NOTE: The content on the Baylor Blitz is solely meant for the subscribers of SicEmSports. Let's all please make sure that whatever is written here stays here. We appreciate you all helping us with this. Now, let's all take a look at Baylor recruiting and what else is going on involving the Bears.
NOTE I: Released Friday morning, Baylor has offered Bossier City (LA) 2016 defensive back and current Mississippi State commit C.J. Morgan-Walker. We'll try to catch up with Morgan-Walker as soon as we can.
NOTE II: Baylor's new Clyde Hart Track & Field Stadium will be the host for the inaugural TTFCA (Texas Track & Field Coaches Association) Meet of Champions May 23. This is the weekend after the UIL state track and field meet May 14-16.
The meet will gather the state champions from every public and private governing body (UIL, SPC, TAPPS, TCAF and HSAA - Home School Athletic Association) will be automatically invited to this event. It will be 14 champions per event. There will be ceremonies and autograph signing ceremonies beginning at 1:30 with events beginning at 2:30 p.m.
There could be the potential for several Baylor targets to be running at this event including 2016 Port Arthur RB commit Kameron Martin.
And don't forget the Michael Johnson Classic is Saturday at the Hart Track & Field Stadium. It all begins at 11:00 a.m. Baylor hosts a field of 17 teams.
Bears after Wichita lineman
Wichita (KS) East defensive end Xavier Kelly received an offer from Baylor on Thursday.
"Baylor actually reached out today, I spoke with Coach (Jim) Gush," Kelly said. "It was kind of a surprise for me because we had never talked before, but they just got in touch with me and offered today.
"Coach Gush told me they really like my speed and size, and how I get to the passer off the edge. He feels that I would be a great fit for their defense. I honestly don't know a lot about Baylor, but plan on learning a lot more now that the coaches have reached out and offered."
Kelly originally committed to Kansas State this past November and new offers from several programs led him to reopen things in March.
"I started to receive a lot of new offers, one after another," Kelly said. "I decided to reopen things and look at each opportunity at every school to see which on is the best for me. I'm not leaning towards any school right now, but almost all of the schools that have offered are showing a lot of interest.
"I try not to let all of the recruiting attention get to me. My goal is to stay humble and focused throughout the process. I'm having fun with it all though, all of the offers coming in are exciting because I have grown up watching some of these programs play on television and playing for championships. Now they have all offered me scholarships to play at their programs."
With over 20 FBS offers and several new programs showing interest, Kelly is planning to take some visits this summer and narrow down his options before his senior season.
"My goal is to have a Top 5 toward the end of the summer," Kelly said. "I have already taken visits to Kansas State, TCU, Nebraska and I'm headed to visit Oklahoma State this weekend.
"I'm also planning several visits this summer with my Dad. We are going to see a lot of schools - Oregon, Michigan, Clemson, Texas A&M, Arkansas, Miami, Alabama, Arkansas and maybe a few others. I need to talk about it with my Dad, but I'm pretty sure we will try and see Baylor whenever we're down in Texas to visit A&M this summer."
Rated a three-star prospect, the 6-foot-5, 250-pound prospect is the No. 17 overall strongside defensive end in the nation and the No. 2 prospect in the state of Kansas for the 2016 class. Kelly also plays power forward for the Wichita East basketball team and helped led the team to a state championship this past season.
-Matt Clare
Big 12 update
When the Big 12 athletic directors meet in May 26-29 in Irving, they will discuss re-setting the multi-team tie-breaker system for the 2015 football season and beyond. Of course, it's been reported that the conference will no longer recognize co-champions but only one even if teams share the same record.
Head-to-head will now matter. There is also some fine-tuning that will need to be addressed if the conference has more than two teams owning the same record. Regardless don't look for a championship game to be a part of any kind of solution.
Of course, the league ran into a conundrum after the close of the 2014 regular season, which may have cost it sending a team to the National semifinals. Baylor and TCU finished fifth and sixth in the final CFP Playoff rankings behind No. 4 and eventual National Champion Ohio State.
-SicEmSports
Baylor stipend
Expect Baylor's annual stipend for its student-athletes to fall somewhere around $3,800 per student. While SicEmSports learned that a final stipend hasn't been set, it does appear that Baylor's student athletes will receive solid financial assistance per month.
In a story by the Houston Chronicle, Big 12 schools Texas Tech, TCU and Oklahoma will offer assistance between $4,600-5,100.
A number of P5 schools are starting to set their stipend for the full cost of attendance. On Jan. 14, the P5 conferences approved a measure that ensured students would receive this assistance. The schools also approved a measure that guaranteed a student-athlete's scholarship even if he or she does not meet the coaches expectations.
-SicEmSports
Watch this 2016
When Baylor visits Nacogdoches (perhaps next week) and checks in on safety Brandon Jones, the staff is also likely going to check out teammate, speedster Alex Gregory (6-0, 187).
Gregory splits time at wide receiver and defensive back and obviously has pretty decent size. But his speed is what gets your attention. We're told his personal best in the 40 is 4.38. He also runs a 21.2 in the 200 (at one time it's been listed as the sixth-best time in the nation). Gregory doesn't run the 100. But when did as a sophomore, he checked in with a 10.8.
Gregory also runs a leg in the 4x100 and 4x200 relays. His personal best split time in each is 10.1 and 20.5.
In fact, Gregory doesn't have any offers yet. But it's probably a sure bet that if the Bears like what they see and offer (provided somebody else doesn't do it first), it could turn into a very busy spring.
We're also told academics are not an issue with him. We'll keep you posted as to how this develops.
-Kevin Lonnquist
Recruiting: Quick hits
>Is Baylor moving closer toward adding its eighth commitment to the 2016 class? Frisco Lone Star safety Chris Miller said this week he plans to take another visit to the Baylor campus next week. A specific date hasn't been set. But this would be his second unofficial visit to the school within the last month.
When asked if he was ready to make a commitment decision - remember, Baylor has been following him for nearly two years - Miller didn't say yes and he didn't say no either.
"I don't know yet,'' he said. "But I do like the school a lot.''
> Tampa Catholic Nate Craig-Myers said early Friday morning that he remains interested in Baylor and is still looking at taking a visit in the summer. The Auburn commit, though, has been exploring his options. He has made several trips to Florida State.
If he does make the trip to Waco, then it could impact how Baylor really pursues this. But we're also of the knowledge that the two top wide receiver targets remain former commit Navasota's Tren'Davian Dickson and Sachse's Devin Duvernay.
>Allen 2016 defensive end Levi Onwuzurike continues to maintain a weekly dialogue with the Baylor coaching staff. Given that one of Baylor's area of focus is along the defensive line, the staff appears to keeping a lot of its options open. Baylor has extended nine known offers to defensive ends in this class. But keep in mind, the evaluation period is in its early stages. Recruits like Keller's Houston Miller wait in the wings.
"I still like them a lot,'' Onwuzurike said. "I'm very interested in them.''
>Speaking of defensive ends, should Baylor follow through with its scheduled stop at Trophy Club Byron Nelson, it should be an interesting meeting with Brandon Bowen. He's not expected to commit. That seems to be a ways off. However, it appears Baylor wants to continue to gain ground with the 6-5, 230-pound prospect.
"I know he really likes Baylor,'' a source said. "He does not have a favorite list yet. He will get some other offers here pretty quickly. I think can just choose a school. But I do know he likes Baylor.''
Of course, Baylor is also visiting Bowen's teammate Kellen Diesch who recently announced Baylor was in his Top 5.
>WR Quartney Davis, Houston (TX) Langham Creek - The 6-foot-2, 196-pound prospect is beginning to see a lot more recruiting attention over the past month and received a visit from the Baylor coaching staff this week. Davis mentioned a possible visit to Baylor in the near future. The standout prospect added new offers from Texas Tech and Purdue this week, bringing his total number of offers up to six with several other programs beginning to show interest. Davis mentioned the Oklahoma coaches will be by the school to visit on Monday and that the Oklahoma State coaches recently called his coaches with interest as well. He finished his junior campaign with 35 receptions for 901 yards and eight touchdowns on the season. The three-star prospect is also a member of the Langham Creek track team and runs in the 4x1, 4x2 and other team relays - in fact, the Baylor coaches attended a district track meet to watch Davis and his teammate, 2017 Rivals100 running back Toneil Carter.
>LB Brayden Stringer, Houston (TX) Cypress Ranch - The 6-foot-3, 196-pound prospect is receiving some interest from the Baylor coaching staff and is expecting a visit from the Bears' coaches sometime this spring. He has mostly received messages over social media and mail from the Baylor coaches, but believes things could pickup during the spring evaluation period. Stringer recently added new offers from Wisconsin and Texas Tech, and the standout prospect will visit SMU and Wisconsin over the next few weeks. Rated a three-star prospect, Stringer was named to the District 17-6A All-District First Team Defense this past season.
-Kevin Lonnquist & Matt Clare
Jackson, Baylor stay close
Alief (Texas) Elsik inside linebacker Dontavious Jackson is a prospect in high demand, and the Baylor coaches have continued to be heavily involved in his recruitment.
"I usually connect with Coach [Jim] Gush from Baylor and I talk with him a lot," Jackson said. "We talk at least twice a week and I have a pretty strong relationship with Baylor right now.
"Coach Gush is one of the best linebacker coaches doing it right now. He's very funny too, one of the most sarcastic guys and probably the funniest coaches that I talk with. We have mostly talked about having me play Mike or Will linebacker in their defense."
Jackson had an opportunity to visit Baylor earlier this year and enjoyed his time in Waco.
"I have visited up there once before," Jackson said. "It's definitely different and seems like somewhere that I could go to get away. Every around the town was based around Baylor and I liked that, plus my former teammate Ishmael [Zamora] plays there too.
"I like what Baylor has been doing on the field lately. They are winners, and I mean there is nothing much else you can say. The Baylor coaches like to win, I like to win and it could be a good match."
The standout linebacker holds over 50 FBS offers and remains open to any new opportunities that come his way.
"A lot of people assume that I'm cutting some schools out, or narrowing my options down," Jackson said. "I'm still looking at every school that gives me an opportunity to play on the next level and keeping an open mind right now.
"I stopped by Houston today to hang around the coaches and see the program. I recently visited Michigan and Michigan State too. I'm still deciding what I want to do next visit wise, but my main focus lately is getting ready for spring ball here at my high school. We have a good group coming back and have a chance to do some big things."
Rated a four-star prospect, Jackson is the No. 9 inside linebacker in the nation, the No. 229 prospect in the latest Rivals 250 rankings and the No. 32 prospect in the Rivals Texas Postseason Top 100 for the 2016 class.
-Matt Clare
Basketball visitors
Baylor is expecting two Division I transfers to visit this weekend, University of South Florida guard Anthony Collins and University of Miami (Fla.) transfer guard Manu Lecomte.
Collins, a native of Houston, is a senior transfer and can play immediately. Lecomte just completed his sophomore year. He would have to sit out for the 2015-16 season and then have two years remaining starting 2016-17.
Here's a breakdown of the two guards:
Anthony Collins (6-1, 175): The lone holdover from South Florida's 2012 NCAA Tournament team, Collins can play immediately at another Division I school once he graduates. A solid floor leader, Collins is second on USF's career list with 569 assists.
Collins played all 32 games in 2014-15 after a series of knee problems limited him to eight games (and a medical hardship waiver) in 2013-14. He averaged a team-best 5.2 assists and 33.9 minutes, but was going to be pushed for minutes by Maryland transfer Roddy Peters who most observers feel is a better fit for Orlando Antigua's offense.
In 2012 Collins, just a freshman, had 12 points, three rebounds and one assist while helping to lead South Florida to their first ever NCAA tournament win. It was also the program's first appearance in the NCAA tournament in twelve years. Collins averaged anywhere from 6.9 points to 9.1 points per game
-Russ Wood, Rivals Contributing National Basketball Recruiting Reporter
Manu Lecomte (5-11, 160): Manu had a very productive two years at Miami. He arrived in the program with great seasoning from his time playing with older guys in Europe. He was not intimidated by major college basketball. As time evolved, his jump shot got better and better.
So you are probably ask why is he transferring?
Lecomte's downfall has been that he has at times been overpowered in the ACC because of his size. The ACC has a lot of big guards. At times they made it difficult for him to find his shots. And if he was not scoring, then that made him a bit of a liability defensively as well.
When Miami picked up Angel Rodriguez by way of transfer that gave the coaches a little bit of a better option at point guard and cut into Lecomte's minutes. They also recruited a very talented freshman point guard in JaQuan Newton Who further cut into Lecomte's playing time. My guess is that he simply did not want to take a chance on being the third point guard next year. But if he can land with the right team in the right conference, Manu can be a very productive player for his final two years of college. He has a lot of skills. He averaged 7.9 points per game in 2014-15 but shot nearly 46 percent from 3-point range.
-Gary Ferman, Cane Sport Report
Baseball: At Oklahoma State
The Bears (15-22, 4-8 in the Big 12) are off to Stillwater, OK to take on the No. 17 Cowboys (24-12, 8-4) who are co-leaders of the conference along with Oklahoma.
Because of the inclement weather expected to hit the region hard on Friday, the series has been pushed back one day and will start on Saturday. The Bears are tied with Kansas State for seventh in the Big 12 standings. But it's a pretty tight league race. Only four games separates the Bears from the Cowboys and Sooners. Baylor trails the all-time series, 39-37 but leads under head coach Steve Smith, 31-27.
Here's a look at the pitching matchups:
Game 1: 3:00 p.m. Saturday - Baylor LHP Daniel Castano (2-4, 3.33 ERA) vs. Oklahoma State RHP Josh Perrin (3-3, 3.68)
Game 2: 1:00 p.m. Sunday - Baylor RHP Drew Tolson (1-6, 4.17) vs. Oklahoma State LHP Michael Freeman (6-1, 1.29)
Game 3: 1:00 p.m. Monday - Baylor Nick Lewis (1-1, 5.75) vs. Oklahoma State LHP Tyler Nurdin (1-2, 2.67)
-SicEmSports
Emptying the Notebook
>Houston Stafford 2017 WR Hezekiah Jones continues to make a good connection with the Baylor coaching staff. Waco could be his home away from home. "I'm always there,'' he said. Jones said he plans to go to Baylor's camps in Waco and June 1 at Cy Falls.
>He's a tough reach but a person close to Galena Park North Shore safety Eric Monroe said the Rivals No. 35 prospect still has Baylor rated highly. It's not known if the Bears remain No. 1. But don't be too alarmed if that hasn't been reaffirmed. There still seems to be some thinking that LSU is the team to beat in this recruitment.
>The Big 12 coaches are doing a spring teleconference call on Tuesday. We'll have a full report of what each of the 10 coaches said just like we did on Monday evenings during the football season.
>In case you didn't see it, Baylor athletic director Ian McCaw tweeted on Thursday that 97 more than percent of 2014 season ticket holders for football have renewed for 2015.
-SicEmSports
This post was edited on 4/17 8:16 AM by K Lonnquist
