ARLINGTON, Texas - Baylor remained squarely focused on Michigan State on Monday but didn't mind getting good news for the 2015 season, too.

All-Big 12 defensive end Shawn Oakman announced that he would return for his senior season during a morning news conference for the 79th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.

"I would classify it as great news," Bears Head Coach Art Briles said. "Any time you have two guys the caliber of Oakman and Spencer Drango come back and help maintain your program and escalate it, hopefully, to even higher levels, because we still have some mountains to climb, it certainly gives us a better opportunity [to compete for a national championship] when you come out of the gates with guys that have been there."

Drango, who is Baylor's junior left tackle, made nine first-team All-American teams.

Oakman said he decided to return to achieve more with his team and individually. He was projected to be a top 15 pick if he had declared for the 2015 NFL draft.

"I can be number one," Oakman said. "That's the way I see it. To me, I haven't done anything spectacular. I just know that my work ethic and my potential is so much higher and the things I'm going to do with this off-season could just catapult me to number one. Why not stay?"

No. 5 Baylor (11-1, 8-1 Big 12) completed its third practice at AT&T Stadium in preparation for Thursday's game against No. 8 Michigan State (10-2, 7-1 Big Ten).

"I kind of figured Day 3 would be a little bit of `Hey, let's hurry up and get to the game,'-type day and that's what it was," Briles said. "We fought through it. Our guys are staying focused."

Baylor spent part of the afternoon visiting young patients at Texas Children's Hospital in Dallas. Briles said he wanted his players to "hopefully brighten their day and to make us understand how fortunate and blessed we are."

The Goodyear Cotton Bowl celebrates its 79th edition on New Year's Day and kicks off a new era as a member of the College Football Playoff. Airtime on ESPN is set for 11:30 a.m. CST with kickoff slated for 11:45 a.m. For the first year, the Classic joins ESPN's bowl lineup with Dave Pasch and Brian Griese on the call from the booth with Tom Luginbill reporting from the sideline.

For the third consecutive year, ESPN Radio returns as the Classic's national radio partner. Brad Sham, the "Voice of the Dallas Cowboys," teams with Kelly Stoufer in the booth and Ian Fitzsimmons from the sideline to describe all the action from AT&T Stadium. This will be Sham's 18th straight year as the Classic's play-by-play man and his 22nd overall.

QUESTIONS FOR DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR Phil Bennett

Q. On [Shawn] Oakman, how do you feel he's coming along this year?

AC Phil Bennett: You know, he's made progress. He's not where he's going to be, though. I've told him this, and I'm honest with him. Another year is what he needs.

I mean, he's still raw. He's worked hard. The thing about Shawn that's a joy, he knows he's got things to work on. And the best thing about him, though, the sky is the limit for him.

Q. When did you first meet him?

AC Phil Bennett: We recruited him at University of Pittsburgh. He was a senior in high school. His uncle brought him to the University of Pittsburgh, and it was a Saturday. And I lived right by the complex. He said get down here. A guy named Brian Angelichio, who is the tight end coach for the Cleveland Browns, recruited him and he was my neighbor. And he said, "You're going to like this guy." Well, you know, played tight defensive end. And just you watch him. He was imposing and, wow, I can work with that.

Q. Yeah. And how did you get him to Baylor?

AC Phil Bennett: You know, it was a story. Brian Norwood knew Coach Johnson. He had had some issues after the Penn State thing and he ended up they called us and I said, Oh, I know him.

It sort of fell into place. I said, we recruited the kid. I said I know him. And then Larry directed him through Brian to us.

I always tell the story the day he came down there was it had to be 110 degrees. I said this is not Philadelphia.

Q. Where do you want to see him grow in the next year?

AC Phil Bennett: I think he's going to get bigger naturally and I think technique wise. I mean, when you play in the D-line, it's such technique oriented. I think he's come a million miles from where he started. Chris Achuff has done a wonderful job with him. I just think when you play, there's a distinct difference in college and NFL.

And in the NFL when you're 6'9" and 280, you need the technique to take on those 330 pound tackles and but the best thing about Shawn is he's got a motor. He plays at a high velocity, and he plays violent which is that's being a football player.

Q: What's your feeling for his chances right now?

AC Phil Bennett: For what?

Q. Chances coming back?

AC Phil Bennett: Listen, if he's a guy, if they view him as a premiere guy, I'm I'm rooting for Shawn. But the people I talk to would recommend him to come back.

We're for him as I told him from the get go. If it's something that is going to benefit him and it's top level, hey, look, I'm all for it.

Q. What's top level?

AC Phil Bennett: First round, because I do believe I'm a delayed gratification guy. If he can keep growing the way he's growing, I mean, I think he can be in those that top ten, top five, because I think he'll physically mature and I think mentally he'll mature with techniques that I'm talking about.

Q. Phil, Beau [Blackshear] is kind of people see him as more of a blue collar type guy. Is he better than that?

AC Phil Bennett: Yeah, he's better than that. Beau is a football player. In this room, people don't realize that but we've got three Waco kids: Beau, Orion [Stewart], and Andrew [Billings]. And we sort of worked from inside out and very proud of all of them.

Beau is a guy that and I'm guilty of it sometimes but he's physical. He is a point of attack guy. Game like this on Thursday is his type game.

Q. Where have you seen him from last year to this year?

AC Phil Bennett: He's gotten better. I'll say this again. In the trenches, your steps, your hands, all those things that are technical that make you good, if you ever watch the great ones in [Ndamukong] Suh and [Gerald] McCoy, we try to get these kids to watch these they work at it every day. And, you know, J.J. Watt.

I mean, the guy that coaches J.J. Watt is a guy who worked for me at Purdue, a guy named Bill Kollar. He's one of the best technicians I've ever seen.

J.J. Watt will tell you, it always tickles my... he says Bill Kollar has helped me get where I want to get because of technique. And when you get in those trenches, technique is the winner for you.

And I think Andrew [Billings] has gotten better. Now, I will say this. Andrew should be motivated. He's struggling. He went up against a very good player that last game, the center at Kansas State and did not play at a level that we're accustomed to.

Q. Can he be a premiere guy in a year or two?

AC Phil Bennett: Without question. Without question.

Q. Connor Cook, what do you see in him?

AC Phil Bennett: People fail to realize he's a 3,000 yard passer. People think of Michigan State and they think run, run, run. This guy can throw. The other thing is he will run they will run him a little bit. The quarterback has a run game.

Last year against Central Florida, we sort of slept on that quarterback run game and it hurt us, and we're not going to do that this year.

In some crucial games, he's he's designed quarterback run games. But he's a guy that he's a 3,000 yard passer. That pretty much says enough about him.

QUESTIONS FOR DT Beau Blackshear

Q. How good is the (Michigan State) offensive line?

DT Beau Blackshear: I mean, there's some big guys, centers All American and their tackle is either All American or All Big Ten. They've got some good guys up there, and we're definitely going to have to step it up and be real physical with them.

Q. Phil said this is his type of game. Is it your type of game, too, physical? You like that part of it?

DT Beau Blackshear: I love to run, go in there, and it's just one on one, see what you can do. You push me back. Y'all are getting yards if I push you back. We're making the play. I mean, I think it's definitely big, but we've really got to I don't know I guess grow stronger together. And because, I mean, we see runs in the Big 12, but I don't think it is much like this in the Big Ten.

Q. Where have you seen your game get better?

DT Beau Blackshear: I think definitely just with the run and everything, it's more just technique and the coaches are drawing us at that every day. Just technique and learning the system and all of that.

I think just more of learning the whole defense and, you know, where to go and all of that stuff. That's probably the biggest learning point for me.

Q. How do you separate yourself this year? Maybe this year it was more of this group of guys. You and Andrew [Billings] seem like you separated yourselves this year, not that they weren't rotating guys in. You two guys kind of stepped up, it looked like.

DT Beau Blackshear: I don't know what the whole deal with the rotation was, but I told Andrew, I mean, we just if we're going to be in there, we've got to make the plays. And, I mean, it's our job to do what they want us to do.

Q. That wasn't just perception, was it? You guys didn't rotate as much this year?

DT Beau Blackshear: Yeah, we just did it.

Q. Y'all played quite a bit. You had played maybe some different positions in high school. I know one time you were each a quarterback, short yardage quarterback.

Did you know coming in, that you're going to be a defensive lineman, that kind of thing where you were geared all along?

DT Beau Blackshear: Yes, I knew I was going to do that for sure. I talked with Achuff when he had recruited me and everything and I think that started at defensive end and moved me into D-tackle.

Q. Is that just getting bigger?

DT Beau Blackshear: Yeah, that probably had a little contribution too, all the weight I was gaining.

Q. Do you feel good at that weight now?

DT Beau Blackshear: I feel fine.

Q. What weight are you at?

DT Beau Blackshear: 285. It grows. I mean, I don't know. It happened slowly.

Q. What did you come in at?

DT Beau Blackshear: I don't know because I was out of high school.

Q. 260?

DT Beau Blackshear: Probably about 265 or so.

Q. Did they want you at that weight or bigger than that?

DT Beau Blackshear: I wouldn't mind being 290, but I'm good right now where I'm at.

Q. Talk about what you've seen from Andrew [Billings], just his growth even. I mean, he's just a baby sophomore really?

DT Beau Blackshear: He's so young. Friggin' a man child, you know? He's the strongest kid in America right now.

Yeah, I mean, he's unbelievable but, I mean, he's a real good guy. He's just growing more and more each day, just learning the technique and stuff like that. Because in high school he was just so raw and just getting overpower on everyone and threw them out of the way.

Here actually learning the technique and stuff is making him into a much better player. Playing against good offensive lines like Michigan State.

Q. The Fiesta Bowl, how long did that stick with you? Did it linger?

DT Beau Blackshear: I mean, all the way until we got back and knew football season was coming back around. But it stuck around way too long. We definitely don't want to have that feeling again.

Q. Is that a motivation even going into this?

DT Beau Blackshear: For sure, yeah.

QUESTIONS FOR NT Andrew Billings

Q. Only one other team has done that, three peat. You know that, right? How much of a motivation was that this year. You won one, which was huge. But how much of a motivation was that to repeat? And maybe how difficult was it, too, and knowing that you're getting everybody's best shot?

NT Andrew Billings: Yeah, it was good to know we did it and it was really, really hard. I mean, just that West Virginia game really hurt but we came back strong. It turned out to be a good thing.

Q. Bryce has pointed out a couple of times it was a little bit like the Fiesta Bowl, that maybe you guys were fat happy, satisfied, whatever. Did you feel that way? Maybe not maybe not going into it but maybe leaving. Did you feel like maybe we were thinking too highly of ourselves or something?

NT Andrew Billings: Yeah, those things, first level at that game.

Q. Coming off the TCU game, too, right?

NT Andrew Billings: Just a little tired and not prepared. Took it a little lightly. We're going to make it, and we didn't make it.

Q. You came in last year, was there an expectation that you would play right off or was that ever a doubt?

NT Andrew Billings: For me it was a doubt from the first time I played defensive line.

Q. It was a doubt or wasn't a doubt?

NT Andrew Billings: For me it was. I didn't know what defensive line was.

Q. Had you played any at Waco?

NT Andrew Billings: I had 25 snaps.

Q. That whole time or senior year?

NT Andrew Billings: Senior year. So I really didn't know what to expect.

Q. And were your snaps in high school, was that defensive end?

NT Andrew Billings: Senior was more defensive end.

Q. So you hadn't played tackle at all. So what was August like for you? Just learning the position? How difficult was it, I guess?

NT Andrew Billings: It really I mean, it really wasn't hard. I guess the first year was kind of natural but then you learn terminology and you start thinking about it a little more. And once I got over that, it was pretty smooth learning.

Q. There's a different mentality too on defense. Was that something you had to develop, or did you already have a little bit of that edge?

NT Andrew Billings: No, I had an offensive linemen mentality. Defensive line, you just can't you're taught all day to run defense. You have to still do your job for others. It's a little harder.

Q. And just in terms of maybe an aggression, too, is it I'm not saying offensive line is passive, but it just seems like it does take a different mindset. `

NT Andrew Billings: Yeah. It's a whole different mindset because you don't have four other people right behind you.

Q. Coach said I don't know if it motivates you, but he said he didn't feel like you had your best game against Kansas State, that the center did a pretty good job. How much does that kind of maybe fuel you?

NT Andrew Billings: It fuels me a lot just learning from what I did. I kept playing. This was almost the same offensive line as Michigan State, and I kept playing at center too much. I wasn't taking any good steps. They're getting under me from there. So I mean, it taught me that I need to fix the way I play that type of offense.

Q. I guess this guy (Jack Allen, center for Michigan State) might even be a step above that. He's an All American. Is that does that kind of excite you though going against a guy like that?

NT Andrew Billings: Yeah. Going against someone that good, see what you can do and show what you can do.

Q. You've seen film on him. How good is he? What do you see from him, I guess?

NT Andrew Billings: The whole offensive line is a real aggressive run style offensive linemen. They're not there to position him. So it's a whole different offensive line that you've got to play.

Q. Coach said that this is your type of game, physical. I mean, you like that part of it?

NT Andrew Billings: I like it. I like this part because, I don't know, it's straight up. They're going to show you what they're going to do, so you know what to do. And it's more of a not so much as a raid. It's just go.

Q. And Beau [Blackshear] said he loves playing against the run. Is that it's funny because offensive line, they love blocking for the run most of them and then you guys like going against the run, I guess the tackles in particular?

NT Andrew Billings: Everything we do, we're going to run it first.

Q. What do you see from their running back?

NT Andrew Billings: He's a hard runner, real hard runner.

Q. Does he compare to anybody?

NT Andrew Billings: Oklahoma running back. He's not as big, but he's 1300 yards.

Q. What do you see from Beau [Blackshear]? You've been around him a couple years, and I was talking to Coach Bennett about him. People see him like a blue collar, lunch pail type guy but he's better than that, isn't he?

NT Andrew Billings: Way better than that. Without him, I mean, it would be a different defensive line, just like offensive line. You miss one player. No matter who they are, it's going to change. And Beau helps me. I help him. My job is to cut off the gaps. He'll cut off the gaps and run to me.

Q. So do you all play off each other?

NT Andrew Billings: Yeah, every play, every play.

Q. Andrew, what kind of impact has Shawn Oakman made?

NT Andrew Billings: Shuts it down from offensive line. It's huge.

Q. How has he helped the interior guys like you?

NT Andrew Billings: He helps us by keeping the quarterback in the pocket so we can get a good angle on him.

Q. What's his personality like?

NT Andrew Billings: Quiet. He's quiet. Doesn't say much.

Q. Do you think when other teams see him across the line of scrimmage their mouths drop?

NT Andrew Billings: On the field, he's not quiet. It really changes. Everybody looks at him, yeah, they see aggression.

QUESTIONS FOR DT Shawn Oakman

Q. Can you tell us about your decision to stay?

DE Shawn Oakman: You're all making it seem like I'm gone. I didn't say I was leaving. That's what you're supposed to do. It's not my time. It's not my time. I've got unfinished business.

My brother got hurt and just to see the future is promising. It's promising on both the side of the NFL and college, you know? I get to play against Andrew Billings one more time.

Q. Shawn, it's not every year you see a guy's name all over top 15 from drafts come back. What makes you sort of different?

DE Shawn Oakman: I can be number one. That's the way I see it. To me, I haven't done anything spectacular. I just know that my work ethic and my potential is so much higher and the things I'm going to do with this off season could just catapult me to number one. Why not stay?

Q. Phil [Bennett], your coach, I was talking to him about it and he said he saw you next year, if you develop, you could turn into a guy who is a suit type of guy. What has to happen for you to fulfill that kind of potential?

DE Shawn Oakman: It's just work. It's worth ethic, man. I have it. I have it. All the pieces have to fall into place. I just got to keep keeping on with what I'm doing, keeping my head clear and steady playing for my brothers.

Q. Which two things do you need to improve on to get to the next level?

DE Shawn Oakman: Technique, fundamentals, you know.

Q. It sounds like it wasn't a super difficult decision for you?

DE Shawn Oakman: No, sir.

Q. When do you think you made it?

DE Shawn Oakman: Honestly, I changed my mind every day. But when it comes down to it, if you like me looking at my body of work, it wasn't good enough for me. It wasn't good enough for me to leave and not how you want to leave a program that resurrected you and brought you back to the light you're supposed to be in.

Q. Looking at next year's team, how big a factor was that in your decision?

DE Shawn Oakman: It was a huge factor. We're going to be great!

Q. What did you hear back from the advisory committee? What did they say?

DE Shawn Oakman: I'm actually still waiting to hear back from them, so we haven't got that paperwork.

Q. Coach Bennett said the people in the NFL he talked to said you needed another year. He said he didn't agree with some of those mock drafts. How much of an impact did that make on your decision?

DE Shawn Oakman: It's politics. Once again, I don't get into none of that politics stuff. It's more for my family, you know?

I felt that my body of work wasn't good enough. And I could care less what any NFL scout had to say, mock draft. It's about me and the guys I play with.

Q. What were the reasons why?

DE Shawn Oakman: Because I sit there and watch my film. It's me. I'm a student of the game. We study. That's what you do.

Q. Is it consistency more than anything, Shawn, because you have plays where you just completely dominate?

DE Shawn Oakman: There's plays I completely dominate, but at the same time, I could dominate every play.

Q. Shawn, how has Coach Bennett pushed you to where you're at?

DE Shawn Oakman: It's a military mindset. These guys want perfection, and the only thing I could do is give it to them. I don't know how to give them nothing else.

QUESTIONS FOR S Orion Stewart

Q. Orion, you saw the news that Shawn's [Oakman] coming back. Just watching him develop throughout the year, what do you think went into that decision for him?

S Orion Stewart: I feel like Shawn still feels like he has a lot to prove. I mean, even though I actually think they had him 9th overall. That's not if anybody knows Shawn, that's not who Shawn wants to be.

Shawn doesn't care about the first round draft pick. Shawn wants to be the best. Shawn wants to be the number one pick. Every day everything Shawn is doing, Shawn's trying to be the best. He let us know that he wants to be the best. So that's how I know.

Q. Why are you so excited by him staying?

S Orion Stewart: Because everybody knows the presence he brings to the field, the plays he makes for us. So I feel like with the line we have, not just with Shawn, with Andrew Billings and Beau Blackshear, and K.J. Smith probably coming back next year, we have if the not best, one of the best D-lines in the country. And for a free safety, you love playing behind that.

Q. This year was a transition year for you guys. You had a lot of new starters, with the exception of Bryce [Hager] and Collin [Brence]. How good does this defense have the potential to be next year?

S Orion Stewart: One of the best, man. I mean, we want to be the best the absolute best defense in the country. That's that was our goal for this year. I mean, it's the same.

We lose two players. Lots of people coming back. But nothing changes. Like, when people fill in for those people, nothing changes. You have to I mean, you want to be great. Everybody wants to be great. So we have to go out there and play like that.

Q. How confident are you guys in going back to the Big 12 next year, getting the championship and not sharing it?

S Orion Stewart: I mean, I think every year is a different year. Every year produces something new or whatever. So we have to go in there and from day one of next year, not even in Big 12 play or whatever, we have to start it off right. So going into Big 12 play, we go in there really focused and try to do it three times.

Q. As a safety, what kind of effect can a dominant defensive line have even on the secondary?

S Orion Stewart: Everybody knows that DBs can't cover for 17 seconds. So, if your D-line is not very good, not getting any pressure on the quarterback, it really puts pressure on the secondary to try to roll with receivers all day. And that's that's just not how the game works like this. You can't do that.

So our D-line being so good, it's the quarterback a lot of times has to get the ball out of his hands quickly. So either it's a bad pass or we have a chance to try to break it up.

Q. And, again, not just defense but also offense, you guys are losing a couple leaders but you're bringing back a lot of your talent. What kind of potential does this team have for next year?

S Orion Stewart: I was actually reading something that said if Shawn doesn't leave, which I heard he's not, we will return nine of 11 starters on both sides of the ball.

So I think on defense it's Bryce Hager. And on offense, it's Bryce Petty. And everybody knows who Bryce Petty and Antwan [Goodley] is, and everybody knows who Bryce Hager is. Lot of people don't know Collin, and he came on and played a big time role for us.

I think this team has nothing but upside especially on the defensive side. We're very young on defense, I feel like. But next year, I mean, it's a new year, we're going to see what we bring.

Q. You mentioned Beau [Blackshear] and Andrew [Billings] on the line. Being a Waco guy, you guys have kind of come together. What is it like seeing those two guys come in and really be able to do well?

S Orion Stewart: I met Beau when I first got to high school. 9th grade, I moved. I had always went to Waco, and that's how I met Beau.

I thought, Man, this dude is big. And I started playing with him, and I thought, he's a player. I knew he was going to be a player.

But I knew Andrew when he was young. And you look at Andrew, and it's like, Never thought of you being like he is now. Strong as he is, athlete like he is.

But I love it, man, just not only for the Waco community but for those guys. I've seen where they come from. They have good families, and I just love them.

QUESTIONS FOR MLB Bryce Hager

Q. What did it mean to you to finally graduate a few Saturdays ago?

MLB Bryce Hager: It was very nice, a big weight off my shoulders. I'm glad I did that. I mean, it's awesome.

Q. What do you think it means to graduate and move on from Baylor, knowing that you have two championships as well as a brand new stadium that's here to stay?

MLB Bryce Hager: Definitely know that I had a great career and wouldn't have wanted it to be anywhere else and gone anywhere else. It all worked out.

Q. Just talk about the significance of being in the Cotton Bowl. I'm sure you've been through it several times.

MLB Bryce Hager: It's huge. It is really a big bowl, a great tradition. I grew up watching the Cotton Bowl, Southwest Conference. So it's exciting.

I mean, we're playing a really good team, Michigan State. So Big Ten is a very respectable conference, and so it's going to be a very good game.

Q. What do you notice about Michigan State that you guys have to adjust to, that you may not have faced in your conference play?

MLB Bryce Hager: I mean, they're a big, physical running team. So as long as we can stop that, I think we'll be able to get them off the field, get the offense and score.

Q. How do you feel about the CFP and the new system? I know you guys you might not have the most positive

MLB Bryce Hager: It worked out, how it worked out. We have no control over it. So we're going into this game just like this is our national championship game.

Michigan State is a very good team. I'm not really upset with it. Cotton Bowl is a great bowl to be in. So it's going to be fun.

Q. You guys are still part of the New Year's Six. That's big. And you guys have the first opportunity to be the first Baylor team to play in the Cotton Bowl and to win it. So how important is that for you?

MLB Bryce Hager: Very important. I mean, last year, we weren't able to get it done in the BCS game against UCF. They were a really good team. And so hopefully, this year we'll be able to change that, get the win. So it will be huge for our program first Baylor team to have 12 wins.

Q. How has the identity of Baylor changed over the years since you've been there, just historically?

MLB Bryce Hager: We expect to win now. I mean, when I first got here, it was just trying to get to a bowl game. Try to get to a bowl game. And now it's try we'll try to win the conference. And now it's win a national championship. It's grown and grown since I've been here. It's been awesome.

Q. What do you think contributes to that growth aside from winning?

MLB Bryce Hager: Just kids buying into the program, buying into what Coach Briles has been preaching and what is our strength; Coach Kaz [Kazadi], what's he's been coaching, telling us to do in the weight room and summer conditioning. That's paid off, and kids are starting to buy in.

Q. Talk about Coach Briles as a coach. What have you learned from him? What is something he continually preaches?

MLB Bryce Hager: He always says, we want you to be yourself. He's a very personable coach. So I think a lot of players connect with him. And so I think that just makes you feel more comfortable, and you want to play harder for him, for a guy like that.

Q. Probably you weren't surprised when Bryce [Petty] stuck up for you guys after the Big 12 co championship was named and the Playoff stuff. Did that come as a surprise at all to you, how outspoken he was?

MLB Bryce Hager: Not at all. He's going to fight for us just like we fight for him.

Q. Bryce, I know it's important to want to win this game no matter what. But is there any more significance to winning this game and needing to win this game because of the Playoff stuff?

MLB Bryce Hager: I mean, it will definitely show that the Big 12 teams from the Big 12 deserve to be in the College Playoffs. But this is where we ended up, so we're going to win this game and move on from there. See you next year.

Q. Anything good about playing a Big Ten team, though?

MLB Bryce Hager: Yeah. I like how they run the ball, a lot of opportunities to make plays. It's going to be a fun game.

Q. How significant is it for you guys that Shawn [Oakman] is still here for the team, and that he's staying?

MLB Bryce Hager: Yeah, that's huge. He's a great player. He's a huge has made a lot of has done a lot for this team. So having him back will be awesome. Funny here too.

Q. Almost wish you could stay around?

MLB Bryce Hager: I think it's time for me. I'm ready to go. It's been a long five years, been a great five years but ready to move on with my life. One more game. So I'm just enjoying day by day. I'll miss it, but I want to move on.

Q. Set out to be a pretty good defense for many years to come?

MLB Bryce Hager: Absolutely, I'm excited we've got a lot of young players coming up. Taylor Young especially. Freshman linebacker has done a great job. He's going to be a player to keep your eye on.

Q. So what's your highlight to this point? When you look back, what are you going to remember the most?

MLB Bryce Hager: Just being one of the being a part of that senior class that was able to turn around Baylor and see just watching the the building of the stadium and winning those back to back championships.

Q. It is a pretty phenomenal era that you lived through at Baylor.

MLB Bryce Hager: Absolutely, I mean I couldn't ask for a better experience. It's been awesome. Like I said, two championships. We got to go to a BCS bowl. And now we're playing at the Cotton Bowl. It's awesome. Five straight years, five straight bowls. Can't ask for anything better than that.