NOTE: The content on the Baylor Blitz is solely meant for the subscribers of SicEmSports. Let's all please make sure that whatever is written here stays here. We appreciate you all helping us with this. Now, let's all take a look at Baylor recruiting and what else is going on involving the Bears.
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NOTE: Baylor was not expecting any visitors throughout the week. However, there is at least one known visitor coming to Saturday morning’s scrimmage at the Highers Athletics Complex. Plano Prestonwood 2016 linebacker commit Deonte Williams is expected to attend. Williams committed to Baylor June 23. We'll also check as we go along to see if Williams will have company.
VIDEO: Terrell Burt at the beginning of fall camp
A plan in the making
Shortly after he committed to Baylor on June 1, 2014, Grandview quarterback Zach Smith sat down with head coach Art Briles and now-offensive coordinator Kendal Briles about accelerating his high school tenure.
Smith decided that he wanted to follow what is becoming a growing trend among recruiting. He is graduating in December and expected to enroll at Baylor in January, 2016. On Thursday, Smith signed his financial aid documents and returned them to Baylor.
“It’s a pretty big deal,’’ Smith said. “I already knew I was staying true to Baylor. But this shows everybody that this means to me. I’m solid and sticking with them.’’
These documents bind the school to the prospect. But the prospect is not technically bound to the school. Baylor experienced that twice last year when Stephenville QB Jarrett Stidham had signed documents with Texas Tech and came to Baylor. Meanwhile Temple QB Chad President signed his documents with Baylor but wound up going to Tulsa.
Smith went through a pretty hectic junior year academically by doubling up on his core classes in English, math and science. But it was something that he was willing to do because he wanted to start in the 2016 spring season rather than waiting for the summer. Smith also talked with Stidham about his experience.
“He just shared with me how beneficial it was for him to do this and what it would mean for me to understand what they want from their quarterbacks,’’ Smith said. “To me, I just want to get down there and get going.’’
Smith’s senior year starts Friday in Marlin with the first of Grandview’s two scrimmages.
“Playoffs and getting to state are my priority,’’ Smith said. “But I also don’t want to press things. I want to go out and enjoy myself and make the most of the season.’’
-Kevin Lonnquist
Is Bowen close?
The sense around Trophy Club Byron Nelson DE Brandon Bowen is that this seems to be Baylor’s race to lose. It has seemed that ever since Baylor offered Bowen this past December, the Bears had surged to the front.
We mentioned that USC and UCLA could figure into the mix. However, it appears that the deeper this goes, the less likely either will. And even if either or both did, it probably won’t make as much of a difference as first thought.
On several occasions, Bowen has said that he wants to make his decision before the start of the 2015 season. Bowen visited Baylor for Meet the Bears on Aug. 8. Everything went extremely well. There is the belief his commitment to Baylor could be a matter of when. He is the No. 50 overall prospect in the Rivals100.
Nelson’s scrimmage is next Friday (Aug. 21) morning at Aledo. Nelson opens the season on Aug. 28 against Flower Mound at the Northwest ISD Stadium in Justin.
-Kevin Lonnquist
Making a great impression
Markus Howard didn’t really have a nudge to commit to Baylor. But the No. 31 recruit in the 2017 Rivals 150, who is attending Findlay Prep in Henderson, NV this fall, got more out of his recent visit to Baylor than he could have imagined.
“It was a great visit,’’ Howard said. “I felt like I definitely connected with them and would put them at the top of my list. Everything was outstanding.’’
It turned out to be an extended stay in Waco complete with a complete tour of the campus. Howard visited and played with members of the current team and alums. There were visits with professors.
There will be life after basketball. Howard wants to make a decision that’s long term. That’s why the family took its time.
“What was special for me was the people,’’ Howard said. “They were Godly people and to be surrounded by that was something that was I connected with. It was nothing short than amazing. I expected them to go all out. But this was more than I expected.’’
Of course, Howard walked into the Ferrell Center with nobody in it. However, he could tell that when filled, it would be a difficult place for opponents to play. Baylor lost only twice in 2014-15 to Kansas and Oklahoma State (16-2 record).
Howard knows that Baylor has made him a priority. However, he wants to take some time before he were to decide. The timeframe doesn’t seem urgent at this point. But the Bears are in a good position.
The Chandler, AZ native holds 16 offers and just picked up offers from Arizona and Arizona State.
“The academics are important,’’ Howard said. “I want to look back and know I made the right decision. This will set me for life. The enrollment of the school doesn’t matter.’’
-Kevin Lonnquist
Football notes
Just a couple of things before Baylor returns to the practice field on Friday
>The knee injury to apparent starting right tackle Pat Colbert appears to be a strain. Of course, Colbert returned earlier this week. It might be a little too early to speculate. However, if the Colbert injury were to become an issue, you could see something where left guard Blake Muir could move over to Colbert’s spot. That would summon Desmine Hilliard off the bench to play in Muir’s role.
>Time will tell as well as injuries. But outside of true freshman punter Drew Galitz and the progression quarterback Jarrett Stidham makes in fall camp, there just doesn’t seem to be any indication that any other freshmen from the 2015 class will crack the starting lineup much less the two deep.
>We’ll post a report as soon as we can from Saturday morning’s scrimmage at the Highers Athletics Complex.
Recruiting is research
Baylor's recruiting has rarely followed the norm. Of course, the Bears will always pursue the major names. But when it comes to evaluating and trusting those evaluations, the Baylor coaching staff has never shied away from going after the outliers or getting the jump on those who evolve into major names.
That's been a pattern with Baylor recruiting. The following is a 5-year sample of where Baylor never flinched when pursuing a recruit and bringing him to Waco.
2012
Jamal Palmer, DE, McKinney Boyd.
Offers - UNT, SMU, Kansas, Tulsa and Iowa State.
When he committed, there might have been those who were wondering if Baylor was reaching. Now, Palmer is a two-year starter, appears to be fully recovered from his ACL injury that ended his 2014 season and is ready to contribute this fall.
Terrell Burt, S, Wylie
Offers - West Virginia, Virginia, Iowa State, La. Tech, Purdue UTEP
Hard to believe he's already a senior, but Burt has turned himself into a bona fide leader of the secondary. He fit the perfect mold in what defensive coordinator Phil Bennett wanted in a safety. For one, he was tough.
Devin Chafin, RB, Burkburnett
Offers - Baylor
There was some interest from Colorado State. But the Rams never pulled the trigger. Baylor moved in because of some ties along the Red River. While Chafin has been hobbled by injuries in his career, he is filling a role for the coaching staff. He appears to be 100 percent for 2015.
2013
Byron Bonds, DT, Allen
Offers -- Iowa State, Tulsa, Arkansas St., Colorado St., Wyoming
Again another defensive lineman who had some offers but definitely not from a high-rent district crowd. Baylor spied him as the Lake Highlands camp in June 2012 camp and offered him on the spot. Little did Bonds know that he was going to pressed into duty immediately in his freshman year. Bonds played in all 13 games last year and figures to be in the 2015 DL rotation.
Tanner Thrift, OT, Hutto
Offers - Baylor
At the time, Baylor thought it viewed Thrift as a defensive end candidate because he was 6-5, 240. Baylor always likes to work with frame that can fill out. But in time, the Baylor coaching staff moved him over to the offensive line. For now, he's competing to keep the No. 2 spot at left tackle behind Spencer Drango.
Taylor Young, LB, DeSoto
Offers - La-Monroe
Two days before National Signing Day 2013, everything pointed to Young signing with Louisiana-Monroe. Then coach Claude Mathis (now at SMU) swore to anyone who would listen his 5-9 LB could play for a P5 school. Baylor listened. Now, Young is a fixture on the defense. He had a huge performance in the Cotton Bowl against Michigan State.
2014
Andrew Morris, DT, Mesquite Horn
Offers - Rice
Why in the world was Baylor going after a Rice commit? Did that even make sense? Well, Art Briles has always maintained that finding a NT is harder than finding a QB. But Morris had a quality that Baylor DC Phil Bennett coveted. And this wasn't a last-minute thing. Baylor wound up securing Morris' commitment in June of 2013. Following a redshirt, Morris is running as the No. 2 NT behind Andrew Billings.
Chris Platt, WR, Willis
Offers - Houston, Kansas State, Kansas, Purdue, UTEP, Texas Tech, Utah, Tulsa.
Platt makes this category because if you go back to when this class was being formed, he was the third commit behind Davion Hall and RB Terence Williams. At the time, he was pretty much an unknown except for his state championship track speed in the 400. After he committed to Baylor on Feb. 3, 2014, several offers followed. But he never flinched. Platt is now coming off his redshirt year.
2015
Jameson Houston, DB, Austin St. Michael's
Offers - Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, UNT, Idaho, Tulsa
Admittedly, Kansas State saw and offered him first. However, when he went to a Baylor camp on the school campus in July, the Bears liked what they saw. Days later, Houston returned, visited with staff and committed. Then came the offers from the Sooners and Cowboys. Oklahoma State tried to make a late charge to no avail.
Eric Ogor, LB, Richmond Foster
Offers -- Nine FCS
Throughout last fall, Baylor kept tabs on Ogor but didn't offer. The staff wanted to see where other LB dominoes were going to fall including Mesquite Poteet's Malik Jefferson. When Baylor was still searching, Ogor remained available. In January, it didn't take long for Ogor to get an offer and then commit. He's now on campus.
Jordan Williams, LB, Paris
Offers - New Mexico State, SMU, Sam Houston State, UTEP
This was another one of those finds where Baylor knew about Williams but needs other things to happen. Paris just doesn't get a lot of traffic except for the smaller schools. But just because he wasn't a first choice doesn't mean but a past relationship between Phil Bennett and Paris coach Steve Hohenberger led to this reality.
2016
Zach Smith, QB, Grandview
Offers - SMU, Texas
Philip Montgomery and Kendal Briles got word of him during the 2014 spring evaluation period. He was pretty much of an unknown in the little community about 45 minutes north of Waco. When he committed to Baylor on June 1, he closed down his recruiting. Other interested programs were pretty much turned away. He’s turned into a 4-star quarterback and is coming to Baylor in January as an early enrollee.
Grayland Arnold, DB, Kountze
Offers - Texas, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, SMU
This is similar to Platt. Baylor saw what it wanted with Arnold and pursued him. He committed in November. At the time, no one else offered. Texas made a run to create some nerves. But on Aug. 9, Arnold announced he was shutting down his recruiting and sticking with Baylor. He has the tattoo to prove it.
Rajah Preciado, S, College Stateion
Offers - Fresno State, Army, UNT, Texas St. UTSA
Baylor understands height and weight matters. But most of all, the staff wants to know if you can play. It believed in that theory since Preciado stands only 5-9. Baylor wanted to be sure about Preciado so it brought him to its two camps on the BU campus in June. In mid-July, the Bears offered and immediately Preciado committed.
-SicEmSports
Roy update
Spring defensive tackle and longtime Baylor target Bravvion Roy committed to the Bears two months ago.
The 6-foot-2, 315-pound prospect is still very happy with his decision and glad that the recruiting process is now behind him.
“Things are still going great with the Baylor coaches,” Roy said. “Coach (Chris) Achuff has always been my main contact from Baylor and we talk a lot. It feels good to know that my recruitment is over with.
“The coaches are trying to get me to come down and watch practice, bring my family down so they can see the campus and everything at Baylor. I haven’t been able to make it back up there this summer, but should be looking at some official visit dates for the fall soon.”
Roy was honored at the Houston Touchdown Club this week at a banquet to celebrate the preseason top 33 players from the greater Houston area.
Rated a three-star prospect, Roy is the No. 36 defensive tackle in the nation and the No. 54 player on the Rivals.com Spring Top 100 for the 2016 class.
-Matt Clare
Actions speak louder than words
Silsbee (Texas) offensive guard Patrick Hudson committed to the Baylor coaches over a year ago now, yet the standout lineman is consistently rumored to be looking around.
The golden rule around here at SicEmSports.com has become ‘Recruiting is Weird’ and anyone that follows recruiting knows the unpredictable nature of this whole process.
That being said, Hudson simply does not seem like the type of commitment that is looking around and for a prospect who rarely gives interviews – sometimes actions speak louder than words.
Zach Smith is one of the many current Baylor commitments that Hudson stays in touch with on a weekly basis.
“I talk with Zach (Smith), Kameron (Martin) and J.P. (Urquidez),” Hudson said. “I talk with them every other couple of days. Between me and J.P., then Zach and Kameron, we have some serious talent on the offense in our class.”
Although our conversation was brief, Hudson seems solid in his commitment to Baylor and the other ‘stories’ with one quote regarding his level of commitment do not hold much weight, in my opinion.
Rated a four-star prospect, Hudson is the No. 1 offensive guard in the nation, the No. 28 player in the latest Rivals250 national rankings and the No. 2 player on the Texas Spring Top 100 for the 2016 class.
-Matt Clare
Bears in Canada
Baylor continues its Canadian tour with a pair of games Friday against Carleton University. In the two wins against the University of Ottawa, a couple of developments stood out.
>JUCO signee Joseph Acuil had seven rebounds in each of the two games.
>Johnathan Motley had 21 and 23 points respectively.
>Rico Gathers played the first but not the second game. That is a bit of a surprise given his legal situation following his arrest in June for shoplifting at a local Wal Mart. But as we have reported, it appears that this will have a pretty favorable resolution.
>No surprise but Miami (Fl) transfer guard Manu Lecomte has not returned from Belgium. He is still with the Belgium national team.
-SicEmSports
Emptying the Notebook
>Rivals Jason Howell visited with Euless Trinity defensive tackle Chris Daniels who was in Big 10 country last weekend rather than at Baylor. He visited Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State. Daniels also said he plans to visit Baylor during the 2015 season. He is expected to name a Top 5 on Aug. 24. The speculation is that it will include Michigan, Ohio State, Baylor, TCU and Texas A&M. With his family ties to Michigan, it could be that Michigan is the team to beat.
>Bradenton, FL tight end Isaac Nauta still hasn’t decided on whether he will take his fifth official visit to either Alabama or Baylor. Nauta already has an official set up for TCU. When asked if he would piggyback to Baylor on an unofficial following his visit to Fort Worth, he said, “It would be tough to do that.’’
>Katy running back Kyle Porter said he is still considering Baylor. While he said running back may the only position, there has been speculation that if ever committed to Baylor, he could eventually shift to a different position.
>Fort Scott C.C. DT Alexis Johnson, who recently took an official visit to Baylor, said he remains firm with his commitment to Tennessee.
-SicEmSports
