Midseason Power Scores: X Factors, Baylor Red Raiders

<p>Baylor is the top-ranked team in the Big School Power Poll by Prep Redzone Tennessee and they have a team filled with playmakers at every level of the field on both offense and defense, including several future Division One players.</p>   <p>Over the course of this year, the Red Raiders have picked up significant victories over programs such as Rabun Gap (Ga.), McCallie, MBA, and CPA, as they have pushed for a strong 7-0 start to the season.</p>   <p>Here are the X factors for the team at this point of the season ahead of their push for a state championship over the back half of this football season.</p>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Baylor 2026 QB [player_tooltip player_id='222957' first='Briggs' last='Cherry']</strong></h2>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/07/bcherry-crop-366x240-1761101532.jpg?w=365" alt="" class="wp-image-1971199" style="width:531px;height:auto" /></figure>   <p>Senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='222957' first='Briggs' last='Cherry'] has provided stable play as the signal caller for the offense and has stepped up in his final season after the departure of some of his top targets from last season, helping push the offense down the field consistently.</p>   <p>He is a big quarterback with a strong arm that allows for him to make all the throws needed to <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/10/baylor-defeats-mccallie-38-35-scouting-the-standouts/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">beat the top teams</a> they face and it is easy to see why he is committed to Louisville. His strong play will have to continue through the entire state championship game this season to bring home the trophy.<br><br>He has a plethora of targets to distribute the ball to and that has allowed for him to spread the targets out effectively as both a pocket passer and play action off a strong rushing attack.</p>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Baylor 2027 Running Back David Gabriel Georges</strong></h2>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/10/dwdgg.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1927056" style="width:535px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Baylor Football</figcaption></figure>   <p>Junior tailback David Gabriel Georges is probably the <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/09/scouting-2027-running-back-class-stars-sleepers-and-secrets/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">best player in the entire state</a> of Tennessee and gives Baylor an immediate edge from the second he steps on to the field, being absolutely impossible to bring down with his combination of size, core strength, cutting ability, and athleticism.</p>   <p>He has the skillset worthy of being one of the best running back prospects in the nation and his offer sheet is a reflection of that. The one thing that could hold him back is ball security as he did almost lose a crucial fumble at the end of the victory at McCallie, but the Red Raiders were able to recover the ball.</p>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Baylor 2026 Receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1300097' first='Kaiden' last='Dewey']</strong></h2>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/10/Photo-Oct-12-2025-5-27-17-PM.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1952718" style="width:538px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Shayne Pickering Prep Redzone</figcaption></figure>   <p>Under head coach Erik Kimrey, the slot receiver position has been crucial to the success of the offense and senior [player_tooltip player_id='1300097' first='Kaiden' last='Dewey'] has stepped up in a big way to keep that streak going in his final season.</p>   <p>He is one of the <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/09/uncommitted-2026-receivers-with-division-one-skillsets/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">top slot receivers</a> in the state with his size and speed in addition to his ability to make plays at all three levels of the field and is someone that Cherry relies on heavily to make plays.</p>   <p>The more he makes plays for the offense, the better the team moves the football and he will be someone that the team will absolutely need to consistently make plays in the postseason.</p>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Baylor 2026 Defensive Lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1210664' first='Jayden' last='Arenas-Michel']</strong></h2>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/10/JAM99DL.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1971235" style="width:537px;height:auto" /></figure>   <p>Baylor lost nearly all of their front seven talent over the offseason, but having a <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/09/previewing-top-matchups-in-baylor-brentwood-academy-matchup/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">big and versatile defensive lineman</a> that a defensive coordinator can move along the entire front like [player_tooltip player_id='1210664' first='Jayden' last='Arenas-Michel'] was absolutely massive and he has been a huge part of holding the unit together this season.</p>   <p>The MTSU commit can fill in where needed while constantly bringing pressure to the backfield against both the run and pass from a variety of alignments and with transfers filling in around him. He is the glue to the success of the defensive front and he will need to continue to bring his strong rushing ability down the final stretch of his high school career.</p>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Baylor 2027 Linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1512542' first='Khori' last='Faulkner']</strong></h2>   <p>One of those transfers that filled out the front seven was middle linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1512542' first='Khori' last='Faulkner'] who has got bigger and better with joining the Red Raiders program, <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/10/scouting-2027-linebacker-class-stars-sleepers-and-secrets/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">giving the team a dynamic force</a> that can wipe out plays coming down from the second level.</p>   <p>He has gotten big enough this season to begin adding Division One interest and recently added his first offer from Liberty, showing a reflection of excellent level he has displayed this season, especially against the run.</p>   <p>He will be crucial to limiting or stopping strong opposing rushing attacks in the postseason.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/knap_13/status/1976716171602018613 </div></figure>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Baylor 2026 Safety [player_tooltip player_id='328897' first='Kolby' last='Barrett']</strong></h2>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/10/Kolby-crop-4800x3152-1761105244.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1971298" style="width:512px;height:auto" /></figure>   <p>Baylor has a strong group of corner options on the squad but taking away the middle of the field will be important against other teams in the DII-AAA, especially if they play McCallie again with their standout slot receiver [player_tooltip player_id='986024' first='Keeyshawn' last='Tabuteau'].</p>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='328897' first='Kolby' last='Barrett'] has <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/09/2026-defensive-backs-with-potential-for-increased-college-interest/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">a great skillset at safety that allows him to fill any role</a> on the back end and if he plays to his strong potential at a consistent rate in the postseason, the Red Raiders could effectively take away the middle of the field and force opposing offenses to dink and dunk to the sidelines underneath, which could allow opportunities for their standout long, physical corners to generate turnovers.</p>

Baylor is the top-ranked team in the Big School Power Poll by Prep Redzone Tennessee and they have a team filled with playmakers at every level of the field on both offense and defense, including several future Division One players.