I remember talking to him around this time last year. Baylor never offered him. Sometimes, you wonder if the staff can sense or learn something about these kids that doesn't smell right and decides to pass regardless of talent.

Charles West arrested

Some on the board asked if recent DT commit Jordan Elliott was going to attend Oklahoma's junior day. He said he was thinking about but it sounded like it was going to depend on his mother's availability. So we'll see if that happens.

We'll stay on top of this.

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.


By KEVIN LONNQUIST


Publisher


The Topper: 2015 Baylor Baseball Preview

Baylor begins its 21st season under head coach Steve Smith Friday with hopes of belying the expectations. After winning the 2012 Big 12 regular season championship and coming within one out of making the College World series, the Bears have failed to make the postseason the last two years.


In fact, Baylor struggled to a 26-31 record and 8-15 record in Big 12 play in 2014. The Bears snuck into the Big 12 tournament before being eliminated by TCU. They were predicted to finish tied for seventh with the Kansas in the Big 12 preseason poll.


Whether or not Smith's status is in question will likely be determined on how well the Bears rebound this season. A winning record would be a start.


Baylor's pitching should be pretty solid. However, the challenge is going to be with the lineup. The projected nine for this weekend's season opening home series against No. 13 Cal Poly returns only seven home runs from 2014. Baylor hit only 17 long balls and hit .232 in 2014.


And this schedule is pretty daunting with 13 teams that made the 2014 NCAA tournament. Cal Poly and Cal State-Fullerton are ranked in several national polls. March 6-8 features the Houston Baseball Classic at Minute Maid Park where the Bears will face Hawaii (March 6), LSU (March 7) and Texas A&M (March 8).


Pitching: The rotation will be without left-hander Daniel Castano for potentially the opening series. He was suspended for at least two games for a violation of team rules. But should he reclaim his rotation spot, he'll have experience with 10 starts in 2014. Right-hander Drew Tolson had pretty good command with 11 walks in 54 innings but he has to hit his spots. Teams hit .313 against him. Junior right-hander Ryan Smith, who only made seven appearances in 2014, appears to get a chance to earn his place in the rotation. Finding a closer to replace Joe Michalec's 21 saves is going to be critical.


Lineup: This group is really young and Smith trusts that new faces can perform. There are real questions up the middle. Catcher Cameron Miller is a redshirt freshman who didn't play in 2014. Second baseman Steve McLean is a redshirt freshman who didn't play in 2014. Hill Junior College Justin Arrington is expected to make an impact at shortstop. Plus, senior center fielder Logan Brown has to bounce back from a season where he hit .218 in 2014. Jonathan Ducoff is a true freshman who will handle third base. The anchors of this offense are senior first baseman Dustin Wendell (.252, 16 RBI) and senior right fielder Adam Toth (.296 3 HR, 26 RBI). Toth should be hitting third.


Projection: I can see this team staying around .500 for the season. But with so many questions surrounding this lineup, it's going to be a real challenge for the Bears. The first nine games are at Baylor Ballpark so there's a chance to get off to a good start. But so many thing unexpected surprises are going to have to happen to not only make the Big 12 tournament but the NCAA tournament as well.


Baylor vs. Cal Poly (Baylor Ballpark)

Pitching matchups

Friday (6:30 p.m.): Baylor RHP Drew Tolson vs. Cal Poly RHP Casey Bloomquist

Saturday (3:00 p.m.): Baylor RHP Ryan Smith vs. Cal Poly RHP Slater Lee

Sunday (Noon): Baylor TBA vs. Cal Poly RHP Justin Calomeni




Allen's Jones in no hurry

There's no question that Jaylon Jones is in a position of strength. The Rivals No. 213 rated player has plenty of options holding offers from numerous Power 5 schools. The latest came from reigning national champion Ohio State. Of course, Baylor's offer to Jones was extended in January of 2014.


But unlike many other recruits, he's really not making his way toward any junior day visits. He's only been to TCU's on Jan. 31 and said he doesn't plan to take any others. And to be frank, he's not listing any favorites.


"Right now, I'm just enjoying the process,'' Jones said. "I'm starting to think about what schools I'm going to visit. I don't have any favorite. And I don't plan on committing any time soon. I pretty much like all of the schools the same right now.''


Every school is looking at Jones (6-0, 182) at safety. However, he said Ole Miss is talking to him about playing defensive back. Jones, who was the only returning starter coming into the 2014 season and led the Eagles to their third consecutive state championship.


"It really came down to me and a lot of film study so I could do a good job of filling in the gaps,'' he said. "Just the way we practiced just made me feel like I was ready.''


Given his stance, Baylor's chances stand as good as any program's chances at this point. It's a process that the Bears are willing to ride.


"Baylor came to see me twice in January so I know they are really interested,'' Jones said. "They have a great program. I hope to get down there and see them again.''



Basketball: Young talks Baylor offer

Trae Young's first trip to Baylor on Jan. 31 turned out to be memorable. Not only did he see the Bears rout rival Texas, 83-60, he also picked up an offer.


The Norman (OK) 2017 point guard (6-2, 170) has played his way into becoming one of the top guards of this class because he is both a facilitator and scorer. Young, whose father Rayford, who played for Texas Tech in the 1990s, is averaging 26 points, six assists and shooting a very healthy 42 percent from 3-point range. He models his game after Stephon Curry. So that's why Baylor is one of his first 10 offers and a 4-star prospect. When he becomes ranked next year, he's likely going to be among the top 50 players.


"It was such a great visit,'' Young said. "Just about all of the Baylor coaches were at my games last summer, and my Dad knows Grant McCasland very well. They have great support. The fans were crazy that night. I could see myself being a fit and playing in the system. [Scott] Drew does a good job with the team. ''


Young arrived the Friday before the Texas game and spent that evening and all day on Saturday touring the campus and getting to know everything Baylor offered. It's safe to say, he came away impressed.


Young has been pretty busy. Aside from the Baylor visit, he said he plans to watch SMU this weekend at home against Connecticut. He's also planning trips to Kansas and Texas.


His summer plans haven't been decided. He's deciding between MoKan Elite and Pro Skills out of Dallas. Last year, he played up in the 16s and flourished. Wherever he is playing, Baylor will be tracking him.


"I feel like I can run a team and lead them to wins by getting everybody involved,'' he said. "I want to be a leader. Passing is one of my strong suits.''


But he couldn't ask for a better mentor than his father. Of course, Lubbock is an influence. But dad has told his son that this is his decision on where he wants to play.


"I couldn't ask for a better mentor,'' Trae said. "He taught me everything I've done. He's a great teacher and is going to leave it up to me.''




Miller's stock rising

It's unknown when Keller 2016 defensive Houston Miller will collect a Baylor offer. But it is pretty clear that the Bears are interested in this prospect who really takes pride in his game, especially on special teams.


"I earned special team's player of the year in my district,'' Miller said. "That meant a lot to me because when I'm on the field, I'm going to do everything I can well. I have a responsibility to do my job.''


Miller (6-4, 232) attended Baylor's junior day. But his relationship with the coaching staff dates back to the end of his sophomore year. This was his second trip to the campus and there probably will be others. He already holds offers from Duke, Boston College, California, Texas State and Vanderbilt.


"What I got out of it was that it was a great atmosphere and loved every facility for athletics,'' Miller said. "I was truly impressed. I really care about my education. If I go to Baylor and graduate from there, my education is going to be well taken care of. They will take care of you academically.''


Miller's wingspan is one of his greatest assets as it's close to seven feet. He was also very active in the Indians' 3-4 alignment. He either played defensive end, nose tackle and outside linebacker. He came up with 85 tackles (54 solos) and was involved in creating three turnovers.


"Coach [Chris] Achuff said he could see me playing off the edge like Shawn Oakman,'' Miller said. "He thinks I could be a good rush end.


"I guess I have to hope that the offer comes sooner or later, but I'm comfortable with how things are doing. I just have to take it easy and let it play out.''




Natee has work to do

Euless Trinity quarterback Tyler Natee is a pretty bulky athlete at 6-0, 230. But he knows he needs to be a leaner.


"I've got to lose about 20 pounds of fat,'' Natee said with a laugh. "In this generation, a lot of guys are in great condition. I'm working really hard to get there.''


Natee, who has visited Baylor a couple of times, doesn't have a Division I offer, and it's like those looking around - like Baylor - want to see more. The May evaluation period is probably going to be pretty important for Natee's progress.


But Natee's future is going to be somewhere else. He said Baylor's early thinking is as a bruising running back. He has paid attention to how the Baylor coaching staff has used its running backs. Carries are distributed.


"I know [Jeff] Lebby can change my life,'' Natee said. "If it worked out that I went to Baylor, I know I wouldn't get banged up. I would be able to do good things for them.''


Admittedly, Natee didn't have much early exposure. He didn't attend any camps last summer. However, he plans on attending a Next Level and NFTC events later on in the spring. He also said he will go to at least one Baylor camp in June.


"I just didn't know much about the camps until the father of a friend told me about it,'' he said. "Now, I'm going to do a lot more this summer.''



Back in the Bayou

Who knows where this will go, but since Baylor just experienced success in Louisiana with the signing Shreveport Woodlawn's Henry Black, the Bears are creeping into LSU's backyard.


Baton Rouge University Laboratory School's Tre Jackson recently de-committed from Florida and has re-opened his recruitment. Baylor has made contact and started to get to know him.


"I just started talked to coach Gush and it's going pretty well,'' he said. "I'm a little familiar with Baylor. When my sister Diamond wanted to play basketball in college, we checked out Baylor, so I drove around the campus.''


Obviously, things have changed. Jackson decided to look at his options because he didn't feel like he really understood the process. He committed right after Florida offered in his freshman year.


Jackson (5-10, 170) has a penchant of making plays on the offensive end. He returned two of his six interceptions for touchdowns. One was where he jumped the route.


At this time, he's been invited to Baylor's Friday Nights Lights scrimmage on March 20. It's going to be a long drive from Louisiana. But he's seriously considering it.


"I'd like to see the new stadium,'' Jackson said. "It sounds like a great thing. I know that program is doing some great things.''



Emptying the Notebook

>To clear this up on Baylor cornerback Ryan Reid. He has been officially diagnosed with a hernia and may be available for the second half of spring football.


>Rivals staff will be reviewing the 2016 class next week and forming the new 100 and 250 lists. That will impact current Baylor commits, Silsbee offensive lineman Kameron Martin.


>Baylor junior power forward Rico Gathers has been named to the Naismith Trophy Men's Midseason 30. The award is presented by AT&T. His 303 rebounds are the most in college basketball. He's at 11.2 points and 12.6 rebounds per game. Gathers also leads the Big 12 with 13 double doubles. That ranks 13th nationally. We'll have a preview of Baylor's game Saturday at Kansas late Friday.
This post was edited on 2/12 11:03 PM by K Lonnquist

Now, that's some irony right there.

BTW, guys don't blow it Saturday

Baylor has offered Katy 2016 LB Paddy Fisher.

Here are his highlights from 2014.
This post was edited on 2/12 8:21 PM by K Lonnquist

Paddy Fisher

The Baylor women's golf claimed the Northrop Grumman Regional
Challenge championship after shooting 9-over-par 293 in Tuesday's final
round at Palos Verdes. The Lady Bears shot 11-over 863 in the 54-hole
tournament, which was best in the field that included nine teams ranked
in the nation's top 15.



Baylor finished four strokes ahead of No. 4-ranked USC (+15, 867), the
2014, 2011 and 2010 champions of the tournament. Top-ranked Washington
finished in sixth place with an overall score of 32-over 884. The Lady
Bears also broke the tournament record for lowest 54-hole team score -
the previous lowest score of 866 was set by USC in 2014.

Schools better fear the Bear... no matter the sport.

Rivals Matt Clare just tweeted this to us. That's an interesting development.

So you can use him as the scapegoat for the Dickson and Somerville situations as well as Alabama offering current 2016 commits.

It's Rick's fault

Just won their 22nd game in a row by 23 over OU. Nina Davis had as many points at halftime (20), as the whole OU team! By the way OU is second in Big 12. Lady Bears have 3 game lead with 6 to play!
Posted from Rivals Mobile

Looks like a lot of recruits are being invited to this event for spring football. Good way to get your product in front of your recruits in the new building.

It's there. You might as well use it. Gone are the days of trying to cram people into the stands at Highers. Plus, you have a lot more people who will consider coming to it.

I know Art Briles mentioned this in his roundtable a couple of weeks ago. Still, it's a great way to bridge the spring to the evaluation period that begins on April 15.

I caught up with Fowler and he had some positive things to say about his Baylor Jr. Day experience. Here's the link

Top programs call on Fowler

> Rather than rehash everything that's gone on with Baylor since I started at SicEmSports, today -- for my final edition of Shaw's Thoughts -- I want to talk about what can happen; what the future holds, in my best estimation, for Baylor. When I started with the site near the end of the 2011 football season, Baylor was in the midst of the "Year of the Bear," a cumulative season where Baylor set the NCAA record for most program wins in football plus men's and women's basketball. Back then, people had to wonder if Baylor could keep that up. Since the end of the 2011-12 sports year, however, have come two Big 12 titles in football, an NIT title plus Sweet 16 appearance in men's basketball, and three more conference titles for the women, who keep winning no matter who's in the starting lineup. Times are good -- better than even in that Year of the Bear, I truly believe -- but what must happen to keep it going? Will it last? I'll try to answer those best I can in my final column.


> When it comes to this football program, I think fans still need to be patient; patient when it comes to recruiting, and patient when it comes to respect. Let me elaborate, starting with the latter.
A program I think Baylor mirrors in several ways is Oregon. That program has reached the point where it gets the benefit of the doubt from the media and fans alike. People expect Oregon to be great; they're shocked when they lose a regular season game; they get a pass when they don't soundly beat inferior opponents. Baylor hasn't reached that level just yet, I believe, as evidenced by getting passed by Ohio State (a program that does get respect) for the playoffs, as well as the committee's refusal till the end to rank Baylor ahead of TCU. But, again, Baylor fans must be patient. Before the 2000 season, Oregon had never won 10 games in football. Baylor had a much richer history than Oregon prior to the new millennium. But since 2000, Oregon has won at least 10 games 10 times and has played for two national championships in the past five years. That kind of success has bought Oregon clout in college football. Baylor's not there yet, but Baylor's on a similar pace, if not ahead of Oregon. The Oregon architect, Mike Bellotti, didn't win at least 10 games until his sixth season. Briles accomplished that in his fourth. Bellotti only had back-to-back 10-win seasons once, something Briles just achieved. Bellotti coached 14 years at Oregon; Briles is just halfway there to that. If Briles is here seven years from now, I'm extremely excited to think about what Baylor will have accomplished by then.

Having said all that, for Baylor to reach the highest level, there's part of me that thinks Baylor can't do it until it proves it can win without Briles. That's unfair to exclude Baylor from the "elite" because of who the coach is. But right now, this is all about him. He's the face of Baylor football, and Baylor has him to thank for the recent success. As much as people were ready to write off Baylor post-RGIII, I think the general college football world will expect Baylor to fall off when Briles eventually retires (which I expect will come at Baylor). Even if Baylor wins a national title under him, I can see many people claiming the success had more to do with Briles and less with Baylor itself. Going back to the Oregon comparison, the Ducks experienced unprecedented success under Bellotti. But things have only improved since he left, first under Chip Kelly, and currently under Mark Helfrich. Both have taken Oregon to the title game, something Bellotti didn't do. Oregon is squarely on the map, something I began to understand was disrupting to the Pac-12 order when I talked with Washington fans at the Alamo Bowl in 2011. Washington was the old guard, begrudgingly (and perhaps with much denial) watching Oregon steal the torch. Similarly, Baylor's in position to take over the Big 12 as well, but it will take several more years to cement its place at or around the top of the Big 12. And, again, I think it could take Baylor continuing to win under a different coach. Win Big 12 titles after Briles is gone, and the nation won't be able to disrespect or ignore Baylor any longer. A new decade will have arrived.

There is little doubt in my mind that can happen. What Briles has done has been borderline miraculous. He has made believers out of every single person in the Baylor fan base. Even with these two recent New Year's Day disappointments, there's nobody in Baylor Nation that wants to see him go, and most probably believe Baylor's still ascending, not having peaked just yet. For all he has accomplished, however, credit must be given to his superiors (namely Ian McCaw, but also Ken Starr to a large degree), as well as the many donors that have stepped up financially to make sure Baylor stays on pace with its richer, larger peers. Because of that, I believe Baylor might even be ready on this very day to move on without Briles. I know some will disagree. It will be very hard to find a coach like him; someone with his wit and country charm' who knows the state's high school coaches like they're family; who embraces Baylor as his own. Baylor might never find a guy like him. But the main point is this: Baylor will try its hardest to get it done. Baylor has discovered money is made in college sports when you're willing to spend it. And with profit comes prestige. Baylor's rise in athletics has helped the university as a whole. There's no abandoning this model now. There's no guarantee that the next coach can duplicate what Briles has done; but it won't prevent Baylor from trying, and whoever comes in next (be it the younger Briles or someone from the outside) will inherit a championship-level program. No rebuilding job required.

As for the future of recruiting, well, recruits still often opt for tradition instead of trending. Baylor still has a way to go before becoming a "tradition program," one that people just assume year in, year out it will win many more games than it loses. One of the most impressionable stages for kids comes around 11-13 years old. When members of the 2015 class were those ages, Baylor was going 4-8, 4-8 and 7-6. Texas was going to national championships. Programs like Texas may not be on Baylor's level now, but they were well past Baylor not too long ago. Things will change, however, if Baylor keeps this up. With each successive signing class, Baylor will bring in kids that progressively are unaware that Baylor had a bad history. To them, Baylor's name will be associated with winning, playing in major bowl games and having a home that's as fine a stadium (and atmosphere) as any in the country. I think we're slready starting to see that with the 2016 class. And Baylor's already recruiting 2017 and 2018 kids; when they were 11 and 12, RGIII was accepting the Heisman Trophy, not mired in losing. Baylor has been a good to great program as long as their memories have been formative. So while I think Baylor should be recruiting better now, I think there are reasonable explanations for why they haven't. And I do see that changing as the 2015 class turns to 2016, and 2016 to 2017, and so on. Eventually, I truly believe, Baylor's class ranks will start to reflect the on-field rankings.


> I could write about football for a lot longer, but I think I've made my point. Baylor's here to stay so long as the program (and university) maintain the attitude that success in athletics has a direct and major effect on the health of the school. So now, I want to address the basketball programs and what the future holds for each.
I'll start with the men, a program that I should've fully bought into a couple years ago, but one this season that has earned my ultimate trust. Scott Drew has performed the greatest turnaround in college basketball history. I don't think you'll get too many arguments from people not associated with Baylor. But there was a small part of me that wondered if he was "losing his touch" on the recruiting trail, and if his coaching ability could maximize the potential of a team not loaded with 4- and 5-star players. This year has been an epiphany for a coach that's already provided several. Despite what happened against OSU last night, this is a great team, one who's effort reminds me of Drew's earliest teams, the ones that didn't win much but laid the groundwork for the future. Consider that outside of Rico Gathers, Baylor's top five other players (Motley, Prince, O'Neale, Medford and Chery) had offers from these other programs: St. Mary's, Evansville, Valpo, Missouri State, Clemson, Houston, Richmond, SMU, UTEP, Iona, LIU-Brooklyn, Colorado State, Wichita State, UT-Arlington and TCU. Drew has won many battles against major programs. He didn't have to do so with most of the guys getting major minutes for Baylor this season. Yet Baylor's in a position it has never reached under Drew: Making consecutive tourney appearances. That's almost certain; it will take a horrific collapse to prevent it. This season can be used for recruiting material as much as any prior. Drew has taken some relative nobodies and turned them into a top 20 team. So what little doubt I had about this program has been alleviated. Guys play hard for Drew. He's not John Wooden, but he's a far better in-game coach than many are willing to believe. And one thing I like about him above all else is what I love about Kim Mulkey …

Like Drew, Mulkey is at Baylor for the long run. She's won two national titles at Baylor and numerous conference championships. Usually, that would mean another program poaching a successful small-school coach. Instead, Baylor has paid her handsomely, and she's rewarded the program by sticking around. Rich (in terms of tradition and money) programs have had job openings in recent years, from Texas to Tennessee to Duke, and she could've had any of those jobs if she wanted. Who knows, she might've actually been interested, but she's stayed with Baylor, because Baylor's been good to her -- better than to Drew, actually, who for whatever reason can't get his team in front of a packed house like the ladies regularly see. This program is likely in the best shape of any at Baylor. Most schools can only dream of this kind of consistency for a program; Baylor's blessed to have Mulkey, something the school can't ever forget.


> As for the other programs, only one really concerns me right now. Steve Smith's baseball club, which opens its season this week, is mired in a lull right now. His track record and history have earned him the right to try and steer it back into postseason contention, but I truly believe that needs to happen soon. Maybe even now. Baylor offers too much -- and is too dedicated to winning -- to allow the fourth major sport to lag so far behind the other three. Everywhere else, Baylor's either winning or has invested in building a winner. The tennis teams would be a crown jewel at most universities but can get overlooked here. Softball has a winner. Volleyball hit a downturn, but Baylor addressed that after the season. Minor sports like equestrian and acrobatics & tumbling have hired hugely successful coaches. Same for men's golf.


> In closing, the non-revenue sports are a reflection of Baylor's overall attitude about athletics: Unified dedication to winning. I'm not sure what the future holds for college athletics in general. I think major changes are coming, and it could affect everything we know, and not all in a positive manner. But, for now, we as Baylor fans are experiencing program-wide success that few others can claim. And so it's a pretty nice time for me to step down as the managing editor of this site and join you readers in the stands, even if I'll be an ocean away for the next few years. There's never been a better time to be a Baylor fan, and my best guess is that the good times won't see an end anytime soon -- again, as long as Baylor's committed to whatever it takes to achieve this kind of success. Thanks to everyone for being a member of this site, and especially to all of you that have expressed some kind words since announcing my departure. As I said last week, I may be leaving this job moving overseas, but as far as this site is concerned, I'm not going anywhere.

Kevin / Jake - I noticed this afternoon that 2016 WR Commit Tren Dickson tweeted out that he just received his 7th offer today and this one was from North Carolina. I noticed on his Rivals profile that only 3 offers are listed for him now.

Just thought you guys (or maybe Jason Howell) might want to look into this so his offer list can be updated so that it will be correct. For what it is worth, this kid is going to continue to blow up on the offer side of things. Complete stud.

This post was edited on 2/10 12:37 PM by K Lonnquist

By Mike Craven
Special to SicEmSports


Jared Mayden will have his pick when he decides where he wants to attend college. That became obvious on Tuesday when Alabama offered the 4-star cornerback from Sachse High School.

The 2016 standout has an offer from Baylor, but interviews even before the Alabama offered suggested that Baylor wasn't in the running. He listed Ohio State, TCU and Oregon as his top schools at the International game two weeks ago. But SicEmSports checked in with him after the Alabama offer to see if anything has changed.

"It is too early to know if the Alabama offer changed anything for me," he said. "It is still new to me. Distance won't be a factor, so leaving the state isn't an issue."

Mayden (6-0, 187) has the combination of size and athleticism to attract 27 Division I offers. The list is pretty impressive, but he contends that he is still working through the process despite naming leaders.

"I don't know if I have a top five schools right now. Everything is changing and new schools are coming into the picture," he said. "I just want to get around and see the places I'm interested in. I might get down to Baylor in the spring. I wouldn't say they're in my top schools right now but it's early. I need to see all of these places and meet with all the coaches before really eliminating teams from my list."
This post was edited on 2/11 4:12 PM by K Lonnquist

The inventor of the Amoeba defense that helped put UNLV's BB program on the map. He also had the best team that didn't win a national title in 1991.

Been a rough week for College Basketball losing 2 icons.

Still loved it when he took the NCAA to court and eventually won. He sued them because the NCAA wasn't giving him due process. And they backed down.

He loved being the renegade. But he was right.


This post was edited on 2/11 11:45 AM by K Lonnquist

One of my sources when asked about what is going on:


That is true. Supposedly the Cedar Hill coach has turned the job down. Jeff is supposed to interview Tuesday.

i caught up with Hope (Ark.) Rivals100 DE McTelvin Agim. He talks about the junior day visit and what stood out at Baylor as well as his latest offer and his future plans. Here's the link

Agim grabs offer, talks visit

I can't remember if I've covered this ground but Grandview QB Zach Smith said he is working toward being an early enrollee for next year. So he would arrive in January 2016. See a trend here with QBs arriving early.

Also, newest commit, Houston Westside DE Jordan Elliott, said he is looking into doing the same. He hopes to know more in the coming weeks.

I'm double checking with Kameron Martin, Grayland Arnold, Pat Hudson and Tren'Davian Dickson on their status.

Texas Tech publisher Chris Level hosts a radio show in Lubbock. He had AD Kirby Hocutt on and talked about an early signing period. Obviously, I'm not promoting Tech's site but for the sake of immediacy and the fact that this topic has been discussed, I wanted to get the news of this up.

What's interesting if that if the early signing period begins immediately, it's really going to change how programs recruit.

Just a couple of the tweets from the discussion.



>Hocutt also indicated that an early signing period for football could absolutely happen as early as this year. Would be 3rd Wed in December.

>On the potential early signing period, Hocutt said it'll be presented at meetings this spring. If passed, it would be in place for 2 years.



>If passed, prospects would have a 72-hour window starting on the 3rd Wednesday in December to ink an NLI.

I know not many of us keep up with volleyball but Jerry Hill did a nice job on the Florida State associate head coach who took the job on Christmas Eve. McGuyre replaces Jim Barnes.

New VB coach

http://youtu.be/n7ftXVt4g74

Scott Drew was even more hyper than usual, due to the quick turnaround after the last game.
Here are the game notes on the upcoming event and stats, etc.



STORY LINES

• Monday is the 76th series meeting. Baylor is looking to avoid a season sweep by OSU for the first time since 2006.

• Baylor has won its last 3 Big 12 games by 18+ points -- its just the 5th time in program history the Bears have won 3 straight conference games by double figures (Southwest Conference in 1955, 1968 and twice in 1988).

• Baylor is 17-1 at home since Feb. 15, 2014, including 4 wins vs. ranked teams. BU has a +15.8 scoring margin in that span, winning 14 games by double-digits. The lone loss was by 1 point to No. 12 Kansas.

• Baylor is 30-8 in its last 38 games dating back to Feb. 12, 2014. Seven of the eight losses have been away from home (four road, three neutral) and five of the eight losses have been against ranked teams.

• Baylor has 3 players shooting at least 40% from 3-point range -- no other Big 12 team has more than one.

• Baylor is 3rd nationally with 15.7 offensive rebounds per game and 4th with 41.4 total boards per game.

• Baylor started the season winning or tying in 2nd-chance points against its first 19 opponents, but the Bears have given up more 2nd-chance points than they've scored in each of the last 4 games.

• Baylor's defense is holding teams to an average of 11.2 points below their season scoring averages. The Bears have held 21 of 23 opponents under their season scoring averages, including 13 times at least 10 points below.

• Baylor is 1 of 9 Division I teams to hold all opponents under 75 points this season.

• Baylor was the only Division I team to hold all non-conference opponents to 66 or fewer points this season.

• Baylor has held teams to 30 or fewer 1st-half points in 18 of 23 games this season, including 10 times at 25 or fewer.

• All 5 Baylor starters average 8.3-11.8 points per game, and reserve Taurean Prince leads the team with 12.3 ppg.

• Five BU players have scored 20+ points in a game this season (Chery, Gathers, Motley, O'Neale and Prince).

• Seven different BU players have led the team in scoring this season and Gathers has done so most often (6 times).

• Baylor and Louisville are the nation's only teams ranked by the AP in football and men's and women's basketball.

• Over the last 7 seasons, Baylor is 35-20 in games decided by 5 or fewer points and 10-1 in overtime games.

• Baylor has more Big 12 wins in the last 8 seasons (68-60) than its first 11 years in the league combined (45-131).

• Baylor is 77-7 when leading at the half over the last four seasons -- 16-3 this season, 18-2 in 2013-14, 17-1 in 2012-13 and 26-1 in 2011-12. BU is 180-31 when leading at the half during the entire Drew era.

• BU has won 41% of its games (20-29) when tied or trailing at half since 2011-12, including 2-2 this season.

• Rico Gathers ranks 2nd nationally in both offensive (5.5) and total rebounds (12.5) per game.



QUICK HITS

• Scott Drew is coaching his 378th game at Baylor (222-155). His .589 winning percentage is best in BU history among coaches with 60+ games, and his teams have a .686 winning percentage (188-86) since 2007-08.

• BU is 83-5 under Drew when holding teams under 60 points, and the Bears have done so 11 times this season (10-1).

• Baylor leads the Big 12 Conference and ranks 20th nationally in scoring defense (58.7).

• Baylor ranks 2nd in the Big 12 and 20th nationally in 3-point FG defense (29.4%).

• Baylor moved to season-highs of No. 19 in Monday's AP Top 25 and stayed at No. 19 in the coaches' poll. The Bears have been ranked in eight straight seasons, joining Kansas as the only Big 12 schools to make that claim.

• Baylor is 188-86 (24 wins per season) over the last eight seasons and has made six postseason appearances (NCAA Tournament -- 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014; NIT -- 2009, 2013) with six 20-win seasons.

• Baylor is 15-3 in overtime games under Drew, including wins in 10 of its last 11 OT games.

• Baylor is 27-10 in postseason tournaments (conference, national) over the last six seasons.

• Baylor is coming off a 2014 NCAA Sweet 16 appearance, which made Drew the youngest of 11 coaches nationally to take his current team to three Sweet 16s in the last five years.

• BU has six 20-win seasons in the last 7 years. BU had only three 20-win seasons prior to Drew's arrival.

• Baylor's 5 NBA Draft picks in the last 3 years ranks 5th nationally behind Kentucky, Duke, Kansas and Syracuse.

• Baylor is one of only 12 schools nationally to play in the Sweet 16 in three of the last five seasons.

• Rico Gathers posted a Big 12 and school-record 28 rebounds Jan. 21, most bya DI player since Paul Millsap in 2006.

• Kenny Chery hit a game-winning shot with 4 seconds left to give Baylor a 74-73 win vs. No. 11 ISU on Jan. 14.

• Baylor shot 29.8% in the Jan.10 win at TCU, the worst shooting in any of Scott Drew's wins at BU.

• Prior to allowing a season-high 73 points at Oklahoma on Jan. 3, Baylor's 12 straight games holding opponents to 66 or fewer points was its longest such streak since 1950.

• All 31 of Baylor's regular-season games will be televised this season, including 22 games on the ESPN family of networks. The Oklahoma State game will be Baylor's 127th consecutive televised contest.

• Baylor has the nation's second-best postseason winning percentage over the last six years (17-4; .810).

• Baylor finished undefeated in December for the 6th time in the last 8 years (accomplished just twice prior; `96, `00)

• Drew is tied with Kansas' Bill Self as the second-longest tenured head coach in the Big 12 Conference. Drew, who is in his 12th season at Baylor, is second only to Texas' Rick Barnes (17th season at UT).

• Baylor has the Big 12's 2nd-longest active streak (16th-longest nationally) with at least one 3-point FG made in 755 consecutive games. The last time BU didn't make a 3-pointer was Feb. 21, 1990, a win vs. Texas Tech.



SERIES HISTORY

• Monday's game is the 76th all-time meeting between Baylor and Oklahoma State.

• Baylor is 10-7 in its last 17 games against OSU dating back to the team's second meeting in 2007. Prior to the recent 17-game stretch, BU had lost 18 of 19 games against Oklahoma State.

• Baylor is looking to avoid being swept in the season series by Oklahoma State for the first time since 2006.



A WIN WOULD ...

• Improve Baylor's record to 23-53 in the all-time series against OSU, including a 17-15 mark in Waco.

• Give Baylor an 18-1 record in its last 19 home games, with the lone loss a 1-point defeat to No. 12 Kansas on Jan. 7.

• Tie Baylor's 4th-longest winning streak in Big 12 play at 4 straight, 2 back of the school record.

• Be Baylor's 11th win in its last 18 games against OSU after snapping out of a 1-18 stretch in the series.

• Give Baylor a 19-5 start to the season for the third time in the last six years (2009-10, 2011-12).

• Give Baylor a 31-8 record over its last 38 games dating back to Feb. 12, 2014.

• Make Baylor 27-17 in February games since the 2009-10 season and 38-52 in February games under Drew.

• Give Baylor a 98-36 record since the start of the 2011-12 season.

• Make Baylor 189-86 since the start of the 2007-08 season, good for a .687 winning percentage.



WHAT TO WATCH FOR

• Kenny Chery has scored 138 points in his last 9 games (15.3 ppg) and ranks 6th in the Big 12 with 14.2 ppg in conference play. He averaged 8.2 points per game in his previous 9 games this season.

• Taurean Prince has scored in double figures a team-high 17 times this season -- he entered the season with 12 career double-figure scoring games in 62 games played over two seasons.

• Prince has scored in double figures in 7 straight games, tying his career-best streak from earlier this season.

• Rico Gathers has 287 rebounds this season and needs 10 to pass Kevin Rogers (296 in 2008-09) for 10th and 16 to pass William Chatmon (302 in 1969-70) for 9th on Baylor's single-season list.

• Gathers has 19 career double-doubles, 1 shy of tying Lawrence Roberts (2002-03) for 8th-most in program history. His next double-double will tie him for 7th on Baylor's single-season list with 13.

• Royce O'Neale is the Big 12's only player ranked in the league's top 14 in assists and rebounds. He's posted multiple assists in 20 of 22 games played this season, and at least 4 rebounds in 20 of 22 games.

• O'Neale is averaging 15.7 ppg over his last 3 games (16-of-28 FGs) after going scoreless at OSU on Jan. 27.

• Lester Medford went 8 straight games scoring in single digits before averaging 10.6 ppg over his last 5 games.

• Medford has 29 assists and 11 turnovers over his last 7 Big 12 games -- he had 1 assist and 5 turnovers over his first 3 Big 12 contests.

• Johnathan Motley has 35 blocks over his last 14 games -- he had 5 blocks in the previous 9 games.

• Al Freeman has led Baylor in bench scoring 7 times this season, and the Bears have won all of those games.

• Freeman has contributed 7+ points off the bench 11 times this season, and BU is 10-1 in those games.



HISTORIC 3-GAME STRETCH

• Baylor has won its last 3 Big 12 games by 23, 20 and 18 points for an average scoring margin of +20.3.

• It's the first time in program history the Bears have won 3 straight conference games by 18+ points.

• It marks the first time the Bears have won 3 straight conference games by double digits since 1988 Southwest Conference play, and just the 5th time the Bears have had 3 straight double-digit wins in conference play.

• Baylor had 3 straight double-digit wins in Southwest Conference play in 1955, 1968 and twice in 1988.



PROTECTING HOME COURT

• Baylor has won 17 of its last 18 home games, with the lone loss a 1-point defeat against No. 12 Kansas on Jan. 7.

• Baylor has a +15.8 scoring margin in that 18-home game stretch, including 14 double-digit victories.

• Baylor had a 12-game home winning streak that was the 3rd-longest in the Ferrell Center's 27-year history.

• Among the Bears 17 home court wins since Feb. 15, 2014, are victories over No. 11 Iowa State, No. 16 Iowa State No. 19 Texas and No. 19 Oklahoma, a double OT win vs. Kansas State and an OT victory vs. Oklahoma State.

• Baylor also has wins against Texas A&M, Stephen F. Austin, TCU, Texas Tech and New Mexico State in that span.

• Baylor's 16-point win against SFA on Nov. 24 was the last time SFA lost before its current 16-game winning streak.



BEST DEFENSIVE TEAM OF DREW ERA

• Baylor is ranked 25th nationally in KenPom.com adjusted defensive efficiency. The only previous times Baylor was in the top 50 nationally under Drew were 2009-10 (No. 45) and 2011-12 (No. 46) -- both Elite Eight seasons.

• Baylor is 1 of 9 Division I teams to hold all opponents below 75 points this season (Baylor, Cincinnati, George Washington, Louisiana-Monroe, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oregon State, Saint Peter's, Utah).

• BU was the only Division I team to hold every non-conference opponent to 66 or fewer points this season.

• Baylor's current 58.7 points per game allowed is 5.3 points better than the Bears' best defensive season of the Scott Drew era (2010-11, 64.0 ppg allowed). The last time BU held opponents below 64 ppg was 1985-86 (61.2).

• Baylor has held 18 of 23 opponents to 30 or fewer first-half points, including 10 times at 25 or fewer.

• For the first time since 2009-10, Baylor has held four Division I opponents below 50 points.



HOLDING TEAMS BELOW SCORING AVERAGES BY 11.2 PPG

• Through 23 games, Baylor opponents are averaging 11.2 fewer points than their season averages against the Bears.

• In 15 home games, Baylor is holding opponents 13.8 points below their season scoring averages.

• Baylor has held 21 of 23 opponents below their season average, including 13 of 23 at least 10 points below.



KEYS TO VICTORY

• Baylor is 18-2 this season when scoring 60-plus points and 11-0 when scoring 70-plus points.

• Baylor is 13-2 this season when recording more points off turnovers than its opponent and 5-3 when not doing so.

• Baylor is 14-0 this season when posting more than 12 assists and 4-5 when recording 12 or fewer assists.

• Baylor is 13-3 this season when getting more than 15 points from the bench and 5-2 when getting 15 or less.

• Baylor has held 11 of 23 opponents under 60 points, and the Bears are 83-5 in the Drew era when doing so.

• Baylor is 4-2 in games decided by 5 or fewer points and 1-0 in overtime games this season. The Bears are 35-20 in games decided by 5 or fewer points over the last 7 seasons and are 10-1 in overtime games over that span.



GATHERS ONE OF NATION'S BEST REBOUNDERS

• Rico Gathers ranks 2nd nationally in both offensive (5.5) and total (12.5) rebounds per game. He also leads the Big 12 and ranks 14th nationally in defensive rebounds per game (7.0).

• Gathers leads the Big 12 and ranks 14th nationally with 12 double-doubles this season, twice as many as his first two seasons combined (7) and 6 more than any other Big 12 player.

• Gathers' 19 career double-doubles and 33 career double-digit rebound games are both tops among active Big 12 players.

• Gathers is 1 of 5 power-5 conference players averaging a double-double (11.0 ppg and 12.5 rpg), joining Auburn's Cinmeon Bowers, Washington State's Josh Hawkinson, LSU's Jordan Mickey and UCLA's Kevon Looney.

• In his 26 career starts, Gathers is averaging 11.3 points and 12.3 rebounds per game.

• Gathers set Big 12 and Baylor records with 28 rebounds on Jan. 21, most by a DI player since Paul Millsap in 2006.

• Gathers is also one of the nation's least turnover-prone players, ranking 14th nationally with a 7.6 turnover rate. He has 11 more steals steals (29) than turnovers (18).



O'NEALE DOES IT ALL

• During his four years of Division I basketball, Royce O'Neale has 1,157 points, 727 rebounds, 358 assists, 145 steals and 39 blocks in 123 games played. If all of his games played were at Baylor, he would rank 20th in school history in scoring, 9th in rebounding, 7th in assists and 9th in steals.

• O'Neale is the only Big 12 Conference player to rank in the league's top 14 in rebounding and assists -- he currently ranks 9th in the Big 12 in rebounding (6.1) and 11th in assists (3.3).

• Last season, O'Neale became the first player in program history to post 200+ rebounds and 100+ assists in the same season. He ranked second on the team with 110 assists and fourth with 205 rebounds in 2013-14.

• O'Neale has started 53 consecutive games against DI opponents -- (sat out vs. Huston-Tillotson on Jan. 21).

• Including his two seasons at Denver, O'Neale has 26 career games played touching all five stat categories (points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks).



MOTLEY SHOWING IMPROVEMENT DURING DEBUT SEASON

• Redshirt freshman Johnathan Motley has shown steady improvement during his redshirt freshman season.

• He's averaging 10.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg and 2.3 bpg over the last 15 games, up from 6.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg and 0.6 bpg over his first 8 collegiate games.

• After going scoreless in back-to-back games, Motley has led the team in scoring in four of the last 15 games.

• Motley has blocked 35 shots in his last 14 games (2.5 bpg) after blocking 5 shots over his first 9 games (0.6 bpg).



CHERY BACK AT FULL STRENGTH

• Kenny Chery is back at full strength after missing 5 starts with plantar fasciitis (came off bench once).

• Chery has 59 assists and 34 turnovers in 13 games since returning to the starting lineup. He had 14 assists and 16 turnovers in 5 games before taking the time to rest and recover.

• Chery has scored 138 points in his last 9 games (15.3 ppg), including a season-high 25 points against Kansas on Jan. 7, and he ranks 6th in the Big 12 with 14.2 points per game in conference play.



PRINCE LEADS TEAM IN SCORING AS 6TH MAN

• Taurean Prince entered the season averaging 5.2 points in 11.2 minutes over 62 games played in two seasons, but he is leading the team in scoring at 12.3 points per game in 25.1 minutes per game.

• Prince has scored in double figures in a team-high 17 of 22 games played this season after scoring in double figures 12 times in his first two seasons at Baylor combined.

• Prince has played 25+ minutes in 14 games this season after doing so in just 2 games over his first two seasons.

• Prince has also led the team in scoring 4 times this season after doing so in just 3 games over his first two seasons at Baylor. He's led the Bears in bench scoring in 13 of 16 games as a reserve this season.



FREEMAN IS FIRST GUARD OFF BENCH

• Redshirt freshman Al Freeman is typically Baylor's first guard to enter the game off the bench.

• Freeman has led Baylor in bench scoring seven times, and the Bears are 7-0 in those games.

• Freeman has posted double figure scoring off the bench 4 times. He had a career-high 13 points in 22 minutes vs. Norfolk State, posted 10 points against both Texas A&M and New Mexico State and had 11 points at West Virginia.

• Freeman averages 18.4 minutes per game, mostly at the two-guard spot with either Kenny Chery or Lester Medford running the point.



MEDFORD PROVIDES SECOND OPTION AT THE POINT

• Baylor starting point guard Kenny Chery missed 5 starts with a foot injury and another for rest (vs. Huston-Tillotson), allowing Lester Medford to slide from his starting shooting guard position to the starting point guard role.

• Medford posted 35 assists and 8 turnovers in his 6 starts at point guard. Despite returning to his shooting guard spot, Medford still ranks 2nd in the Big 12 with a 2.4 assist-to-turnover ratio and 7th with 3.7 assists per game.

• Medford hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:10 left in the Bears' win over Iowa State on Jan. 14, and in the previous game against TCU he had a game-tying 3-point play with 2:45 left in regulation.

• In his last 5 games, Medford has led BU in scoring twice and had 16 assists with 5 turnovers in the other games.



SOONER STATE SUCCESS

• After posting a combined 6-48 record against Oklahoma and Oklahoma State in the first 13 seasons of the Big 12 Conference, Baylor is 14-12 in its last 26 against the league's Sooner State schools (7-7 vs. OU; 7-5 vs. OSU).

• 17 of Baylor's 20 Big 12 wins against the Oklahoma schools have come under head coach Scott Drew.



TOUGHNESS IN CLOSE GAMES

• The Bears are 4-2 this season in games decided by 5 or fewer points, with wins at South Carolina, at Vanderbilt, home against Southern and home against Iowa State. BU also won at TCU in its only overtime game.

• Over the last 7 seasons, Baylor is 35-20 in games decided by 5 or fewer points and 10-1 in overtime games.



WAINRIGHT DROPS WEIGHT, BECOMES DEFENSIVE STOPPER

• Sophomore guard/forward Ishmail Wainright has improved his quickness by dropping 10 pounds to get to 235.

• Wainright has often been used in late game situations because of his defensive presence (7'2 wingspan). He was on the floor for Iowa State's last two offensive possessions in the 74-73 win on Jan. 14.



ONE OF TWO BIG 12 TEAMS RANKED EIGHT STRAIGHT SEASONS

• Baylor joins Kansas as the only Big 12 Conference schools to be ranked in each of the last eight seasons. The Bears were unranked in the preseason for the first time since 2009-10, but cracked the rankings at No. 22 on Dec. 22.

• Baylor has been ranked for at least three weeks in each of the last seven seasons (2008-09 through 2014-15).



BALANCED SCORING ATTACK

• Baylor has benefited from a balanced scoring attack that has seen eight different players combine to score in double figures 70 times this season. Additionally, five different players have scored 20+ points a total of 13 times.

• Seven different BU players have led the team in scoring this season, and none have done so in more than 6 games -- Rico Gathers 6 times, Johnathan Motley 4 times, Taurean Prince 4 times, Royce O'Neale 4 times, Kenny Chery 4 times, Lester Medford twice and Deng Deng once.

• Prince leads the team with 12.3 points per game, while BU's five starters average between 8.3 and 11.8 ppg.



HALFTIME ADJUSTMENTS PAYING OFF

• Baylor has won 92% of its games when leading at the half since 2011-12. The Bears are 77-7 when leading through the first 20 minutes in that stretch (16-3 this season, 18-2 in 2013-14, 17-1 in 2012-13 and 26-1 in 2011-12).

• BU has won 41% of games in which its been tied or trailing at the half since 2011-12, going 20-29 in those.

• BU has led at halftime in 84 of 133 games over the last four seasons. With wins in 77 of those 84 games, and victories in 20 of 49 games it has trailed or been tied at the half, Baylor is 97-36 since 2011-12.



BAYLOR AND LOUISVILLE ONLY SCHOOLS RANKED IN FB, MBB AND WBB

• Baylor and Louisville are the nation's only schools ranked by the AP in football and men's and women's basketball.

• Baylor football is ranked No. 7, men's basketball is No. 19 and women's basketball is No. 3.

• Baylor, Duke, Louisville and Michigan State were the only teams to finish the 2013-14 academic year ranked in the final AP polls for all three sports.



DREW IS PROGRAM'S ALL-TIME WINS LEADER

• Scott Drew holds Baylor's school record with 222 career wins as head coach.

• Drew became the all-time wins leader by defeating Texas on March 14, 2014 for his 202nd Baylor victory, passing Bill Henderson (201 wins; 1941-43 and 1945-61) for the all-time wins mark.

• Drew's .589 winning percentage is the best ever by a Baylor coach with 60+ games at the helm.



20 WINS = POSTSEASON

• Baylor, which has won 20-plus games nine times in the program's first 108 seasons, is seeking to win 20 games for the seventh time in the last eight seasons. The Bears have advanced to the postseason in all nine 20-win years.

• Head coach Scott Drew has led Baylor to 20-win seasons in six of the last seven years after the Bears had only three 20-win seasons in the program's first 101 seasons.

• Drew is the responsible for six of Baylor's nine 20-win season and six of BU's 13 postseason appearances.



DREW AMONG NATION'S ELITE

• Head coach Scott Drew is the youngest of 11 coaches nationally to take his current program to three Sweet 16 appearances in the last five seasons.

• Drew (44) is joined by Arizona's Sean Miller (46), Ohio State's Thad Matta (47), Florida's Billy Donovan (49), Kansas' Bill Self (52), Kentucky's John Calipari (55), Michigan State's Tom Izzo (60), Louisville's Rick Pitino (62), Wisconsin's Bo Ryan (67), Duke's Mike Krzyzewski (67) and Syracuse's Jim Boeheim (70).



UNPRECEDENTED SUCCESS

• Baylor has enjoyed unprecedented success over the last seven-plus seasons under 12th-year head coach Scott Drew. Since the start of the 2007-08 season, Baylor is 188-86 (24 wins per season) and has made six postseason appearances (NCAA -- 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014; NIT -- 2009, 2013) and posted six 20-win seasons.

• Prior to 2007-08, Baylor won only 135 games in the first 11 seasons of the Big 12 era (12.3 wins per season).

• Baylor has made 13 postseason appearances (six under Drew) and won 20+ games just nine times (six under Drew) in the program's first 108 seasons.



UP NEXT

• Baylor plays back-to-back road games at Kansas and Texas Tech. The game at Kansas is scheduled for Saturday at noon on CBS and the following game at Texas Tech is slated for Tuesday at 6 p.m. on ESPN2.

• The Bears are 0-12 all-time in Lawrence and 16-46 all-time in Lubbock.
This post was edited on 2/8 8:54 PM by K Lonnquist

This post was edited on 2/9 8:34 PM by jake shaw

Rivals' Matt Clare is preparing a story on the Spring 2016 DT. We should have it up on Tuesday. But Clare passed along this nugget from the interview.

"They offered his freshman year and "if thing ended today, I would choose Baylor.''

I think that shows what Roy thinks of Baylor as this process continues.

As promised, here is Clare's story.
This post was edited on 2/10 8:37 AM by K Lonnquist

Bravvion Roy talks Baylor

From the Big 12 via the CFP Playoff Committee..

Texas Tech athletics director Kirby Hocutt has been appointed to the College Football Playoff (CFP) Selection Committee, announced CFP Executive Director Bill Hancock.


Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby nominated Hocutt; and his nomination was ratified by the CFP management committee.


Hocutt will replace former West Virginia athletics director Oliver Luck who left for a position at the NCAA.


"I am excited and honored to join the College Football Playoff Selection Committee," said Hocutt. "I look forward to working with such a distinguished group of individuals in what has instantly become one of our nation's most successful sporting events. I sincerely appreciate the confidence that Commissioner Bowlsby and the CFP management committee have placed in me with this appointment."


The CFP Selection Committee is responsible for selecting the top four teams in the playoff and assigning them to semifinal games as well as placing the next group of teams in the remaining New Year's bowls. The Committee meets in-person beginning midway through the football season and produces a weekly ranking of the top 25 teams leading up to the final selections.


"Kirby Hocutt has distinguished himself as a college football player and a top administrator," commented Bowlsby, "His background is well suited for the rigors of the Committee. I appreciate his willingness to serve."


"We are delighted to welcome Kirby to the selection committee," Hancock said. "He will fit right in, because he is a thoughtful, hard-working [/URL]person of the highest integrity."


The former student-athlete has a strong background in collegiate football beginning as a four-year letterman at linebacker for Kansas State University under the tutelage of Hall of Fame coach Bill Snyder. He led the Big 8 Conference in tackles and earned All-Big 8 honors as a junior. In 1993, The Sporting News selected Hocutt as one of the top 20 underrated players in the nation. He served as a team captain his senior season.


Hocutt currently is the chairman of the NCAA Division I Football Recruiting Subcommittee and serves as the Big 12 representative on the NCAA Division I Leadership Council.


Hocutt was named Texas Tech's 13th athletics director on March 2, 2011, after spending three years in the same position at the University of Miami where he oversaw $26 million in new projects. His first opportunity as an athletics director at the Division I level was with Ohio University in 2005. Hocutt also served stints in the athletics departments at Kansas State and the University of Oklahoma.


In 2010, Hocutt was recognized with Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal Forty Under 40 Award, as one of the most promising young executives in sports business. He served as chairman for the Lubbock March of Dimes Campaign in 2013.

This post was edited on 2/9 10:16 AM by K Lonnquist

Season starts Friday with a 3-game series at Baylor Ballpark against Cal Poly.

As for the A&M meeting, that will take place March 6 at the Houston College Classic at Minute Maid Park.

I'll have a little preview on the team for this Friday's blitz.

The Bears are predicted T7 in the preseason Big 12 poll with Kansas.



Baylor baseball schedule

Baylor has offered Manvel 2016 LB Jordan Carmouche.

He attended Baylor's junior day. Here's a look at his highlights.