Ohio State defensive back Calvin Simpson-Hunt signs with Baylor

Ohio State Buckeyes defensive back Calvin Simpson-Hunt has signed with the Baylor Bears. On3’s Pete Nakos has confirmed the news.

Simpson-Hunt played his high school football at Waxahachie in Texas. He was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2023, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He was the seventh-ranked cornerback and the 58th-ranked player overall in that recruiting cycle.

As a high school athlete, Simpson-Hunt also flashed his athleticism by running track. There, he ran an impressive 10.97 100 meter and a 22.00 200 meter as a sophomore in the spring of 2021. Still, football was his focus and he would go on to play in the All-America Bowl.

While with the Buckeyes, Simpson-Hunt played in 14 games and had four tackles. In the 2024 season, he appeared in nine games for Ohio State, helping the Buckeyes to ultimately win the national championship. He was also an OSU Scholar-Athlete. That came after playing five games as a freshman and getting credited with a redshirt for the year. That gives him three more seasons of eligibility remaining.

Baylor, for its part, is coming off an 8-5 season where they lost the Texas Bowl. That year, in its own right, was a bit of a roller coaster. The Bears opened at just 2-4 before going on a six-game winning streak. With that, head coach Dave Aranda, known for his excellent defensive mind, is going to be back in 2025 for his sixth season in Waco.

Despite Aranda’s defensive background, there was room to improve on that side of the ball in 2024. Baylor finished the season 81st in scoring defense, averaging 26.7 points allowed per game. The passing defense, specifically, finished 94th in the country. That unit allowed an average of 234.2 yards per game last season. They also intercepted 14 passes.

The transfer portal opened on Monday, December 9th, and ran through December 28th. The portal can also open for other reasons, like a change at head coach. On top of that, there will be another transfer window in the Spring, following practice then.

Baylor currently has the 20th-ranked transfer class in the 2025 cycle, according to the On3 College Football Team Transfer Portal Rankings. That class includes 12 players who have left and 11 players who have joined the program. Calvin Simpson-Hunt is now the latest player to join that class for the Bears.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire.