NOTE I: Baylor will hold its spring scrimmage at 11:00 a.m. Saturday at the Highers Complex. Admission is free and 2014 Baylor football schedule posters will be given to all who attend. Fans are asked to park in the Ferrell Center parking lots. A shuttle service will run between those lots and the Highers Complex from 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Nothing has been mentioned as far as concessions are concerned. Just use your best judgment.
NOTE II: Frisco Centennial 2016 DB Raleigh Texada, the younger brother of TCU's Anthony Texada, is expected to take a visit to Baylor on Friday before he visits TCU on Saturday.
Texada had a strong start to his high school career. He collected 38 tackles (25 solos) in 2013 along with 12 breakups and one fumble recovery.
Baylor has not offered the 5-9, 150-pound prospect. Obviously, with that size, the coaching staff would like to see how far he can project. This is believed to be his second visit to the Baylor campus. It's unlikely that Baylor will offer him on this visit. However, we'll keep you posted.
Dorsey looking forward not back
This has been a very exhausting, draining and difficult last seven months for Abilene Cooper safety Cordell Dorsey.
Accused and arrested on sexual assault last September, the Baylor commit had to let the wheels of justice continue to turn. The charges were dropped on Feb. 20 when a grand jury no-billed him.
"I just put everything into God's hands,'' he said. "I knew from the beginning I was innocent. But I had to be patient. What hurt was how my name was being exposed in the wrong way and that football could have been taken away from me.''
The initial plans for Dorsey were that he would enroll in January because he graduated in December. He still hasn't signed his letter of intent. But Dorsey (6-2, 210) reiterated what we reported two weeks ago that he will be arriving on the Baylor campus for the first summer session in June.
He has been on the Baylor campus several times including last Saturday's light scrimmage. Dorsey said the Baylor coaching staff never wavered in its support of him throughout this ordeal.
"They stood by my side,'' said Dorsey who said he plans to be at Saturday's scrimmage. "Even though I didn't sign a letter of intent, they were right there with me. Their support was unbelievable.''
Dorsey still anticipates playing the "Bear" position when he arrives. To make use of the time, he took on a part time job and works out just about every day. He's also starting a Yoga class next week.
"I turned my mom's garage into a weight room,'' he said. "I'll run some gassers and then run 400s over at Cooper. I'm just trying to stay in the best shape possible and maintain my weight.''
While this time has offered time for reflection, he also found out where his real supporters stood. Turns out a good number of them are in Waco.
"I wouldn't say I learned a lot about myself,'' he said. "But I learned the public has a masked face. But I'm ready to get to Baylor.''
-Kevin Lonnquist
Wrapping up the spring
It doesn't seem long ago that the Big 12 champs opened up their spring practices. Saturday, it will come to a close with the 11 a.m. spring scrimmage at the Highers Athletic Complex on the Baylor campus.
Saturday will offer a good chance to see, up close and personal (Stephen Cook and Kevin Lonnquist will be there to cover it), what the Bears have worked on these past 4-5 weeks. To preview what's to come, here are a few issues we thought the team had going into the spring, and how they've been addressed.
> Injuries: You can't really address them other than letting time take its course. Baylor has been without Spencer Drango, Bryce Hager, Sam Ukwuachu, Chris Sanders and Terrell Burt all spring. Injuries have knocked Davion Hall and Pat Colbert out of practices too. Those are a lot of important pieces, and while it will slow the development of guys like Hall (and perhaps Sanders), the bright side is it got a lot of repetitions for some younger, less experienced players. Better to have this many injuries in the spring, rather than the fall.
> Defensive reshuffling: Baylor lost seven starters from last year's defense. Then consider that Terrell Burt and Bryce Hager missed the spring, that's nine different jobs with new faces this spring. That's a heck of a lot of change. The biggest issue seems to be replacing Eddie Lackey at OLB. Grant Campbell, the JUCO transfer, hasn't won over the staff yet. Neither has third-year sophomore Kendall Ehrlich. This position will go unsettled into the fall. Nickel back seems to be led by Kiante Griffin, while Xavien Howard, Tion Wright and Ryan Reid -- along with Sanders -- are the top candidates at cornerback. Baylor lost two DEs, but now's the time for Shawn Oakman and Jamal Palmer, as well as Ukwuachu when healthy. The final job, replacing Ahmad Dixon, appears to be going to another former Midway product, Orion Stewart. All the starting jobs (minus OLB) seem to be settled, but backup jobs are still in play. And as we've seen with injuries, the second stringers need to be determined as much as the starters.
> Interior OL: Offensively, the biggest replacements come at the biggest positions. Losing Cyril Richardson will hurt, especially since JUCO transfer Jarell Broxton appears to behind schedule, as LaQuan McGowan is in the lead to take over at LG. That's a position to watch, as is center, though Kyle Fuller looks ready to replace Stefan Huber. Outside of that, the line should be fine -- at least in terms of first stringers, especially when Drango returns -- but the depth still must be worked out.
> The kicker: Don't laugh; replacing Stork (Aaron Jones) is a priority. While he was shaky from 40 yards and out, he was automatic on PATs, and that's something you need with a team that scores as often as Baylor. Chris Callahan has had an up and down spring -- not surprising for a freshman. Fans will get a chance to see what kind of leg he has on Saturday.
Of course, every job (outside of perhaps QB) will be under the microscope, but it's important to not make a rash judgment based on what happens Saturday. You don't want to make too quick of a judgment on a player or position based on a couple hours of intrasquad scrimmaging. But Saturday will give a bit of a glimpse of how the Big 12 champs will go about defending their title.
-SicEmSports
Final word on Hasty
When Longview running back JaMycal Hasty arrived in Waco for the March 29 Baylor scrimmage, he admitted he had a feeling.
But what struck him was when Johnny Jefferson caught a screen pass that went for about 15 yards.
"I actually said something to my mom about catching the ball in their offense,'' Hasty said. "Then I saw that play and I smiled.''
Sometimes, you just know. And that's probably when Hasty, Rivals No. 208 player probably felt it was time to commit to Baylor.
"It means a lot to do this,'' Hasty said. "I'm looking forward to doing some things with them. Baylor is serious. They are headed in the right direction. The passion and the emotion are great. There was so much energy, it was just unbelievable. I just love what's going on there.''
Hasty has been compared to the departed Lache Seastrunk who was fast and elusive. Hasty possesses those qualities. However, his legendary upper body strength is one of his better qualities.
But people may not appreciate his pass catching ability. When he came up to the Longview varsity as a sophomore, he said the Longview coaches used him in the slot. That turned out to be the same thing in his junior season.
He averaged about 21 yards per reception. A couple of others were on screens out of the backfield. Others were when the Longview coaches had him slotted.
"It feels comfortable when I'm in pass catching situations,'' he said. "I want to become an all-around player. This will help me. ''
Hasty said he is shutting down his recruiting. He did acknowledge that Texas A&M was an early favorite. But when the Aggies moved on Katy's Rodney Anderson and Splendora's Jay Bradford that created an opportunity for Baylor to secure Hasty.
"If any school came at me and I asked if I would visit, I probably wouldn't,'' Hasty said. "I really like where I'm at with Baylor.''
-Kevin Lonnquist
Keke plans to see Bears up close
A lot has happened with Richmond (Texas) George Ranch DE Kingsley Keke since taking in Baylor's junior day back in January. His modest list of offers has since ballooned to nearly 20, including the likes of Florida, Oklahoma and Texas.
And, yes, the Bears finally joined that list on the last week of March, extending an offer to the massive defensive linemen nearly two months after his initial visit.
"I was kind of expecting it, but I was still really excited about it," he said. "I'm extremely blessed -- extremely blessed. All the (offers) that have happened, it feels wonderful."
Now that the Baylor offer is in hand, Keke has planned to visit Baylor Saturday for the spring game. He has no other visits planned right now, he said, and just wants to see how the team operates.
"I want to go watch them and see how it is and how they play -- up close," he said.
He added that he already has a good idea about how the Bears practice based on his recruitment by Baylor D-line coach Chris Achuff.
"I know coach Achuff has a lot of energy and is pretty intense," he said. "I like that."
I'll check in with Keke after his trip to get his impression. Baylor has told him they'd like him as a three-technique defensive tackle, which makes sense considering his 6-3, 300-pound frame.
-Jake Shaw
NTFC camp in Dallas/Houston
Many of Baylor's top prospects and recruits will be at the Nike Football Training Camp Saturday at DeSoto and will bypass Baylor's spring football game/controlled scrimmage.
This one-day setup is a combination of combine and position specific drills. The combine will consist of the 40-yard dash, 20-yard shuttle, vertical jump and kneeling power ball toss. There are then drills designed to improve athletic ability and explosiveness.
The athletes will then move into position specific drills, position competitions and one-on-one drills. There will be a lineman challenge.
Among the Baylor recruits who will be in DeSoto are: Longview RB JaMycal Hasty, Richardson Berkner DE Trevis Gipson, Cy Falls athlete John Humphrey Jr., Nacogdoches 2016 DB Brandon Jones, Allen 2016 DB Jaylon Jones, Plano West 2016 LB McKinley Mitchell and 2016 Bossier City (LA) Parkway DB C.J. Morgan.
-Kevin Lonnquist
Spring game recruits
With the NTFC event and several district track meets going on this coming weekend, it's really unclear what kind of turnout Baylor is going to get for its spring controlled scrimmage. The likes of Temple QB Chad President and Waco Midway S Kahlil Haughton will not be there because of district track meet conflict.
There's a chance Dallas Skyline LB Anthony Wheeler could be in Waco along with Burton athlete and commit Louis Brown and Mansfield Timberview 2016 QB Devin Williams. It's just such an unknown because I texted about 35 prospects but about 15 responses. Most of them know. Hopefully, we'll have a better answer for you soon.
-Kevin Lonnquist
Big 12 Power Ratings - Basketball
SicEmSports ranks the Big 12 teams now that every conference team has been eliminated from the postseason.
1. Iowa State (28-8) - Loss of Georges Niang stalled postseason conference champs in the Sweet 16 against UConn.
2. Kansas (24-9) - No Joel Embiid in the middle exposed Kansas's weaknesses.
3. Baylor (24-11) - Not the most consistent team, but the Bears were among the nation's best by season's end.
4. Texas (23-10) - Losing literally nobody will make UT a strong choice to unseat KU atop the standings next year.
5. Oklahoma (23-9) - Sooners lost in the first game of Big 12 tourney, then were stunned by ND State in the round of 64.
6. Kansas State (20-13) - 'Cats held red-hot Kentucky to tournament low 56 points, 18 fewer than next lowest output.
7. Oklahoma State (21-13) - How will the Cowboys make up for a disappointing season without (most likely) Marcus Smart?
8. West Virginia (17-15) - Mountaineers fell short of dancing because a bad non-conference season. Worse news: the transfer of second-leading scorer Eron Harris.
9. Texas Tech (14-18) - After 5-6 start in conference, the Red Raiders closed 1-7, then lost a key player (Jordan Tolbert) to a transfer to SMU.
10. TCU (9-22) - The season, mercifully, is over. The Frogs do have some nice young pieces to build around but are a long way from leaving the Big 12 gutter.
-Jake Shaw
Baseball: Baylor at Texas
Baylor (15-13, 4-4 Big 12) plays at No. 8 Texas (23-7, 3-3) this weekend in Austin. Friday and Saturday games are 7:00 p.m. starts while Sunday's game begins at 2:30 p.m.
Baylor's two mid-week wins over Incarnate Word snapped a 4-game losing streak. Texas leads the all-time series, 231-105-1. Under Steve Smith, Baylor is 33-38 but has won each of the last two series.
Left-hander Brad Kuntz (4-0, 2.95 ERA) will start Friday. Right-hander Austin Stone (3-2, 1.69) will start Saturday and right-hander Dillon Newman (3-1, 2.88) will start Sunday.
-Kevin Lonnquist
Emptying the Notebook
I can tell you that after talking to a couple of people regarding the now debunked accusations of Baylor assistant Kendal Briles making improper contact with Fort Bend Marshall J.W. Ketchum, they are pretty angry at these trumped up accusations. As one person said, "this was a joke.''
On Thursday, the NCAA cleared Baylor of any wrongdoing.
-SicEmSports
NOTE II: Frisco Centennial 2016 DB Raleigh Texada, the younger brother of TCU's Anthony Texada, is expected to take a visit to Baylor on Friday before he visits TCU on Saturday.
Texada had a strong start to his high school career. He collected 38 tackles (25 solos) in 2013 along with 12 breakups and one fumble recovery.
Baylor has not offered the 5-9, 150-pound prospect. Obviously, with that size, the coaching staff would like to see how far he can project. This is believed to be his second visit to the Baylor campus. It's unlikely that Baylor will offer him on this visit. However, we'll keep you posted.
Dorsey looking forward not back
This has been a very exhausting, draining and difficult last seven months for Abilene Cooper safety Cordell Dorsey.
Accused and arrested on sexual assault last September, the Baylor commit had to let the wheels of justice continue to turn. The charges were dropped on Feb. 20 when a grand jury no-billed him.
"I just put everything into God's hands,'' he said. "I knew from the beginning I was innocent. But I had to be patient. What hurt was how my name was being exposed in the wrong way and that football could have been taken away from me.''
The initial plans for Dorsey were that he would enroll in January because he graduated in December. He still hasn't signed his letter of intent. But Dorsey (6-2, 210) reiterated what we reported two weeks ago that he will be arriving on the Baylor campus for the first summer session in June.
He has been on the Baylor campus several times including last Saturday's light scrimmage. Dorsey said the Baylor coaching staff never wavered in its support of him throughout this ordeal.
"They stood by my side,'' said Dorsey who said he plans to be at Saturday's scrimmage. "Even though I didn't sign a letter of intent, they were right there with me. Their support was unbelievable.''
Dorsey still anticipates playing the "Bear" position when he arrives. To make use of the time, he took on a part time job and works out just about every day. He's also starting a Yoga class next week.
"I turned my mom's garage into a weight room,'' he said. "I'll run some gassers and then run 400s over at Cooper. I'm just trying to stay in the best shape possible and maintain my weight.''
While this time has offered time for reflection, he also found out where his real supporters stood. Turns out a good number of them are in Waco.
"I wouldn't say I learned a lot about myself,'' he said. "But I learned the public has a masked face. But I'm ready to get to Baylor.''
-Kevin Lonnquist
Wrapping up the spring
It doesn't seem long ago that the Big 12 champs opened up their spring practices. Saturday, it will come to a close with the 11 a.m. spring scrimmage at the Highers Athletic Complex on the Baylor campus.
Saturday will offer a good chance to see, up close and personal (Stephen Cook and Kevin Lonnquist will be there to cover it), what the Bears have worked on these past 4-5 weeks. To preview what's to come, here are a few issues we thought the team had going into the spring, and how they've been addressed.
> Injuries: You can't really address them other than letting time take its course. Baylor has been without Spencer Drango, Bryce Hager, Sam Ukwuachu, Chris Sanders and Terrell Burt all spring. Injuries have knocked Davion Hall and Pat Colbert out of practices too. Those are a lot of important pieces, and while it will slow the development of guys like Hall (and perhaps Sanders), the bright side is it got a lot of repetitions for some younger, less experienced players. Better to have this many injuries in the spring, rather than the fall.
> Defensive reshuffling: Baylor lost seven starters from last year's defense. Then consider that Terrell Burt and Bryce Hager missed the spring, that's nine different jobs with new faces this spring. That's a heck of a lot of change. The biggest issue seems to be replacing Eddie Lackey at OLB. Grant Campbell, the JUCO transfer, hasn't won over the staff yet. Neither has third-year sophomore Kendall Ehrlich. This position will go unsettled into the fall. Nickel back seems to be led by Kiante Griffin, while Xavien Howard, Tion Wright and Ryan Reid -- along with Sanders -- are the top candidates at cornerback. Baylor lost two DEs, but now's the time for Shawn Oakman and Jamal Palmer, as well as Ukwuachu when healthy. The final job, replacing Ahmad Dixon, appears to be going to another former Midway product, Orion Stewart. All the starting jobs (minus OLB) seem to be settled, but backup jobs are still in play. And as we've seen with injuries, the second stringers need to be determined as much as the starters.
> Interior OL: Offensively, the biggest replacements come at the biggest positions. Losing Cyril Richardson will hurt, especially since JUCO transfer Jarell Broxton appears to behind schedule, as LaQuan McGowan is in the lead to take over at LG. That's a position to watch, as is center, though Kyle Fuller looks ready to replace Stefan Huber. Outside of that, the line should be fine -- at least in terms of first stringers, especially when Drango returns -- but the depth still must be worked out.
> The kicker: Don't laugh; replacing Stork (Aaron Jones) is a priority. While he was shaky from 40 yards and out, he was automatic on PATs, and that's something you need with a team that scores as often as Baylor. Chris Callahan has had an up and down spring -- not surprising for a freshman. Fans will get a chance to see what kind of leg he has on Saturday.
Of course, every job (outside of perhaps QB) will be under the microscope, but it's important to not make a rash judgment based on what happens Saturday. You don't want to make too quick of a judgment on a player or position based on a couple hours of intrasquad scrimmaging. But Saturday will give a bit of a glimpse of how the Big 12 champs will go about defending their title.
-SicEmSports
Final word on Hasty
When Longview running back JaMycal Hasty arrived in Waco for the March 29 Baylor scrimmage, he admitted he had a feeling.
But what struck him was when Johnny Jefferson caught a screen pass that went for about 15 yards.
"I actually said something to my mom about catching the ball in their offense,'' Hasty said. "Then I saw that play and I smiled.''
Sometimes, you just know. And that's probably when Hasty, Rivals No. 208 player probably felt it was time to commit to Baylor.
"It means a lot to do this,'' Hasty said. "I'm looking forward to doing some things with them. Baylor is serious. They are headed in the right direction. The passion and the emotion are great. There was so much energy, it was just unbelievable. I just love what's going on there.''
Hasty has been compared to the departed Lache Seastrunk who was fast and elusive. Hasty possesses those qualities. However, his legendary upper body strength is one of his better qualities.
But people may not appreciate his pass catching ability. When he came up to the Longview varsity as a sophomore, he said the Longview coaches used him in the slot. That turned out to be the same thing in his junior season.
He averaged about 21 yards per reception. A couple of others were on screens out of the backfield. Others were when the Longview coaches had him slotted.
"It feels comfortable when I'm in pass catching situations,'' he said. "I want to become an all-around player. This will help me. ''
Hasty said he is shutting down his recruiting. He did acknowledge that Texas A&M was an early favorite. But when the Aggies moved on Katy's Rodney Anderson and Splendora's Jay Bradford that created an opportunity for Baylor to secure Hasty.
"If any school came at me and I asked if I would visit, I probably wouldn't,'' Hasty said. "I really like where I'm at with Baylor.''
-Kevin Lonnquist
Keke plans to see Bears up close
A lot has happened with Richmond (Texas) George Ranch DE Kingsley Keke since taking in Baylor's junior day back in January. His modest list of offers has since ballooned to nearly 20, including the likes of Florida, Oklahoma and Texas.
And, yes, the Bears finally joined that list on the last week of March, extending an offer to the massive defensive linemen nearly two months after his initial visit.
"I was kind of expecting it, but I was still really excited about it," he said. "I'm extremely blessed -- extremely blessed. All the (offers) that have happened, it feels wonderful."
Now that the Baylor offer is in hand, Keke has planned to visit Baylor Saturday for the spring game. He has no other visits planned right now, he said, and just wants to see how the team operates.
"I want to go watch them and see how it is and how they play -- up close," he said.
He added that he already has a good idea about how the Bears practice based on his recruitment by Baylor D-line coach Chris Achuff.
"I know coach Achuff has a lot of energy and is pretty intense," he said. "I like that."
I'll check in with Keke after his trip to get his impression. Baylor has told him they'd like him as a three-technique defensive tackle, which makes sense considering his 6-3, 300-pound frame.
-Jake Shaw
NTFC camp in Dallas/Houston
Many of Baylor's top prospects and recruits will be at the Nike Football Training Camp Saturday at DeSoto and will bypass Baylor's spring football game/controlled scrimmage.
This one-day setup is a combination of combine and position specific drills. The combine will consist of the 40-yard dash, 20-yard shuttle, vertical jump and kneeling power ball toss. There are then drills designed to improve athletic ability and explosiveness.
The athletes will then move into position specific drills, position competitions and one-on-one drills. There will be a lineman challenge.
Among the Baylor recruits who will be in DeSoto are: Longview RB JaMycal Hasty, Richardson Berkner DE Trevis Gipson, Cy Falls athlete John Humphrey Jr., Nacogdoches 2016 DB Brandon Jones, Allen 2016 DB Jaylon Jones, Plano West 2016 LB McKinley Mitchell and 2016 Bossier City (LA) Parkway DB C.J. Morgan.
-Kevin Lonnquist
Spring game recruits
With the NTFC event and several district track meets going on this coming weekend, it's really unclear what kind of turnout Baylor is going to get for its spring controlled scrimmage. The likes of Temple QB Chad President and Waco Midway S Kahlil Haughton will not be there because of district track meet conflict.
There's a chance Dallas Skyline LB Anthony Wheeler could be in Waco along with Burton athlete and commit Louis Brown and Mansfield Timberview 2016 QB Devin Williams. It's just such an unknown because I texted about 35 prospects but about 15 responses. Most of them know. Hopefully, we'll have a better answer for you soon.
-Kevin Lonnquist
Big 12 Power Ratings - Basketball
SicEmSports ranks the Big 12 teams now that every conference team has been eliminated from the postseason.
1. Iowa State (28-8) - Loss of Georges Niang stalled postseason conference champs in the Sweet 16 against UConn.
2. Kansas (24-9) - No Joel Embiid in the middle exposed Kansas's weaknesses.
3. Baylor (24-11) - Not the most consistent team, but the Bears were among the nation's best by season's end.
4. Texas (23-10) - Losing literally nobody will make UT a strong choice to unseat KU atop the standings next year.
5. Oklahoma (23-9) - Sooners lost in the first game of Big 12 tourney, then were stunned by ND State in the round of 64.
6. Kansas State (20-13) - 'Cats held red-hot Kentucky to tournament low 56 points, 18 fewer than next lowest output.
7. Oklahoma State (21-13) - How will the Cowboys make up for a disappointing season without (most likely) Marcus Smart?
8. West Virginia (17-15) - Mountaineers fell short of dancing because a bad non-conference season. Worse news: the transfer of second-leading scorer Eron Harris.
9. Texas Tech (14-18) - After 5-6 start in conference, the Red Raiders closed 1-7, then lost a key player (Jordan Tolbert) to a transfer to SMU.
10. TCU (9-22) - The season, mercifully, is over. The Frogs do have some nice young pieces to build around but are a long way from leaving the Big 12 gutter.
-Jake Shaw
Baseball: Baylor at Texas
Baylor (15-13, 4-4 Big 12) plays at No. 8 Texas (23-7, 3-3) this weekend in Austin. Friday and Saturday games are 7:00 p.m. starts while Sunday's game begins at 2:30 p.m.
Baylor's two mid-week wins over Incarnate Word snapped a 4-game losing streak. Texas leads the all-time series, 231-105-1. Under Steve Smith, Baylor is 33-38 but has won each of the last two series.
Left-hander Brad Kuntz (4-0, 2.95 ERA) will start Friday. Right-hander Austin Stone (3-2, 1.69) will start Saturday and right-hander Dillon Newman (3-1, 2.88) will start Sunday.
-Kevin Lonnquist
Emptying the Notebook
I can tell you that after talking to a couple of people regarding the now debunked accusations of Baylor assistant Kendal Briles making improper contact with Fort Bend Marshall J.W. Ketchum, they are pretty angry at these trumped up accusations. As one person said, "this was a joke.''
On Thursday, the NCAA cleared Baylor of any wrongdoing.
-SicEmSports
