Kevin and I answer your questions from the latest mailbag this week...
Q: Given that Nate Craig-Myers (I couldn't resist, Kevin) has recently de-committed from Auburn, has he heard from Baylor since that time? Do we honestly see a realistic chance of Nate visiting Baylor at some point this summer? If he doesn't visit then, isn't there a better than decent chance that Baylor would be a stop within his allowed 5 official visits?
A: I answered this to an extent last week when it was posted that Craig-Myers had re-opened his recruitment. As of late last week, he has not heard from Baylor. And the red flag for me was when he said Baylor decided to re-schedule a visit with him. My interpretation is that Baylor is not putting a lot of energy into this because the staff has other wide receiver priorities. So the less contact that is made, the less desire he has to come visit to Texas. Should that be the trend, I don’t think Baylor will stay in this recruitment for the duration of when he commits to a new program or decides to re-commit to Auburn.
-Kevin
Q: Regarding the QB position for 2017...I realize Denton Guyer QB Shawn Robinson is Baylor's top QB target in that class. It is my understanding that the staff also likes Chris Robison from Mesquite Horn. All kidding aside, can Chris earn a Baylor offer at one of this year's Baylor summer camps? Chris has attended several BU camps in the past, so I have to think he has real interest in Baylor. But, do our coaches play things out for a while longer with Shawn, or go ahead and put that offer on the table for Chris if he shows his stuff at a camp?
A: Two things, I don’t have much of a relationship with Shawn Robinson and need to get in touch with him about his recruitment so far. That being said, all of us writers talk and I have heard Robinson grew up a big UT fan, for what it’s worth. I have met Chris Robison on a few occasions, at the state 7-on-7 tournament last summer and at the recent Rivals Camp in Dallas. He had great things to say about the Baylor coaches and mentioned Baylor as a program he is very interested in. With another successful season and more video game numbers on offense, you can expect the coaches to continue taking their pick at the quarterback position for years to come. Even if the ‘grew up a fan of’ things hold any weight, the program in Austin isn’t lighting up the scoreboard anytime soon and that could deter some of these elite prospects.
-Matt
Q: As we approach football summer camp season for Baylor, can you give me your best estimate/guess of the 5 prospects you think are most likely to get offered that do not currently have a Baylor offer? They can be in any order and from any class (be it 2017, 2018, etc.).
A: Baylor is going to continue to be very judicious when it comes to offering 2017s recruits in my judgment. I wouldn’t expect a surge of these coming. However, I think Baylor really likes Abilene running back Abram Smith but hasn’t been out there yet (the last I checked was Friday). If he camps and performs well, I think he gets one. Wylie East RB Eno Benjamin has a chance. Baylor is starting to look at Mexia QB Jaylen Gipson. This is going to be the first camp where Art and Kendal Briles are going to have to be on the same page when it comes to QB decisions. I could also see the staff moving on LaGrange RB J.K. Dobbins. I also believe they want to see the Louisiana athlete Keldrick Carper. He’s from Plain Dealing.
-Kevin
Q: Does Kam Martin stay committed all the way through NSD?
A: My answer is yes. Kameron is saying all of the right things, but as you all are aware, there are all types of inexplicable things that happen with recruiting. This is another example of a kid that ‘grew up a fan of’ Texas, had orange walls in his bedroom and idolized Jamal Charles growing up. However, that offer from Texas came very late in the process for Martin and I just don’t think that is something he will forget. The Baylor coaches are all in with him at the running back position in 2016 and he feels the same way about the Baylor program.
-Matt
Q: With a few of the big name "offers" you have mentioned like McTelvin Agim that plan to attend at least one Baylor camp this summer, I am unclear if they are planning to actually "work out" for the coaches or just be there to visit and to observe? I have noticed in past years that some kids that already have Baylor offers like Holton Hill who came and attended say the Houston camp last summer but just watched and visited with our coaches but didn't work out (ie, obviously, he didn't need to prove himself any more to our coaches at that point).
A: You’re going to find that to be the case with the big names showing up but not camping. Agim, Dontavious Jackson and Kellen Diesch would be candidates. However, kids want to compete. So I don’t think the staff is necessarily going to discourage that from happening. In some cases, they may want to see more of that recruit because they want to be sure they’re right about what they have seen. What better place to do it than in a camp where the eyes are just a few feet away.
-Kevin
Q: I know contact between Baylor and Marquez Stevenson had ground basically to a halt. However, with the spring evaluation period going on currently, has Marquez heard even a single word at all from Baylor? I noticed that Marquez is up to 14 offers now and was just curious. I know our top targets are Duvernay and Dickson, etc.
A: I don’t have a definitive yes or no for you here, but I imagine the coaches are at least keeping in touch with an offered prospect once in a while. Camps and combines are not football games, but I met Marquez at the Rivals Camp in Dallas and personally feel there are a dozen receiver prospects like him right here in Texas. The Baylor coaches covet speed and Stevenson is a good prospect at the receiver position, it’s just that the coaches have the luxury of aiming high at the moment with the other prospects that you have mentioned.
-Matt
Q: Is Illinois the new "Baylor North"? I saw where Baylor just offered Illinois HS tight end Cole Kmet. Thoughts? Is Kenney Lyke Baylor's best chance at this point to land a kid out of that state?
A: Let’s tap the brakes there. The program has to get a commitment from Illinois first before we can go with that designation. But I do think Lyke is their best chance. I’m just going with my gut, but I think they’re going to get him. I think the only way the staff can keep working its way forward with DL Mike Panasuik is if it can get him to come down to Texas to visit. Then those chances will go up. I don’t see it right now with Josh King because he has so many options.
-Kevin
Q: Who are the top 10 2016'ers that the staff would love to have regardless of position while at the same time being realistic. In other words, I know they'd love to have 1-10 on the Rivals list, but again, realistically, who is the staff's top 10 if all the pieces fell into place?
A: WR Tren’Davion Dickson, OL Jean Delance, WR Devin Duvernay, DT Chris Daniels, DE Levi Onwuzurike, OLB Mark Jackson, DB Kenny Lyle, DB Eric Monroe, DT Bravvion Roy and LB Dontavious Jackson.
Those are the ‘Top 10’ players that come to mind for me, but give me until the end of this spring evaluation period to put together a ‘hot board’ of current offers by position and some of the prospects receiving interest by position.
-Matt
Q: Last year it seemed like Malik Jefferson was the recruit who a lot of other recruits were looking to to see where he would go, and that appeared to really work on recruiting other kids himself. Who is that type of guy for 2016?
Did you see anything in the spring, scheme wise, that will look different to us this fall on either side of the ball? Other than the Titanic End (c). Made that up myself. I publicly claim a copyright on that, now that I think of it. That is way better than Kenny Trill.
Any word on Davion Hall's health?
A: I’ll start in reverse order.
-I’m hearing Davion Hall is 100 percent and should be ready for fall camp.
-As for the scheme, I dropped a hint about Blake Lynch in the award-winning “What was he Thinking?” segment. However, I just get this sense that the coaching staff is going to try and do a little more to involve the tight ends. I know. I know. I know. But Tre’Von Armstead has a great set of hands. That could be my bias because my favorite play for any offense is the tight end seam route.
-That’s a tough one but I I’m going to go with Manor LB Erick Fowler. Yeah, I know it’s another LB. But he’s one of those who could set the tone for other big-name players. We keep hearing Baylor is in a good position for him. If he were to choose Baylor, I have to believe it sets the tone for the program to net maybe two other big name defensive recruits. Manvel safety Deontay Anderson is another name that fits that description.
-Kevin
Q: So we know Bravvion Roy is high on Baylor, but do we know any other DT's that are really high on Baylor? I look at the offers and I feel that the majority of these guys are not going to commit to us. This is a position of need, so I'm curious to see your thoughts.
A: You bring up a good point, I included Chris Daniels from Euless Trinity above and believe Texas A&M or Oklahoma is going to be the team to beat there. Michael Williams from Fort Worth All-Saints comes to mind as well, but I believe Oklahoma State leads there. This is why waiting until after the spring evaluation period is important, because the coaches are just as anxious to find these defensive tackle prospects.
The coaches did offer Lake Park (Illinois) defensive tackle Mike Panasiuk last week and Duncanville (Texas) defensive tackle Marcel Southall the week before. No idea on either prospect’s thoughts on Baylor at this point, but I do know that Southall is blowing up with new offers on a weekly basis – Nick Sabin and Alabama offered last night.
Food for thought though, about a month ago not a single person telling you the truth knew who Marcel Southall was before these offers started rolling in. That being said, there is a kid down here in Houston at Yates playing defensive tackle – Anthony Watts. He is 6-foot-5, 280-pounds and I expect more offers to continue rolling in as coaches are coming through during the evaluation period.
-Matt
Q: Who will be in charge of special teams? If we can afford to light up the bridge over I 35 for half a mil, surely we can afford a dedicated special teams coach.
A: I really don’t foresee anything changing with special teams than what we have seen in previous seasons.
-Kevin
Q: Given that Nate Craig-Myers (I couldn't resist, Kevin) has recently de-committed from Auburn, has he heard from Baylor since that time? Do we honestly see a realistic chance of Nate visiting Baylor at some point this summer? If he doesn't visit then, isn't there a better than decent chance that Baylor would be a stop within his allowed 5 official visits?
A: I answered this to an extent last week when it was posted that Craig-Myers had re-opened his recruitment. As of late last week, he has not heard from Baylor. And the red flag for me was when he said Baylor decided to re-schedule a visit with him. My interpretation is that Baylor is not putting a lot of energy into this because the staff has other wide receiver priorities. So the less contact that is made, the less desire he has to come visit to Texas. Should that be the trend, I don’t think Baylor will stay in this recruitment for the duration of when he commits to a new program or decides to re-commit to Auburn.
-Kevin
Q: Regarding the QB position for 2017...I realize Denton Guyer QB Shawn Robinson is Baylor's top QB target in that class. It is my understanding that the staff also likes Chris Robison from Mesquite Horn. All kidding aside, can Chris earn a Baylor offer at one of this year's Baylor summer camps? Chris has attended several BU camps in the past, so I have to think he has real interest in Baylor. But, do our coaches play things out for a while longer with Shawn, or go ahead and put that offer on the table for Chris if he shows his stuff at a camp?
A: Two things, I don’t have much of a relationship with Shawn Robinson and need to get in touch with him about his recruitment so far. That being said, all of us writers talk and I have heard Robinson grew up a big UT fan, for what it’s worth. I have met Chris Robison on a few occasions, at the state 7-on-7 tournament last summer and at the recent Rivals Camp in Dallas. He had great things to say about the Baylor coaches and mentioned Baylor as a program he is very interested in. With another successful season and more video game numbers on offense, you can expect the coaches to continue taking their pick at the quarterback position for years to come. Even if the ‘grew up a fan of’ things hold any weight, the program in Austin isn’t lighting up the scoreboard anytime soon and that could deter some of these elite prospects.
-Matt
Q: As we approach football summer camp season for Baylor, can you give me your best estimate/guess of the 5 prospects you think are most likely to get offered that do not currently have a Baylor offer? They can be in any order and from any class (be it 2017, 2018, etc.).
A: Baylor is going to continue to be very judicious when it comes to offering 2017s recruits in my judgment. I wouldn’t expect a surge of these coming. However, I think Baylor really likes Abilene running back Abram Smith but hasn’t been out there yet (the last I checked was Friday). If he camps and performs well, I think he gets one. Wylie East RB Eno Benjamin has a chance. Baylor is starting to look at Mexia QB Jaylen Gipson. This is going to be the first camp where Art and Kendal Briles are going to have to be on the same page when it comes to QB decisions. I could also see the staff moving on LaGrange RB J.K. Dobbins. I also believe they want to see the Louisiana athlete Keldrick Carper. He’s from Plain Dealing.
-Kevin
Q: Does Kam Martin stay committed all the way through NSD?
A: My answer is yes. Kameron is saying all of the right things, but as you all are aware, there are all types of inexplicable things that happen with recruiting. This is another example of a kid that ‘grew up a fan of’ Texas, had orange walls in his bedroom and idolized Jamal Charles growing up. However, that offer from Texas came very late in the process for Martin and I just don’t think that is something he will forget. The Baylor coaches are all in with him at the running back position in 2016 and he feels the same way about the Baylor program.
-Matt
Q: With a few of the big name "offers" you have mentioned like McTelvin Agim that plan to attend at least one Baylor camp this summer, I am unclear if they are planning to actually "work out" for the coaches or just be there to visit and to observe? I have noticed in past years that some kids that already have Baylor offers like Holton Hill who came and attended say the Houston camp last summer but just watched and visited with our coaches but didn't work out (ie, obviously, he didn't need to prove himself any more to our coaches at that point).
A: You’re going to find that to be the case with the big names showing up but not camping. Agim, Dontavious Jackson and Kellen Diesch would be candidates. However, kids want to compete. So I don’t think the staff is necessarily going to discourage that from happening. In some cases, they may want to see more of that recruit because they want to be sure they’re right about what they have seen. What better place to do it than in a camp where the eyes are just a few feet away.
-Kevin
Q: I know contact between Baylor and Marquez Stevenson had ground basically to a halt. However, with the spring evaluation period going on currently, has Marquez heard even a single word at all from Baylor? I noticed that Marquez is up to 14 offers now and was just curious. I know our top targets are Duvernay and Dickson, etc.
A: I don’t have a definitive yes or no for you here, but I imagine the coaches are at least keeping in touch with an offered prospect once in a while. Camps and combines are not football games, but I met Marquez at the Rivals Camp in Dallas and personally feel there are a dozen receiver prospects like him right here in Texas. The Baylor coaches covet speed and Stevenson is a good prospect at the receiver position, it’s just that the coaches have the luxury of aiming high at the moment with the other prospects that you have mentioned.
-Matt
Q: Is Illinois the new "Baylor North"? I saw where Baylor just offered Illinois HS tight end Cole Kmet. Thoughts? Is Kenney Lyke Baylor's best chance at this point to land a kid out of that state?
A: Let’s tap the brakes there. The program has to get a commitment from Illinois first before we can go with that designation. But I do think Lyke is their best chance. I’m just going with my gut, but I think they’re going to get him. I think the only way the staff can keep working its way forward with DL Mike Panasuik is if it can get him to come down to Texas to visit. Then those chances will go up. I don’t see it right now with Josh King because he has so many options.
-Kevin
Q: Who are the top 10 2016'ers that the staff would love to have regardless of position while at the same time being realistic. In other words, I know they'd love to have 1-10 on the Rivals list, but again, realistically, who is the staff's top 10 if all the pieces fell into place?
A: WR Tren’Davion Dickson, OL Jean Delance, WR Devin Duvernay, DT Chris Daniels, DE Levi Onwuzurike, OLB Mark Jackson, DB Kenny Lyle, DB Eric Monroe, DT Bravvion Roy and LB Dontavious Jackson.
Those are the ‘Top 10’ players that come to mind for me, but give me until the end of this spring evaluation period to put together a ‘hot board’ of current offers by position and some of the prospects receiving interest by position.
-Matt
Q: Last year it seemed like Malik Jefferson was the recruit who a lot of other recruits were looking to to see where he would go, and that appeared to really work on recruiting other kids himself. Who is that type of guy for 2016?
Did you see anything in the spring, scheme wise, that will look different to us this fall on either side of the ball? Other than the Titanic End (c). Made that up myself. I publicly claim a copyright on that, now that I think of it. That is way better than Kenny Trill.
Any word on Davion Hall's health?
A: I’ll start in reverse order.
-I’m hearing Davion Hall is 100 percent and should be ready for fall camp.
-As for the scheme, I dropped a hint about Blake Lynch in the award-winning “What was he Thinking?” segment. However, I just get this sense that the coaching staff is going to try and do a little more to involve the tight ends. I know. I know. I know. But Tre’Von Armstead has a great set of hands. That could be my bias because my favorite play for any offense is the tight end seam route.
-That’s a tough one but I I’m going to go with Manor LB Erick Fowler. Yeah, I know it’s another LB. But he’s one of those who could set the tone for other big-name players. We keep hearing Baylor is in a good position for him. If he were to choose Baylor, I have to believe it sets the tone for the program to net maybe two other big name defensive recruits. Manvel safety Deontay Anderson is another name that fits that description.
-Kevin
Q: So we know Bravvion Roy is high on Baylor, but do we know any other DT's that are really high on Baylor? I look at the offers and I feel that the majority of these guys are not going to commit to us. This is a position of need, so I'm curious to see your thoughts.
A: You bring up a good point, I included Chris Daniels from Euless Trinity above and believe Texas A&M or Oklahoma is going to be the team to beat there. Michael Williams from Fort Worth All-Saints comes to mind as well, but I believe Oklahoma State leads there. This is why waiting until after the spring evaluation period is important, because the coaches are just as anxious to find these defensive tackle prospects.
The coaches did offer Lake Park (Illinois) defensive tackle Mike Panasiuk last week and Duncanville (Texas) defensive tackle Marcel Southall the week before. No idea on either prospect’s thoughts on Baylor at this point, but I do know that Southall is blowing up with new offers on a weekly basis – Nick Sabin and Alabama offered last night.
Food for thought though, about a month ago not a single person telling you the truth knew who Marcel Southall was before these offers started rolling in. That being said, there is a kid down here in Houston at Yates playing defensive tackle – Anthony Watts. He is 6-foot-5, 280-pounds and I expect more offers to continue rolling in as coaches are coming through during the evaluation period.
-Matt
Q: Who will be in charge of special teams? If we can afford to light up the bridge over I 35 for half a mil, surely we can afford a dedicated special teams coach.
A: I really don’t foresee anything changing with special teams than what we have seen in previous seasons.
-Kevin
