NOTE: The first Rivals 100 and 250 2016 rankings are expected to be released this coming Monday and Tuesday. As is its custom, the 100 will be disclosed at 11:00 a.m. on Monday. The 250 will be released at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday.
There's no doubt the rankings will impact Baylor's five commitments. While the Rivals analysts met earlier in the week to talk about their recruits, their ratings are unknown. That said, it's time to give you an idea of where we believe they will land.
Our take:
Kameron Martin, RB, Port Arthur: If he's not in the 250 as a 4-star, I would be surprised. The 20-plus offers including one from Florida State along with great speed and hands is the recipe to be on this list. My guess is he will be between 150-200.
Patrick Hudson, OT, Silsbee: I'll have more a little about him down below. But given his ability and how well he moves, there is no reason to think he won't be in the 100.
Zach Smith, QB, Grandview: He is the perfect quarterback in the Baylor system. While his June 7 commitment to Baylor came out of nowhere, there has been time to evaluate him and get a read. I think he could be a high 3-star 5.7.
Keyshawn Somerville, DB, Pflugerville Hendrickson: Offers will continue to flow his way, but I think Somerville winds up being a 3-star recruit. He just has all of the intangibles to be that.
Tren'Davian Dickson, WR, Navasota: The good news is that Dickson attended the Rivals camp series on March 9 in Houston and impressed at the workout. I could see him either being a high two star (5.4 but with plenty of opportunity to move up) to a 3-star and 5.5.
-Kevin Lonnquist
Another 2016 Waco DB on the radar
While the saga of Eric Cuffee continues, Baylor has shown interest in another local 2016 defensive back.
Joining Cuffee -- the 2016 Waco High DB who claimed over the weekend he had committed to Baylor -- on Thursday morning on the Baylor campus was Parrish Cobb from La Vega High. Cobb had received a personal invitation to check out Baylor.
"Coach Norwood had called my head coach and asked me to come up there," he said, "so I went up there with Eric. I watched them practice and talked to some of the coaches. They gave us a tour around the facilities. It went really good. We were going to have a meeting with coach (Art) Briles, but he couldn't make it."
Briles, as most of you know, was at the ESPN headquarters for some various appearances. But it's likely the two will get a chance to meet again. Baylor seems to like Cobb quite a bit. There hasn't been an offer yet but there's a good reason for that.
"They're just waiting on my film because I didn't play last year," said Cobb, who missed all but the last couple of games with a hamstring injury. Even then, he said he wasn't near 100 percent. He just wanted to play that badly.
"They'll watch me first couple games and then get back to me," he added.
Cobb spent all of his football life playing mostly quarterback, but when he returned from his injury, he primarily played corner. That's where Baylor -- and programs including Texas, Alabama, TCU and Cincinnati are recruiting him. I'll keep in touch with him and monitor the start of his junior season. There's a chance that by then, his name will be well known.
-Jake Shaw
Hudson wrapup
When you watch Silsbee 2016 offensive tackle Patrick Hudson, you can understand why Baylor will have a fight on its hands to keep him a part of this recruiting class.
Hudson, who switched his commitment from Texas A&M to the Bears on July 18, has a tape that is electric. He is light on his feet. He runs a 5.1 in the 40 and moves so well laterally, that you can't teach it. It's a gift.
"It's his size, strength and ability,'' Silsbee defensive coordinator Hiawatha Hickman said. "He runs like a guy who weighs 200 pounds, even though he wears a size 17 shoe. We pull our tackles a lot, and sometimes he outruns our quarterback on plays. He's just a big ole Teddy Bear. But the scary thing is that he's not done growing.''
Hickman believes Hudson (6-5, 325) can reach 6-7. But it's in the genes. Hudson's mother is 6-1. His father is 6-4 and other relatives are just as tall. Couple that and Hudson's natural athleticisim and that's why the term, "freak" is used.
"When we took him to Texas A&M, the nutritionist thought he weighed 275. Everybody was pretty shocked,'' Hickman said. "But I don't think this over. Auburn has called about him and Texas wants him to come up and visit.''
Just trying to find Hudson can be a challenge. He doesn't have a cell phone and isn't a part of the social media network.
"He's just someone who isn't interested in that,'' Hickman said. "His grades are solid. He's a good kid.''
-Kevin Lonnquist
Williams still growing
All Deonte Williams could do was pump his fist when he learned of his Baylor offer. The 2016 Plano Prestonwood linebacker (6-2, 218) had been spied by Baylor linebackers coach Jim Gush as a freshman.
Baylor became one of the first two offers Williams has received. The other is TCU. Texas Tech may be closer to extending. But it didn't change the fact that Williams was genuinely enthralled by the Baylor coaching staff's act.
"I was pretty pumped,'' Williams said. "I wasn't expecting early offers. But I know the work I put in meant something. I really appreciated what was going on.''
Williams is still in a discovery phase. He has noted how Baylor's defense plays a very intense and physical brand of ball. He also liked how hard this unit, under defensive coordinator Phil Bennett, runs to the football.
One of his strengths is that he can cover in space. Prestonwood coach Chris Cunningham plays Williams at both outside linebacker and defensive end. His 4.6 speed is acceptable, but he wants to lower it to 4.5. Currently, his shuttle is 4.24 while his bench is 270 and his squad is 365.
Williams is also coming off a pretty strong 7-on-7 season in which he helped Preston reach the state Division I championship game (losing to Graham, 47-45). As fall camp begins, he is keeping his options opens but wants to schedule a visit to Baylor as soon as he can.
"I'd like to get there during fall camp,'' he said. "Right now, I'm just trying to look at all of my options. I'm interested in everyone. I want to take it slow.''
-Kevin Lonnquist
Why Rhodes went to Bowling Green
When SicEmSports reported Tuesday that everything pointed to former Baylor wide receiver Robbie Rhodes heading to Bowling Green (that's now official), we cited that the move made sense because former Baylor assistant Dino Babers just took over that program.
Rhodes was dismissed from the Baylor program on June 23 for undisclosed reasons but later admitted by his father Reggie as mistakes. He will leave for Mid-American Conference school next Thursday and will report on Aug. 1. Rhodes will redshirt in 2014 so he will have three years of eligibility remaining.
"When Dino talked to Robbie, he pretty much laid out there what the expectations were and that he wanted Robbie to take advantage of this,'' Robbie's father Reggie Rhodes said. "Dino told him he wanted to treat Robbie like they were their All American because they don't get All-Americans. They're giving him a chance to be the guy.''
Rhodes, who was ranked No. 69 when he signed with Baylor in 2013, struggled as a freshman with 10 receptions for 157 yards and battled through a severe ankle injury. But off-the-field issues remained.
On June 3, the McLennan County District Attorney's office decided not to pursue misdemeanor marijuana possession charges. That was on June 3. Rhodes was arrested on May 2 following a routine traffic stop.
Still, a person of Rhodes' talent was worth the risk. While there were whispers of a return to Baylor, they never materialized, Reggie said. "Quite a few schools" contacted the Rhodes family. However, Reggie declined to name specifics.
We do know that several junior colleges tried to lure Robbie to their campus' for a year. However, those efforts vanished pretty quickly.
What Reggie is hoping for is that his son will take advantage of this opportunity of leaving Texas for this fresh start in Ohio. There should be a little peace of mind because Reggie's Multiple Myeloma remains in remission.
"We know that everything was a learning experience,'' Reggie said. "There have been a lot of things that have been said. Some are true. Some are not true. But that's over.
"Robbie knows what his responsibility is and that he's going to be more determined. I think my health gives Robbie a better feeling about leaving Texas. We tried in state. Now, it's time to leave.''
-Kevin Lonnquist
Adidas Super 64 in Las Vegas
The U17-U15 AAU tournament began in Las Vegas on Thursday. Baylor assistants Jerome Tang and Grant McCasland had plenty to watch with the tournament ongoing through Sunday.
Among several of the 2015 recruits Baylor is locked into:
Kerwin Roach (6-4), SG, Galena Park North Shore: There's been a lot of momentum behind the 3-star standout's recruitment over the last two weeks. Baylor recently offered him. His versatility has been very noticeable.
Rashard Odomes (6-5), SG, Copperas Cove: Baylor has offered Odomes, a 3-star. Of course, anyone from Copperas Cove will feel that Baylor tug (See RG3). However, Odomes doesn't have an official visit to Baylor planned. He is expected to official at Oklahoma at the end of August.
Jordan Murphy (6-7), SF, SA Brennan: Rivals No. 103 recruit is Odomes teammate on the D1 Ambassadors. He holds 11 offers including Baylor.
-Kevin Lonnquist
GASO - Duncanville
In attendance and playing with Texas PRO was 6-foot-10, Jarrett Allen from the class of 2016. Allen drew crowds of high major coaches as he showed that he could dominate a game on both ends of the floor. Defensively, Allen plays in the paint and protects the rim with his long arms and slender body. On the offensive end he gets big and asks for the ball high and uses spin moves and works hard to finish at the rim or use a soft hook with either hand. Allen will make a big push for being the top player in the 2016 class.
Allen helped Texas PRO to a GASO Title and it was their second in as many weeks.
"We came out here with high expectations after winning the GMI in Houston last weekend," said Allen. "We started off a little sluggish and didn't show well, but we got better and stronger as we played more games. I think we were to cocky, and realized that the competition is strong and we got our act together and put a run together."
Offers have come in from Texas, Baylor, Houston, Kansas State, TCU, Kansas and SMU.
-Texas Hoops
Emptying the Notebook
>As you know, Baylor will unveil the RG3 statue around 3:00 p.m. before the Aug. 31 opener against SMU. It's probably been reported elsewhere but if not, we have been told Robert Griffin III is expected to be there for the unveiling. It's unclear if he would have time to stay for the game.
>Baylor's men's basketball game against Texas A&M on Dec. 9 has been scheduled for an 8:00 p.m. start and will be shown on ESPN2.
>Southlake Carroll 2016 S prospect Obi Eboh has a good feeling about Baylor. He also believes Baylor has a good feeling about him too. He said he had a good camp on July 18, his second after attending the June 6 camp in Lake Highlands. "I'm going to send them my film to look at from September,'' Eboh said. Eboh just picked up his second offer from Duke on Thursday.
>Although he stated Texas, Texas A&M and Houston were his three favorites, Houston Westfield 2016 DT Ed Oliver's mother told SicEmSports that he has interest in Baylor. While there hasn't been much contact between him and the staff, his mother said her son is aware that can change. Don't be surprised if Baylor
works its way into this recruitment even more.
>Duncanville SG Matthew McQuaid, who recently de-committed from SMU, has reportedly said Baylor has interest in him. McQauid is rated No. 87 by Rivals.
>From the things that make you go hmm department: When we reported TCU offered Keller Fossil Ridge 2015 S and Baylor commit Montrel Wilson, we asked him on three different occasions if this is making him re-think anything. We have not received a response.
>Baylor is not alone offering Kennedale 2017 LB Baron Browning. Arkansas has now offered him.
>Five former Baylor football players will be recognized as Baylor Football Legends during select 2014 home football games, Baylor officials announced Thursday. Each honoree will be introduced on the field during their respective game, while a short video details their playing careers for the Bears. They will be C.J. Wilson on Aug. 31 against SMU; Joel Porter ( on Sept. 6 against Northwestern State, Albert Fontenot on Oct. 11 against TCU, Trent Shelton on Nov. 22 against Oklahoma State and Mark Cochran on Dec. 6 against Kansas State.
-SicEmSports
There's no doubt the rankings will impact Baylor's five commitments. While the Rivals analysts met earlier in the week to talk about their recruits, their ratings are unknown. That said, it's time to give you an idea of where we believe they will land.
Our take:
Kameron Martin, RB, Port Arthur: If he's not in the 250 as a 4-star, I would be surprised. The 20-plus offers including one from Florida State along with great speed and hands is the recipe to be on this list. My guess is he will be between 150-200.
Patrick Hudson, OT, Silsbee: I'll have more a little about him down below. But given his ability and how well he moves, there is no reason to think he won't be in the 100.
Zach Smith, QB, Grandview: He is the perfect quarterback in the Baylor system. While his June 7 commitment to Baylor came out of nowhere, there has been time to evaluate him and get a read. I think he could be a high 3-star 5.7.
Keyshawn Somerville, DB, Pflugerville Hendrickson: Offers will continue to flow his way, but I think Somerville winds up being a 3-star recruit. He just has all of the intangibles to be that.
Tren'Davian Dickson, WR, Navasota: The good news is that Dickson attended the Rivals camp series on March 9 in Houston and impressed at the workout. I could see him either being a high two star (5.4 but with plenty of opportunity to move up) to a 3-star and 5.5.
-Kevin Lonnquist
Another 2016 Waco DB on the radar
While the saga of Eric Cuffee continues, Baylor has shown interest in another local 2016 defensive back.
Joining Cuffee -- the 2016 Waco High DB who claimed over the weekend he had committed to Baylor -- on Thursday morning on the Baylor campus was Parrish Cobb from La Vega High. Cobb had received a personal invitation to check out Baylor.
"Coach Norwood had called my head coach and asked me to come up there," he said, "so I went up there with Eric. I watched them practice and talked to some of the coaches. They gave us a tour around the facilities. It went really good. We were going to have a meeting with coach (Art) Briles, but he couldn't make it."
Briles, as most of you know, was at the ESPN headquarters for some various appearances. But it's likely the two will get a chance to meet again. Baylor seems to like Cobb quite a bit. There hasn't been an offer yet but there's a good reason for that.
"They're just waiting on my film because I didn't play last year," said Cobb, who missed all but the last couple of games with a hamstring injury. Even then, he said he wasn't near 100 percent. He just wanted to play that badly.
"They'll watch me first couple games and then get back to me," he added.
Cobb spent all of his football life playing mostly quarterback, but when he returned from his injury, he primarily played corner. That's where Baylor -- and programs including Texas, Alabama, TCU and Cincinnati are recruiting him. I'll keep in touch with him and monitor the start of his junior season. There's a chance that by then, his name will be well known.
-Jake Shaw
Hudson wrapup
When you watch Silsbee 2016 offensive tackle Patrick Hudson, you can understand why Baylor will have a fight on its hands to keep him a part of this recruiting class.
Hudson, who switched his commitment from Texas A&M to the Bears on July 18, has a tape that is electric. He is light on his feet. He runs a 5.1 in the 40 and moves so well laterally, that you can't teach it. It's a gift.
"It's his size, strength and ability,'' Silsbee defensive coordinator Hiawatha Hickman said. "He runs like a guy who weighs 200 pounds, even though he wears a size 17 shoe. We pull our tackles a lot, and sometimes he outruns our quarterback on plays. He's just a big ole Teddy Bear. But the scary thing is that he's not done growing.''
Hickman believes Hudson (6-5, 325) can reach 6-7. But it's in the genes. Hudson's mother is 6-1. His father is 6-4 and other relatives are just as tall. Couple that and Hudson's natural athleticisim and that's why the term, "freak" is used.
"When we took him to Texas A&M, the nutritionist thought he weighed 275. Everybody was pretty shocked,'' Hickman said. "But I don't think this over. Auburn has called about him and Texas wants him to come up and visit.''
Just trying to find Hudson can be a challenge. He doesn't have a cell phone and isn't a part of the social media network.
"He's just someone who isn't interested in that,'' Hickman said. "His grades are solid. He's a good kid.''
-Kevin Lonnquist
Williams still growing
All Deonte Williams could do was pump his fist when he learned of his Baylor offer. The 2016 Plano Prestonwood linebacker (6-2, 218) had been spied by Baylor linebackers coach Jim Gush as a freshman.
Baylor became one of the first two offers Williams has received. The other is TCU. Texas Tech may be closer to extending. But it didn't change the fact that Williams was genuinely enthralled by the Baylor coaching staff's act.
"I was pretty pumped,'' Williams said. "I wasn't expecting early offers. But I know the work I put in meant something. I really appreciated what was going on.''
Williams is still in a discovery phase. He has noted how Baylor's defense plays a very intense and physical brand of ball. He also liked how hard this unit, under defensive coordinator Phil Bennett, runs to the football.
One of his strengths is that he can cover in space. Prestonwood coach Chris Cunningham plays Williams at both outside linebacker and defensive end. His 4.6 speed is acceptable, but he wants to lower it to 4.5. Currently, his shuttle is 4.24 while his bench is 270 and his squad is 365.
Williams is also coming off a pretty strong 7-on-7 season in which he helped Preston reach the state Division I championship game (losing to Graham, 47-45). As fall camp begins, he is keeping his options opens but wants to schedule a visit to Baylor as soon as he can.
"I'd like to get there during fall camp,'' he said. "Right now, I'm just trying to look at all of my options. I'm interested in everyone. I want to take it slow.''
-Kevin Lonnquist
Why Rhodes went to Bowling Green
When SicEmSports reported Tuesday that everything pointed to former Baylor wide receiver Robbie Rhodes heading to Bowling Green (that's now official), we cited that the move made sense because former Baylor assistant Dino Babers just took over that program.
Rhodes was dismissed from the Baylor program on June 23 for undisclosed reasons but later admitted by his father Reggie as mistakes. He will leave for Mid-American Conference school next Thursday and will report on Aug. 1. Rhodes will redshirt in 2014 so he will have three years of eligibility remaining.
"When Dino talked to Robbie, he pretty much laid out there what the expectations were and that he wanted Robbie to take advantage of this,'' Robbie's father Reggie Rhodes said. "Dino told him he wanted to treat Robbie like they were their All American because they don't get All-Americans. They're giving him a chance to be the guy.''
Rhodes, who was ranked No. 69 when he signed with Baylor in 2013, struggled as a freshman with 10 receptions for 157 yards and battled through a severe ankle injury. But off-the-field issues remained.
On June 3, the McLennan County District Attorney's office decided not to pursue misdemeanor marijuana possession charges. That was on June 3. Rhodes was arrested on May 2 following a routine traffic stop.
Still, a person of Rhodes' talent was worth the risk. While there were whispers of a return to Baylor, they never materialized, Reggie said. "Quite a few schools" contacted the Rhodes family. However, Reggie declined to name specifics.
We do know that several junior colleges tried to lure Robbie to their campus' for a year. However, those efforts vanished pretty quickly.
What Reggie is hoping for is that his son will take advantage of this opportunity of leaving Texas for this fresh start in Ohio. There should be a little peace of mind because Reggie's Multiple Myeloma remains in remission.
"We know that everything was a learning experience,'' Reggie said. "There have been a lot of things that have been said. Some are true. Some are not true. But that's over.
"Robbie knows what his responsibility is and that he's going to be more determined. I think my health gives Robbie a better feeling about leaving Texas. We tried in state. Now, it's time to leave.''
-Kevin Lonnquist
Adidas Super 64 in Las Vegas
The U17-U15 AAU tournament began in Las Vegas on Thursday. Baylor assistants Jerome Tang and Grant McCasland had plenty to watch with the tournament ongoing through Sunday.
Among several of the 2015 recruits Baylor is locked into:
Kerwin Roach (6-4), SG, Galena Park North Shore: There's been a lot of momentum behind the 3-star standout's recruitment over the last two weeks. Baylor recently offered him. His versatility has been very noticeable.
Rashard Odomes (6-5), SG, Copperas Cove: Baylor has offered Odomes, a 3-star. Of course, anyone from Copperas Cove will feel that Baylor tug (See RG3). However, Odomes doesn't have an official visit to Baylor planned. He is expected to official at Oklahoma at the end of August.
Jordan Murphy (6-7), SF, SA Brennan: Rivals No. 103 recruit is Odomes teammate on the D1 Ambassadors. He holds 11 offers including Baylor.
-Kevin Lonnquist
GASO - Duncanville
In attendance and playing with Texas PRO was 6-foot-10, Jarrett Allen from the class of 2016. Allen drew crowds of high major coaches as he showed that he could dominate a game on both ends of the floor. Defensively, Allen plays in the paint and protects the rim with his long arms and slender body. On the offensive end he gets big and asks for the ball high and uses spin moves and works hard to finish at the rim or use a soft hook with either hand. Allen will make a big push for being the top player in the 2016 class.
Allen helped Texas PRO to a GASO Title and it was their second in as many weeks.
"We came out here with high expectations after winning the GMI in Houston last weekend," said Allen. "We started off a little sluggish and didn't show well, but we got better and stronger as we played more games. I think we were to cocky, and realized that the competition is strong and we got our act together and put a run together."
Offers have come in from Texas, Baylor, Houston, Kansas State, TCU, Kansas and SMU.
-Texas Hoops
Emptying the Notebook
>As you know, Baylor will unveil the RG3 statue around 3:00 p.m. before the Aug. 31 opener against SMU. It's probably been reported elsewhere but if not, we have been told Robert Griffin III is expected to be there for the unveiling. It's unclear if he would have time to stay for the game.
>Baylor's men's basketball game against Texas A&M on Dec. 9 has been scheduled for an 8:00 p.m. start and will be shown on ESPN2.
>Southlake Carroll 2016 S prospect Obi Eboh has a good feeling about Baylor. He also believes Baylor has a good feeling about him too. He said he had a good camp on July 18, his second after attending the June 6 camp in Lake Highlands. "I'm going to send them my film to look at from September,'' Eboh said. Eboh just picked up his second offer from Duke on Thursday.
>Although he stated Texas, Texas A&M and Houston were his three favorites, Houston Westfield 2016 DT Ed Oliver's mother told SicEmSports that he has interest in Baylor. While there hasn't been much contact between him and the staff, his mother said her son is aware that can change. Don't be surprised if Baylor
works its way into this recruitment even more.
>Duncanville SG Matthew McQuaid, who recently de-committed from SMU, has reportedly said Baylor has interest in him. McQauid is rated No. 87 by Rivals.
>From the things that make you go hmm department: When we reported TCU offered Keller Fossil Ridge 2015 S and Baylor commit Montrel Wilson, we asked him on three different occasions if this is making him re-think anything. We have not received a response.
>Baylor is not alone offering Kennedale 2017 LB Baron Browning. Arkansas has now offered him.
>Five former Baylor football players will be recognized as Baylor Football Legends during select 2014 home football games, Baylor officials announced Thursday. Each honoree will be introduced on the field during their respective game, while a short video details their playing careers for the Bears. They will be C.J. Wilson on Aug. 31 against SMU; Joel Porter ( on Sept. 6 against Northwestern State, Albert Fontenot on Oct. 11 against TCU, Trent Shelton on Nov. 22 against Oklahoma State and Mark Cochran on Dec. 6 against Kansas State.
-SicEmSports
