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.
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NOTE: SicEmSports has learned that there is exploratory work being conducted regarding the Baylor football program’s 2016 season opener. We have learned there is the potential for Baylor to open that season overseas. It is not clear if a potential game would be played in either Great Britain or in a location in either Asia or Australia. We have also learned that the opponent could come from the Pac 12 conference. Opponents could include California, Oregon, Washington State and Arizona State. Each school opens the 2016 season with an FCS opponent. Utah also opens 2016 with an FCS opponent. However, Baylor and Utah have already agreed to a series in 2023 and 2024. Baylor opens the 2016 season with FCS Northwestern State. This is very early. This is also very fluid. As is the SicEmSports policy, we request that this be kept on this board only. We will update you as to how much momentum is gained through this development.
Fitzgerald’s busy schedule
Flower Mound Marcus 2016 defensive end Andrew Fitzgerald took a chance about making the visit to Baylor on Tuesday afternoon. He wasn’t exactly sure if an offer was going to be extended.
But after six hours of visiting the school, touring the entire campus and visiting with a business school professor, Baylor did its part by offering the 3-star prospect.
“My mom [Cindy] was excited and it’s a great honor to be offered by Baylor,’’ Fitzgerald said. “I’ve been speaking with coach [Jim] Gush just about every week for the last month. I’ve been talking with him since I was a sophomore. I feel like I know him really well.
“I liked the tour of the school. I talked with a business professor for a few minutes and got enough of a feel for things to understand what they can do. I want to study business. But I liked that the student-teacher ratio was 16-to-1.’’
Fitzgerald (6-5, 245) has also started a rapport with defensive line coach Chris Achuff. Fitzgerald is tall enough and lean enough to play either on the perimeter or in a 3-point stance. He said that many of the schools recruiting him have talked to him about playing end or defensive tackle. Baylor is one of them.
Besides his size, Fitzgerald is an attractive recruit because of his first step off the line of scrimmage. That helped him to have an impressive 2014 season. He collected 70 tackles (17 tackles for loss), nine sacks and 21 QB hurries.
This is going to be an important next couple of weeks for Fitzgerald. For the week of June 15, Fitzgerald plans to take road trips to Kansas State, North Carolina, Vanderbilt and Iowa. Once that trip is over, he said he could use the next two weeks to take other regional trips.
Another trip to Baylor is possible. This time it would be with his father Bryan.
Once those have concluded, Fitzgerald wants to narrow his finalists to either five or 10. However, he wants to make his commitment decision before the start of the 2015 season.
“I feel pretty good about the way my game is growing,’’ he said. “I have to keep working on my technique. I want to find a place that’s really going to fit me with the program and academically.’’
-Kevin Lonnquist
Options for Porter
Katy (Texas) running back Kyle Porter does not really like the limelight and usually stays away from any interviews, but we connected with the four-star prospect to get an update on his recruitment.
“Things are good, we had a great spring and really worked on getting better going into next season,” Porter said. “With recruiting, there are a handful of schools that are recruiting me or showing the most interest. Baylor, Texas and TCU are the programs here in state and Arkansas, Oregon and Northwestern are the out of state programs recruiting me.
“I have offers from each program and plan on taking some visits this summer, then I should be able to get a better idea of who I really like and what programs are standing out for me. At the moment, everyone is equal and I will just continue to pray about it.”
New Baylor offensive coordinator Kendal Briles is recruiting Porter for the Bears and has continued to show interest.
“I connect with Coach Kendal Briles from Baylor,” Porter said. “He told me the coaches really like me and want to get me up there for a visit this summer. I’m going to visit Waco sometime later in the summer, just not sure of the date at the moment.
“I will visit Baylor, Arkansas, Texas, Oregon and probably Northwestern. That should give me a better idea of where I might fit best, but I will see where things stand from there.”
The 6-foot, 192-pound standout is listed at all-purpose back and college programs have talked about using him in a variety of ways.
“I played both running back and slot receiver for the past few years,” Porter said. “Coaches have talked with me about coming in as an athlete on offense, playing some in the slot and helping on special teams. I don’t really have a preference and just want to play football.”
Porter is the No. 3 overall all-purpose back in the nation, the No. 196 prospect in the latest Rivals250 national rankings and the No. 23 player in the Rivals Texas Spring Top 100 for the 2016 class.
-Matt Clare
Calloway’s second visit
Baylor wanted to get the jumpstart on Dallas Bishop Dunne 2017 defensive back Chevin Calloway when it offered in April. Calloway then visited about two weeks later,
The Rivals100 defensive back made a second appearance on the Baylor campus this past Sunday for the final leg of the camp series. Calloway didn’t go through any workouts but consider the Bears in a good early position for this talented secondary prospect to make two trips in about five weeks.
He came to Baylor’s camp to support Bishop Dunne teammates. But he also understands that his arrival meant more than that.
“I like Baylor right now,’’ Calloway said. “The treat me like family. I like how they’re doing everything and keeping in contact with me and my coaches. I like the feel for the program, and they’re showing a lot of love. That’s something that means a lot. They’re definitely at the top right now.’’
Calloway’s recruiting is far from over. And his offer list will not stop growing either. He already has 21 offers including reigning national champion Ohio State, Alabama, Notre Dame and LSU. Baylor is one of six Big 12 teams to offer. He plans to take summer visits to Ole Miss, Notre Dame and Michigan.
Although he was a spectator at the camp, Calloway said he got a better feel of how the coaching staff worked the players through the drills. He prides himself on playing man defense and said he paid attention to that as the camp unfolded.
There’s a long way to go in the recruiting process with Calloway. But it’s clear he’s one of Baylor’s major secondary targets.
“I don’t want to rush anything and get caught up in everything,’’ he said. “I’m still grinding and working hard. I’m still doing what I need to do. I’m going to take my visits and look at the different schools that have offered. I’m taking it one step at a time.’’
-Kevin Lonnquist
From 60 to 10
Alief (Texas) Elsik inside linebacker Dontavious Jackson currently holds over 60 FBS offers and recently narrowed things down to 18 programs, including the Baylor Bears.
“I tried to narrow things down as much as I could for now,” Jackson said. “It’s a work in progress, but 18 is what I ended up with and the goal is to have it down to 7-10 programs by the end of this summer.”
Why did Baylor make the cut this time around?
“I have a close relationship with the Baylor coaches, that’s the main reason,” Jackson said. “I talk with three different coaches from Baylor on a weekly basis – Coach (Cris) Dishman and Coach (Jim) Gush mostly. They want me at inside linebacker and feel that I could really help their defense right away.
“I might get out to see Baylor again sometime, but I’m mostly trying to visit some out of state programs this summer. I’m visiting the West Coast to see USC, UCLA and Utah. Then I’m going to visit all of the Florida schools – Miami, Florida and Florida State as well.”
The 6-foot-3, 239-pound linebacker is the No. 12 rated inside linebacker in the nation and the No. 36 player in the Rivals Texas Spring Top 100 for the 2016 class.
-Matt Clare
Courtney Lark: Baylor still pursuing
Bellaire (Texas) wide receiver Courtney Lark committed to TCU this past January, but the decision hasn’t kept other programs from continuing to recruit the four-star prospect.
“Baylor had backed off for a while, but they are starting to come back into the picture again,” Lark said. “I have connected with Coach (Kendal) Briles. He was originally recruiting me and just told me they are still trying to add receivers to their class.
“There are a lot of schools like that – Texas Tech, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Alabama and Oklahoma. I’m mostly still building relationships with every coach that shows interest because you never know. I plan on taking some additional visits this summer, but I’m just not sure where yet.”
Lark is the No. 38 overall wide receiver prospect in the nation, the No. 179 prospect in the latest Rivals250 national rankings and the No. 21 player on the Rivals Texas Spring Top 100 for the 2016 class.
-Matt Clare
JUCO OL enjoyed Baylor
Lackawanna C.C. offensive lineman Ashton Julious took an official visit to Baylor last week. He also had an unofficial visit to North Carolina State before he came to Waco.
The 6-7, 330-pound prospect is in demand as other schools are involved including Oklahoma, Arizona State and Central Florida. Julious is not in a position to make any commitment decision. He wants to visit other schools including Oklahoma. At this point, he said he doesn’t have anything scheduled.
But he liked his visit to Waco and came away with a good experience. Baylor would like to add at least one more offensive lineman to the 2016 class. Julious can sign in December and enroll in January.
“It was different, but Waco was cool and they have nice facilities like NC State has,’’ Julious said. “I love the coaches and they are cool with me. They showed me around to all of the facilities.’’
There are no apparent leaders at this point. Julious considers everyone equal to this point. He wants to make sure that wherever he goes will be the best fit for him.
But the Bears are likely waiting to see what Trophy Club Byron Nelson’s Kellen Diesch will do with his decision. Baylor appears to be a finalist with Arkansas and Texas A&M. Oklahoma’s status doesn’t seem as strong as it once was.
-Kevin Lonnquist & Jacey Zembel
Baylor offers Houston Yates guard
Jacob Young of Houston Yates/Howard Elite added his second offer last Thursday, after he visited the campus of Baylor University, prior to making his weekend stop at the Bryan College Station Great American Shoot-Out.
Young's other offer is from Duquesne.
"It was nice and I liked the coaches," said Young. "I played with the players and liked their style of play. The campus is beautiful, but it's early so we will see what happens."
While playing on the Howard Elite squad that competed on the adidas Gauntlet circuit, Young was the leading scorer for the entire series averaging over 27ppg.
When watching Young, no matter with his high school squad or traveling team, it's safe to say that he is a volume shooter. Not a label that most players what to have, but Young had a quick response.
"Yes I shoot a lot, but I can score. I feel comfortable on the court and confident in my abilities to get the ball in the basket. I know that at the next level I will have to take my time and run more of the point and I am okay with that. I am not the biggest player out on the court, so I will have to change my game up to be more of a pass first player on offense."
-Texas Hoops
JUCO DT visit?
For several weeks, Snow College defensive tackle Handsome Tanileu has continued a dialogue with the Baylor coaching staff. He’s been speaking with defensive line coach Chris Achuff. When Baylor puts together a plan for him to visit and potentially offer is still to be determined.
But the Bears are interested in the 4-star prospect. Tanileu (6-2, 305) has offers from 13 other programs led by Penn State, Missouri and BYU. Baylor has been following him since the time he played high school football in Hawaii.
“They told me my recruiting depends on what happens if their [Andrew Billings] leaves for the [NFL] draft,’’ he said. “I have a lot to offer. I feel like I can do it. I’m one of the top defensive tackles for a reason.’’
While confidence isn’t in short supply, Tanileu also does carry a measure of humility. A member of the LDS faith, he took a mission to Charlotte to spread his church’s message. He spent a year on the road. Tanileu returned with a sense of who he was and what he needed to do to keep improving in 2014. Tanileu also had to fight through a hamstring injury.
“[The mission] helped me to identify who I was and what I really wanted,’’ Tanileu said. “My goals became really clear to me when I was helping other people. I realized that I could use football as a way to help those around me.’’
When he’s done with football Tanileu said he wants to be trainer for those players who are training for the annual NFL combine. He can also see himself coaching at the Division I level. He feels comfortable being a recruiter.
Should Tanileu visit Baylor soon, he plans to visit Oklahoma. Texas, Missouri and possibly Houston.
-Kevin Lonnquist
It’s not over
Even when Palatine (IL) Fremd safety Kenney Lyke gave his verbal commitment to Michigan State last month, there didn’t seem to be a sense of finality to it.
On June 1, SicEmSports reported that there was a chance Lyke could visit Baylor in July. Lyke recently confirmed his intentions. He said he hopes to visit Baylor in July. What he’s trying to resolve is if he can take an official visit in the summer or if he has to wait for the 2015-16 academic calendar to begin to do so. Seniors can take official visits. Underclassmen cannot.
But what this does validate is that Baylor’s presence in the 3-star safety’s recruiting hasn’t dissolved. There had been some behind-the-scenes discussions that Michigan State may have pressured Lyke to make his decision early because of an availability of remaining secondary scholarships.
Should Lyke be able to make it to Texas, consider this recruitment resumed with Baylor right in the middle of it.
-Kevin Lonnquist
Hoping Baylor will notice
Pearland (Texas) safety Brycen Drenon is making the rounds this camp season and plans to attend the Baylor camp at Episcopal high school next month.
“I have already camped with UTSA, Texas Tech and Lamar,” Drenon said. “I’m also camping with Houston, Baylor and Northwestern this next week. The only on campus visits that I might take at the moment are to UTSA and Northwestern for games sometime in the fall.”
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound prospect is still looking for his first offer, but several programs are showing interest of late.
“I’m receiving interest from the coaches at Nevada, Baylor, Houston, Northwestern, Texas A&M and a few other programs,” Drenon said. “Most of the coaches talk with me about playing safety, but coming down into the box and playing some linebacker as well. A few coaches see me actually moving to linebacker at the next level.
“With Baylor, the coaches haven’t mentioned a specific position, but the plan is to camp with them next month and show the coaches what I can do.”
-Matt Clare
Bears watching young DE
Bellaire (Texas) 2017 defensive end Alexander Duke is a prospect hearing from the Baylor coaches and plans to attend the Bears’ second Houston camp on July 17 at Bellaire High School.
“Coach (Kendal) Briles stopped by the school this spring and watched us practice,” Duke said. “We haven’t really connected or anything, but he told my coaches they were interested and invited me out for their camp. I’m going to be there next month at Episcopal.”
The 6-foot-2, 220-pound prospect holds one offer from Kansas, but several programs are showing interest and his recruitment could start to pickup very soon.
“My plan this off season is hitting the weight room and doing a bunch of camps here in the area,” Duke said. “I have already camped with Texas Tech and plan to camp with Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Baylor this next week.
“Kansas is my only offer right now, but coaches from SMU, Nebraska, TCU and Baylor are showing a lot more interest lately.”
-Matt Clare
Emptying the Notebook
>There’s has been some talk through circles had pursued Samford baseball coach Casey Dunn. But it’s not clear if an offer had been made. Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball said there has been some contact with Pepperdine coach Steve Rodriguez. Both are highly thought of as coaches who should be moving up the Division I ranks. Earlier this week Dallas Baptist coach Dan Heefner turned down Baylor’s offer to remain with his school. Houston coach Todd Whitting is also staying with the Cougars.
>Keller 2017 and Rivals150 guard R.J. Nembhard said he plans to take an unofficial visit within the next week. Nembhard is considered one of the best guards in the country in his age group. Baylor has not offered. But that could change once he visits.
>Plano Prestonwood 2016 LB Deonte Williams now has a formal timeline to announce. A commitment decision should be coming from the 3-star prospect around the second week of July. Williams appears to be Baylor’s No. 1 priority. We’ll see if he feels the same way.
>Time will tell if Baylor will offer Keller 2016 defensive Houston Miller. But the 6-4, 230-pound standout ran a 4.54 40 in a test run at the Keller ISD Stadium during the week.
-SicEmSports
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