Baylor will begin the 2025 college football season against Auburn at 7:00 p.m. CT on Friday night. The Bears landed a new offensive lineman through the transfer portal just seven hours prior to kickoff.
This is the first time I have seen this kind of transaction occur on the collegiate level of athletics.
Keystone Allison will join his new college football program as a redshirt sophomore after it has already played its first game of the year. He may also play baseball in Waco.
Who is Keystone Allison?
The 6-foot-3, 274-pound offensive lineman plays primarily on the interior in a guard spot. He was rated as a three-star prospect in the recruiting Class of 2023.
Keystone Allison received 13 scholarship offers out of high school. The Texas-native ultimately committed to play at Louisiana Tech over Indiana, SMU, Colorado State, UNLV, Tulane and UTSA, among others.
However, he did not see any action as a true freshman in 2023 or as a redshirt freshman in 2024.
Allison hit the transfer portal prior to his third year. His list of suitors was not quite as deep as he might’ve hoped so he found himself in limbo over the last few months.
Baylor bolstered its offensive line through the transfer portal at the buzzer.
Friday, August 29 was the last day for students to add or register for the Fall 2025 semester at Baylor University. The Bears cannot add any new players to its roster for this fall after that date without an exhausting and likely unsuccessful waiver process.
As a result, they scrambled to get a deal done with Keystone Allison right at the buzzer. He publicly announced his commitment to Baylor at noon(ish) on Friday, August 29.
Meanwhile, his new team is currently preparing for a home game against Auburn. The season-opener is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m.
Allison joined the team just seven hours before its first game. He will arrive to campus for practice (probably film) on Sunday.
If this unusual move feels a lot like professional sports it’s because, well, it is. Allison held out for his best offer on a team that needed depth at the last minute. Baylor added him to the team on the last day possible. I am sure there is some kind of NIL agreement involved.