Thomas, Williams Earn Preseason All-America Honors

Thu Jun 19 09:00:03 CDT 2025

BAYLOR ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS – June 19, 2025

Thomas, Williams Earn Preseason All-America Honors
Baylor Linebacker, Punter Tabbed Preseason All-America by Phil Steele

For more information contact: Brent Ingram; 210-845-8651, brent_ingram at baylor.edu<mailto:brent_ingram at baylor.edu>  or Max Calderone; 254-265-1639, max_calderone at baylor.edu<mailto:max_calderone at baylor.edu> or Josie Hutton; 254-709-7720,  josie_hutton at baylor.edu<mailto:josie_hutton at baylor.edu>

WACO, Texas -- Baylor football standouts Keaton Thomas and Palmer Williams have been named preseason All-America, and a total of 10 Bears earned preseason All-Big 12 Conference, it was announced by Phil Steele.

Williams, Baylor’s dynamite punter, was named second-team preseason All-America, and Thomas, who ranked No. 25 in the nation in tackles last year, was named fourth-team preseason All-America. In addition, 10 total Bears earned preseason All-Big 12 Conference by Phil Steele, including Thomas and Williams, and Omar Aigbedion (OL), Travion Barnes (LB), Josh Cameron (WR & PR), Sidney Fugar (OL), Jackie Marshall (DL), Sawyer Robertson (QB), Michael Trigg (TE) and Bryson Washington (RB).

A native of Advance, N.C., Williams had the best punting season in college football, and the best in Baylor history, last year in his second year in the starting role. He averaged 49.35 yards per punt on 43 punts, which among those who punted at least 2.5 times per game in 2024, led the nation. His average as the best in BU single-season history and his career mark of 46.53 would rank tops in school career history. He had 28 punts of 50+ yards, 15 of his 43 punts were downed inside the 20, six were fair caught and BU ranked No. 8 in the NCAA in net punting average. He had a monster game vs. Utah, punting six times for an average of 62.7 yards per punt, with a long of 79 and two downed inside the 20-yard line.

A native of Katy, Texas, Aigbedion was a force at right guard in his Baylor debut season after transferring from Montana State. Aigbedion was a vocal and physical leader for a BU offensive line that improved to sixth nationally in offensive line efficiency according to Sport Source Analytics, up from a previous ranking of No. 112. He earned All-Big 12 Conference honors while paving the way for an offense that ranked No. 20 nationally in total offense, No. 19 in scoring offense, No. 19 in team passing efficiency and No. 27 in total first downs. BU ranked No. 36 in fewest sacks allowed and No. 4 nationally in TFLs allowed.

Barnes, a senior linebacker out of Almonte Springs, Fla., starred at FIU last year and was named Conference USA Player of the Year. He totaled 129 tackles in just 11 games, ranking fifth nationally, and finished with 10 TFLs, three sacks, two interceptions and one fumble recovery. Barnes had 11 games with 10+ tackles in his debut season after two seasons at Georgia Military Academy.

A native of Cedar Park, Texas, Cameron earned All-America honors from CBS Sports and the Football Writers Association of America in 2024 as a punt returner and was named All-Big 12 Conference as a wide receiver. He returned 14 punts for 290 yards, an average of 20.7 yards per return, which would have led the nation but finished just short of the NCAA threshold for punt returns to qualify, which was a product of opponents over the last four games not allowing him to return a punt. He started all 13 games at wide receiver and lead the team with catches (52), yards (754) and TDs (10), while totaling four 100+ yard games. His 10 TDs ranked top 10 in the nation in single-season Baylor history, and he finished his junior season ranked as the BU career leader in punt return average.

Fugar, a 6-foot-5, 341-pounder helped solidify the offensive line after being inserted into the starting left tackle post over the last eight games. He helped spur BU into one of the nation’s top offensive units with the starting role, with BU going from averaging 29.4 points, 146.2 rushing, 222.6 passing and 368.8 yards of total offense, to a 6-2 record over the last eight games, with 37.5 points, 199.1 rushing, 285.5 passing and 484.6 yards per game. The offensive line improved from a rank of No. 112 in offensive line efficiency rating in 2023 to No. 6 in 2024, while ranking in the top 30 in total offense, scoring offense, passing efficiency and total first downs.

Thomas, a native of Jacksonville, Fla., is one of the top defenders in the country and a vocal and physical leader for the Bears. He earned first-team All-Big 12 Conference honors in his debut season with the Bears in 2024, starting all 13 games at inside linebacker, while totaling 114 tackles, seven for a loss, with 2.5 sacks, three QB hurries and an interception returned for a touchdown. He had four games with 10+ tackles and teamed with Matt Jones to become the first BU linebackers to go over 100 tackles each since 2012. His 114 tackles ranked 25th best in the nation. Thomas, a native of Jacksonville, Fla., joined the Bears in advance of 2024 after a first-team All-America season at Northeast Mississippi CC, where he ranked second in the nation with 107 tackles.

Marshall, a 6-3, 290-pound product of LaPlace, La., started 13 games on the defensive line last year, finishing with 42 tackles, 6.5 for a loss, three sacks, five QB hurries and a forced fumble, while logging a team-high 22 QB pressures. Marshall emerged as a weapon as a redshirt freshman at outside linebacker, and after suffering a season-ending injury in the spring before the 2023 season, had a breakout 2024 season.

Robertson, Baylor’s signal caller, had a breakout season in 2024, his first as the starter. After season-opening starter Dequan Finn bowed out of the 2024 season, Robertson stepped up to lead the Bears, throwing for 3,071 yards with 28 TDs and just eight interceptions, completing 62.2 percent of his passes, also rushing 63 times for 230 yards with four TDs. He ranked among the tops in program single-season history in passing efficiency, passing yards, completions, completion percentages, TDs and TD-interception ratio. He had four 300+ yard passing games and threw for a career-high 445 yards with two TDs vs. LSU in the Texas Bowl.

A native of Tampa, Fla., Trigg was one of the nation’s top tight ends in 2024, his debut season after transferring from Ole Miss and Southern Cal. A 6-4, 246-pounder played in 11 games with five starts, totaling 30 catches for 395 yards and three TDs. He sported the second-best offensive grade according to Pro Football Focus on the club. A former top-150 recruit out of high school, Trigg had his best game of the year in a four-catch, 96-yard effort at Houston.

Washington, a 6-0, 203-pound running back out of Franklin, Texas, rolled to freshman All-America honors by The Athletic and the Football Writers Association of America in 2024, while shattering the program record for rushing yards by a freshman. He played in just 11 games but rushed for 1,028 yards with 12 rushing TDs. He had six 100+ yard games, the most by any freshmen in program history, and caught 22 balls for 217 yards and a TD. His standout games included 10 rushes for 116 yards and two TDs in a beatdown of Texas Tech in Lubbock, four TDs and 218 all-purpose yards in a win over TCU, 18 rushes for 123 yards and four total TDs at West Virginia, 113 yards rushing at Houston and 28 rushes for 192 yards and two TDs vs. Kansas.

BAYLOR FOOTBALL PRESEASON HONORS

Omar Aigbedion, OG

Preseason First-Team All-Big 12 (Phil Steele)

Travion Barnes, LB

Preseason Third-Team All-Big 12 (Phil Steele)

Josh Cameron, WR/PR

Preseason Second-Team All-Big 12, WR (Phil Steele)

Preseason Second-Team All-Big 12, PR (Phil Steele)

Sidney Fugar, OT

Preseason Fourth-Team All-Big 12 (Phil Steele)

Jackie Marshall, DL

Preseason Third-Team All-Big 12 (Phil Steele)

Sawyer Robertson, QB

Preseason First-Team All-Big 12 (Phil Steele)

Keaton Thomas, LB

Preseason First-Team All-Big 12 (Phil Steele)

Preseason Fourth-Team All-America (Phil Steele)

Michael Trigg, TE

Preseason Third-Team All-Big 12 (Phil Steele)

Bryson Washington, RB

Preseason First-Team All-Big 12 (Phil Steele)

Palmer Williams, P

Preseason First-Team All-Big 12 (Phil Steele)

Preseason Second-Team All-America (Phil Steele)

- BaylorBears.com -

--
Brent Ingram | Associate AD for Communications
Baseball Sport Program Administrator
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
C: 210-845-8651

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