BYU and Baylor share a host of similarities as private Christian universities and members of the Big 12 Conference.
The two schools also share a propensity to covet the same talent and coaches.
Baylor's talented point guard, Robert Wright III, entered the transfer portal after a terrific freshman season in which he averaged 11.5 points and 4.2 assists per game. Reports have surfaced the he will sign a lucrative NIL deal to join BYU's basketball team.
As to be expected, the Baylor faithful are none too pleased as Wright bolts Waco for Provo. Many of them have expressed frustration with Wright for leading the team to believe he would be returning only to then jump ship. Other Baylor fans have directed some understandable anger at BYU for poaching their prized floor general.
BYU fans know this feeling all too well.
Going back to 2021, Baylor has poached several high-profile BYU coaches and athletes. Wright leaving Baylor for BYU is simply a reminder that that door connecting Provo to Waco swings both ways. Here's the recent one-sided history of Baylor poaching top talent from BYU:
January 2021 - Coaches Jeff Grimes and Eric Mateos bolt for Baylor
The COVID-impacted 2020 football season was a strange but beautiful season for the BYU Cougars.
Kalani Sitake's squad went 11-1 and finished ranked No. 11 in the AP Poll, thanks in large part to Jeff Grimes's work as offensive coordinator.
Quarterback Zach Wilson was electric, finishing eighth in the Heisman voting that year. Future NFL stud running back Tyler Allgeier rushed for 1,130 yards and 13 touchdowns, averaging 7.5 yards per carry. Wide receiver Dax Milne, a seventh-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, hauled in nearly 1,200 yards. Offensive tackle Brady Christensen was an All-American and would be taken in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Jeff Grimes had built an offensive machine as the Cougars looked forward to the 2022 season.
But then Grimes bolted for Baylor. Not only that, he took Eric Mateos, BYU's well-respected offensive line coach, with him. It stung the BYU faithful to lose two key members of the coaching staff to Baylor just as the Cougars were shining.
December 2022 - The Barrington Brothers transfer to Baylor
To make the matter worse after Grimes and Mateos left BYU for Baylor, they ultimately help recruit two of the Cougars best offensive linemen, brothers Clark and Campbell Barrington, to join them in Waco.
Clark, the elder brother, was a multi-year starter on BYU's offensive line. He entered the 2022 season as a preseason All-America selection and was on the Outland Trophy, Rotary Lombardi Award, and Senior Bowl watch lists, according to Baylor's website. He had just one year of eligibility remaining when he left BYU and ended up starting the 2023 season for Baylor. He was ultimately signed as an undrafted free agent by the Oakland Raiders.
Campbell Barrington played two seasons at BYU before heading to Baylor. In 2021 he was a Freshman All-American selection for the Cougars then played nine games off the bench in 2022. Per Baylor's website, he was the Bears most productive offensive lineman based on his Pro Football Focus grade.
April 2022 - Caleb Lohner bolts the basketball program
Up to this point Baylor had only poached football coaches and players from BYU.
Then the Bears struck on the basketball court.
Caleb Lohner was one of BYU's more important members of the basketball team. In his 2020-21 freshman season he was solid with averages of 7.0 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. The following season he started 31 of 35 games with similar averages of 7.0 points and 6.4 rebounds. BYU fans just assumed they'd have two more years of Lohner's solid-but-unspectacular presence in the paint.
His decision to leave Provo for Waco made sense in terms of upgrading to a more prominent team nationally (at the time), but he traded that prestige for mostly sitting on the bench. He averaged just over 10 minutes per game in two seasons at Baylor before transferring to Utah as a fifth-year senior.
BYU fans weren't happy when Grimes, Mateos, the Barringtons, and Lohner bolted Provo for Waco.
We understand why Baylor fans might be frustrated that Robert Wright III is now doing the reverse.
If anything, this latest move is a reminder that the portal is always open, and the door swings both ways.