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: Rivals analysts are meeting next week to determine the second round of rankings for the 2017 class. The new rankings and ratings should be released the week of July 6. That will obviously impact Baylor’s two commits in 100 prospect wide receiver Hezekiah Jones from Houston Stafford and San Antonio Reagan QB Kellen Mond. Mond is currently rated at three stars and a 5.7 rating. However, his impressive summer should help his chances.
NBA Draft: Baylor went without a player being selected in Thursday’s NBA draft. That was not unexpected, although Royce O’Neale had been invited to a couple of workouts. He and point guard Kenny Chery were the best hopes to perhaps be second-round picks. Now, their options could be signing as undrafted free agents to be on D League teams or opportunities overseas.
VIDEO: Stiner talks Baylor visit
Our Courtney Roland caught up with the Bellaire safety Donovan Stiner who visited Baylor on Wednesday. It was his second visit to the campus. He camped on June 7. He currently holds offers from SMU and Baylor
MBB: Top prospect to visit Baylor
Keller 2017 point guard R.J. Nembhard said he plans on taking an unofficial visit to Baylor this coming Tuesday.
Although the Bears have not offered Nembhard, there’s the possibility that this will happen during his visit. That would be a similar scenario to what happened with Irving MacArthur 2016 PG Andrew Jones. Baylor offered Jones at the end of his visit.
Nembhard is considered one of the top scoring guards in the country. He’s made his living off his mid-range jumper. He’s also considered a pretty solid on-ball defender.
Rivals currently has him rated No. 33 in its 150.
-Kevin Lonnquist
Almost but not this time
Thrust into the euphoria of Hezekiah Jones and Kellen Mond committing Wednesday afternoon, it was all Jhamon Ausbon could do from joining the party.
But the talented Houston St. Thomas 2017 wide receiver and Rivals100 prospect (6-3, 208) resisted the urge and returned home to Houston still evaluating his options. The Bears are now a major option.
“It was really hard not do it,’’ Ausbon said. “But my parents told me that I have time and that I need to see other schools and see what everybody is about.’’
It’s probably a good strategy since Baylor just offered him three weeks ago following a standout performance at the June 1 camp at Cy Falls. Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M each offered him after their camps.
Ausbon went to OU’s camp at Alief Stadium, Oklahoma State’s at Frenswood and A&M’s on its campus. He said he plays to visit both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State on July 30. But when it comes to connecting with a coaching staff, Ausbon sensed a difference between Baylor and someone else.
“The A&M coaches were cool and all, but the Baylor coaches were more interactive,’’ he said. “It was just different in every way and how they talked with you. I’ve seen coaches where they’re serious and only your coaches.
“But Baylor’s coaches were laid back. You could tell when they knew when it was time to be cool and when it was time to be serious.’’
Ausbon received a tour of all of the Baylor athletic facilities and parts of the campus. The highlight, though, was visit with the two 2014 1,000-yard receivers, KD Cannon and Corey Coleman.
“Heck yeah, that was great talking with them,’’ Ausbon said. “They just talked about their experience at Baylor and how their offensive compares to others around the country. They told me I would get the ball.’’
At St. Thomas, Ausbon said he could find himself playing on both sides of the ball. That likely will be for special situations. However, he’s going to be a major vertical target.
“I knew the campus was going to be nice. But it was crazy,’’ he said. “Compared to my other offers, Baylor is one of my top offers.’’
-Kevin Lonnquist
Hall to visit Baylor
Tyler (Texas) Lee athlete Zach Hall holds offers from Baylor and Texas Tech, and the standout prospect is planning to see each campus this summer.
“I connect with Coach (Jeff) Lebby from Baylor, but not very often, maybe once in a while,” Hall said. “I actually have a visit set up with my coach to Baylor next weekend. I’m looking forward to seeing the campus and spending time around the coaches.
“I play quarterback for my high school, but the Baylor coaches talked with me about playing corner at the next level. The position that I play doesn’t really matter that much to me. I just want to compete and join a good program in college.”
The 5-foot-11, 170-pound prospect also plans to visit Texas Tech next month and continues to receive interest from coaches at SMU, Missouri and TCU.
Rated a four-star prospect, Hall is the No. 46 athlete in the nation and the No. 72 player on the Rivals Texas Spring Top 100 for the 2016 class.
-Matt Clare
Safety talks offer
Timing can be subjective. Houston Stafford safety Jalen Pitre hoped that Baylor would offer him. But he figured that would come later on during the 2015 season.
Well, late June works fine as well.
Lost in the hoopla of Baylor’s recruiting day on Wednesday, the Bears offered the 3-star (5.7 rating) standout. It’s his first offer. And it took two calls for it to make it official.
“I talked to them on the phone first, but I was out where there was a lot of noise and I couldn’t hear them,’’ Pitre said. “I felt bad because I knew what they was talking about. But I called coach Kendal back and talked with him for a couple of minutes. It’s a blessing. There are good things happening at Baylor.’’
Pitre (5-11, 197) said Baylor is looking at him for its Bear (Nickel Back) position. A lot of work with new safeties coach Cris Dishman at the June 1 camp in Cy Falls appeared to lead the Baylor coaching staff in that direction. The two spent a lot of one-one-one time together going through some of key components to play the game at the next level.
What Pitre gained the most was that he needed to keep his body low and maintain leverage so he would be in position to make plays. Maintaining focus is another element. If a player can hold maintain for four quarters, his presence in close and late situations could be the difference in preventing that game-winning touchdown.
However, Pitre did his own work with the end zone last year. Of his six interceptions, he returned one for a touchdown against Needville. The play covered about 50 yards, he said.
Pitre’s next visit to Baylor will be his second. He went with Jones to a spring football practice at the Alison Indoor Practice Facility. He studied Terrell Burt and Orion Stewart.
“I could say how they were paying attention to everything,’’ he said. “They didn’t take any plays off.’’
Pitre has also camped this summer with Texas Tech at Missouri City and TCU at Manvel.
-Kevin Lonnquist
Cleveland explains Baylor in Top 10
Even when he was committed to Texas A&M, Tyrie Cleveland couldn’t figure out why Baylor had never offered him.
But when the 2016 Houston Westfield wide receiver de-committed from the Aggies back in April, the Bears found an opening. Baylor offered in May. Since then, the two sides have gotten to know each other fairly well.
Earlier this week, Cleveland released his Top 10 that included the Bears. His first planned trip to Waco – he saw a little bit of the campus including McLane Stadium during the track season a couple of years ago – is still expected in late July. Transportation details need to be resolved. Cleveland transferred to Westfield from Houston Northbrook.
“It was difficult going through this process,’’ Cleveland said. “It was tough making this cut. But I really needed to talk with my family to get this list right.’’
Cleveland (6-2, 189) said he has developed a growing relationship with offensive coordinator Kendal Briles. Briles came by a couple of times during the May evaluation period and knew enough.
“The Baylor offer was something that I’ve been hoping for since my sophomore year,’’ he said. “The numbers this offense produces are shocking. For any wide receiver to play in college, you want to see this. Baylor is really serious.
“They were just telling me how I can come in and be a big impact with the team and this is a great opportunity. They’ve got a nice class going.’’
Cleveland hopes to narrow this list from a Top 10 to a Final Four before the 2015 season begins. One of the competitors for him will Florida. Cleveland is a native of Jacksonville, Fl and said going back is something that he has to consider.
“I just have to see how things go what Baylor has to offer,’’ Cleveland said. “I want to talk a lot with the coaches and get the information I need. It’s going to be a tough [commitment] decision. But I’m going to make the best decision for me and my family.’’
Cleveland is also attending The Opening next month in Beaverton, OR. He is rated No. 235 in the current 2016 Rivals250.
-Kevin Lonnquist
Bears keep an eye on DFW lineman
Dallas Parish Espiscopal School defensive tackle Douglas Tucker holds eight FBS offers and several programs are beginning to show interest, including Baylor.
“Coach (Jim) Gush and Coach (Randy) Clements both checked in with me during the spring,” Tucker said. “Some schools see me playing defensive tackle and some see me playing offensive line. The Baylor coaches see me playing offensive line.
“My high school head coach even thinks that I should play offensive line in college. I’m open to playing either position really. I like playing defense and getting after it on the defensive line, but right now UTSA is the only school really recruiting me at defensive tackle.”
Along with the interest from the Baylor coaches, Tucker is also hearing from Texas A&M, LSU, Houston, Texas Tech, Nebraska and Arkansas.
The 6-foot-4, 300-pound prospect would like to make a decision before his senior season and mentioned that San Diego State, Nevada and UTSA were all programs standing out to him at the moment.
-Matt Clare
James “First Down” Brown
Every time he touched the ball on a carry for Katy Seven Lakes in 2014, Stafford 2017 running back James Brown averaged 9.5 yards per carry. That wasn’t bad considering he was the third running back.
But it turns out that Brown (5-9, 177) could emerge as a playmaker at more than just at running back. He played slot receiver for Seven Lakes (10-79) before transferring to Stafford. He was among the handful of 2017 recruits who visited Baylor on Wednesday. This was his second time to be around the Baylor coaching staff. He camped with Baylor June 1 at Cy Falls. He also plans to attend the camp July 17 at Bellaire.
“I talked with both coach [Art] and [Kendal] Briles and they said they have both been watching me and are interested,’’ Brown said. “I kind of expected it and kind of didn’t. They said they want to keep up with me in the season.’’
That shouldn’t be hard since Brown is teammates with new BU commit Hezekiah Jones.
As for the visit, Brown had something to compare against Baylor. He’s a member of the Texas Elite 7-on-7 team that recently traveled to Florida. He visited the University of Florida and Miami (Fla.) campuses.
“I thought Florida and Miami were going to set the bar for expected but Baylor definitely exceeded what that was,’’ he said. “I didn’t like Florida’s stadium or campus. It was really compact and you felt like everything was on top of you. Baylor had a lot more room.
“The way Baylor treats you is really good. They do a great job of making you feel comfortable. They have a good vibe and know what they’re doing.’’
-Kevin Lonnquist
Emptying the Notebook
While Trophy Club defensive end Brandon Bowen is a defensive major target for Baylor, the one element to watch is his academics. We’re aware he has yet to take his ACT/SAT test. Obviously, this is something that still has time to be addressed. But Bowen is behind by comparison to many recruits who have already at least taken this test. Bowen is rated No. 50 in the 2016 Rivals100.
>Nothing new as far Hope (AR) defensive end McTelvin Agim’s travel plans this summer to his four finalists, Baylor, Arkansas, Texas A&M and Ole Miss. However, Agim said he has been in contact with Baylor defensive line coach Chris Achuff. Agim is rated No. 92 in the 2016 Rivals100.
>Don’t look for Baylor to stay connected with Fort Worth All Saints DT Mike Williams. Williams has a Top 10 but there just doesn’t seem to be a connection there. Although Williams came to Baylor’s camp on June 7 in Waco, that was probably his last chance to make an impression with the coaching staff. Williams said he just might commit somewhere someday. Baylor was one of the last to offer Williams this past January.
>Hearing that some elements for the proposed game in Sydney Australia for the 2016 season opener should be presented/submitted within the next couple of weeks.
>Baylor’s current average player star rating for the 2016 class is 3.17. That’s the highest it’s ever been under Art Briles. Of the 12 commitments, 10 are rated three or four stars. The other two – Daingerfield athlete Denzel Mims and Mesquite Horn wide receiver Jared Atkinson – are at two stars but have another chance to help their case in the state 7-on-7 tournament in July in College Station.
>Mond said he plans to participate in the Prime 21 camp July 11 in Dallas.
-SicEmSports
