Last season saw Dawson Pendergrass patrolling the sidelines with a clipboard the entire season due to a foot injury (and subsequent surgery/rehabilitation) sustained in training camp . Baylor went an entire season without Pendergrass, who was slotted in as a potential one-two punch, instead relying on Bryson Washington and Caden Knighten (and in a lesser extent, Michael Turner and Joseph Dodds ) to serve as the rushing attack.
The effects of Pendergrass' injury were felt the entire season, relying on a sophomore in Washington and Knighten, Turner, and Dodds all being freshmen at the time.
Oct 5, 2024; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones defensive back Malik Verdon (7) misses the tackle on Baylor Bears running back Dawson Pendergrass (35) at Jack Trice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
This season though, a bright side of this story is that Dawson Pendergrass is healed up and healthy for game one against Auburn. Unfortunately, however, the same can not be said for Taz Williams Jr, who sustained a collar bone injury during practice.
"He's gonna have surgery on it, and he'll be back in a couple of weeks, " Coach Aranda said when speaking to the media on August 21st, and would continue, "He went up for a pass and fell down on his collarbone and broke it."
While no official timetable has been provided as to how long Williams Jr will be out, he's expected to be back in football pads and a helmet this season. A collarbone injury and surgery can take as little as six weeks or as much as three months to be back to game-shape, sometimes less and sometimes more depending on the severity.
Whether Coach Aranda was speaking superfluously or is merely optimistic about Williams Jr's return-from-surgery-time-table when stating that Williams would be able to return "in just a couple of weeks" is unclear, although certainly in Coach Aranda's wheelhouse to have a positive outlook, especially in a scrum-after-practice type of setting.
Everybody heals at their own rate, and not every injury is identical, and as recent as the injury to Williams Jr occurred, to label an "exact" game in which he is expected to return would be speculative at best.
Sep 26, 2020; Waco, Texas, USA; The Baylor Bears students and Baylor Line run onto the field before the game between the Bears and the Jayhawks at McLane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports
Disappointing however, is that another season sees another returning player struck by the injury bug before the season actually begins. That's the game of football though and these things happen, often at the least opportune moments. And for Taz Williams Jr, his injury in practice prior to the season starting couldn't have come at a less opportune moment as he was slated to be one of the few returning Bears in the receiving corps.
Nov 29, 2025; Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys wide receiver Gavin Freeman (17) leaps over Iowa State Cyclones defensive back Connor Welsch (17) during the second half at Boone Pickens Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Although Williams Jr (Redshirt Freshman) wasn't projected to start, with Gavin Freeman (Senior/ Oklahoma State transfer), Dre'lon Miller (Junior/ Colorado transfer), Louis Brown IV (5th-year Senior), and Jadon Porter (Junior) seemingly have their starting positions pretty heavily penciled-in , Williams Jr (alongside Freshman London Smith ) would have most likely served as a rotating perimeter player and provided extra depth for which the Baylor opponents would have to account.
Nov 8, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Dre'Lon Miller (6) runs the ball during the second quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Without a doubt, an injury right before the season is far from ideal. It's disappointing, not because it was anyone's fault but rather because a full team of healthy Bears won't be available for week one. We'll all be hoping for Williams Jr to have a speedy recovery, and patiently waiting to see him back in pads and catching passes.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/baylor as Biggest Baylor Football Camp Disappointment (And Why It Matters) .
