allowed just one sack with a 99.2 pass block efficiency rating.

To stay up to date on all things Baylor football, follow the team on its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BUFootball.

2024 ASSOCIATED PRESS ALL-BIG 12 AWARDS:
First Team
Matt Jones – LB
Keaton Thomas – LB
Palmer Williams – P

Second Team
Omar Aigbedion – OL

-BaylorBears.com-


__________________________________

Max Calderone | Director of Athletics Communications (Baseball, Football)
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
C: 254-265-1639

[signature_4102560602]<http://baylorbears.com/>

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