WACO, Texas — The Baylor Bears landed a verbal commitment from Oaks Christian quarterback Nate Bennett on Thursday, shortly after he received a scholarship offer from head coach Dave Aranda.
Bennett is the fifth commitment in Baylor's 2024 recruiting class, and he picked the Bears over offers from Utah State, San Jose State, Hawaii, Old Dominion, Western Michigan, Liberty, and others.
Locked on Baylor host Drake Toll spoke with Bennett shortly after his commitment, asking him the simple question: why Baylor?
"We could be here all day if I gave you every answer," Bennett quipped. "My parents graduated from Baylor, that's where they met. Lotta family and friends in Waco, good community there. I went out and visited twice, connected immediately with the coaches there, love the vision they have in place and the culture...it's been a dream school of mine since I was a little kid."
Bennett is listed as a three star recruit at 247Sports, and he passed for over 4,000 yards and 55 touchdowns in his two seasons at Oaks Christian.
The Bears stumbled to a 6-7 record last year, the third under coach Aranda, thanks to a pedestrian season from starter Blake Shapen who threw 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Bennett won't be a solution for Baylor until 2024 at the earliest, but his arrival in Waco could help this team get back to the top of the Big 12 standings following the departures of Oklahoma and Texas.
To hear more from Bennett about his commitment to the Bears, check out the Locked on Baylor podcast!