Baylor made its run on offense for the 2021 class in May. Now, it’s making its run on defense.

A position that needed to be addressed for the class got a boost when LaPlace (LA) East St. John linebacker Jackie Marshall announced on The United States 244th birthday that he was committing to Baylor.

Marshall is the 17th member and is the third consecutive defensive commit. The other two were St. Louis defensive tackle Dakote Doyle and DeSoto defensive tackle Byron Murphy.

Baylor had been a part of Marhsall’s Top 5 that he released back in May. That included Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Louisiana Tech and Houston. Arkansas had followed with an offer in early June.

Marshall is also the fourth non-Texas commit to this class. However, this is the first win for Dave Aranda's staff in Louisiana, a state where Baylor hopes its can draw more and more success.

However, Dave Aranda’s staff had made its move. In his twitter history, Marshall had been retweeting more from the Baylor staff.

Marshall is listed as an outside linebacker but has the size (6-3, 230) to where he could flex out and be a defensive end depending on game situations.

To say that he was a one-man show during the 2019 season is an understatement. Marshall led the team with 82 tackles but an even more improbable 72 solos. He also collected 38 of those that went for loss. He then amassed 11 sacks. That was one third of the team total. East St. John finished 9-3.

Linebacker is a position that Aranda’s staff has needed to focus on in recent weeks. Until Marshall’s announcement, the only other commitment was West Orange-Stark’s Tyrone Brown.

Baylor can take a full class of 25 for the 2021 class. But it’s a case where it is becoming a little more systematic in how it wants to do things. There are still needs to be addressed on the defensive line, linebacker and offensive line. Obviously, spots are becoming fewer and fewer.

But the good news is that the Bears have not suffered any commitment losses at this time. And from checking around, there do not appear any commits wavering in their decision.

NOTE: As we mentioned on the SicEmSportsCast, the NCAA announced that the recruiting period has been extended through Aug. 31. That means no on-campus visits from prospects will be permitted.

If anything, look for any potential visits to come following the 2020 season, provided there is a 2020 season.