Baylor Nelson Transferring to Texas for Senior Season
The Texas men’s swim team will be losing many key pieces from the squad that recently captured an NCAA title, with Luke Hobson and Chris Guiliano among those now out of eligibility. But the push for a second consecutive title in 2025-26 received a boost with the commitment of Baylor Nelson to spend his senior season with the program.
Nelson announced on Instagram that he is transferring from in-state rival Texas A&M. He wrote, “Thank you, Texas A&M for the amazing opportunities, experiences, and friendships I’ve made over the past three years. I’m grateful to have learned what being an Aggie truly means. I will always have a special place in my heart for Aggieland. With that being said, I’m thankful for the guidance God has shown me and I’m excited for a new opportunity to be able to use my senior year of eligibility at the University of Texas! Hook’em
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At this year’s national meet, Nelson finished seventh in the 400 IM, 14th in the 200 IM and 25th in the 200 breaststroke. It was the third consecutive season that Nelson has reached at least one national A-final, topping out with a third-place result in the 400 IM in 2024. He swept the individual medley events at the SEC Championships as a freshman and sophomore, and although he swam close to his best times this season, the degree of difficulty of racing in the SEC was ratcheted up with the arrival of Texas and swimmers such as Hubert Kos and Rex Maurer.
Those swimmers will now be Nelson’s teammates as he aims to take further steps in his career under the guidance of Longhorns head coach Bob Bowman. Nelson will surely be looking to return to international competition as well; he previously represented the U.S. in the 800 free relay at the 2023 World Championships, earning a silver medal after handling a leg on the relay in prelims. At last year’s Olympic Trials, he reached the semifinals in two events but ended up 14th in the 200 IM and 16th in the 200 free.