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Baylor Blitz: April 10, 2015

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k lonnquist

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The NFL draft on Baylor QB Bryce Petty


When it comes to Baylor QB Bryce Petty's draft stock, the beauty is pretty much in the eye of the beholder.


NFL personnel sources have told Yahoo Sports that Petty could go anywhere from the second to the fourth round. He didn't have a very good week at the Senior Bowl practices, but the universal opinion is that he has improved each time he has thrown in the season. That's what NFL evaluators want to see from the first-read offense.


Petty definitely improved from the senior bowl to the combine to Baylor's Pro Day back on March 20. Pro Day was his peak in terms of the public showings. One AFC executive said Petty's pro day was better than Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota's. Another high end scout said most teams view him as the third quarterback to be taken in the draft. However, UCLA's Brett Hundley is also in that spot. Oregon State's Sean Mannion might be moving up


Regardless, the consensus from NFL executives is that Petty is likely going to be a backup who will need lots of work with his reads/progressions as well as basic stuff like center exchanges and huddles, etc. If a quarterback has the ability and size, NFL organizations want to see him show that he can learn fast and retain information. That's what has shown well for Petty since NFL executives started evaluating him in January.


A lot of teams need quarterbacks. While he's projected to go in the third round, don't be surprised if Petty ends up in the second. Teams always need three quarterbacks.

-Yahoo NFL to SicEmSports




The spring is not over

Spring football may not have concluded on April 2, but a couple of Baylor football players are resuming their track careers.


Look for wide receivers KD Cannon and Chris Platt and possibly offensive lineman Desmine Hilliard to take part in the rest of the spring track season. Cannon will compete in the sprints including the 100, while Platt will focus on his specialty of the 400. Hilliard is listed on the Baylor Track & Field roster in the shot put and discus events. All are expected to compete in Baylor's next track meet, The Michael Johnson Classic, April 18 at the Hart Track & Field Stadium.


Cannon should compete in the sprints including the 100. On Thursday, he tweeted he was hoping that he would break 10.20.


Platt will focus on the 400. That's not a surprise since he was a three-time Class 4A state high school champion in the event. Before he arrived on the Baylor campus, Platt said he wanted to take advantage of competing for the track team. Apparently, the Baylor coaches have worked with him on it.

-Kevin Lonnquist



Calloway wants to see Baylor


Dallas Bishop Dunne 2017 defensive back Chevin Calloway picked up a Baylor offer last week. While his contact with Baylor has been sporadic, expect that to change. He wants to take a visit. The last time Calloway visited Baylor was the Aug. 31 45-0 rout of SMU.


Baylor seemed to pick up the interest when Dunne coach Michael Johnson sent out Calloway's film from the 2014 season. That's when the offer came.


"Coach [Jim] Gush just told me that they loved the way I fly around the football,'' he said. "They really want me to come to one of their camps in June. I plan on doing that. Whenever I see them in June or at the camp I really want to get to know the coaches more and see how they interact with everybody.''


Calloway (5-11, 180) has Baylor among several major offers including Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State and Ole Miss. Iowa and Texas Tech has started to move in and could be next to offer.


Calloway started his high school career at Red Oak where he played safety. But that program has never been known as a powerhouse, so he transferred to Dunne before the 2014 season hoping the exposure would play to his advantage.


That has happened along with a position change where he moved to cornerback. He said the Dunne coaches working meticulously with him on turning his hips and making sure he comes quickly out of his break.


He's a fan of playing press coverage but knows he has to improve when he plays zone. There are several ways to play defensive back.


"I'm more dominant when I get my hands in on a receiver,'' he said. "My hands are better on the receiver than offer. But I know I have a lot to work on.''


Regardless, Calloway enjoyed a solid first year at cornerbacks with four interceptions. He also returned a fumble for a touchdown. Plus, he continues to work on his speed. He's going through track season running the anchor leg in the 4x100 and 4x200 relays. The 100 is a work in progress where his personal best is a 10.9. He wants to shave that time.


Still, the speed and diversity is there. It's been since last summer, but his best time in the 40 is 4.45. He also has a 37 in the vertical.


"The process is very overwhelming,'' Callow said. "I know I have to prove a lot of things. I'm very excited but not shocked. I knew I was pretty good. But I have to compete against every opponent.''

-Kevin Lonnquist





Baylor ready to move on Hall?

The Baylor coaches are showing interest in another East Texas product, Tyler Lee athlete Zach Hall. It seems like an offer could be coming for the standout prospect.


"Coach (Randy) Clements is my main contact from Baylor," Hall said. "He actually stopped by the school earlier [Thursday], but I had a dentist appointment and missed him. I have mostly talked with Coach Clements, but he is supposed to introduce me to the corners coach soon."


Hall is an all-around athlete, playing quarterback for the football team, starring on the playoff basketball team and running in the 4x100 and 4x200 relays on the track team.


"The Baylor coaches want me at corner," Hall said. "They really like my speed and athleticism, plus the coaches really believe that I would be a good fit for their defense. Some schools are offering me to play receiver and others like Baylor want me at corner.


"I'm open to playing either position. I played receiver and corner before moving over to quarterback. My goal is to find the right fit for me and the program that makes me feel the most comfortable."


The standout athlete currently holds one offer from Texas Tech and continues to hear from a handful of programs, including Baylor.


"I would say that Texas Tech is in the lead because they have offered, but the coaches from SMU, Baylor and TCU are showing a lot of interest too," Hall said. "I have plans to visit SMU and Texas Tech this month. I also want to visit Baylor and TCU this summer."


Rated a four-star prospect, Hall is the No. 26 athlete in the nation and the No. 40 prospect in the Rivals Texas Postseason Top 100 for the 2016 class.


The 5-foot-11, 170-pound athlete passed for 2,001 yards and 16 touchdowns while running for another 1,487 yards and 22 touchdowns at quarterback in the 2014 season.

-Matt Clare



Bears back in Louisiana


New Orleans (LA) John Curtis inside linebacker Nathaniel 'Nate' Evans is one of the latest prospects to hear from the Baylor coaching staff.


"I talk with Coach (Carlton) Buckels from time to time and he is coming to visit me in the spring," Evans said. "We are mostly getting to know one another and we will probably get to add more to that later this spring once they come and see me on the field.


"Baylor is a program on the come up. They had another winning season this year and I like their program. Our practices should start around May 1st and I'm looking forward to seeing Coach Buckels come for a visit."


Evans already holds seven offers and continues to receive interest from new programs on a weekly basis.


"I'm going to take some visits during the summer," Evans said. "Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Arkansas and Texas Tech are some of the schools that I would like to visit - maybe Troy too.


"I would say that Texas Tech, Arkansas, Utah, Arkansas State, ULM, Minnesota, Houston, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Oklahoma are the schools recruiting me the hardest right now."


The 6-foot-1, 235-pound linebacker is rated a three-star prospect and the No. 42 prospect in the Rivals Louisiana Postseason Top 45 for the 2016 class.

-Matt Clare



Fisher and Baylor keeping it steady


Katy (Texas) inside linebacker Paddy Fisher received an offer from the Baylor coaches in early February and has continued to build a relationship with the coaching staff over the past few months.


"Things are going great with Baylor," Fisher said. "I speak with Coach (Jim) Gush every week and met all of the Baylor coaches when I went to Waco for my visit. I was really impressed with the facilities and everything about the program out there. Waco is a smaller town too, it kind of reminds me of Katy and that's a good thing for me.


"The Baylor coaches want me at inside linebacker. The Northwestern coaches see me playing on the outside. I'm not partial to either position and just want to find the right fit for me."


With a new offer from Maryland on Thursday, Fisher now holds eight FBS offers and recently returned from a weekend trip to the Northwestern campus.


"I just got back from a visit to Northwestern," Fisher said. "It's really starting to pick up and my teammates were also offered by Northwestern during the visit so that was a big plus.


"Collin (Wilder) and Travis (Whillock) were on the visit with me and we would like to play together. We have some of the same offers, but not every school has offered each of us."


Fisher is planning more visits for this offseason and admitted that his visits to Baylor and Northwestern have made an impact.


"I'm trying to visit Boston College sometime later this summer," Fisher said. "I have already taken visits to Baylor, Northwestern, Kansas and Houston. My visits to both Baylor and Northwestern have really set the bar in terms of the overall recruiting experience so far.


"In terms of location, before my visit to Northwestern I might have had a different answer but feel that location won't matter if I find the fit. If I do decide to attend Northwestern or a school like Boston College, then it's a business decision and I will go there to take care of business anyway."


The 6-foot-2, 215-pound linebacker plans to focus on spring practices for now and will resume his unofficial visits this summer.

-Matt Clare





Will Baylor move on Williams?

With the coaches losing the commitment of Houston (Texas) Westside defensive tackle Jordan Elliott this week, we started to look into other options at the defensive tackle position.


Fort Worth All Saints defensive tackle Michael Williams holds an offer from the Baylor coaches and has already been on campus to visit a few times.


"I was hearing from Baylor a lot more at first, but I probably speak with Coach (Jeff) Lebby from Baylor once every month or so," Williams said. "I have taken two visits to Baylor and enjoyed my time around the coaches.


"Baylor is a program on the come up and Coach Art Briles has it going on over there, but I'm open to all schools right now and will show as much interest to a program as they show to me."


The open contact period is coming up and things could change between Williams and the Baylor coaches, but a few programs are ahead of the others for the standout prospect.


"Oklahoma State and SMU are ahead of most everyone right now," Williams said. "I can tell those programs really want me and they both have great coaches. Oregon and Texas A&M are programs showing interest too and they plan on coming by in the spring.


"I was thinking about making my decision right before the season, but I'm not sure yet. I haven't really started to narrow down my options and will probably end up just making my decision whenever it feels right."


Williams has a few visits this weekend and will continue to communicate with new programs throughout the spring.


"I'm visiting TCU Friday and SMU on Saturday," Williams said. "Both of those are closer to home, but it doesn't matter if the school is close or not, just want to find the right fit.


"Other than that, I plan on attending the NFTC regional combine in Los Angeles. I had to miss the NFTC and Rivals Camps here in Dallas because of my shoulder injury, but I'm back working out and look forward to competing against some of the best."


The 6-foot-2, 300-pound lineman is rated a three-star prospect, listed as the No. 36 defensive tackle in the nation and the No. 70 prospect in the Rivals Texas Postseason Top 100 for the 2016 class.

-Matt Clare



Recruiting Quick Hits


>Alief Elsik LB Dontavious Jackson, ranked No. 229 in the Rivals 250, said he will release his Top 10 at some point this summer. Given what he has said about Baylor, it's likely that the Bears will be on the list. Jackson said he could not get to Waco for an unofficial visit. Instead he will wait for the Baylor coaches to come evaluate him in the spring football period either late this month or in May.


>Expect Baylor LB coach Jim Gush to travel up Kansas to watch Dodge City (KS) JUCO defensive lineman Christian Howard (6-2, 245) in that program's spring game May 2. Howard has been communicating with the Baylor coaching staff frequently but hasn't been offered as of yet.


>Academics will likely determine Richmond Foster defensive end Sidney Murray's fate. But Baylor remains tangibly interested. Murray, whose only offer is from Appalachian State, is going to be moving around this spring between DE and linebacker. He said the Baylor coaches want to see him play OLB and MLB this fall when they come to evaluate. Murray said he may also see some time at running back.



Basketball evaluation periods


The middle of April signals the first two evaluation periods for basketball. There are several tournaments that include Baylor prospects.


One is the Adidas Gauntlent Series Friday-Sunday in Southern Dallas County. A second one is in the Under Armour Event Friday-Sunday in New Orleans. The EYBL begins its series Friday-Sunday in Hampton, VA. Baylor is expected to have coaches at both events.


As for the Dallas event, one big name to watch is Lancaster 2016 post Nate Morris. He has a Baylor offer. New Orleans will feature several big names including 2016 commit Mark Vital, 2016 target Terrance Ferguson, 2017 target Billy Preston, 2017 power forward four-star recruit P.J. Washington and Round Rock McNeil 2017 point guard Victor Bailey. Norman, OK 2017 point guard Trae Young, 2016 center Schnider Herard and 2016 point guard De'Aaron Fox are in Virginia for the first event. He has already visited Baylor. Baylor head coach Scott Drew and assistant Jerome Tang are expected to be in Hampton to watch Young, Herard and Fox among others.


A second evaluation period runs April 24-26.

-Kevin Lonnquist



Baseball at Texas Tech

As rough as it has been, Baylor baseball's team (13-18, 4-5) is in three-way tie for fifth place in the Big 12 standings. That means the Bears are in a pretty solid position as far as the Big 12 tournament is concerned.


Baylor begins a three-game series at Texas Tech (19-14. 4-5). The Bears are coming off a 10-7 victory over UT-Arlington on Tuesday at Baylor Ballpark. That snapped a five-game losing streak. This series has been very tight over the years. Tech holds a very tight overall edge, 78-77.



Pitching matchups:

Friday - 6:30 p.m. LHP Daniel Castano (2-3, 2.40) vs. Texas Tech RHP Ryan Moseley (2-3, 3.05)

Saturday - 2:00 p.m. RHP Drew Tolson (1-6, 4.27) vs. Texas Tech LHP Cameron Smith (4-2, 2.74)

Sunday - 2:00 p.m. RHP Nick Lewis (1-0, 4.67) vs. Texas Tech TBA

-Kevin Lonnquist



Emptying the Notebook


>Despite some overtures that an in-state running back could re-open his recruitment, Port Arthur Memorial's Kameron Martin said he remains 100 percent committed to the Bears.


>Euless Trinity DE Chris Daniels has decided to hold off on naming a top 10, but he does plan to narrow his list soon. Oklahoma, TCU, Texas A&M, Baylor and SMU are schools he has visited and he has each high on his list.


>If Baylor is ever going to offer Southlake Carroll safety Obi Eboh, the earliest it's going to happen is in the spring evaluation period. Eboh has 17 FBS offers. Baylor has yet to extend.

-SicEmSports
 
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