What was going on in East Texas this week?
What a wild Wednesday we had out there. It started off with speculation of whether Texarkana Liberty-Eylau standout Davion Hall was going to stick with his commitment to Baylor and enroll at Texas A&M, then there was baseless talk of Mount Pleasant WR KD Cannon deciding on Feb. 5 on whether he was going to sign with Baylor or Texas A&M. Finally, Longview DT Zaycoven Henderson de-committed from Texas.
As for Hall and Cannon, the talk appeared to be more fueled from Texas A&M or planted by someone. Oddly, it all started to surface right as the two were getting into San Antonio for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl two weeks ago. I talked to someone who had a pretty good feel for this and the theory was that maybe A&M was pushing these talking points to see if the Baylor coaching staff was going to trip up and make a mistake with either one or both and give one a reason to reconsider. If one did, then the other would follow. Remember, Hall and Cannon have become pretty tight over the last several months. Cannon has been on record saying Hall was going to be his roommate.
Baylor appeared to keep its cool and didn't take the bate - if that's what A&M was trying to do. Still, I just had a hard time believing that either one was waffling. Why? Well, actions speak louder than words. Hall and Cannon have taken several unofficial visits to Waco. Hall came to Waco in June when Las Vegas Bishop Gorman QB Randall Cunningham visited. Cannon has taken so many visits to Waco he can make the drive blindfolded.
What Baylor wants in these recruiting relationships is to build a young man's character along with a sense of trust, loyalty. Most importantly, the staff wants the players to value the relationship. Of course, the ability will attract anyone. I saw how Hall interacted with the coaching staff at the Marshall camp in June. That wasn't an act. It was genuine.
But I also think Hall has that personality where he likes to keep people guessing because there is sport to it. He knows people are following his every move. He has the power. He's not being malicious with it. He's kind of poking fun at them. His latest tweet that his bags were packed without mentioning a school had everyone freaking out.
I'm sure the Baylor coaching staff has had its moments of concern. But it survived the first wave in early November when Hall didn't go to Alabama for his official visit. And even though Hall had reportedly signed financial aid documents for A&M, the Aggies were still facing a tough fight. By Saturday, the Hall chapter should be put to rest as he is expected to arrive on campus. As for Cannon, that should end on Feb. 5 when he signs.
For Henderson, it was a bizarre 24 hours. He went from de-committing from Texas, to looking at Texas Tech to having a conversation with Baylor (it didn't really go very far) to telling Texas he was staying committed to flipping to Texas A&M. The Baylor angle on this was odd because Henderson never visited Waco but mentioned Baylor was in his final three. It was hard to see how that matched up.
Henderson's name has been mud since this all started. Some of the talk has been absurd. But Henderson brought some of it upon himself. Flipping commitments to three schools in three months would indicate indecisiveness or not taking the process seriously. You would just hope that his tour of Texas has finished.
-Kevin Lonnquist
Porter still on target
In the past, when a Baylor signee has failed to qualify and has enrolled at a junior college, Baylor hasn't had the best luck at getting the player to eventually land in Waco. Maurice Porter appears to be an exception.
A member of the 2013 class, Porter didn't qualify coming out of Fort Bend Marshall. So he spent the past semester at Navarro, where he started all 12 games at left tackle for a 9-3 team. His coach, Brian Mayper, was impressed with Porter's play.
"I thought Maurice Porter did a great job for us," he said. "He was the starter for us every game at left tackle. He's going to be really good. He's a special player."
Mayper said Porter could graduate this December. He'd bet almost anything that Porter's next destination will be Baylor, where he intended to be all along.
"They still want him back," Mayper said. "I would say he's going to go back there. I would say I'm 99.9 percent sure he'll go to Baylor."
As I mentioned, not all players that don't qualify for Baylor get to Waco. Darius Moore, Porter's teammate -- both at Marshall High and Navarro -- will not be a Baylor Bear.
"Darius Moore started off well, started a few games, but he got in trouble and got kicked out of the program," Mayper said, not wanting to elaborate.
But Porter should make it to Waco after all. And Navarro -- always loaded with prospects -- has another player catching Baylor's attention. Receiver Austin Collins had a huge senior year in 2012 at Navasota, but like Porter, he didn't qualify. He had a nice freshman year at Navarro (42-559, 5 TDs receiving) and will get interest from FBS programs.
"They've talked about Austin Collins, which he did a good job for us this season," Mayper said. "Receiving is kind of a different deal for Baylor because they can pick and choose who they want. But they're definitely going to look to see how he is next fall."
-Jake Shaw
Follow up on Navarro
We mentioned a couple of weeks ago that Rockdale LB James David has been talking to a couple of junior colleges. Navarro is one of them. Mayper said the dialogue has been pretty productive so far. It would seem that if David double signs, the smart money would be with Navarro.
Also, we know Wylie LB/S TK Rockwell has talked to Navarro as well. There's a bit of a concern over Rockwell's standardized test score. However, it doesn't appear that it's too much for Baylor to worry about. The worst case scenario is that Baylor can wait for Rockwell all the way through summer to see if he gets his qualifying score. Mayper said he doesn't expect Rockwell to sign with Navarro on Feb. 5.
With any recruiting class, there's always going to be a couple of players whose academic situation hasn't been completely settled come signing day. We'll keep you posted.
-Kevin Lonnquist
Jan. 26 Junior Day visitors
This is just a small sampling. But here is who SicEmSports knows has said they are definitely coming. Baylor's junior day is also the same as Texas A&M and TCU. We will continue to reach out
to other prospects:
>Blake Lynch, Ath, Troup (Baylor commit)
>Ryan Newsome, Ath, Aledo (Baylor offer) - he said it's between Baylor and Texas A&M
>Chris Warren, RB, Rockwall (Baylor offer) - mom says they're going to the basketball game on Jan. 25 vs. Texas
>Ronnie Major, OL, Huntsville (Baylor commit)
>James Lockhart, DE, Ennis (Baylor offer)
>Ronald Jones II, RB, North McKinney (Baylor offer)
>James Proche, WR, Dallas Prime Prep (Baylor recruit)
>Keaton Sutherland, OL, FM Marcus (Baylor offer)
>Richard Moore, LB, Cedar Hill (Baylor offer)
>Chad President, QB, Temple (Baylor commit)
>Cameron Townsend, LB, Fort Bend Ridge Point (Baylor offer)
Note: FB Marshall DB Kendall Sheffield, Stephenville QB Jarrett Stidham and Mesquite Poteet LB Malik Jefferson haven't decided on their junior day. The same goes for Sulphur Springs WR Larry Pryor. Rockwall-Heath OL Trevor Elbert. Gilmer DB Kris Boyd is going to Texas A&M. As you read earlier, Longview RB JaMycal Hasty is also going to A&M.
-Kevin Lonnquist
This and that
>It looks like all of the assistant coaches on the football staff will be returning for another season. The best we can tell, none are being pursued. However, there are only two college openings in Western Kentucky and likely Vanderbilt with James Franklin expected to take the job at Penn State. However, the American Football Coaches Conference is Jan. 12-14 in Indianapolis. And so you never know if a coach trying to fill out his staff has someone in mind.
>We're hearing that former West Orange-Stark DB Justin Thomas is considering a transfer from Utah close to home. While no decision has been made, it would be a bold move by Thomas because he would have to sit in 2014. He would only have two years remaining. He's always liked Baylor and came close to going to Baylor on several occasions. The reason he didn't in 2012 was that Utah coach Kyle Wittingham visited him in person and convinced him to come to Salt Lake City.
>The mock drafts are coming fast and furious. I happened to see Sports Illustrated's first mock draft. Baylor OL Cyril Richardson is picked to go No. 25 to San Diego. We'll how that unfolds because a zillion of these will be coming out. As an aside, I saw another mock draft where Buffalo LB Khalil Mack - Baylor played Buffalo way back on Sept. 6 and the attention on Mack was intense even then - is projected to go No. 17 to Dallas.
-Kevin Lonnquist
Big 12 Power Ratings - Football
With the bowl season officially behind us, this is the final week SicEmSports ranks the Big 12 teams based on expectations and performance. Agree or disagree, there's nothing like finding out who is ranked where.
1. Baylor - Despite the Fiesta Bowl dud, the Bears won the Big 12
2. Oklahoma - Arguably the most impressive team in the bowl season
3. Oklahoma State - Can this team trust J.W. Walsh to run the offense in 2014?
4. Kansas State - Jake Waters establishes himself as this team's leader
5. Texas Tech - This team will miss TE Jace Amaro as he declared for the NFL draft
6. Texas - An offseason filled with so many questions for new coach Charlie Strong
7. TCU - Horned Frogs will need to find some solid RBs in the spring
8. Iowa State - A defense that struggled all season made strides at the end
9. West Virginia - Defensive improvement is a must in the spring
10. Kansas - More JUCOs have to help this turnaround
-Kevin Lonnquist
Big 12 Power Ratings - Basketball
With Big 12 play underway SicEmSports unveils its first and ranks the conference teams based on expectations and performance. Ratings always vary. Agree or disagree, there's nothing like finding out who is ranked where.
1. Iowa State - Off to the best start (14-0) in school history
2. Oklahoma State - Averaging 79 points in its first two conference game
3. Baylor - At least, the Bears got the trip to Ames, IA out of the way early
4. Kansas - Jayhawks needed that 90-83 win at OU in the worst way
5. Oklahoma - Sooners have a big game with Iowa State Saturday
6. Kansas State - Wildcats can make life tough for teams with their smothering defense
7. Texas - This team can score and can't play defense
8. West Virginia - Quietly Bob Huggins team is off to a nice start (10-5, 2-0)
9. TCU - Will the Horned Frogs score enough to stay in games?
10. Texas Tech - Tubby Smith has the Big 12's best free throw shooting team (75%)
-Kevin Lonnquist
Empyting the Notebook
>As we wrote a couple of days ago, the official visit dates for the balance of the 2014 class is going to be split between Jan. 18 and Jan, 25. Among the Jan. 17 visitors will be Rockdale OL Josh Pelzel, Coppell TE Blake Mahon and Cibolo Steele DL Josh Malin. Among the Jan. 24 visitors are Nacogdoches DE Greg Roberts, Waxahachie OL Patrick Lawrence and Magnolia West DE Xavier Jones. We have messages into the other recruits and hope to update that as we move along.
>Don't know what this means but when we asked 2013 grayshirt Wesley Harris from Fort Worth Southwest if he was coming in this weekend he replied he didn't know yet. Don't read too much into it yet.
>We have made several attempts to find out if former Baylor 2013 commit Kyle Fulks has ever heard from the ACT board about his test score appeal. Those messages have not been returned. If he had been cleared, then he likely would have had a chance to find a Division I home. He's currently at Blinn in Brenham.
>Baylor 2016 QB target Devin Williams - we wrote about the Fort Worth Southwest product at Thanksgiving - has been invited to participate in the Rivals Camp Series Presented by Under Armour March 8 at DeSoto High School. Williams has not received any offers yet but if he excels in this offseason, then they should follow.
-SicEmSports
What a wild Wednesday we had out there. It started off with speculation of whether Texarkana Liberty-Eylau standout Davion Hall was going to stick with his commitment to Baylor and enroll at Texas A&M, then there was baseless talk of Mount Pleasant WR KD Cannon deciding on Feb. 5 on whether he was going to sign with Baylor or Texas A&M. Finally, Longview DT Zaycoven Henderson de-committed from Texas.
As for Hall and Cannon, the talk appeared to be more fueled from Texas A&M or planted by someone. Oddly, it all started to surface right as the two were getting into San Antonio for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl two weeks ago. I talked to someone who had a pretty good feel for this and the theory was that maybe A&M was pushing these talking points to see if the Baylor coaching staff was going to trip up and make a mistake with either one or both and give one a reason to reconsider. If one did, then the other would follow. Remember, Hall and Cannon have become pretty tight over the last several months. Cannon has been on record saying Hall was going to be his roommate.
Baylor appeared to keep its cool and didn't take the bate - if that's what A&M was trying to do. Still, I just had a hard time believing that either one was waffling. Why? Well, actions speak louder than words. Hall and Cannon have taken several unofficial visits to Waco. Hall came to Waco in June when Las Vegas Bishop Gorman QB Randall Cunningham visited. Cannon has taken so many visits to Waco he can make the drive blindfolded.
What Baylor wants in these recruiting relationships is to build a young man's character along with a sense of trust, loyalty. Most importantly, the staff wants the players to value the relationship. Of course, the ability will attract anyone. I saw how Hall interacted with the coaching staff at the Marshall camp in June. That wasn't an act. It was genuine.
But I also think Hall has that personality where he likes to keep people guessing because there is sport to it. He knows people are following his every move. He has the power. He's not being malicious with it. He's kind of poking fun at them. His latest tweet that his bags were packed without mentioning a school had everyone freaking out.
I'm sure the Baylor coaching staff has had its moments of concern. But it survived the first wave in early November when Hall didn't go to Alabama for his official visit. And even though Hall had reportedly signed financial aid documents for A&M, the Aggies were still facing a tough fight. By Saturday, the Hall chapter should be put to rest as he is expected to arrive on campus. As for Cannon, that should end on Feb. 5 when he signs.
For Henderson, it was a bizarre 24 hours. He went from de-committing from Texas, to looking at Texas Tech to having a conversation with Baylor (it didn't really go very far) to telling Texas he was staying committed to flipping to Texas A&M. The Baylor angle on this was odd because Henderson never visited Waco but mentioned Baylor was in his final three. It was hard to see how that matched up.
Henderson's name has been mud since this all started. Some of the talk has been absurd. But Henderson brought some of it upon himself. Flipping commitments to three schools in three months would indicate indecisiveness or not taking the process seriously. You would just hope that his tour of Texas has finished.
-Kevin Lonnquist
Porter still on target
In the past, when a Baylor signee has failed to qualify and has enrolled at a junior college, Baylor hasn't had the best luck at getting the player to eventually land in Waco. Maurice Porter appears to be an exception.
A member of the 2013 class, Porter didn't qualify coming out of Fort Bend Marshall. So he spent the past semester at Navarro, where he started all 12 games at left tackle for a 9-3 team. His coach, Brian Mayper, was impressed with Porter's play.
"I thought Maurice Porter did a great job for us," he said. "He was the starter for us every game at left tackle. He's going to be really good. He's a special player."
Mayper said Porter could graduate this December. He'd bet almost anything that Porter's next destination will be Baylor, where he intended to be all along.
"They still want him back," Mayper said. "I would say he's going to go back there. I would say I'm 99.9 percent sure he'll go to Baylor."
As I mentioned, not all players that don't qualify for Baylor get to Waco. Darius Moore, Porter's teammate -- both at Marshall High and Navarro -- will not be a Baylor Bear.
"Darius Moore started off well, started a few games, but he got in trouble and got kicked out of the program," Mayper said, not wanting to elaborate.
But Porter should make it to Waco after all. And Navarro -- always loaded with prospects -- has another player catching Baylor's attention. Receiver Austin Collins had a huge senior year in 2012 at Navasota, but like Porter, he didn't qualify. He had a nice freshman year at Navarro (42-559, 5 TDs receiving) and will get interest from FBS programs.
"They've talked about Austin Collins, which he did a good job for us this season," Mayper said. "Receiving is kind of a different deal for Baylor because they can pick and choose who they want. But they're definitely going to look to see how he is next fall."
-Jake Shaw
Follow up on Navarro
We mentioned a couple of weeks ago that Rockdale LB James David has been talking to a couple of junior colleges. Navarro is one of them. Mayper said the dialogue has been pretty productive so far. It would seem that if David double signs, the smart money would be with Navarro.
Also, we know Wylie LB/S TK Rockwell has talked to Navarro as well. There's a bit of a concern over Rockwell's standardized test score. However, it doesn't appear that it's too much for Baylor to worry about. The worst case scenario is that Baylor can wait for Rockwell all the way through summer to see if he gets his qualifying score. Mayper said he doesn't expect Rockwell to sign with Navarro on Feb. 5.
With any recruiting class, there's always going to be a couple of players whose academic situation hasn't been completely settled come signing day. We'll keep you posted.
-Kevin Lonnquist
Jan. 26 Junior Day visitors
This is just a small sampling. But here is who SicEmSports knows has said they are definitely coming. Baylor's junior day is also the same as Texas A&M and TCU. We will continue to reach out
to other prospects:
>Blake Lynch, Ath, Troup (Baylor commit)
>Ryan Newsome, Ath, Aledo (Baylor offer) - he said it's between Baylor and Texas A&M
>Chris Warren, RB, Rockwall (Baylor offer) - mom says they're going to the basketball game on Jan. 25 vs. Texas
>Ronnie Major, OL, Huntsville (Baylor commit)
>James Lockhart, DE, Ennis (Baylor offer)
>Ronald Jones II, RB, North McKinney (Baylor offer)
>James Proche, WR, Dallas Prime Prep (Baylor recruit)
>Keaton Sutherland, OL, FM Marcus (Baylor offer)
>Richard Moore, LB, Cedar Hill (Baylor offer)
>Chad President, QB, Temple (Baylor commit)
>Cameron Townsend, LB, Fort Bend Ridge Point (Baylor offer)
Note: FB Marshall DB Kendall Sheffield, Stephenville QB Jarrett Stidham and Mesquite Poteet LB Malik Jefferson haven't decided on their junior day. The same goes for Sulphur Springs WR Larry Pryor. Rockwall-Heath OL Trevor Elbert. Gilmer DB Kris Boyd is going to Texas A&M. As you read earlier, Longview RB JaMycal Hasty is also going to A&M.
-Kevin Lonnquist
This and that
>It looks like all of the assistant coaches on the football staff will be returning for another season. The best we can tell, none are being pursued. However, there are only two college openings in Western Kentucky and likely Vanderbilt with James Franklin expected to take the job at Penn State. However, the American Football Coaches Conference is Jan. 12-14 in Indianapolis. And so you never know if a coach trying to fill out his staff has someone in mind.
>We're hearing that former West Orange-Stark DB Justin Thomas is considering a transfer from Utah close to home. While no decision has been made, it would be a bold move by Thomas because he would have to sit in 2014. He would only have two years remaining. He's always liked Baylor and came close to going to Baylor on several occasions. The reason he didn't in 2012 was that Utah coach Kyle Wittingham visited him in person and convinced him to come to Salt Lake City.
>The mock drafts are coming fast and furious. I happened to see Sports Illustrated's first mock draft. Baylor OL Cyril Richardson is picked to go No. 25 to San Diego. We'll how that unfolds because a zillion of these will be coming out. As an aside, I saw another mock draft where Buffalo LB Khalil Mack - Baylor played Buffalo way back on Sept. 6 and the attention on Mack was intense even then - is projected to go No. 17 to Dallas.
-Kevin Lonnquist
Big 12 Power Ratings - Football
With the bowl season officially behind us, this is the final week SicEmSports ranks the Big 12 teams based on expectations and performance. Agree or disagree, there's nothing like finding out who is ranked where.
1. Baylor - Despite the Fiesta Bowl dud, the Bears won the Big 12
2. Oklahoma - Arguably the most impressive team in the bowl season
3. Oklahoma State - Can this team trust J.W. Walsh to run the offense in 2014?
4. Kansas State - Jake Waters establishes himself as this team's leader
5. Texas Tech - This team will miss TE Jace Amaro as he declared for the NFL draft
6. Texas - An offseason filled with so many questions for new coach Charlie Strong
7. TCU - Horned Frogs will need to find some solid RBs in the spring
8. Iowa State - A defense that struggled all season made strides at the end
9. West Virginia - Defensive improvement is a must in the spring
10. Kansas - More JUCOs have to help this turnaround
-Kevin Lonnquist
Big 12 Power Ratings - Basketball
With Big 12 play underway SicEmSports unveils its first and ranks the conference teams based on expectations and performance. Ratings always vary. Agree or disagree, there's nothing like finding out who is ranked where.
1. Iowa State - Off to the best start (14-0) in school history
2. Oklahoma State - Averaging 79 points in its first two conference game
3. Baylor - At least, the Bears got the trip to Ames, IA out of the way early
4. Kansas - Jayhawks needed that 90-83 win at OU in the worst way
5. Oklahoma - Sooners have a big game with Iowa State Saturday
6. Kansas State - Wildcats can make life tough for teams with their smothering defense
7. Texas - This team can score and can't play defense
8. West Virginia - Quietly Bob Huggins team is off to a nice start (10-5, 2-0)
9. TCU - Will the Horned Frogs score enough to stay in games?
10. Texas Tech - Tubby Smith has the Big 12's best free throw shooting team (75%)
-Kevin Lonnquist
Empyting the Notebook
>As we wrote a couple of days ago, the official visit dates for the balance of the 2014 class is going to be split between Jan. 18 and Jan, 25. Among the Jan. 17 visitors will be Rockdale OL Josh Pelzel, Coppell TE Blake Mahon and Cibolo Steele DL Josh Malin. Among the Jan. 24 visitors are Nacogdoches DE Greg Roberts, Waxahachie OL Patrick Lawrence and Magnolia West DE Xavier Jones. We have messages into the other recruits and hope to update that as we move along.
>Don't know what this means but when we asked 2013 grayshirt Wesley Harris from Fort Worth Southwest if he was coming in this weekend he replied he didn't know yet. Don't read too much into it yet.
>We have made several attempts to find out if former Baylor 2013 commit Kyle Fulks has ever heard from the ACT board about his test score appeal. Those messages have not been returned. If he had been cleared, then he likely would have had a chance to find a Division I home. He's currently at Blinn in Brenham.
>Baylor 2016 QB target Devin Williams - we wrote about the Fort Worth Southwest product at Thanksgiving - has been invited to participate in the Rivals Camp Series Presented by Under Armour March 8 at DeSoto High School. Williams has not received any offers yet but if he excels in this offseason, then they should follow.
-SicEmSports
