Last Man Standing

One by one, they changed their minds. Jalen Pitre, B.B.A. ’20, M.S.Ed. ’21, never did.

Baylor’s 2017 recruiting class, which was projected to be one of the nation’s best, fell apart in the wake of an abrupt coaching change and administration overhaul in May 2016. Pitre, who graduated with his master’s degree in December, stood by his commitment to Baylor. He remained the lone member of Baylor’s 2017 signing class when Matt Rhule was hired as head coach in December 2016.

Five years later, Pitre was a consensus first-team All-American and the Big 12 Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

“I stayed committed to Baylor because they gave me a shot and all the other schools at the time were counting me out,” Pitre said. “I wanted to be loyal to a school that was loyal to me.”

During the 2021 season, 365 Sports featured Pitre in a series of weekly video blogs that are available on YouTube. In the series’ third episode, titled Alone, Pitre talked about his decision to remain committed to Baylor and the special bond he and his eventual signing-class fellow members developed in their early days in the program.

“I’m forever thankful for the experience I’ve had at Baylor — on and off the field,” he said. “My relationship with Jesus Christ has grown substantially, and graduating was a huge moment for me.”