NOTE: As we reported in last week's Blitz, Frisco Lone Star safety Chris Miller (6-0, 184) is scheduled to visit Baylor this weekend. He was a bit evasive when asked if he was planning on committing on this visit. However, we've done some more digging. Should this visit take place and should it go the way both sides want it to go, then there's a pretty decent chance Miller could commit to the Bears. If so, he would be the eighth commitment to the 2016 class. He would also be the second safety to this class along with Lancaster's Kenan Ivy. Of course, SicEmSports will keep you posted as to how this unfolds. Currently, Miller does not have a Rivals rating. However, he does have offers from Nebraska, Mississippi State and Tulsa.
Diving into South Texas
The beauty of recruiting is that you just never know when you're going to find a recruit that catches a coaching staff's eye. Victoria West did that in 2016 athlete Gamarquis Girdy (5-9, 185).
On Wednesday, the do-everything-athlete met Baylor defensive backs coach Carlton Buckels for the first time. Baylor didn't extend an offer. However, there was enough for Buckels to invite Girdy to one of Baylor's summer camps. That could either be Cy Falls or Waco.
"We just mainly talked about playing cornerback,'' Girdy said. "I have moved around a lot in high school from position to position. I have played corner, safety, [wide] receiver, running back and quarterback.''
Girdy said he hasn't sent out much film. He said he believes Baylor found out about him through channels. There has been some interest shown from other Division I programs including UT-San Antonio, Houston and Nevada.
Of course, this is a time for more schools to take a look at recruits to see if they can be a fit in their programs. With Baylor, a potential strong performance from Girdy could give the coaching staff something more to consider.
In 2014, Girdy stayed with the offense and erupted. He threw for 1,394 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also rushed for 2,350 yards and 43 touchdowns. Add one 28-yard reception and that's 3,772 total offensive yards. Girdy also had 459 return yards between punts and kickoffs and had four touchdowns.
The Warriors went 10-3 in District 30-5A and advanced to the Division I Region IV semifinals before losing to Austin LBJ, 36-35. Should he attend a camp, a strong performance may do something to warrant more attention from the Bears.
-Kevin Lonnquist
Dunn playing it cool
Cy Springs 2016 wide receiver Donnell Dunn is starting to gain more steam in recruiting. He has offers from Texas Tech, Illinois, Kansas, Cincinnati and Stephen F. Austin.
Baylor continues to make contact with him and is interested. However, it's unclear if or when the Bears will offer the 4.48 speedster. The coaching staff's pursuit of Dunn could hinge on what happens with primary targets, Sachse's Devin Duvernay and Navasota's Tren'Davian Dickson.
"It was a good talk and I know where they're coming from,'' Dunn said. "I like the school and what they're doing. I know they're interested, but I know I have interest from a lot of other schools interested too.''
Dunn attended Baylor's Jan. 31 junior day in Waco but wasn't able to attend a spring practice much less the Friday Night Lights scrimmage on March 20. Still, Dunn has done enough to impress P5 programs. In 2014, he caught 50 passes for 1,234 yards (24.7 ypc) and 12 touchdowns.
One of the telling points of Baylor's continued interest in Dunn could rest in a camp performance should he decide to attend. Dunn was non-committal about whether he would attend any including the one June 1 down the road at Cy Falls.
-Kevin Lonnquist
Where is McKinley?
One longtime 2016 target for the Baylor coaching staff has been former Plano West outside linebacker McKinley Mitchell. The standout prospect and younger brother of both Mike Mitchell and Mickey Mitchell recently moved from the Lone Star state to Lake Howell (Fl) high school this past month.
"I moved back to Florida, to my hometown," Mitchell said. "I grew up there for 13 years and have family here in the area. I have been here for probably a month or so, but I'm staying with family and my parents are trying to get everything settled in Dallas before possibly joining me here in Florida."
Mitchell admitted the sudden move has thrown some coaches and programs off in terms of the recruiting process, but the move has also provided the standout prospect a clean slate.
"Some coaches have no idea that I moved and others have simply stopped reaching out," Mitchell said. "It's not really a bad thing though because I have been able to see which programs are seriously interested in me, plus some new programs have reached out with offers and interest lately.
"Western Michigan offered and the defensive coordinator stopped by for a visit. Oregon State and Arizona State both offered recently too and I really like those coaching staffs. I'm starting to talk with Vanderbilt, Colorado and UCF a lot more as well. I took a visit to UCF last weekend. The Florida area schools should all start showing more interest once the coaches come through during spring practices."
Baylor is one of the programs that has kept in touch with Mitchell through the move and the standout defender has a good relationship with the Bears' linebackers Coach Jim Gush.
"Baylor was one of the first schools to offer me," Mitchell said. "I have been in touch with Coach Gush since my sophomore year and he's my guy. We talk at least once a week and have continued to stay in touch through the move.
"They are running a 4-2 base defense right now and Coach Gush definitely wants to move me around, have me blitz the line of scrimmage a lot. I like what they are doing at Baylor right now and the program is doing well."
Mitchell surprisingly has never visited Waco before, but plans to make a visit to the program this summer or sometime during next season.
"I actually never had a chance to visit Baylor when I lived in Dallas," Mitchell said. "With my brother being at Texas Tech, I usually had to choose hanging out with my brother or doing my own thing. I wanted to see him as much as possible before moving. My plan is to try and visit either sometime this summer when I'm back in the area, or use one of my official visits to visit Baylor this season."
The 6-foot-3, 210-pound prospect nicknamed 'Kiwi' is happy with the move and feels things are going well with recruiting, but now that Florida his home again, does location now play a factor for Mitchell?
"I haven't really even thought about location," Mitchell said. "I have schools from all over the country recruiting me right now so it isn't something that I'm putting too much thought into right now. I want to learn more about every school recruiting me before eliminating any options or schools interested."
Rated a three-star prospect, Mitchell is the No. 34 outside linebacker in the nation and was listed as the No. 82 prospect in the Rivals Texas Postseason Top 100 for the 2016 class while at Plano West last season.
-Matt Clare
Second basketball weekend
This is the second week where Division I college basketball coaches can evaluate prospects. Locally, the 26th Great American Shootout takes place between Duncanville, DeSoto, Cedar Hill and Arlington. The Under Armour event is in Louisville. Meanwhile, the Nike EYBL event is in Lexington, KY.
Obviously, Baylor's coaching staff will be dispersed at all three venues continuing to evaluate the 2016 and 2017 prospects who have been offered along with those who may need another look. We know that the Bears continue to maintain a strong interest in Keller 2017 guard R.J. Nembhard and Richland 2017 guard C.J. Roberts.
A couple of other recruits gave updates on themselves and the Bears:
Chris Giles, Plano West, G (2017): "I like Baylor a lot. The coaching staff is really great. Everything down there [in Waco] is really nice. I went there last year and had a great visit. I'm going to try and get up there really soon.''
Jarrett Allen, Austin St. Stephens Episcopal School, C (2016): "I've picked up a lot of interest from Baylor, Texas and SMU. Baylor talks to my parents a lot. So I know they're really interested in me.''
-SicEmSports
Recruiting Quick Hits
> The Baylor coaches are looking at a handful of JUCO prospects again this recruiting cycle and the latest prospect to receive interest from the Baylor staff is Coffeyville (Kansas) C.C. corner JaMarcus King.
"Coach [Jim] Gush came by the school this week," King said. "It was first time to meet him. He told me a little more about Baylor and let me know they were interested in me as a corner.
"I like Baylor a lot, but still need to learn more about the program. I know that Baylor is a winning program and that is something I like."
King currently holds seven FBS offers and talked about some of the programs showing the most interest at the moment.
"Florida, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Houston, Colorado, East Carolina, Cincinnati and Troy are some of the programs showing the most interest right now," King said. "I graduate this December and have three years to play two years."
Early JUCO graduates with that type of eligibility left are usually in demand and King expects more programs to enter the picture this spring. We will see where things go with King and Baylor moving forward.
> We connected with Houston Westside defensive tackle Jordan Elliott this week to discuss his new offer from Texas Tech and had a chance to discuss how things are going with the Baylor coaches since his recent de-commitment.
"When I de-committed it was just a lot of things," Elliott said. "I feel that I might have committed too early in the process and wanted to weigh all of my options before making a final decision.
"I'm still considering Baylor, but wanted to reopen things and be open to all of the schools who offer or start showing interest. I still talk with Coach [Art] Briles, Coach [Chris] Achuff and all of the Baylor coaches. Nothing has really changed. They are still recruiting me hard and want me to join the program."
For now, Elliott only has one visit setup for later this summer and is hoping to narrow down his options to a Top 10 list sometime in August.
"I have a visit to USC planned this summer, but don't really have any other visits setup right now," Elliott said. "I would like to release a Top 10 later this summer, sometime close to August or before the season."
It is rare for a former commitment to re-commit, but Elliott remains in contact with Coach Briles and the Baylor staff. We will see where things go between him and the Baylor coaches moving forward.
-Matt Clare
Baseball: vs. Kansas State
Tied for seventh place in the Big 12 standings, the Bears (16-24, 5-10 in the Big 12) play host to Kansas State (18-21, 5-10) in a pivotal series with the Wildcats at Baylor Ballpark. A series win would strengthen Baylor's position in its quest to return to the Big 12 tournament. The tournament takes the top eight teams. Kansas is in ninth at 4-8.
Baylor is coming off an 8-6 victory over Lamar on Tuesday at Baylor Ballpark. The Bears have split their last four games. The Bears are in a stretch where they play eight of their final 12 games at home.
Weekend pitching matchups:
Game 1 - Friday, 6:30 PM: Baylor RHP Drew Tolson (2-6, 3.82 ERA) vs. Kansas State RHP Colton Kalmus (1-2, 3.77 ERA)
Game 2 - Saturday, 3:00 PM: RHP Nick Lewis (1-2, 6.17) vs. Kansas State (TBA)
Game 3 - Sunday, 2:00 PM: LHP Daniel Castano (2-5, 3.49) vs. Kansas State (TBA)
-SicEmSports
Emptying the Notebook
> We're tracking the extent of what Houston Westside 2016 WR Tyrie Cleveland's de-commitment from Texas A&M last week could mean to Baylor. Cleveland just missed getting into the 2016 Rivals 250. However, he is still a four star prospect.
> Newton LB Tanner Holmes could be a June camp candidate. Everything points to more schools getting involved with him as the spring evaluation period continues. Currently, his only offer is McNeese St.
> While Nacogdoches features the Rivals No. 28 player in the country in safety Brandon Jones, the program is not going through spring football. Key players are going through baseball and track. That means Nacogdoches will be able to begin fall workouts a week early in August.
> Big 12 media Days in Dallas are July 20-21 at the Omni Hotel in Dallas. Baylor is scheduled to make its appearance on July 21.
-SicEmSports
Diving into South Texas
The beauty of recruiting is that you just never know when you're going to find a recruit that catches a coaching staff's eye. Victoria West did that in 2016 athlete Gamarquis Girdy (5-9, 185).
On Wednesday, the do-everything-athlete met Baylor defensive backs coach Carlton Buckels for the first time. Baylor didn't extend an offer. However, there was enough for Buckels to invite Girdy to one of Baylor's summer camps. That could either be Cy Falls or Waco.
"We just mainly talked about playing cornerback,'' Girdy said. "I have moved around a lot in high school from position to position. I have played corner, safety, [wide] receiver, running back and quarterback.''
Girdy said he hasn't sent out much film. He said he believes Baylor found out about him through channels. There has been some interest shown from other Division I programs including UT-San Antonio, Houston and Nevada.
Of course, this is a time for more schools to take a look at recruits to see if they can be a fit in their programs. With Baylor, a potential strong performance from Girdy could give the coaching staff something more to consider.
In 2014, Girdy stayed with the offense and erupted. He threw for 1,394 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also rushed for 2,350 yards and 43 touchdowns. Add one 28-yard reception and that's 3,772 total offensive yards. Girdy also had 459 return yards between punts and kickoffs and had four touchdowns.
The Warriors went 10-3 in District 30-5A and advanced to the Division I Region IV semifinals before losing to Austin LBJ, 36-35. Should he attend a camp, a strong performance may do something to warrant more attention from the Bears.
-Kevin Lonnquist
Dunn playing it cool
Cy Springs 2016 wide receiver Donnell Dunn is starting to gain more steam in recruiting. He has offers from Texas Tech, Illinois, Kansas, Cincinnati and Stephen F. Austin.
Baylor continues to make contact with him and is interested. However, it's unclear if or when the Bears will offer the 4.48 speedster. The coaching staff's pursuit of Dunn could hinge on what happens with primary targets, Sachse's Devin Duvernay and Navasota's Tren'Davian Dickson.
"It was a good talk and I know where they're coming from,'' Dunn said. "I like the school and what they're doing. I know they're interested, but I know I have interest from a lot of other schools interested too.''
Dunn attended Baylor's Jan. 31 junior day in Waco but wasn't able to attend a spring practice much less the Friday Night Lights scrimmage on March 20. Still, Dunn has done enough to impress P5 programs. In 2014, he caught 50 passes for 1,234 yards (24.7 ypc) and 12 touchdowns.
One of the telling points of Baylor's continued interest in Dunn could rest in a camp performance should he decide to attend. Dunn was non-committal about whether he would attend any including the one June 1 down the road at Cy Falls.
-Kevin Lonnquist
Where is McKinley?
One longtime 2016 target for the Baylor coaching staff has been former Plano West outside linebacker McKinley Mitchell. The standout prospect and younger brother of both Mike Mitchell and Mickey Mitchell recently moved from the Lone Star state to Lake Howell (Fl) high school this past month.
"I moved back to Florida, to my hometown," Mitchell said. "I grew up there for 13 years and have family here in the area. I have been here for probably a month or so, but I'm staying with family and my parents are trying to get everything settled in Dallas before possibly joining me here in Florida."
Mitchell admitted the sudden move has thrown some coaches and programs off in terms of the recruiting process, but the move has also provided the standout prospect a clean slate.
"Some coaches have no idea that I moved and others have simply stopped reaching out," Mitchell said. "It's not really a bad thing though because I have been able to see which programs are seriously interested in me, plus some new programs have reached out with offers and interest lately.
"Western Michigan offered and the defensive coordinator stopped by for a visit. Oregon State and Arizona State both offered recently too and I really like those coaching staffs. I'm starting to talk with Vanderbilt, Colorado and UCF a lot more as well. I took a visit to UCF last weekend. The Florida area schools should all start showing more interest once the coaches come through during spring practices."
Baylor is one of the programs that has kept in touch with Mitchell through the move and the standout defender has a good relationship with the Bears' linebackers Coach Jim Gush.
"Baylor was one of the first schools to offer me," Mitchell said. "I have been in touch with Coach Gush since my sophomore year and he's my guy. We talk at least once a week and have continued to stay in touch through the move.
"They are running a 4-2 base defense right now and Coach Gush definitely wants to move me around, have me blitz the line of scrimmage a lot. I like what they are doing at Baylor right now and the program is doing well."
Mitchell surprisingly has never visited Waco before, but plans to make a visit to the program this summer or sometime during next season.
"I actually never had a chance to visit Baylor when I lived in Dallas," Mitchell said. "With my brother being at Texas Tech, I usually had to choose hanging out with my brother or doing my own thing. I wanted to see him as much as possible before moving. My plan is to try and visit either sometime this summer when I'm back in the area, or use one of my official visits to visit Baylor this season."
The 6-foot-3, 210-pound prospect nicknamed 'Kiwi' is happy with the move and feels things are going well with recruiting, but now that Florida his home again, does location now play a factor for Mitchell?
"I haven't really even thought about location," Mitchell said. "I have schools from all over the country recruiting me right now so it isn't something that I'm putting too much thought into right now. I want to learn more about every school recruiting me before eliminating any options or schools interested."
Rated a three-star prospect, Mitchell is the No. 34 outside linebacker in the nation and was listed as the No. 82 prospect in the Rivals Texas Postseason Top 100 for the 2016 class while at Plano West last season.
-Matt Clare
Second basketball weekend
This is the second week where Division I college basketball coaches can evaluate prospects. Locally, the 26th Great American Shootout takes place between Duncanville, DeSoto, Cedar Hill and Arlington. The Under Armour event is in Louisville. Meanwhile, the Nike EYBL event is in Lexington, KY.
Obviously, Baylor's coaching staff will be dispersed at all three venues continuing to evaluate the 2016 and 2017 prospects who have been offered along with those who may need another look. We know that the Bears continue to maintain a strong interest in Keller 2017 guard R.J. Nembhard and Richland 2017 guard C.J. Roberts.
A couple of other recruits gave updates on themselves and the Bears:
Chris Giles, Plano West, G (2017): "I like Baylor a lot. The coaching staff is really great. Everything down there [in Waco] is really nice. I went there last year and had a great visit. I'm going to try and get up there really soon.''
Jarrett Allen, Austin St. Stephens Episcopal School, C (2016): "I've picked up a lot of interest from Baylor, Texas and SMU. Baylor talks to my parents a lot. So I know they're really interested in me.''
-SicEmSports
Recruiting Quick Hits
> The Baylor coaches are looking at a handful of JUCO prospects again this recruiting cycle and the latest prospect to receive interest from the Baylor staff is Coffeyville (Kansas) C.C. corner JaMarcus King.
"Coach [Jim] Gush came by the school this week," King said. "It was first time to meet him. He told me a little more about Baylor and let me know they were interested in me as a corner.
"I like Baylor a lot, but still need to learn more about the program. I know that Baylor is a winning program and that is something I like."
King currently holds seven FBS offers and talked about some of the programs showing the most interest at the moment.
"Florida, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Houston, Colorado, East Carolina, Cincinnati and Troy are some of the programs showing the most interest right now," King said. "I graduate this December and have three years to play two years."
Early JUCO graduates with that type of eligibility left are usually in demand and King expects more programs to enter the picture this spring. We will see where things go with King and Baylor moving forward.
> We connected with Houston Westside defensive tackle Jordan Elliott this week to discuss his new offer from Texas Tech and had a chance to discuss how things are going with the Baylor coaches since his recent de-commitment.
"When I de-committed it was just a lot of things," Elliott said. "I feel that I might have committed too early in the process and wanted to weigh all of my options before making a final decision.
"I'm still considering Baylor, but wanted to reopen things and be open to all of the schools who offer or start showing interest. I still talk with Coach [Art] Briles, Coach [Chris] Achuff and all of the Baylor coaches. Nothing has really changed. They are still recruiting me hard and want me to join the program."
For now, Elliott only has one visit setup for later this summer and is hoping to narrow down his options to a Top 10 list sometime in August.
"I have a visit to USC planned this summer, but don't really have any other visits setup right now," Elliott said. "I would like to release a Top 10 later this summer, sometime close to August or before the season."
It is rare for a former commitment to re-commit, but Elliott remains in contact with Coach Briles and the Baylor staff. We will see where things go between him and the Baylor coaches moving forward.
-Matt Clare
Baseball: vs. Kansas State
Tied for seventh place in the Big 12 standings, the Bears (16-24, 5-10 in the Big 12) play host to Kansas State (18-21, 5-10) in a pivotal series with the Wildcats at Baylor Ballpark. A series win would strengthen Baylor's position in its quest to return to the Big 12 tournament. The tournament takes the top eight teams. Kansas is in ninth at 4-8.
Baylor is coming off an 8-6 victory over Lamar on Tuesday at Baylor Ballpark. The Bears have split their last four games. The Bears are in a stretch where they play eight of their final 12 games at home.
Weekend pitching matchups:
Game 1 - Friday, 6:30 PM: Baylor RHP Drew Tolson (2-6, 3.82 ERA) vs. Kansas State RHP Colton Kalmus (1-2, 3.77 ERA)
Game 2 - Saturday, 3:00 PM: RHP Nick Lewis (1-2, 6.17) vs. Kansas State (TBA)
Game 3 - Sunday, 2:00 PM: LHP Daniel Castano (2-5, 3.49) vs. Kansas State (TBA)
-SicEmSports
Emptying the Notebook
> We're tracking the extent of what Houston Westside 2016 WR Tyrie Cleveland's de-commitment from Texas A&M last week could mean to Baylor. Cleveland just missed getting into the 2016 Rivals 250. However, he is still a four star prospect.
> Newton LB Tanner Holmes could be a June camp candidate. Everything points to more schools getting involved with him as the spring evaluation period continues. Currently, his only offer is McNeese St.
> While Nacogdoches features the Rivals No. 28 player in the country in safety Brandon Jones, the program is not going through spring football. Key players are going through baseball and track. That means Nacogdoches will be able to begin fall workouts a week early in August.
> Big 12 media Days in Dallas are July 20-21 at the Omni Hotel in Dallas. Baylor is scheduled to make its appearance on July 21.
-SicEmSports
