FB Duo Named Preseason All-Texas
6/24/2026 9:00:00 AM | Football
Dave Campbell’s Texas Football tabs Williams to first team, Barnes to second team
WACO, Texas – Baylor football senior punter Palmer Williams and redshirt senior linebacker Travion Barnes have been named to the 2026 Preseason All-Texas Teams, as announced Wednesday by Dave Campbell's Texas Football.
Williams was named the first-team punter while Barnes earned a spot as a second-team linebacker.
One of the nation's top players at his position, Williams was an All-American and Ray Guy Award finalist in 2025 after helping the Bears lead the nation in net punting (45.0 yards). He was voted as the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year by the league's head coaches after averaging a conference-best 46.92 yards per punt. His 27 kicks traveled a total of 1,267 yards, with just 12 of his punts being returned for a mere 32 yards. Eleven of Williams' punts landed inside the 20 and seven were fair caught, while 11 traveled at least 50 yards, giving Williams 39 career 50+-yard boots, tied for the seventh-most in Baylor history.
In his three-year collegiate career, Williams has punted 107 times for 4,981 yards, averaging 46.55 yards per punt which tops BU's program record book by over a yard. Williams needs just 10 punts of more than 50 yards to move into second place all-time in Baylor history, though he trails the all-time record holder and two-time Ray Guy Award winner Daniel Sepulveda's 94 career such kicks.
A product of Almonte Springs, Fla., and former transfer from FIU, Barnes played in the first four games of the 2025 season for Baylor before suffering a season-ending injury vs. Arizona State. He made 11 tackles, including a sack, in his limited action, highlighted by a six-tackle performance in Week 3 against Samford. Barnes joined the Bears after starring as the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year in 2024 for the Panthers, where he ranked fifth nationally in total tackles (129) and third in tackles per game (11.7). He also racked up 10 TFLs, three sacks, two interceptions and recovered a fumble.
Baylor opens its 2026 season in the Aflac Kickoff Game against Auburn at 2:30 p.m. CT on September 5 in Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with national coverage provided by ABC. BU returns to Waco on September 12 to start a three-game homestand at McLane Stadium against Prairie View A&M, then hosts Louisiana Tech a week later and Colorado on September 26 to begin conference action.
To stay up to date on all things Baylor football, follow the team on its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BUFootball.
Williams was named the first-team punter while Barnes earned a spot as a second-team linebacker.
One of the nation's top players at his position, Williams was an All-American and Ray Guy Award finalist in 2025 after helping the Bears lead the nation in net punting (45.0 yards). He was voted as the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year by the league's head coaches after averaging a conference-best 46.92 yards per punt. His 27 kicks traveled a total of 1,267 yards, with just 12 of his punts being returned for a mere 32 yards. Eleven of Williams' punts landed inside the 20 and seven were fair caught, while 11 traveled at least 50 yards, giving Williams 39 career 50+-yard boots, tied for the seventh-most in Baylor history.
In his three-year collegiate career, Williams has punted 107 times for 4,981 yards, averaging 46.55 yards per punt which tops BU's program record book by over a yard. Williams needs just 10 punts of more than 50 yards to move into second place all-time in Baylor history, though he trails the all-time record holder and two-time Ray Guy Award winner Daniel Sepulveda's 94 career such kicks.
A product of Almonte Springs, Fla., and former transfer from FIU, Barnes played in the first four games of the 2025 season for Baylor before suffering a season-ending injury vs. Arizona State. He made 11 tackles, including a sack, in his limited action, highlighted by a six-tackle performance in Week 3 against Samford. Barnes joined the Bears after starring as the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year in 2024 for the Panthers, where he ranked fifth nationally in total tackles (129) and third in tackles per game (11.7). He also racked up 10 TFLs, three sacks, two interceptions and recovered a fumble.
Baylor opens its 2026 season in the Aflac Kickoff Game against Auburn at 2:30 p.m. CT on September 5 in Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with national coverage provided by ABC. BU returns to Waco on September 12 to start a three-game homestand at McLane Stadium against Prairie View A&M, then hosts Louisiana Tech a week later and Colorado on September 26 to begin conference action.
To stay up to date on all things Baylor football, follow the team on its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BUFootball.
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