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Baylor Blitz: Aug. 1, 2014

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k lonnquist

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Baylor's Fall Practice schedule

We do not have the protocol on how much fans can be a part of the practices. Typically, the early practices have been open but things can change year to year. We hope to pass that along as time moves forward. For now, here is how it's looking.


Aug. 5
- Practice around 2:50 p.m.

Aug. 6 - Practice at 2:50 p.m.

Aug. 7 - Practice at 2:50 p.m.

Aug. 8 - No practice

Aug. 9 - Practice at 10:00 a.m. Meet the Bears fan event at 12:30 p.m.

Aug. 10 - Practice at 1:50 p.m.

Aug. 11 - Practice at 2:50 p.m.

Aug. 12 - No practice

Aug. 13 - Practice at 10:00 a.m.

Aug. 14 - Practice at 9:50 a.m.

Aug. 15 - Practice at 9:50 a.m.

Aug. 18 - Practice at 11:45 a.m.

Aug. 19 - Practice at 9:50 a.m.

Aug. 20 - Practice at 9:20 a.m. The rest should be known later but usually the practices are closed to the public once Baylor is within two weeks of its season opener.



-SicEmSports




Rivals250 LB "very interested"
Baylor expressed its interest in 2016 Manor LB Erick Fowler on Wednesday night. A day later, he expressed equal interest in Baylor during our interview. Asked what he likes about Baylor, Fowler was almost at a loss for words.

"Just how they play," he started. "I like how they keep -- I just can't explain it. They just dominate the whole field. The offensive line, d-line, the cornerbacks, the safeties."

Fowler, ranked 84th in the initial 2016 Rivals250, had camped at Baylor and had been in communication for some time. But when RB coach Jeff Lebby called him Wednesday with an offer, it did take him by surprise.

"They've been talking to me for a while," he said, "but coach Lebby called me last night, and then we got to talking for a few minutes. He asked me how many offers I had, and I told him four. And he said you got a fifth one now.

"Man, I was surprised. I'm actually very interested in Baylor."

So much so that Fowler will be among the guests at the Meet the Bears event a week from Saturday.

"I'm definitely going to be there," he told me.

This is a recruit to keep an eye on for sure.
-Jake Shaw



Putting No. 10 in perspective
Forget just how high Baylor has ever been ranked in a preseason poll. Just consider for a second that the last time this happened was nearly a quarter-century ago.

Baylor, as you probably know by now, earned the No. 10 national ranking in the USA Today preseason Coaches Pull, announced Thursday afternoon. It's the first time Baylor has been ranked in any preseason football poll since 1991 and only the second time since 1960.

That '91 Baylor season now lives in infamy for longtime Baylor fans. A 5-0 start -- including a win at defending national champion Colorado -- was spoiled by a 20-17 home loss to an eventual 4-7 Rice team. Baylor lost the next week to Texas A&M on the way to an 8-4 season, including a loss in the Copper Bowl to Indiana.

An 8-4 season in 2014 would probably be considered a failure, but it won't come close to what happened in 1957. Baylor was ranked seventh by the AP in the preseason -- the last time Baylor got a preseason top 10 ranking -- but stumbled to a 3-6-1 mark. The '57 Bears were coming off a 13-7 win over No. 2 Tennessee in the Sugar Bowl, but that was the start of three straight losing seasons after going 28-14 over the previous four years.

The '51 and '53 teams also had preseason rankings -- with mixed results. While the '53 team went 7-3 but didn't make a bowl (or end with a ranking), the '51 team opened the year ranked 13th and got as high as No. 7 before finishing No. 9, culminating with a 17-14 loss to Georgia Tech.

That was the first -- and last -- time Baylor finished the season ranked in the top 10. Baylor is hoping the second time will come with this year's No. 10 preseason ranking.
-Jake Shaw



More on Mayden's Top 10

When Sachse 2016 DB Jared Mayden went to Baylor's June 6 camp at Lake Highlands, it only fortified what he already knew about the coaching staff.


Mayden, the No. 139 recruit in the Rivals 250, said he's developed a good rapport with LB coach Jim Gush, defensive coordinator Phil Bennett and head coach Art Briles. On Thursday, Mayden announced Baylor was one of the final 10 schools he was considering.


"The camp that day went very well,'' Mayden said. "I know I could play corner or safety for them and play really well. That's the kind of coaching I want.''


Mayden is like so many of today's recruits where he is visual and wants to see something tangible that ensures the program is committed to winning. A Big 12 championship trophy and a Heisman Trophy are about as good as it gets.


"The speed that Baylor plays with really impresses me,'' Mayden said. "They're bringing in 4-star and 5-star recruits. They're definitely coming on. And winning the Big 12 (in 2013) really carries a lot of weight with me.''


Mayden said he plans on attending the Aug. 31 opener against SMU in McLane Stadium's debut. As of now a commitment decision would come after the season.


"It's been stressful, but you can't let it overwhelm you,'' Mayden said. "If I go out of state, I want to make sure that my family can still see me play. So there's a lot to think about.''

-Kevin Lonnquist




Injuries delayed Houston's timeframe

When he started working out at the June 8 camp at Baylor, Austin St. Michael's defensive back Jameson Houston wasn't at his best.


He wound up missing most of the camp because he strained both his right hamstring and right hip flexor. Had he been injury free, Houston probably would have been committed to Baylor well before July 30 and would not have needed to return for the July 18 camp.


Nonetheless, he performed so well on the return trip, that it prompted the Baylor coaches to bring him back. Now, Houston is a member of the 2015 class.


"I just couldn't perform like I was capable of,'' Houston said. "That's why they really wanted me to come back in July.''

-Kevin Lonnquist




The last of 2015

With Austin St. Michael's cornerback Jameson Houston the No. 11 commitment to the 2015 class, this is probably a pretty good time to review what work is left for Baylor.


All the while we've been reporting that the class could be around 18 give or take. While that's still a possibility, it's really sounding like that number will be around 15 give or take.


And the early indications are that the 2016 class is probably going to be just a little bigger but not much from the 2015 class.


So let's get a pulse on some of the bigger names Baylor is in pursuit of…



Darrion Daniels, DT, Dallas Bishop Dunne: If Baylor is going to take someone at this position, this is probably the one. Another major target Kingsley Keke committed to Texas A&M in June. And really the current Baylor roster is swollen at DT. Daniels, the No. 155 prospect in the Rivals 2015 250, told SicEmSports he has been in touch with LB coach Jim Gush recently and has discussed about coming to Baylor for either a practice or a game.


"They're amazing,'' Daniels said. "I built a good relationship with the coaches. I feel like the team is on the rise. They're going to help me.''


If Baylor doesn't secure Daniels, then the staff can live without a DT.




Kahil Haughton, S, Waco Midway: By now, you know he made the latest and possibly final visit to Baylor on Wednesday before he announces. The coaching staff made another pitch to him on how important it would be for him to play in his hometown. Of course, he already has a teammate committed in WR Devontre Strickland.


The Bears have told him he's one of their top defensive priorities if not their top overall. A physical safety which can run like Haughton doesn't come around often. Haughton is deciding between the Bears, Texas Tech, Arkansas and Oklahoma. The question is whether staying at home should be enough to keep him or if that feeling of going away to school is stronger than most believe. He should make his decision known sometime this month.



Malik Jefferson, LB, Mesquite Poteet:
Last Sunday's visit to Baylor was his fourth. Sources have told us that the visit went better than we originally reported. That doesn't mean that Baylor is the leader or one of the top 3-5 (Jefferson hasn't officially named a Top 5 or 10) but the fact that they got the Rivals No. 19 prospect on campus and took the family on a tour of McLane Stadium has to carry some substance to it. Jefferson said he's going to announce after the 2014 season. He also wants to take his five official visits. If Baylor becomes one of those then who knows. Jefferson had a tweet earlier this week that was cryptic in nature. It said SEC, Big 12, Big 12 Pac 12. If you want to read into that, it makes you think he's referring to Texas A&M, Baylor, Texas and Oregon.


Running back:
It's termed more of a position than an individual because there are several candidates in play. The first is Port Arthur Memorial's Corey Dauphine. He recently told our Texas Tech colleagues and SicEmSports on Thursday that he appeared to be set with the Red Raiders.


But he also wasn't sure if was going to Texas A&M on Saturday like he originally planned. The conventional wisdom is that this isn't over. The Baylor-Port Arthur Memorial connections are too strong for this to dissolve.


That said, we also know that Baylor has stayed in touch with McKinney North RB Ronald Jones II. Don't be surprised if the Oklahoma State commit and Rivals No. 43 prospect shows up at an upcoming Baylor event.


And the coaching staff hasn't forgotten about Plano West running back Soso Jamabo. But since the Rivals No. 45 recruit just coming off the AAU basketball season with the Texas Titans, he's just now getting into a major football frame of mind.




Defensive back: This is the same thing like running back because there are several candidates the Bears are staying after. For one, it's Fort Bend Marshall's Kendall Sheffield. As we reported earlier in the week, Sheffield said he has been in contact with the Baylor coaches and is considering a visit in the near future. But from what we know, the dialogue remains pretty positive.


As for Gilmer defensive back Kris Boyd, don't count Baylor out of this yet. With current commit Blake Lynch in Gilmer, he's working on Boyd. Boyd said earlier this week he had a good visit to Baylor on July 18 and is considering a second visit. Obviously, many believe that Texas A&M has an edge here. But Boyd hasn't committed either. And if he makes a second visit, then that's a positive step for Baylor.




Offensive line: Baylor probably wasn't broken up when Mesquite Horn's Conner Dyer committed to Texas Tech. The coaching staff tends to like the JUCO offensive line prospects equally as the high school. They already have one in Plano's Sam Tecklenburg. Plus, two JUCO prospects are taking official visits in the fall. City of San Francisco College tackle Dominic Desouza is scheduled to visit Oct 11 for the TCU game. Pierce C.C. (CA) tackle Deya Mhiesen is slated to arrive for the SMU game on Aug. 31. Baylor probably needs one of those two unless another JUCO lineman appears from nowhere. That's always possible.

-Kevin Lonnquist



Hardship waiver update

Texas A&M offensive line transfer Ishmael Wilson arrived on the Baylor campus for the second summer session in July.


Baylor has since submitted all of the necessary documentation to the NCAA for a hardship waiver review. Its outcome is still unknown and probably won't be until possibly the start of the 2014 season.


In most cases, the NCAA tries to rule on these waivers in time before the regular season so an athlete will know his or her status. Texas A&M gave Wilson an unconditional release because of health issues (kidney failure) concerning his mother. Wilson, a Dallas Bishop Dunne product, can go through practices once they begin on Tuesday.


While the concerns are valid, there really is no precedent that would favor Baylor. Baylor had two similar transfers in running back Lache Seatrunk in 2011 and guard Royce O'Neale in 2013.


It turned out to be a split decision. The NCAA denied Seastrunk waiver but granted O'Neale's waiver. At this point it's unknown how he would fit in on the depth chart. But he is a tackle by trade. The 2013 signee redshirted at A&M last fall.

-Kevin Lonnquist



Bears still working on Williams

2016 Plano Prestonwood LB Deonte Williams is "moving along" (in his words) with his recruiting process, but Baylor is still doing some catching up.

Baylor offered Williams earlier this summer. They've invited him to camps and for unofficial visits. He says they contact him "every now and then." But in naming Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Florida State as his top schools of interest, he basically said Baylor has some work to do.

"I'm looking at other schools and stuff like that, but they're a good school," Williams said.

Having said that, Williams did say he thinks he'll visit Waco for a game this fall. It would be his first visit and might be enough to start changing his mind.

-Jake Shaw



Emptying the Notebook


>Just an FYI that written offers to the 2015 recruits go out Friday, Aug. 1. No other recruits can receive them.


>While there was some twitter frenzy about NCAA 100 national champion Trayvon Bromell talking about going out for the football team, we later learned that it was shot down - almost. We'll leave it that if the Bromell wanted to talk to the coaching staff about coming out for the football team, the door would be open.


>In case you didn't see it, Baylor's two other 2016 commits were rated. Navasota wide receiver Tren'Davian Dickson is a 3-star and is rated 5.6. Pflugerville Hendrickson defensive back Keyshawn Somerville is also a 3-star and rated 5.7. "I'm going to work to get that [rating up],'' Dickson said.


>Texas coach Charlie Strong gave unconditional releases when he dismissed athlete Jalen Overstreet and running back Joe Bergeron. We bring this up only because Baylor originally pursued Overstreet before he committed to Texas. At this time, we do not find that the coaching staff has much interest. The other problem is that if a player were to transfer within the Big 12, he would have to sit for two years.

-SicEmSports
 
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