By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
 
DALLAS – Starting his collegiate career as a walk-on safety at West Virginia, Baylor linebacker Keaton Thomas can certainly relate to Jacob Redding's rather unorthodox path.
 
"Coming in as somebody who realistically isn't supposed to get in the rotation, he made a way for himself. I'm super proud of that," Thomas said of the 6-1, 195-pound redshirt sophomore safety. "This dude comes in early, leaves late. He's that dude that always wants to do more. I'm super proud of him. I love this boy. I'm proud of you, bro."
 
Sheepishly, Redding whispers, "I appreciate that."
 
One of the more unlikely heroes in Saturday's 48-45 double-overtime win over No. 17/16 SMU, Redding recorded his first-career interception to snuff out a Mustangs' third-quarter scoring threat and finished one shy of his career high with five solo tackles.  
 
"That was surreal. That was something I dreamed of doing when I was at Baylor games when I was about 12 years old," said Redding, who came to Baylor in 2023 as a preferred walk-on from New Braunfels High School.
 
"As a DB, confidence can't be an issue, or else you're going to struggle. Forget the last play. I think that's something I've learned how to teach myself and really believe in myself the last year, year and a half."
 
Picking off a pass in the end zone intended for tight end Matthew Hibner, Redding's interception came just three snaps after a bizarre play that saw a potential catch-interference penalty against the Mustangs turn into a block in the back against the Bears and a muffed punt return that SMU recovered at the Baylor 22-yard line.
 
"I don't know, I guess they said the (SMU player) got pushed on that punt, but I didn't see it," Redding said. "(On the interception), the ball was in the air, and we teach that drill every day, every practice. I knew I had to make a play. And when I came off, everybody was saying, 'Ball don't lie.' So, it's pretty funny."
 
After SMU (1-1) scored on four of its first five possessions and averaged 10.8 yards per play (26-282) in taking a 24-21 halftime lead, Redding's interception was one of three-consecutive defensive stops in the second half. And before Connor Hawkins' walk-off 27-yard, game-winning field goal, the defense came up with another stop in the second OT period.
 
"That's all about execution," said Thomas, who recorded double-digit tackles for the sixth time in his Baylor career with a team-high 10 stops. "Everybody was locked-in, everybody was keying who they were supposed to. And that's what happens. You get three-and-outs, you shut it down, and now the kicker has to make a high-pressure kick, and he didn't make it."
 
Although the defense did give up a couple fourth-quarter touchdowns and another one in the first overtime, it took a big step forward in the second half. The Mustangs averaged just 4.0 yards per play (37-148) in the second half.
 
"When we weren't tripping or falling over ourselves, we were able to make some stops and play competitively," Baylor head coach Dave Aranda said. "There's a glimmer of positive there that we've got to build off of."
 
A unanimous all-district pick and Male Athlete of the Year at New Braunfels, Redding saw limited action in three games with the Bears in 2023 and had just four tackles combined in the first 13 games of his college career. But he had eight tackles in the last two regular-season games a year ago, has the second-most solo tackles (11) on the team this year and has forced the defense's only turnover to date.
 
"He's the one that's always paying attention," Aranda said. "He's the one you only have to tell him one time. . . . To apply it in big stages and the bright lights is way cool. He's always been capable of that, he just needed to do that to fully believe that he could do that.
 
"So, watch out now."
 
After getting in a few special teams "here and there" midway through the 2024 season, Redding said he had to figure out, "Why am I doing this?"
 
"You have to take a step back," he said. "You're putting in all this work, and you're not seeing anything. It's like, 'Why am I doing this?' I found the inner why. And I guess I found my real motivation to keep going every day."
 
A former walk-on himself, Josh Cameron hauled in a career-high nine catches for 151 yards and two touchdowns in the win.
 
"I get super excited," Cameron said of Redding's performance. "He's a great representation of us walk-ons. Every day, he puts his head down and doesn't complain, he goes to work. Seeing him do that in a critical moment is so cool for him and all the walk-ons. That's a huge motivation for me and everyone watching."
 
Baylor (1-1) returns to McLane Stadium to face an FCS Samford team (0-2) at 11 a.m. next Saturday in a game that will be streamed by ESPN+. Playing their first two at home, the Bulldogs opened with a 34-3 loss to West Georgia and dropped their conference opener to The Citadel, 40-13, on Saturday.