ARLINGTON, Texas — Baylor quarterback Sawyer Robertson heard the rumblings. Everyone did. There were some high-profile quarterback openings on the market, and money was there for the taking.
“It really wasn’t even a question, to be honest,” Robertson told CBS Sports. “I’m at Baylor for a reason. That didn’t change based off anyone else. It really wasn’t even like a thought that passed in my brain.”
It’s little surprise that Robertson caught the attention of in-the-know programs. Despite losing the preseason starting job in each of the last two seasons since transferring to Baylor, Robertson took over midseason and delivered sensational results in 2024. The Lubbock native threw for more than 3,000 yards and 28 touchdowns in only 11 starts. Robertson’s emergence helped key a six-game winning streak to close the 2024 season and save Baylor coach Dave Aranda’s job.
Now, he enters 2025 among the most promising quarterback prospects in the country with a serious chance to shoot up draft boards. Baylor is a leading Big 12 favorite on FanDuelboasting +650 odds, within striking distance of favorites Kansas State and Texas Tech.
Baylor gets an early opportunity to announce its arrival on the national stage Friday night with a home showdown against a big-name SEC program in Auburn.
It’s an inconceivable position for a player whose on-field future was still up in the air entering conference play as a redshirt junior.
“If you want a dude that’s going to come out of nowhere, it’s [Robertson],” an AFC South scout told ESPN. “He’s what everyone wants Drew Allar to be. Big, big arm and he can move.”
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Mike Leach’s legacy
But when you consider that Robertson is one of the final quarterbacks that future Hall of Fame coach Mike Leach ever hand-selected, everything starts to fall into place.
Robertson was a stellar high school recruit, rated No. 205 in the Top247 rankings in 2022. He grew up in Lubbock right as Mike Leach was taking Texas Tech to new heights in his own backyard. When Leach came calling for Robertson, he had to listen.
More offers came, but Robertson ultimately decided he wanted to join Leach in Starkville. He spent the morning calling all of the other programs pushing hard for his commitment, which Robertson still calls one of the worst days of his life. He didn’t want to disappoint anyone.
Leach said he was happy. And then he asked: What’s your favorite Mexican food in Lubbock?
“I was like, are you kidding?” Robertson said. “What did I just do? He wants to talk about Mexican food right after I made the biggest decision of my life?”
The answer was Mama and Josie’s Kitchen, by the way. But that was just The Pirate.
Leach died before Mississippi State’s bowl game in 2022, aged only 61. With his primary draw to Mississippi State now gone — and only 11 pass attempts to his name — Robertson opted to enter the portal. In Baylor coach Aranda, he found a kindred spirit.
Bonding over a legend
Aranda’s first job at the FBS level came as a graduate assistant at Texas Tech from 2000-02. He got to see Leach up close and personal while driving him on recruiting visits across the state.
On one occasion, Aranda — a philosophy masters student — talked to Leach about everything from Apache Indians to samurais on the road in West Texas. They pulled over to a burger joint to get some food, but Leach forgot he had a radio interview right then. While on the phone, he turned to the side and hollered his order to a dumbstruck Aranda.
“I knew we were weird from the beginning,” Aranda told CBS Sports. “But it was so cool because he made it feel cool to be weird.”
Ask Robertson, though, and he doesn’t think of himself as part of that weird club. Big man on campus, beloved by the Baylor fanbase, does he really belong with the mercurial Leach or intellectual Aranda?
“I think I’m cool,” Robertson said with a laugh. “I think I’m really cool.”
Robertson later admits that he’s really into Star Wars and superhero comics. Friends think he’s a little nerdy. Plus, he hates scary movies, can’t stand them. That’s not really what makes him weird, though — not in the way that Leach saw.
It’s weird for a highly-ranked quarterback like Robertson to lose a starting job and stick around. It’s weird to get recruited over by a transfer and stay, even after a coordinator change. It’s weird to turn down big offers from blue blood schools and take a contract below market value to stay where he wants to be.
“I think Sawyer really cares,” Aranda said. “He really cares. He’s invested in people and in high principles.”
Robertson’s college football career has been weird in all the best ways. And now, Baylor is the prime beneficiary. The Pirate would be pleased. And then maybe ask for some Mexican food.
“I had confidence or faith, whatever you want to call it, that I’d get my shot eventually and would make the most of it,” Robertson said. “Those were the reasons I stayed. I’m happy it worked out the way it did.”
