I’ll have the rest of the coaches call up later Tuesday. But here is what he had to say about several topics.
>On K.D. Cannon running track: “We’ve had quite a few guys do it. But it’s hard to do that at this level. KD is a guy who can help our track team. If you’re fast, you’re fast. We’re planning on him in the 4x100 and then maybe the Big 12 and nationals. I’m not concerned with his weight. It will fluctuate. Once track is over the second week of June, he’s got 6-7 weeks to get back in line. He’s always done this anyway [in high school]. His body is used to it.”
>On the Big 12 bringing back a championship game (look at the April 17 Blitz for that update):
“I’ve not thought it about it. I’ve said this before. If you can go undefeated in our league, you’ll be in the college football playoff. Whether it was us or TCU at the end, I don’t know. We can speculate. I’ll let those people [Presidents and Ads] figure out what’s best for the Big 12, and we’ll roll with it.’’
Briles also said the non-conference schedule did not play a role in Baylor not making the College Football Playoffs last season.
>On LaQuan McGowan playing TE and if it will be seen in the regular season: “You’re going to see it. That’s his position week in and week out. It’s a situation where it’s unique. There’s not another guy playing that way. He’s a unique talent, and we found a niche for him that we hope will contribute to wins for our football team. I’ve seen him at 365 and 420 pounds. He can manage all of them. To me, we’re dealing with 2035. The future. He’s a physical specimen. It could be common in 20 years. Right now, it’s not common. But we were guilty of a stereotype. We did not know how athletic Laquan was, and it took 2-3 years for us to see that. His skill level didn’t match his body weight. He has the skill of a 175-pound guy weighing 420. We thought he was offensive line all the way.’’
>On K.D. Cannon running track: “We’ve had quite a few guys do it. But it’s hard to do that at this level. KD is a guy who can help our track team. If you’re fast, you’re fast. We’re planning on him in the 4x100 and then maybe the Big 12 and nationals. I’m not concerned with his weight. It will fluctuate. Once track is over the second week of June, he’s got 6-7 weeks to get back in line. He’s always done this anyway [in high school]. His body is used to it.”
>On the Big 12 bringing back a championship game (look at the April 17 Blitz for that update):
“I’ve not thought it about it. I’ve said this before. If you can go undefeated in our league, you’ll be in the college football playoff. Whether it was us or TCU at the end, I don’t know. We can speculate. I’ll let those people [Presidents and Ads] figure out what’s best for the Big 12, and we’ll roll with it.’’
Briles also said the non-conference schedule did not play a role in Baylor not making the College Football Playoffs last season.
>On LaQuan McGowan playing TE and if it will be seen in the regular season: “You’re going to see it. That’s his position week in and week out. It’s a situation where it’s unique. There’s not another guy playing that way. He’s a unique talent, and we found a niche for him that we hope will contribute to wins for our football team. I’ve seen him at 365 and 420 pounds. He can manage all of them. To me, we’re dealing with 2035. The future. He’s a physical specimen. It could be common in 20 years. Right now, it’s not common. But we were guilty of a stereotype. We did not know how athletic Laquan was, and it took 2-3 years for us to see that. His skill level didn’t match his body weight. He has the skill of a 175-pound guy weighing 420. We thought he was offensive line all the way.’’
