By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
Baylor commit Bryson Washington and Franklin left the field at AT&T Stadium in Arlington perfect for the second consecutive year.

A 20-yard field goal at the gun lifted Franklin past Brock (out of Weatherford), 17-14, Thursday and claim the Class 3A Division I state title. Franklin won the Division II state title in 2021 before moving up to Division I in the 2022 realignment.

Login to view embedded media Franklin takes a 32-game winning streak into the offseason. In his final game before signing with Baylor on Wednesday, Washington rushed for 87 yards on 26 carries. Unofficially, Washington ends his senior season with 2,131 yards.

Tied at 14 midway through the fourth quarter, Franklin drove to the Brock 3-yard line before setting up the game-winning field goal. The Lions converted a 4th-and-2 at the Brock 35 to keep the possession alive.

Franklin had taken a 14-7 lead early in the fourth quarter on 65-yard fumble return. However, Brock answered on the ensuing possession on a 34-yard touchdown pass.

First of all, congratulations to @efernandez14 for winning the regular season championship, with a 61.4% success rate!



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@matt.hosey got his first weekly win! He got eight out of ten, and nailed the point spread! @seguinagave and @Clairatt also went 8-2. Props to Clairatt for being the only one to get Fresno State right.






We're starting a new PickEm for the Bowls!

I was going to use the championships as the first week of bowls pickem, but several people opted out, so everyone's starting at 0-0, and we'll go from there. Bowls are tricky, cause they're played all week. Just eight games for the first round.

TIEBREAKER: POINT SPREAD SMU-BYU

Friday, December 16

Bahamas Bowl, Nassau, NP, Bahamas
Miami (OH) (6-6) vs University of Alabama Birmingham (6-6)

Duluth Trading Cure Bowl, Orlando, FL
#25 UTSA (11-2) vs #24 Troy (11-2)

Saturday, December 17

Fenway Bowl, Fenway Park, Boston, MA
Cincinnati (9-3) vs Louisville (7-5)

Las Vegas Bowl
Florida (6-6) vs #14 Oregon State (9-3)

LA Bowl, Inglewood, CA
Washington State (7-5) vs Fresno State (9-4)

Lending Tree Bowl, Mobile, Alabama
Rice (6-7) vs Southern Miss (6-6)

New Mexico Bowl, Albuquerque, New Mexico
SMU (7-5) vs BYU (7-5)

Frisco Bowl, Frisco, TX
North Texas (7-6) vs Boise State (9-4)

Early signing period, the portal, what Baylor needs, and a look at the upcoming basketball conference season. Enjoy!



Came in at 21:31

Listen to the podcast here

I'll promote it a little more on Thursday. However, Franklin and RB Bryson Washington play for a state title on Thursday against Brock (Weatherford). He's the lone commit playing as Wes Tucker and Argyle lost in the state semifinals last week. Washington also surpassed 2,000 yards. Obviously, I have also removed Taurean York.

Commitment Chart

Took the day off from the Bookstore to be here to watch the ladies play Tennessee Tech. Attending with 5,000 of my closest elementary school kid friends. Hope to regain my hearing by Christmas.

They're kind of beat up back there. They had to put one guy on IR and he's probably done for the season. That 10.2 better pay off soon.

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Hey, everybody.

I mentioned earlier this week that there might be some movement with defensive commits in the wake of Ron Roberts being fired, and it looks like the first casualty is on the horizon.

I’m projecting that Temple (Texas) LB Taurean York will flip from Baylor to Duke in the coming days. The Blue Devils have always lurked in the shadows in this recruitment and were able to pounce after Roberts’ firing.

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For those interested, BAYLOR WOMENS BB V TENN ST, 11 am, ESPN PLUS....

Also, a note on Blackwell, the talented transfer could be back with the team
soon, fully rehabbed of course and ready for a CHAMPIONSHIP RUN for the
Bears......
Sic 'em Bears, team, fans, be the best you can be........

By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
Baylor got some immediate help for its 2023 offensive line when BYU's Campbell Barrington announced on his IG page he committed to Baylor.

The Bears coaching staff view him as a left tackle for the RVO offense. The key to any offensive line’s success will be at the anchor position, left tackle.

Barrington visited Baylor over the weekend. He was also considering UCLA and Michigan State. He will have two years of eligibility along with a redshirt.

Barrington played in a reserve role for the Cougars this fall appearing in eight games and making no starts.

But the attraction to Baylor is that his older brother Clark played for then BYU and current Baylor offensive line coach Eric Mateos. Campbell and Mateos crossed for only half a season.

“[Clark] says he’s the best coach he’s ever had,’’ Campbell said. “From what Clark told me and being around him a little bit, [Mateos] is a great teacher when it comes to technique, his knowledge of the game and just all-around cares for his players.’’

A freshman All-American in 2021, Barrington made six starts that season. He was expected to contend for the starting right tackle spot before losing out to veteran Kingsley Suamataia and then became a reserve. He missed the last month of the season due to a broken thumb.

Baylor may not be done with offensive linemen in the portal. There's a chance the staff could pursue a second experienced player. The Bears are losing veterans Connor Galvin, Jacob Gall, Khalil Keith and Grant Miller.

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Here we go for this round of the contact period.

>Dave Aranda visited Mineola RB Dawson Pendergrass on Sunday.

>Aranda and DB coach Kevin Curtis will be seeing Keller Timber Creek DB LeVar Thornton Jr. today. Aranda early afternoon. Curtis in the evening.

>Coaches - I believe Dennis Johnson - will be seeing Fort Bend Ridge Point DT DK Kalu on Wednesday.
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>Eric Mateos doing an inhome visit with Argyle OL Wes Tucker Monday night.
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>Grad assistant PJ Hall and Quality control coach Collin D'Angelo will see Mesquite Horn S DJ Coleman Tuesday. They have to pinch hit with no safeties coach.
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This is cool.

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By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
There are versions of Sleigh Ride and then there’s LeRoy Anderson’s version of Sleigh Ride. The RJB has been take it or leave it with the sung with lyrics version over the years. It probably depends on who is doing it. Johnny Mathis? No thanks. The Carpenters? Yes!

But Anderson’s rendition captures the imagery without a note to be uttered. The snow evenly aligned by the path where the horse drawn sled is making its way through the countryside.

Here’s the story to the song that was composed in 1948: In 1947 he began writing "Sleigh Ride" during a heat wave. Completed in 1948, Sleigh Ride was not written as a Christmas piece, but rather merely described an event that took place in winter. Nonetheless, it has since become a Christmas classic. Mitchell Parish added lyrics in 1950.

There is a wholesomeness to it. It just feels like you’re in the Christmas season. No more talk. The show is yours, Mr. Anderson. The Boston Pops put its spin on this.

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*****
It’s a volatile time for Baylor’s 2023 class. It’s lost three since the middle of October and really been impacted in one position of need, linebacker.

Linebackers Christian Brathwaite and Taurean York are both gone. Brathwaite flipped to LSU. York should be going with Duke. That leaves them with only 4-star Corey Kelly left in the class.

What’s bothersome about these losses is that Baylor had them committed since late January and early February. These two really curious losses because they were core members.

Baylor’s national ranking with 22 commits drops it slightly to No. 18. But this is a situation where the coaching staff now has a problem and may have to change the strategy on how it needs to build the 2023 roster.

The other loss occurred last week in offensive lineman Calvin Clements. Clements decided to stay home and in Lawrence, KS when he committed to Kansas.

We’re at a point where the high school choices at this part of the recruiting calendar aren’t optimal choices.

Let’s give you a sense as to where Baylor’s 2023 linebacker offers are. There were 12 offers extended. Prior to October, Baylor had secured one-fourth of them between Kelly, Brathwaite and York.

Unless the staff is able to flip somebody, the chances of filling with high school players is a little daunting. Rivals 100 Anthony Hill from Denton Ryan is open. He de-committed from Texas A&M in November. But the odds favor him going to Texas.

There could be a chance the Baylor pursues Thousand Oak, CA linebacker Chase Martin. Time will tell where that goes. Finally, there’s Arlington Martin’s Javien Toviano, the Rivals No. 25 overall prospect. Everything points to LSU.

This Baylor staff is going to have to reassess if it looks a little harder into the transfer portal or JUCOs. The headache from this time period is that late decommitments always put a program in a tough spot. There’s always a recruiting board. But the board always changes. Being nimble is key. There are likely prospects the staff has talked to besides Martin.

At this point, I can’t see them adding another linebacker for this early signing period. The window to the early signing period is inside of 10 days. You don't just want to add just to add.

A good strategy is to do nothing. Never let the opposition see you sweat. Given the second signing period the first Wednesday of February (remember that one?) and the second portal window in May, there’s always going to be player movement. It’s not as rigid as it used to be.

Consider that Baylor really didn’t use LSU transfer Josh White this year. He suffered a concussion early in the season and just wasn’t the same. You could consider him a fresh face for 2023. Carmello Jones went through a redshirt freshman season.

Jackie Marshall showed some glimpses of what he could become in future years. The ceiling is pretty high for him. Tyrone Brown’s health could be his biggest detractor. Don’t forget Jeremy Evans just went through a redshirt. Tony Anyanwu needs to make a move this spring.

This 2023 linebacker group is going to be young. It could be very talented. It’s just going to need experience.

I don’t consider the loss of Clements major. Baylor can find other linemen similar to him in other locations. But given how inexperienced the 2023 group is going to be, the staff may be pressed to go to finding more than one portal offensive lineman. Baylor likely needs two. That wasn’t all that surprising in 2021 when it found Grant Miller and Jacob Gall. That turned out to be a gold mine.

What you need to watch is what BYU NCAA portal candidate Campbell Barrington does. He left Baylor without committing which isn’t horrible but also isn’t reassuring.

If he visits UCLA, then Baylor is in trouble. If he doesn’t visit the Bruins, then everybody should feel better. Just keep an eye on Michigan State and if the Spartans become a factor.

We all know recruiting is weird. It’s cyclical. There are periods where you’re hot and periods where you’re cold.

But we also know that it’s like sales. You’re only as good as your last commitment. Baylor recruiting really needs something good to happen for it in the worst way.

*****
Now, a look at other Baylor sports…
Not much happening with finals week. But let’s wrap up the volleyball season.

Baylor volleyball finished their season in the Sweet 16 against Louisville, falling in a 3-0 bout with the top-seeded Cardinals in the KFC Yum! Center.

The Bears (25-7) fell to UofL (29-2) in three – 25-23, 25-16, 25-17.

Ranked 17th by the AVCA, the 15th overall seed and seeded fourth in the regional, BU took the No. 4 ranked, fourth seeded and No. 1 regional seed to the wire in the first set and fought for the next two but couldn't close.

The Cardinals beat Oregon in games to advance to the Final Four along with Texas, Pittsburgh and the University of San Diego.

It was BU's seventh-straight NCAA Tournament appearance, 11th overall, and fourth-straight Regional Semifinal appearance. Baylor is now 20-11 in postseason matches including an NCAA record of 15-11. The Bears are 12-7 in the NCAA Tournament under head coach Ryan McGuyre.

BU is one of just seven teams who reached the Regional round in the past four years, joined by Florida, Louisville, Minnesota, Nebraska, Texas and Wisconsin.

Carlson was named the AVCA's Southwest Region Freshman of the Year on Tuesday, while McGhee was named first team All-District by the organization.



Let's make it a great week!

By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher

The Topper
Baylor is expecting just four official visitors for this weekend. The breakdown is three members of the 2023 class one member of the NCAA transfer portal. There was some hope that a couple more could be scheduled. Logistics disrupted that. But we’ll make another check before the weekend commences.

As for the visits next weekend, that’s going to be a little tricky because the Bears will be in the middle of bowl prep for the Dec. 22 Armed Services Bowl at Amon Carter Stadium in Fort Worth against Air Force.

The other issue for Baylor is that the game is the day after the early signing period, Dec. 21.

2023 Class
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NCAA Transfer Portal
Campbell Barrington, OL, BYU

State bound; semifinalist
Two Baylor 2023 commits are still wearing the pads. One is guaranteed to wear it for next week.

Franklin running back Bryson Washington helped the top-ranked Lions top Edna in the Class 3A Division I state semifinals on Thursday, 41-13. Washington rushed for 179 yards and a touchdown.

Franklin meets Brock at 7:00 p.m. next Thursday for the state title at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Franklin, which won the 2021 Division II title and lost in the 2020 state final, has won 31 consecutive games. Brock is returning to the 3A Division I title game.

Argyle offensive lineman Wes Tucker and the Eagles face South Oak Cliff in the Class 5A Division II state semifinals at 7:30 pm Friday at the Crowley Multi-Purpose Stadium.


Barrington ready to visit Baylor
It’s no secret that Baylor’s 2023 offensive line is going to be young and inexperienced. This group is losing veterans Connor Galvin, Jacob Gall, Khalil Keith and Grant Miller.

The key to any offensive line’s success will be at the anchor position, left tackle. The Bears are hoping they find leadership by bringing in BYU portal candidate Campbell Barrington. Barrington played in a reserve role for the Cougars this fall appearing in eight games and making no starts.

But the attraction to Baylor is that his older brother Clark played for then BYU and current Baylor offensive line coach Eric Mateos. Campbell and Mateos crossed for only half a season.

“[Clark] says he’s the best coach he’s ever had,’’ Campbell said. “From what Clark told me and being around him a little bit, [Mateos] is a great teacher when it comes to technique, his knowledge of the game and just all-around cares for his players.’’

Barrington entered the NCAA transfer portal with this announcement:

“I want to express my gratitude for the opportunity I had to play and attend this university. I am thankful for the memories I have created and friendships I’ve made. I am grateful for the support I have received from my teammates, and staff. After much prayer and talking with my family I have decided that I will be entering the transfer portal. I am excited for what the future holds.”

A freshman All-American in 2021, Barrington made six starts that season. He was expected to contend for the starting right tackle spot before losing out to veteran Kingsley Suamataia and then became a reserve. He missed the last month of the season due to a broken thumb.

“They have talked to me about going to left tackle,’’ Barrington said. “I just want to get a feel for how practice and the meetings are like. Just want to learn if this the place for me.’’

UCLA and Michigan State are also in contention. Barrington said he has an OV planned for UCLA. He will have two years of eligibility along with a redshirt.

“We ran a similar offense at BYU,’’ Barrington said. “So when we played Baylor [Sept. 10 in Provo], it was cool being able to see how they worked as an offense.’’


Stanford’s McGill has Baylor ties
When he was a young defensive back at Coppell, one of the first recruiters Jonathan McGill dealt with was at Louisiana Tech and defensive backs coach Kevin Curtis.

That continued when Curtis moved to SMU. McGill had been committed to the Mustangs until a late Stanford offer came in and he flipped in 2019.

An extraordinary career will continue elsewhere. Shortly after Stanford head coach David Shaw stepped down, McGill entered the NCAA transfer portal.

“Coach Curtis and I built a good relationship and that’s carried to now,’’ McGill said. “We don’t have a visit date set. We’re working on one.’’

McGill is getting through finals week this week. He will have two years remaining after missing all but two games in 2021 with an injury.

There’s a lot to like about his leadership. McGill was a team captain in 2022.

Recently, he earned the program’s Al Masters Award. It is bestowed to the player displaying the highest degree of leadership and respect of his teammates.

McGill finished the 2022 season second on the team in tackles (51), collected 5.5 TFLs, a team-high seven PBU, an INT and two fumble recoveries.

“I’ve talked to coach Curtis that they want bring in someone for playmaking and veteran leadership,’’ McGill said. “One thing I’d like to learn more about is the culture. From watching on TV, it seemed that coach Aranda has established a great culture in terms of the guys in the locker room. But I love the way their defense plays. Would also like to sit and pick coach Aranda’s brain.”

Baylor has to hope that McGill doesn’t want to stay in the DFW area. SMU was one of the first schools to approach McGill – SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee was on the staff when Curtis was there – and has him coming in for an official visit Friday and Saturday.

McGill said he hopes to make a commitment decision around Christmas.


One other note
I had heard that Baylor was looking around on Texas A&M RB LJ Johnson who also entered the NCAA transfer portal. It’s not clear where that is going yet…if anywhere.

Of course, Baylor has two running back commits for the 2023 class in Franklin RB Bryson Washington and Mineola’s Dawson Pendergrass and have Richard Reese, Qualan Jones and Jordan Jenkins returning next fall. The Bears appear to be losing Sqwirl Williams who walked on senior day. Williams is a fifth-year junior.

Johnson, former Rivals 4-star ball carrier, appeared in six games in 2022 with 10 carries for 39 yards. He also saw time in 2021.

By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
Baylor's search for more secondary help continued. Alexander is in the portal and at SE Louisiana in Hammond. Going by Zy, he would have two years of eligibility remaining. Alexander has also secured offers from USC, Marshall, Houston, Georgia State University, West Virginia, Tulane and Louisiana Tech.

During the 2022 season, he played in 12 games with three INTs, seven PBUs and 27 total tackles. He brings size to the secondary at 6-3, 185. Baylor has already offered Gavin Holmes from Wake Forest and is in pursuit of Stanford's Jonathan McGill. The Bears really aren't sure where they stand with those two yet.

The Lions finished 9-4 and lost in the round of 16 to Samford last week, 48-42.

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A breaking story.

By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
Sometimes, offers and interest work in unison. But when it came to Baylor’s path with Little Rock Christian 2024 QB Walker White, it went differently.

The staff had been talking with the Rivals No. 171 prospect for several months. Yet the buy-in occurred when White attended Baylor’s Nov. 19 game against TCU. It was his first visit to Waco. The Bears offered the next day.

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“I had been hopping on face timing with them a lot,’’ White said. “In fact, I was doing that with them the day of games. It was really great to see and meet the coaches.

“The fact that they did that for me on that kind of situation showed that they were thinking about me and wanted me.’’

Despite the outcome – a tough 29-28 loss to the Horned Frogs – it was mission accomplished for the impression it made on White. Mix it all together and that’s why the Bears are one of the programs White is seriously considering.

Not bad for a program that was about the 23rd to offer and is competing with the likes of Alabama, Ole Miss, LSU and Penn State.

“When I went to the game I got there and it was a great surprise,’’ White said. “The whole atmosphere was crazy. Loved looking at the Baylor Line, how they kept the fans engaged and how loud it was. It was a very cool place to be. Really enjoyed it.”

Baylor continued its push earlier in the week when quarterbacks coach Shawn Bell stopped by to visit. The staff views White as a pure dual-threat signal caller. Bell offered a few tips on the visit, White said.

For White, he said he’s comfortable working out the shotgun, under center, in the spread or with an H Back.

His junior season was solid throwing about 2,100 yards and 25 scores against nine interceptions. Little Rock Christian finished the 2022 season at 9-3.

“I feel my strengths are my ability to escape the pocket and scramble,’’ White said. “I am a pass-first QB but feel I can run well. I just need to be more efficient with my passing game. I need to know the touch to put on the ball with each route and just make solid decisions down the field.”

White’s goal is to take more unofficial visits to the schools he is considering the most and then make a decision in the early spring. How can Baylor help its argument?

“Just develop me for the NFL,’’ White said and to be more of an efficient quarterback.’’

White is also the No. 4 dual-threat quarterback in the country.

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I'll have more in the blitz.

Story Link

Each dropped in the ratings before the December signing period. Dripping Springs QB Austin Novosad wasn't too bad as he stayed in the Rivals 100. He went from 61-86. Still, when you're viewed as one of the nation's top 100 players, that's quite the compliment.
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Like I told you in What Was He Thinking, I was concerned for Katy Mayde Creek DB Tay'Shawn Wilson because he lost his senior season to a dislocated kneecap. He stayed in the 250...barely. He dropped from 152 to 239.
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League City Clear Falls LB Corey Kelly and Arlington Lamar OL Isaiah Robinson are a pair of 4 stars who are not in the 250. They will receive their new rating on Wednesday as will the rest of the 2023 class.