"I think there are expectations. I don't think there's pressure at all," said Klopfenstein, a four-star prospect who totaled 87 catches for 1,227 yards and 16 touchdowns in his last two seasons at Horizon High School in Scottsdale, Ariz. "I think what we've got is a really good team. I'm really excited for what this team and this group is capable of."
Trigg is certainly the bell cow of the group, but he suffered a shoulder injury on the first day of spring workouts and has been sidelined for the last 11 practices.
"It was kind of precautionary measures, but we held him out for the rest of the spring," Anderson said of the 6-4, 246-pound Trigg, who transferred from Ole Miss last year. "It's that kind of deal of whether to bring him back with two or three practices left, if we wanted to do that."
But he already knows what Trigg can do. That's given Anderson more time to look at Klopfenstein, redshirt sophomore Hawkins Polley and redshirt junior Cody Mladenka.
"There haven't been a whole lot of bodies this spring, but there's definitely an upside to it," said Polley, who has played in 11 games combined in the last two seasons, catching two balls for 14 yards and a key late-game touchdown versus Houston in his collegiate debut two years ago. "We're getting a lot of reps and getting a lot better. Ultimately, it's been a good thing."
In addition to Trigg being sidelined, redshirt junior Kelsey Johnson has missed the entire spring rehabbing from an offseason surgery. Johnson played in 26 career games with eight starts, totaling 20 catches for 141 yards and two total touchdowns, before being sidelined by an injury for the last nine games a year ago.
"I think it's something that happened probably back two years ago, that's kind of been bugging him," Anderson said. "We decided to have the surgery right after the season. It was time to get that surgery, move on and get him to a healing process where he can play full strength. If he's at full strength, he has the ability to help the room."
Polley, now in his third year at Baylor and second in the Jake Spavital offense, said he is "getting comfortable, everything is becoming more second nature."
"We’re not having to stop and think through things as much," said the 6-4, 251-pound Polley, who played in nine games last year. "It's just seeing signals, seeing the look and being able to go. I think we've all kind of felt that this spring, because I know it's mine and Matt's first year really having the same offense going into spring ball as the previous year. I think that's huge for us to be able to just develop in the offense and have things that are more second nature to us."
Anderson said the offense is tight end-friendly, much more than just a "glorified blocker," and making it attractive to potential recruits.
"I think kids see that they run this, they run that, it's not just a bootleg or a drag or things like that," Anderson said. "He's running vertical down the field, he's running a hitch. They go into all aspects of the route tree. And in the run game, I tell them, it's the same run game you're going to see at the next level, whether it's the inside zone, outside zone, counter, to all the different aspects that we have."
Added to the mix this summer will be freshman tight end Brody Wilhelm, a consensus three-star prospect who totaled 75 catches for 1,216 yards and 16 touchdowns over two seasons at Austin Westlake High School.
"He really played outside receiver for them last year," Anderson said of Wilhelm. "He was a big tight end playing receiver."
Baylor football continues spring workouts with a practice Tuesday afternoon and will conclude with an open practice this Saturday, April 26, at McLane Stadium. The Bears open the 2025 season with an Aug. 29 matchup at home against Auburn, with ticket information available at 2025 Baylor Football.