By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
With Baylor adding so many new pieces to the 2023 football roster through the NCAA transfer portal, SicEmSports provides a daily series of breaking down each of these new members and how they fit into the program moving forward.

Isaiah Dunson
Pos.: DB
School: Miami (FL)
Ht./Wt.: 6-1, 186
Remaining Eligibility: 2 years (2020 was a COVID/free year)

What he brings: For starters, Dunson is a tall corner with a pretty good wingspan. That’s exactly what the Baylor coaches searched for in the portal because everybody needs a tall back line of defense. While Dunson’s playing time was limited to just 41 snaps in 2022 (mostly in mop up duty), he brings an upside with him. Dunson was a consensus 4-star recruit among all the national recruiting services. Rivals rated him the No. 32 DB in the nation for the 2020 class.

What are the concerns: With any portal candidate with limited production, there’s always going to be the question of why he didn’t break through at a program like Miami or at least get into the DB rotation. Maybe he just didn’t mesh with new head coach Mario Cristobal and his defensive staff in 2022. Sometimes, that just happens. For the limited time he played in his first three seasons, he only has one PBU. But the context to that could mean anything. For his career he has 14 total tackles including nine solos.

How he helps the room: Baylor’s secondary is in a position where it needs help – it really could use a second portal DB for 2023 – and Dunson’s experience playing at the P5 level makes a difference. He’s been through the wars. Dunson understands the speed of the P5 game and has faced some pretty good offenses over the years regardless of when he entered a game. Considering how much Baylor’s secondary struggled in 2022 coupled with the portal losses of Snaxx Johnson and Al Walcott, who both went to Arkansas, followed by the graduation of Mark Milton this arrival is a godsend.

2023 Expectations: With any portal addition, that player and new program’s expectations are that he will either start or at a minimum be in the rotation. Dunson needs to demonstrate he’s ready to be a starter and can be a key component to the back line of the defense. Baylor is really thin at corner. The only experienced DBs are AJ McCarty and Tevin Williams. Williams made his first start in the Armed Forces Bowl. Romario Noel got some snaps. And while the Bears signed five defensive backs to the 2023 class – LeVar Thornton, Jr. is listed an athlete, but he signed as a DB – it’s really up in the air as to whether they will have any kind of impact for 2023. To Baylor’s credit, both Caden Jenkins and Carl Williams IV are January arrivals.

You want to listen to this one. Every incoming player for Spring ball, including the new freshmen and the portal players are covered. Will they redshirt or will they make an impact?
Men's basketball is at .500 in conference. Where does it go from here?



Came in at 25:55

Listen to the podcast here

By SicEmSports
Baylor's 81-74 Tuesday win at Texas Tech may not have been a surprise. But the manner in which the Bears did it probably was.

The No. 21 Bears reached the .500 mark in Big 12 play and earned their third straight win as they kept the Red Raiders winless in league play.

Freshman sensation Keyonte George collected 18 of his game-high 27 points in the second half and had all four 3-pointers the Bears made in the second half. Baylor shot 48 percent for the game and made 11 3s for the game. LJ Cryer finished with 18.

The Bears led by as many as 16 in the second half. Tech (10-8, 0-7) closed to within five (79-74) inside the final minute and had a chance to narrow it even further. But Tech guard Pop Isaacs impatiently hoisted up a three that missed badly.

Baylor chewed up Tech's defense in the first half shooting 57.7 from the field and 46.7 from long distance.

Most importantly, the Bears took care of the ball committing only three turnovers. Baylor continues the road trip Saturday with a 3:00 p.m. start at Oklahoma.

Postgame Notes

• Baylor has won seven of the last ten meetings between the two schools.
• Baylor is 9-5 in 14 trips to Lubbock since 2010, and is 22-9 against Tech since 2007-2008, its first year under Drew without scholarship restrictions.
• BU snapped its two-game losing streak to Texas Tech, Baylor’s longest since 2004-2005
• BU is 78-21 against in-state opponents since the start of the 2011-2012 season
• Baylor’s 45-11 Big 12 record over the last four seasons is the second-best in the Power 5
• 48 points are BU’s most against Tech in a half since scoring 54 in the second half on 3/7/21.
• 48 points allowed in the first half are a season high for Texas Tech.
• Baylor has won 90% of its games when leading at the half since 2011-12 (225-26).
• Keyonte George scored a team-high 27 points, his fourth 20-point game in Big 12 play.
• George recorded his eighth 20-point game of the season the most by a freshman since Aaron Bruce had nine in 2004-2005.
• LJ Cryer scored in double figures for a third-straight game. 18 points are his most since scoring 19 at Marquette (11/29/22).
• Jalen Bridges scored in double figures for the fourth-straight game, the longest active streak on the team.
• Bridges started his 70th consecutive game.
• Adam Flagler had his 17-game streak of double-figure scoring games snapped.
• Tuesday night’s game was the first time Flagler failed to reach double figures since 3/10/22 against Oklahoma.
• Flo Thamba played in his 134th career game pulling into a tie with LaceDarius Dunn for the fourth-most in program history.
• Caleb Lohner played in his 70th consecutive game.

Just catching you up. I know Tommie Robinson from Texas A&M was discussed.

Heard Oregon State RB coach AJ Steward could be the frontrunner but who knows. He was the RB coach at BYU in 2018-19 when Jeff Grimes and Eric Mateos were there.

Steward is pretty young. He finished playing at KU in 2011 and has had coaching stops at Rice, BYU and Arizona before coming to Oregon State.

We'll keep you posted should an announcement come down whenever that is.

******
Full Release from Baylor

WACO, Texas -- AJ Steward has been named the assistant head coach/running backs coach for Baylor football and Tyler Hancock will direct the special teams, as announced by head coach Dave Aranda on Monday.


Steward joins the Bears’ coaching staff after spending the last two seasons at Oregon State in the same role. He has also had previous stops at Arizona (2020), BYU (2018-19) and Rice (2014-17). A former Kansas tight end, Steward opened his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Rice in 2012-13 before taking on the running backs coaching role for the Owls.


Hancock will lead the special teams unit after serving as the special teams coordinator the last two seasons at Charlotte. He previously served as the senior analyst at West Virginia (2019-20), the special teams’ quality control coach at Maryland (2016-18) and as a defensive intern and later an offensive assistant at Kentucky (2013-16).



"My family and I are thrilled to be joining the Baylor Family," Steward said. "We are grateful and honored for the opportunity to join Coach Dave Aranda's staff and I am excited to work with this great group of student-athletes and coaches!"



Steward Bio

A native of St. Louis, Mo., Steward spent the last two seasons coaching the tailbacks at Oregon State, helping the Beavers to a 10-3 season and a 30-3 win over Florida in the Las Vegas Bowl. OSU reached the 10-win mark for just the third time in its history and the first time since 2006, finishing the year ranked No. 17 in the Associated Press and USA TODAY Coaches’ polls, checking in No. 14 in the final College Football Playoff rankings.


The Beavers ended the season winning four consecutive and seven of their last eight games. Steward led an elite running backs unit that saw three backs rush for over 400 yards. First-Team All-Pac 12 selection Damien Martinez totaled 982 yards on the ground with seven TDs, Deshaun Fenwich toted it 114 times for 553 yards and seven scores and Jam Griffin had 488 yards rushing and four TDs.


“AJ is a great addition to our coaching staff, and we are excited to bring him and his wife Virginia to Waco,” Aranda said. “AJ has quickly developed a reputation as one of the top running back coaches in the nation, and as a tireless and skilled recruiter who has a great feel for the state of Texas. AJ is man of faith who places tremendous value in person over player. I have no doubt he will be a tremendous leader within our program.”


Martinez, recruited to Oregon State as a three-star recruit out of Lewisville, Texas, earned First-Team Freshman All-America honors from The Athletic in his first year working with Steward. He was named Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year, was a three-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Week selection and tied the program standard with six straight 100+ yard rushing performances in 2022.


It was the second-straight elite running back unit led by Steward, as his group was led by the Pac-12 leading rusher, B.J. Baylor in 2021. Baylor rushed for 1,337 yards in 2021 to earn All-Pac 12 first-team accolades and honorable mention All-America honors. Under his guidance, the Beavers set program records with 5.3 yards per rush and 6.4 yards per play.


Steward spent the 2020 season as the running backs coach at Arizona, where the Wildcats rushed for over 156 yards per game during a COVID-19 shortened season. He helped guide Gary Brightwell to a sixth-round selection in the NFL Draft.


Working under Grimes at BYU in 2018-19, serving as the running backs coach. The Cougs rushed for 52 total TDs in his two seasons, as Grimes implanted his “RVO” offense to great aplomb with the assistance of Steward. BYU had five different players go for 100 or more rushing yards in a game over the two seasons, averaging nearly 160 rushing yards per game in each of his seasons. He helped guide the Cougars to the 2019 Hawaii Bowl and the 2018 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.


In 2019, Steward mentored a pair of graduate transfers at running back for the Cougars, including Ty’Son Williams and Emmanuel Esukpa. The duo helped combine with others in a talented room to total over 2,000 rushing yards for the first time since 2016, going for 4.4 yards per carry with 25 total TDs.


Steward coached at Rice from 2012-17, serving as the graduate assistant from 2012-13 before taking over as the full-time running backs coach for the 2014 season. In 2017, Rice ranked in the nation’s top 40, averaging 187 rushing yards per game, with Nahshon Ellerbe and Austin Walter combining for 10 rushing scores and 5.3 yards per carry.


He mentored Rice running backs Darik Dillard and Jowan Davis, who combined for 4,226 yards and 36 TDs in their careers, both ranking among the top-10 rushers in program history. In 2015, he had four backs go for at least one 100+ yard rushing effort, a first in Rice history. Samuel Stewart and Austin Walter earned Conference USA All-Freshman Team honors and helped guide the Owls to the Armed Forces Bowl, the Liberty Bowl and the Hawaii Bowl. While he was a graduate assistant in 2013, Steward helped Charles Ross lead C-USA in rushing with 1,280 yards and 15 TDs.


Steward was a four-year letterwinner at Kansas, where he was recruited as a quarterback, moved to wide receiver and eventually to tight end. He played in 37 career games, with five catches for 31 yards and three tackles. He was named the Scout Team Player of the Year for the Jayhawks during their 2007 Orange Bowl season.


A four-time member of the Athletic Director’s Academic Honor Roll, he earned his bachelor’s degree in health and physical education from Kansas in 2012 and will be joined in Waco by his wife, Virginia.


Hancock Bio

Hancock joins the Bears following two seasons on the staff at Charlotte as the special teams coordinator. He previously spent two seasons as the senior analyst for special teams at West Virginia, three seasons as the special teams’ quality control coach at Maryland (2016-18), and four years at Kentucky, where he was a defensive intern and later an offensive assistant.


“Tyler is a valuable addition to our staff,” Aranda said. “He has had great success working with special teams units throughout his career and can step in immediately to help lead our group. His versatile experience working with several positional groups is a great asset when it comes to directing a special teams unit. When paired with his experience in the Big 12 and the Southeastern Conference , Tyler is positioned to bring great perceptive to our staff.”



A native of Lexington, Ky., Hancock guided a 49ers special teams unit for the last two years, with Charlotte ranking among the nation’s top-10 in punt-return defense in consecutive seasons (No. 4 in 2022 and No. 8 in 2021).


In 2022, the 49ers ranked among the nation’s leaders in several key special team categories, including fourth in punt return defense average, No. 10 in blocked kicks, No. 31 in blocked punts and No. 32 in net punting average. Bailey Rice averaged 42.72 yards per punt under Hancock’s guidance, including 18 downed inside the 20-yard line and 13 going for 50+ yards.


In 2021, Hancock’s first year leading the special teams unit, Charlotte ranked eighth in punt-return defense, 21st in the nation in blocked kicks, 32nd in blocked punts, 36th in kickoff returns and 40th in net punting. Rice averaged 42.28 yards per punt, with 14 downed inside the 20-yard line and five going for at least 50. Yards. Charlotte was 10-for-15 in field-goal attempts and 44-of-60 kickoffs went for touchbacks.


During his two seasons at West Virginia, Hancock served as the senior analyst for special teams, overseeing the program’s analysts and quality-control coaches, while helping lead the special teams unit and its game plans.


He was the special teams quality control coach at Maryland from 2016-18, working with linebackers and tight ends, in addition to the specialists.


While at Kentucky, Hancock shined with his versatility, working with special teams, outside linebackers and defensive backs. He also worked as an offensive assistant, with primary responsibilities including the quarterbacks and tight ends. He helped head coach Mark Stoops resurrect the Kentucky program, with the Wildcats advancing to the TaxSlayer Bowl in 2016 after the Wildcats posted consecutive 5-7 seasons in 2014 and 2015. The Cats rallied to win five of their final seven games to secure bowl eligibility in 2016, the first of seven consecutive bowl berths for UK.


Hancock served as the quarterbacks coach and co-passing game coordinator at Kentucky Wesleyan and got his coaching start at Kentucky football juggernaut Lexington Catholic, where he had prepped as a quarterback.


He is a 2012 graduate of Kentucky Wesleyan, after opening his collegiate career at NAIA powerhouse Georgetown [Ky.] College and redshirting for a season at Delta State.

There was a lot of talk behind the scenes that this is probably going to happen. Now it has. He’s an important part of the defensive line.

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By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
With Baylor adding so many new pieces to the 2023 football roster through the NCAA transfer portal, SicEmSports provides a daily series of breaking down each of these new members and how they fit into the program moving forward.

Campbell Barrington
Pos.: OL
School: BYU
Ht./Wt.: 6-6, 295
Remaining Eligibility: 2 years with a redshirt

What he brings: Baylor’s offensive line is looking for an infusion of experience from a group that is losing all five starters from 2022 and must start over in 2023. Barrington has 15 games of experience between his first two seasons at BYU. He started six games in 2021 – named a Freshman All-American – and played in nine games in 2022 before his season ended with a broken thumb. Barrington entered 2022 fall camp competing for the starting right tackle position. However, he didn’t win it. Still, his arrival at Baylor means that the coaching staff expects him to be a starter at either tackle position.

What are the concerns: Well, he’s at Baylor and expected to be a starter, although he came from a place where he didn’t win a starting job. But that was to then-heralded transfer Kingsley Suamataia. A little grace must be exercised. The question really might come down to which position fits him best when spring workouts begins. Do the coaches want him to be on the blind side or keep him where he played at BYU, right tackle? Whatever happens, he has to blend in with others to form a chemistry, something that was hit and miss in 2022.

How he helps the room: This is going to be a great add for a unit that is so lacking in returners. The top ones from the offensive line are Gavin Byers, Tate Williams. Each saw some time. There are several young and intriguing candidates starting with George Maile. However, this group needs a veteran presence to help bridge the inexperience.

2023 Expectations: That really depends on what you see from the spring game in April (no date has been given for that game as of yet) and how things will start to look during the non-conference schedule. The formation of an offensive line is an evolvement. It just doesn’t happen. But two things to watch during the season will be if if the Baylor quarterback is getting enough time in the pocket to make his throws and are the holes being created consistently to where running backs are earning decent yards per carry. As always, the measuring stick is four.

By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
With Baylor adding so many new pieces to the 2023 football roster through the NCAA transfer portal, SicEmSports provides a daily series of breaking down each of these new members and how they fit into the program moving forward.

Dominic Richardson
Pos.: RB
School: Oklahoma State
Ht./Wt.: 6-0, 210
Remaining Eligibility: 2 years (2020 was a COVID/free year)

What he brings: Richardson has rushed for 1,139 yards and 15 TDs in his first three years with the Cowboys. In a 2022 season where Oklahoma State’s rushing attack looked for a spark, he was the most productive ball carrier. However, Richardson dealt with an assortment of injuries that curtailed what probably could have been a better season. He offers typical RB size, pretty close to what Abram Smith was.

Richardson developed into a pretty decent pass catcher in 2022. Oklahoma State expanded his role with 22 grabs for 220 yards.

What are the concerns: Of course, running backs dealing with injuries is always a concern because of what carryover they could potentially have for the future. He did not play in the Cowboys final two games of the season against Oklahoma and West Virginia. There could be the thought of too many miles on the tire. However, Richardson’s productivity in 2022 was a career-high, but time will tell.

How he helps the room: Well, he knows Baylor and Baylor knows him after facing each other after three meetings. That’s why the Oklahoma City native is in Waco. Richardson will be the veteran for this group. A room that suddenly has some depth concerns with Sqwirl Williams entering into the NCAA transfer portal and Taye McWilliams future up in the air. McWilliams suffered what is believed to be a pretty tough concussion since he incurred it in the second game against BYU and never returned in 2022. Richard Reese is the leading returner at 972 yards. Qualan Jones finished at 462.

It's not clear if the Baylor coaches believe Jordan Jenkins can be a factor this year or not. But this is a pretty important offseason for him to show that he can. Bryson Washington just arrived on campus and he has to focus on getting his body D1 ready. Plus, he’s coming off a senior season where he rushed for better than 2,000 yards. Dawson Pendergrass arrives in June.

2023 Expectations: Baylor’s approach should be the same with three backs handling most of the carries. Richardson should be in that and probably will battle Reese for the most carries. Can Richardson be the Smith-type of back? That depends on the work he does and if he’s the guy the offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes thinks he is.

LJ Cryer hit the first of his four 3-pointers just 17 seconds into the game, giving the Bears (12-5, 2-3) a lead they would never relinquish. Baylor scored the first 13 points and led by as many as 28 in a rare Big 12 blowout, beating the Cowboys (9-8, 1-4) for the 13th time in the last 16 meetings.
Shooting 53% from 3-point range in the first half (8-of-15), Baylor rode the hot hands of Cryer and Flagler to go into the break with a comfortable 39-23 lead.
Working the ball inside more at the start of the second half, the Bears stretched it to a 25-point cushion, 59-34, at the 12:26 mark when freshman Josh Ojianwuna knocked down a fade-away jumper.
Less than two minutes later, the lights in the Ferrell Center went out with Keyonte George at the free throw line with 11:00 left in the game. The teams returned to the locker rooms during a 22-minute delay while power was restored.
Looking for its third-straight win, Baylor will go back on the road to face Texas Tech (10-7, 0-5) at 8 p.m. Tuesday at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock. The Red Raiders had a nine-point halftime lead on the road at 10th-ranked Texas, but dropped their fifth in a row, 72-70.

• Baylor is Now 12-5 (2-3) on the season.
• BU is 35-57 all time against OSU, but leads 32-25 since becoming Big 12 rivals.
• The Bears have won 13 of the last 16 meetings against the Cowboys
• Baylor’s 44-11 Big 12 record over the last 3+ seasons is the 2nd best of any Power-5 team.
• The Bears are 153-9 under Scott Drew (5-0 this season) when holding teams to below 60 points.
• Drew has a winning percentage of .700 (374-158) since BU’s first year with no scholarship restrictions in 2007-08.
• BU has won 73-straight when shooting a higher percentage than its opponent (last loss March 2, 2019 at K-State).
• Baylor is 47-7 vs. unranked teams over the last three seasons.
• Baylor has taken a lead in 136-consecutive games (last wire-to-wire loss Dec. 1, 2018 at Wichita State).
• LJ Cryer scored a game-high 16 points his most since he scored 19 at Marquette on 11/29.
• Cryer matched a career high with 35 minutes played.
• Flo Thamba played in his 133rd career game, one behind LaceDarius Dunn for fourth-most in program history
• Thamba scored in double figures (12) for the second time this season and the 12th time in his career. The Bears are 10-2 when he reaches 10+ points.
• Keyonte George notched career highs in assists (8) and rebounds (8).
• With 11 points, Adam Flagler extended his streak of 10+ point games to 17.
• Flagler’s eight assists were his most since he had nine against McNeese on 11/23/22. It was also the 10th time he led the team in assists this season.
• Jalen Bridges scored in double figures for a third-straight game and a seventh time this season.

Postgame Quotes

Scott Drew

I can tell you the lights going out, coaches don’t know what to say for a third time. We’re good for two, you know before the game and halftime. But the third one, credit the guys for coming out and finishing the game and not letting Oklahoma State make a run after a city-wide power outage. So it was city-wide, it wasn’t just a Ferrell Center thing. Appreciate everybody working to get the lights back on.

We haven’t had a complete game like this yet in conference, so it was great that we were able to defensively and rebounding and taking care of the basketball do those things at a high level. Very balanced scoring attack. Any win like this is a blessing. You’ve got to thank God for every win, and these are extra.

(Better defense) Gradually our staff and our upperclassmen have done a really good job of buying in and trying to improve and make things more difficult, and bit by bit we’re getting there. This league is so good that you can improve and not show up in the win-loss column. But we are doing the things required to give us a better chance to win now.
(Rebounding edge) That’s always something we pride ourselves in and so does every team in the Big 12. It’s a man’s league, so you’ve got to bring it if you’re going to survive and win on the glass. They got us on second-chance points, but the effort was there for us.

(Keyonte getting ball to teammates) Coaches really appreciate this when young players have a great game, normally they come out and if they’re not getting shots or they’re not scoring, they try to force things. He really let the game come to him. He rebounded, he defended, he had five assists and zero turnovers, and because of that he has a plus-26, and that’s really impressive. Every night you’re not going to score 32, and when defenses key on you, you’re now getting other people opportunities to score and be successful. I thought Keyonte really did a great job in that.

(What does Keyonte give you) He gives you somebody who can really pass. I know there’s an adjustment turnover-wise, and he’s getting better at that. His ability to make ball-screen reads, his ability to find open people and hit the bigs. We talk about three-level scorers, he’s a three-level passer. He can hit any pass on the court, and that’s great too.

(OSU run in first half with BU subs in) I think we went ahead and changed that the next time, and we didn’t try to sub three or four guys in. It’s really tough at the beginning of the game. You go on a run and you want to keep that running going, and once the run ends you got everybody tired at the same time. It’s really hard coming in with four guys because you’re not in the feel. In hindsight, I should have done a better job subbing a little bit quicker so we wouldn’t have thrown four guys in. A lot of times we learn as everyone learns because in practice you don’t really simulate those things because you’re a lot of times playing best on best, and this time of year you don’t practice a lot of stuff in game, and our team will continue to evolve and hopefully get better at finding better rotations that work. We’re blessed to have multiple guys coming in. The bench has done a great job in practice preparing us. Because of that we’ve been successful.

Catching you up….

>Have been told Michigan QB Alan Bowman’s visit went really well. I think Baylor feels good where it stands.

>UNT TE Jake Roberts is in Waco this weekend to wrap up his week of visiting Arkansas, SMU and Baylor. There was a bit of a concern bc hometown OU offered Thursday but Roberts kept to his schedule.

Decisions for both could be late this weekend or early next week.

Further info as it develops…

Update (SUNDAY)
Bowman went up to Oklahoma State over the weekend rather than going to North Texas.

I’m told his visit with Jeff Grimes and Shawn Bell went very well. However I’m getting a sense that Bowman may not be totally comfortable about the way this is going to go with Shapen in spring ball.

With Oklahoma State entering the picture Bowman probably has some hard thinking to do. My guess is that he probably doesn’t come to Baylor. The real issue here is what I’ve been talking to you all before about quarterbacks coming to Baylor and if they really get a sense if they will compete with shaping for the starting job. And if they’re not feeling it they probably won’t come.

By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
Sawyer Robertson will forever keep the text message in his phone.

The night before he suffered his fatal heart attack, the late Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach sent his up-and-coming quarterback a text about what it takes to play the most scrutinized position in football.

It read: “Don’t overthink anything. Just react. You’re at your best when you’re in the moment.”

At the time, it was another in the long list of notes Robertson received from the man he wanted to play for all his life growing up in Lubbock.

No big deal then. It means everything now.

“I wanted to be on the list of great quarterbacks who ever played for him,’’ Robertson said. “Kliff Kingsbury. Graham Harrell. All those guys. His impact on me was huge. He taught me so much. Maybe the greatest thing he ever taught me was not to care what others thing. Just be yourself.’’

But Leach’s death changed Robertson’s outlook. He decided to leave Starkville, MS. Robertson went into the NCAA transfer portal.

“I grew up in Lubbock and was huge Leach fan,’’ he said. “Dealing with his death was hard to describe. He just meant so much to so many people.’’
Login to view embedded media In a tug-o-war with TCU, the Bears won out. On Tuesday, the one-time Rivals 4-star announced he was coming to Baylor’s program. Robertson has three years of eligibility remaining. He arrives on campus this weekend.

“The past 8-10 days have been non-stop,’’ he said. “But it was a combination of things. It was a very tough decision. Those guys at TCU [head coach Sonny Dykes and former OC Garrett Riley] recruited me at SMU.

“But the one thing that did it was that I had never been to Baylor’s campus before last week. I just wanted to get a feel for that and meet all the coaches. It was unbelievable. Dave Aranda is one of the classiest human beings I’ve ever met.’’

Robertson reviewed the offense with offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes and quarterbacks coach Shawn Bell. Film review became fast and furious.

“What stood out to me is how similar a bunch of NFL offenses are to this one,’’ he said. “Really different from the air raid. But you gotta score points and put your team in the best position to win.’’

Robertson came into the 2022 season with a chance to unseat Will Rogers as the starter. He had all the credentials from a remarkable high school career, ranking eighth all time in completions (813), 10th in touchdowns (135) and 13th in yards (11,302).

For his 2022 season with the Bulldogs, Robertson made token appearances in three games completing, 6-11-1 for 23 yards.

At Baylor, Robertson is the second scholarship QB on the roster. Competing with incumbent Blake Shapen for the starting job in 2023 will unfold the way it should. Robertson doesn’t identify himself a pro-style or dual threat quarterback. He’s just in the business of making a play with his arm or legs depending on how the play develops.

“I really didn’t think about the roster,’’ Robertson said. “It’s out of my control. A lot of this stuff with quarterbacks is luck. Who’s to say those schools are going to be in the market for a QB. I honestly view this as a blessing.

“As for competing for the job, I can’t answer that. I’m just going to go in there and do my best.’’

By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
For a quarterback room that looked bleak several weeks ago, Baylor's coaching staff landed what it hopes will be an answer.

Mississippi State signal caller Sawyer Robertson announced Tuesday night that he has committed to Baylor. The 2021 4-star from Lubbock Coronado chose Baylor over TCU after visiting both campuses last week.
Login to view embedded media Robertson was the Rivals No. 206 prospect for the 2021 class. He redshirted for Mississippi State that fall. However, he came to camp 2022 with an opportunity to unseat or at least challenge Will Rogers for the starting job.

When that didn't happen, he had very few opportunities. Rogers appeared in just three games going 6-11-1 for 23 yards. The death of head coach Mike Leach and changes to the offensive coaching staff led to Robertson entering the portal and looking to return to Texas.

Coming to Baylor for the offseason, there could be a chance he competes for the starting job with Blake Shapen. Shapen struggled at the end of the season with 12 turnovers in his last nine games.

At the time of his commitment to the Bulldogs, he had fielded such offers from USC, Arkansas and Florida State.

Indeed, Robertson enjoyed had one of the best careers in Texas high school football history. He graduated from Coronado High School, ranking eighth all time in completions (813), 10th in touchdowns (135) and 13th in yards (11,302) in the state.

Robertson will have three years of eligibility remaining. Baylor may not be done adding to the QB room. But time will tell.

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Garret Riley supposedly heading to Clemson

Baylor running backs coach Juice Johnson is under consideration for a wide receiver position at Texas Tech. There’s a need for that position with Emmett Jones going to Oklahoma. Of course the Texas Tech angle is that Joey Maguire knows juice. There were rumors that juice might go with Joey last year and then didn’t.

Will keep you posted if something develops definitively.

There is another, but late, signing period, combined with the Start of the CONTACT period TODAY, KL, do you have a coach's
visit schedule and '24 prospects. I would think a 'bunch' of 24's would be invited to Junior Day, later this month.
Any updates on this above......? And hopefully, Powledge succeeds tomorrow with a TP Signee.....
While we wait on another Portal and will always Sic 'em all the time......

By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
Oregon State transfer portal QB Tristan Gebbia is intriguing. He may not have the stats/miles on the tire Alan Bowman has. But he has pretty good size at 6-2, 203.

He's thrown for about 1,250 yards in his career with 5 TDs and 4 INTs. Gebbia didn't appear in a game in 2022 until November. In fact all three appearances were in mop up duty where Oregon State was way out in front.

If the Baylor coaches like him better than Bowman - and whatever happened there is probably based on he said he said - that's fine. It's their program and they have to make a really good decision that they think will improve that position. And that position needs serious improvement.

Gebbia's eligibility is interesting. He either has one or two years. It was thought after the Las Vegas Bowl he was done. However, he changed his mind and enters as a grad transfer.

Now, he could have a second if he's granted a medical redshirt. Gebbia missed the entire 2021 season with a torn hamstring and had surgery to repair it. I'm asking around so I don't know if he's applied for one or if he has if he's been granted it. But with him entering the portal when he did and the possible pursuit of that medical redshirt, I wouldn't expect a decision until later in the spring.

We'll keep you posted on this and other developments.

I'll be a little busy that day with the Vikings playing (LOL)


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By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
The official visit period for transfers ended on Sunday evening. Of course, Baylor is in the running for a few candidates, especially at QB. Announcements should be coming out this week.

Baylor’s spring semester begins Tuesday, Jan. 17. The football team is expected to arrive on campus this Saturday.

Catching you up on the latest:

>The addition of Miami (FL) defensive back Isaiah Brunson presents hope that Baylor can continue to re-do its secondary from the one that really struggled in 2022.

Brunson appeared in four games for the Hurricanes in 2022 in mostly a reserve role. The grades he received from Pro Football Focus should be taken with some latitude.

In those four games, Brunson appeared in a total of 41 snaps. His total grade for playing defense was 65.3. He was 70.3 for playing rush defense, 80.1 as a tackler and 62.7 in pass coverage.

Jobs are open this spring.


>North Texas TE Jake Roberts finished his visit at Baylor on Sunday. Everything went well. This appears to be a race between Baylor and SMU. He visited University Park prior to coming to Waco. Roberts visited Arkansas earlier in the week. However, it appears the Razorbacks have fallen out of it.


>The QB situation is pretty much a coin flip at this point. Michigan QB and Grapevine native Alan Bowman is hoping to make a decision Monday or Tuesday.

After he left Baylor, it was thought he was going to visit North Texas.

What works in Baylor’s favor is that Baylor’s offense has similar principles to the one he just left at Michigan. It’s a case of could he seamlessly run the offense. A lot of time was spent with the coaching staff watching film and going over how the offense operates.

>Then Oklahoma State emerged in this process late Saturday. Bowman stayed on I-35, drove past Denton and up to Stillwater, OK.

With the departure of Spencer Sanders into the portal, it left the Cowboys QB situation pretty much in flux. Freshman Garrett Rangel started the Guarantee Rate bowl on Dec. 27 against Wisconsin and struggled. Rangel only played in four games, so he didn’t lose his redshirt year.

Gundy’s son, Gunnar doesn’t appear to be a solution either. He wasn’t all that effective in his appearances.

>The point of this is that if Bowman, who only has one year remaining, may look at the situations at Baylor and Oklahoma State and see which one where he can play.

There’s more uncertainty at Oklahoma State with that position rather than Baylor. Obviously, Baylor struggled at the position, but there is a known signal caller there who started all 13 games in Blake Shapen.

As a source shared with me, “It’s all about playing. That’s the goal.’’

If Bowman picks Baylor, then it’s because he believes he can unseat Shapen as the starter. Not feeling really good about this at this time.

>There doesn’t seem to be much change in terms of Sawyer Robertson’s situation. Everything points to the Mississippi State and Lubbock Coronado product choosing between Baylor and TCU. In 2022 he appeared in five games and was 6-11-1 for 23 yards. It’s unknown if any announcement is tied to waiting for the Horned Frogs to finish playing in the National Championship game Monday against Georgia.

>Rumors surfaced about a third QB visiting over the weekend. We know there has been some investigation from West Virginia’s Will Crowder into Baylor. Whether it advanced to Crowder visiting isn’t clear.

If you want to be involved, click these links to get caught up and see how you can be a part of this.

Folks, this is the way the game is being played. And if you want Baylor to truly be in the market, you need to ask yourself what are you willing to do to make this happen.

The issue I have with Baylor's actions is that it's playing from behind to some extent. Doesn't mean it can't get caught up and be a major player. But there is some serious work to do. I have heard the coordination is getting stronger by the day.

Updated NCAA guidance or not, Baylor should have kept going with its plans and then adjust. But that's in the rear view mirror.

Time to look forward.

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By SicEmSports
In a game that featured 69 free throws, Baylor made enough of its (28-36) to pick up its first Big 12 win of the year.

The Bears (11-5, 1-3) snapped their three-game losing streak as Keyonte George went for a career-high 32 including a phenomenal 3-pointer to end the first half (see the post below). Geoge was 10-18 from the field and 5-9 from deep.

Despite a slow start, Adam Flagler finished with 19 and had to navigate the final 9:25 of the game after his picked up his fourth foul. LJ Cryer looked a little better than the two games where he had returned from concussion protocol with 13.

In his return to West Virginia, former Mountaineer Jalen Bridges added 10 and heard boos just about every time he touched the ball.

Baylor led this for the first 30-plus minutes. However, the Mountaineers (10-6, 0-4) were able to take the lead and extend it to five (59-54).

The Bears took the lead for good, 67-66, with 2:50 to play on two Flagler free throws. George drilled a 3-point with 2:11 remaining to extend it to 70-66.

West Virginia had one last chance to tie in the closing seconds. Baylor led 81-78 when George missed the second of two free throws. But Mountaineer guard Joe Toussaint took a wild 3-pointer and missed. Flagler hit two free throws with two seconds to play to seal it.

Baylor will return home to host Oklahoma State (9-7, 1-3) at 5 p.m. Saturday at the Ferrell Center.

• Baylor Improved to 11-5 (1-3) on the season and snapped its three-game losing streak, the longest since 2018-19.
• BU improved to 15-8 against WVU and 7-4 in Morgantown
• With four-straight wins against the Mountaineers, Baylor has matched its longest winning streak in series history. It also won four-straight between Feb. 2014 and March 2015.
• BU improved to 43-11 Big 12 record over the last 3+ seasons is the 2nd best of any Power-5 team (Kansas).
• BU is 157-92 in Big 12 play in 13 seasons since 2010 after going 59-149 in the league’s first 13 seasons.
• BU has won 72-straight when shooting a higher percentage than its opponent (last loss March 2, 2019 at K-State).
• Keyonte George set a new career high with 32 points. Six shy of the Freshman record of 38 set by LaceDarius Dunn in 2008 at Texas Tech.
• George eclipsed the 20-point mark for the third-straight game, and a seventh time this season. Seven 20-point games are the most since by a freshman since Aaron Bruce had nine in 2004-05.
• George also set career highs in rebounds (7) and made field goals (10).
• Adam Flagler made multiple three-pointers in a game for the 75th time in his career.
• Jalen Bridges recorded his third career double-double, his first at Baylor.
• 11 rebounds set a new Baylor career high for Bridges and is just one rebound off his career high of 12
• Flo Thamba made his 80th-straight start, playing in his 132nd career game tying him with Ish Wainright for the fifth-most games played in program history.

Good news on the portal front. Baylor's picked up some players that can plug in to fill some gaps.
We also cover what's going on with the basketball team.



Came in at 21:10

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By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
Needing immediate experience in the middle tier of its defense, Baylor added the commitment of Liberty Linebacker Mike Smith on Tuesday.

Smith was the leading tackler for the Flames in 2023 with 85 including 10 TFL. He also collected one interception and forced three fumbles.

Likely one to take a spot in the middle vacated by Dillon Doyle, Baylor's linebacker lose Doyle and Bryson Jackson among others.

A redshirt senior in 2023, Smith spent only the 2022 season with the Flames. He transferred in from Mississippi Gulf College. Smith played two seasons at that JUCO.

There he was also productive. Had recorded 248 tackles (151 solo, 97 assisted), 19.0 tackles for a loss, 7.0 sacks, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and two interceptions during three seasons at Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Baylor is up to six transfers between Smith, BYU offensive linemen Clark and Caleb Barrington, Arkansas wide receiver Ketron Smith, Oklahoma State running back Dominic Richardson, Michigan State PK Jack Stone (walk on) and North Texas tight end Jake Roberts.

Dave Aranda's program is still in search of solving its quarterback needs before the spring semester begins next Tuesday.
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or things could really have gotten out of hand.