From Baylor’s Lariat to CBS Sports, Jeyarajah builds national college football credentials

Many Baylor fans may not realize that one of the key reporters they’re reading or watching in CBS Sports’ college football coverage is a fellow Bear — in fact, one whose work they may have read right here on campus.

Less than a decade after his days writing for The Baylor Lariat, Shehan Jeyarajah (BA ’16) has established himself as a leading national voice who now serves as a national college football writer for CBS Sports.

Jeyarajah’s role at CBS enables him to cover a wealth of important sports stories. Most recently, conference realignment has been at the forefront, but topics from recruiting to coaching hires to traditional in-season coverage and analysis are all in his wheelhouse. His versatility extends to the types of stories he writes, too — everything from breaking news coverage to long-form features, columns, game coverage and more. And when he’s not writing, his impact has continued to grow in service on the national board of the Football Writers Association of America, where he votes for national awards and honors, including All-America selections.

As a Baylor student, Jeyarajah was a regular presence at BU sporting events while working for the Lariat; the skills he developed there quickly opened doors for work with publications like the Dallas Morning News and Sports Illustrated. After graduation, he joined Cox Media, then Dave Campbell’s Texas Football (founded by another legendary Baylor graduate and sportswriter), before moving to CBS Sports in a national role.

Jeyarajah’s Baylor ties run deep. He met his wife, Bhargavi Karumuri Jeyarajah (BS ’16), in the Honors Residential College his first day on campus. Years later, he proposed at a Baylor campus swing, and that same swing featured prominently in their lives again this summer when it served as the backdrop for the announcement that they were expecting their first child.

In his role with CBS, Jeyarajah has to be neutral, but he says it’s fun building relationships with with people like Baylor football coach Dave Aranda. (Of course, he builds relationships with coaches from Big 12 rivals as well.)

“Ultimately, my greatest loyalty is to telling the truth,” Jeyarajah says, “because telling stories, reporting and analysis all depend on it.”

Sic ’em, Shehan Jeyarajah!