Baylor running back Dawson Pendergrass, the Bears' second-leading rusher in 2024, will miss the 2025 season with a foot injury that will require surgery, coach Dave Aranda said.
Pendergrass finished second behind Bryson Washington with 671 rushing yards and six touchdowns last fall. As a true freshman in 2023, he rushed for 338 yards and led the Bears with five rushing touchdowns. The 6-foot-2, 234-pound Pendergrass also has been an effective pass catcher, recording 37 receptions over his two seasons.
"It's going to take the majority of the season to come back from [the surgery]," Aranda told reporters Saturday. "We were hoping for better news with seeing the doctors and the X-rays and that, but it's something that Dawson's wrapping his mind around, and we're all here to support him.
"I feel good about our depth behind him. We've got some young players that are now going to be pressed into playing a little bit earlier than maybe they were thinking."
Washington, who rushed for 1,028 yards and 12 touchdowns last season, will again top the depth chart.
Aranda singled out freshman Caden Knighten, a three-star recruit from Oklahoma, for performing well in Saturday's scrimmage.
Baylor opens the season Aug. 29 when it hosts Auburn.