KNOWS THE PATH
8/7/2025 9:38:00 PM | Football
Simpson-Hunt was part of Ohio State’s national championship team
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Dave Aranda won a national championship as the defensive coordinator at LSU in 2019, assistant coaches Paul Gonzales and Inoke Breckterfield made it to the national championship game in back-to-back years with TCU and Washington, respectively, and Dallas Baker was the "Touchdown Maker" on Florida's national championship team in 2006.
For everyone else in that Baylor locker room, it's just a dream . . . except for redshirt sophomore cornerback Calvin Simpson-Hunt. The former four-star prospect out of Waxahachie (Texas) High School was a part of the Ohio State team that won last year's CFP national title.
"I say what I bring is really just the foresight, or the path, really," said the 6-0, 215-pound corner, who played in 14 games in two seasons with the Buckeyes, "because I've been there before. I've seen what that room had (at OSU), and what this room has here. I can see what it really takes to get to that point or just reach that high and reach our goals that we're trying to make in the room."
Pressed to compare last year's cornerback room at Ohio State – which included Jordan Hancock, a fifth-round draft pick by the Buffalo Bills – to this year's group at Baylor, Simpson smiled and said, "Oh, it's all talent, all around, everybody."
"Reggie Bush (II) is one of the fastest, quickest dudes I've seen," Simpson-Hunt said. "LeVar Thornton (Jr.) has the longest reach in the room. Tevin (Williams III) is the most physical guy. So, everybody's got their own thing. I could compare, but it's really just that everybody's got their own thing. Everybody's good football players right here."
Even losing 11-game starter Lorando Johnson, the Bears are definitely deeper and should be better at the cornerback positions. Caden Jenkins hopes to return to his 2023 form, when he picked off three passes and returned a fumble 72 yards for a touchdown to earn second-team Freshman All-America honors.
Williams has the most experience of the group, playing in 29 games with eight starts over the last four years and totaling 15 tackles with one for a loss and a forced fumble last season. He is one of the few holdovers from the 2021 Big 12 and Sugar Bowl champions.
"It's kind of how I've always been," the 6-1, 199-pound Williams said of his physical play. "I've always liked playing tough with rough jams and all that. I've found that disrupts receivers easier. I've never been a motor-back guy, trying to shadow. I've been more in your face. That's just a more fun play style. I'm pretty sure Calvin would say the same thing."
At 6-3, 182, Thornton is unusually tall for a cornerback. He played in all 13 games last season, finishing with eight tackles, one fumble recovery and one interception and gave up just four catches on eight targets.
"I bring a little bit of size, a taller guy, and I have longer arms than the other guys in the room," said Thornton, a former four-star prospect out of Timber Creek High School who had six career picks.
Thornton calls Simpson-Hunt "swoll, but that doesn't mean he's not super quick."
"He's super-fast, probably the fastest corner in the room," Thornton said. "What I picked up from him is you don't hear anything from him off the field. He's always quiet off the field. That's probably what he got from Ohio State, that championship caliber, being content with who he is and being who he is off the field."
Other than maybe Simpson-Hunt, the biggest addition to the cornerback room was Gonzales as the first-year cornerbacks coach and defensive passing game coordinator after 13 years on staff at TCU.
"He's more of a technician," Williams said of Gonzales, who coached both safeties and corners with the Horned Frogs. "The fine details, he'll break down stuff in a way that we're all able to understand."
Thornton said Gonzales wants him to "master my craft, master the little things."
"The big things, we can fix," Thornton said, "but it's the little things that he nit-picks on."
The Bears also added some experience with a pair of late transfers in KJ Makins (5-10, 185) from Houston Christian and Caldra Williford (5-9, 180) from Tennessee Tech. Williford played in 12 games last year at Tennessee Tech, totaling 34 tackles with two interceptions and a forced fumble, while Makins had 15 tackles, three pass breakups and a forced fumble at HCU.
"They're super-twitchy," Thornton said of Makins and Williford. "They're also super-smart. I know they just got here in the summer and we started working on plays, but I feel like they're just catching on super-quick, faster than I did when I was a freshman. Things are starting to click for them."
The Bears will wrap up their second week of fall camp with practices on Friday and Saturday before taking a day off.
Baylor opens the 2025 season on Aug. 29 with a nationally televised (FOX) matchup with Auburn at McLane Stadium. For season-ticket or single-game options, go to the link at 2025 Baylor Football Tickets.
Baylor Bear Insider
Dave Aranda won a national championship as the defensive coordinator at LSU in 2019, assistant coaches Paul Gonzales and Inoke Breckterfield made it to the national championship game in back-to-back years with TCU and Washington, respectively, and Dallas Baker was the "Touchdown Maker" on Florida's national championship team in 2006.
For everyone else in that Baylor locker room, it's just a dream . . . except for redshirt sophomore cornerback Calvin Simpson-Hunt. The former four-star prospect out of Waxahachie (Texas) High School was a part of the Ohio State team that won last year's CFP national title.
"I say what I bring is really just the foresight, or the path, really," said the 6-0, 215-pound corner, who played in 14 games in two seasons with the Buckeyes, "because I've been there before. I've seen what that room had (at OSU), and what this room has here. I can see what it really takes to get to that point or just reach that high and reach our goals that we're trying to make in the room."
Pressed to compare last year's cornerback room at Ohio State – which included Jordan Hancock, a fifth-round draft pick by the Buffalo Bills – to this year's group at Baylor, Simpson smiled and said, "Oh, it's all talent, all around, everybody."
"Reggie Bush (II) is one of the fastest, quickest dudes I've seen," Simpson-Hunt said. "LeVar Thornton (Jr.) has the longest reach in the room. Tevin (Williams III) is the most physical guy. So, everybody's got their own thing. I could compare, but it's really just that everybody's got their own thing. Everybody's good football players right here."
Even losing 11-game starter Lorando Johnson, the Bears are definitely deeper and should be better at the cornerback positions. Caden Jenkins hopes to return to his 2023 form, when he picked off three passes and returned a fumble 72 yards for a touchdown to earn second-team Freshman All-America honors.
Williams has the most experience of the group, playing in 29 games with eight starts over the last four years and totaling 15 tackles with one for a loss and a forced fumble last season. He is one of the few holdovers from the 2021 Big 12 and Sugar Bowl champions.
"It's kind of how I've always been," the 6-1, 199-pound Williams said of his physical play. "I've always liked playing tough with rough jams and all that. I've found that disrupts receivers easier. I've never been a motor-back guy, trying to shadow. I've been more in your face. That's just a more fun play style. I'm pretty sure Calvin would say the same thing."
At 6-3, 182, Thornton is unusually tall for a cornerback. He played in all 13 games last season, finishing with eight tackles, one fumble recovery and one interception and gave up just four catches on eight targets.
"I bring a little bit of size, a taller guy, and I have longer arms than the other guys in the room," said Thornton, a former four-star prospect out of Timber Creek High School who had six career picks.
Thornton calls Simpson-Hunt "swoll, but that doesn't mean he's not super quick."
"He's super-fast, probably the fastest corner in the room," Thornton said. "What I picked up from him is you don't hear anything from him off the field. He's always quiet off the field. That's probably what he got from Ohio State, that championship caliber, being content with who he is and being who he is off the field."
Other than maybe Simpson-Hunt, the biggest addition to the cornerback room was Gonzales as the first-year cornerbacks coach and defensive passing game coordinator after 13 years on staff at TCU.
"He's more of a technician," Williams said of Gonzales, who coached both safeties and corners with the Horned Frogs. "The fine details, he'll break down stuff in a way that we're all able to understand."
Thornton said Gonzales wants him to "master my craft, master the little things."
"The big things, we can fix," Thornton said, "but it's the little things that he nit-picks on."
The Bears also added some experience with a pair of late transfers in KJ Makins (5-10, 185) from Houston Christian and Caldra Williford (5-9, 180) from Tennessee Tech. Williford played in 12 games last year at Tennessee Tech, totaling 34 tackles with two interceptions and a forced fumble, while Makins had 15 tackles, three pass breakups and a forced fumble at HCU.
"They're super-twitchy," Thornton said of Makins and Williford. "They're also super-smart. I know they just got here in the summer and we started working on plays, but I feel like they're just catching on super-quick, faster than I did when I was a freshman. Things are starting to click for them."
The Bears will wrap up their second week of fall camp with practices on Friday and Saturday before taking a day off.
Baylor opens the 2025 season on Aug. 29 with a nationally televised (FOX) matchup with Auburn at McLane Stadium. For season-ticket or single-game options, go to the link at 2025 Baylor Football Tickets.
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