When the Utah Utes face off against the Baylor Bears this coming Saturday morning in Waco, Texas, there will be a former Utah State Aggie lined up against them.
Defensive end Byron Vaughns transferred from USU to Baylor during the offseason and made his Baylor debut against Texas State, tallying two tackles in the Bears’ shocking 42-31 loss.
The thing is, there were supposed to be two former Aggie staters suiting up for Baylor when it hosts Utah.
Former Utah State defensive back Ajani Carter — a converted wide receiver — also transferred to Baylor during the offseason, choosing the Bears over BYU, Penn State and Indiana, among other schools.
But Carter announced Sunday on social media that he will not be attending Baylor after all, meaning he won’t be suiting up for the Bears.
“To the Baylor fans who’s been reaching out to me the past few weeks (and) today about where I’ve been,” Carter wrote, “(I) just wanted to let everyone know I will NOT be attending Baylor,” though he declined to answer questions as to where he might play next.
Losing Carter is a significant blow for a Baylor defense that surrendered 42 points in its season opener, including 298 yards through the air.
Former Auburn quarterback TJ Finley — now at Texas State — picked apart the Bears’ secondary, completing 22 of 30 passes and throwing for three touchdowns.
Carter, listed at 6-feet, 195 pounds, had proven a capable cornerback at Utah State, recording 109 tackles, six pass breakups, four interceptions, three forced fumbles and two sacks in two seasons played, helping the Aggies win the Mountain West Conference championship in 2021.