By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
The Topper I
With Baylor going on Spring Break starting Saturday, there will be no Blitz next Friday, March 11.
The Topper II
There are plans for Baylor to get Rivals No. 232, North Mesquite wide receiver Cordale Russell, down to campus for a visit to spring football. Russell recently decommitted from TCU. He was also previously committed to SMU in 2021.
First impressions
Jeremy Payne brought quite the resume with him when he took an unofficial visit to Baylor this past Wednesday.
For the Fort Bend Hightower 2024 running back, this was his first visit. Well, it actually was his first unofficial visit of any kind as a recruit.
“What stood out was the hospitality and how I was treated as family,’’ he said. “The main thing I took out of it was that your education should be your main focus so you can keep making plays on the field.”
Well, he was making a lot of plays on the field for the Hurricanes in his first season as a starter. Payne was as good as anticipated. He rushed for 1,447 yards, averaged 8.7 yards per attempt with 10 scores. And the offense wasn’t bashful including him in the passing game. He averaged 21 yards per reception.
That kind of productivity gets everyone’s attention. Payne’s name is rising. He’s since picked up offers from Indiana, Houston, Oregon State and SMU. With Baylor, he’s naturally developing a relationship with running backs coach Justin Johnson.
“I mainly talk to Coach Juice,’’ Payne said. “And his message was that football is not only for just playing the sport. It’s about how to become better men as a team.”
Payne got a tour of the facilities and sense of what Baylor wants to do moving forward. He’s a recruit whose stock should be going to the next level.
“I was very impressed with the facilities,’’ he said. I didn’t know to expect, but the bar was set high.”
As a 2024, Payne does not have a rating.
Shelby ready for next level with Baylor
This is true. Friendswood 2023 6-5 prospect Braylan Shelby has played defensive back. He’s also played outside linebacker and defensive end. All in the same game.
For someone with his athleticism, it lends himself to be able to play all three defensive levels. In high school football get your best player in the best position at all times. The height is not an issue.
“They lined me up all over the place,’’ Shelby said. “On defense alone, I lined up as a corner to defensive end to linebacker. I also played wide receiver on offense.’’
Well for Baylor’s purposes, the Bears like him at outside linebacker, his natural position. With the length and wingspan he can be used in different perimeter defensive situations and also get his hands up to disrupt passing lanes.
That appeared to pay off in 2021. He collected eight sacks, 12 tackles for loss, one interception and 77 total tackles. When he was used at corner, the Friendswood coaching staff matched him up against the No. 1 receiver.
Shelby has been developing a relationship with newly promoted outside linebackers coach Caleb Collins. Collins took over in November.
“I talk to the whole staff on a regular basis,’’ Shelby said. “But the ones I’m close with are coach Collins and coach [Dave] Aranda. I like how easy it is to talk to coach Collins. I could talk to him about anything. He just likes my versatility, my ability to play out in space with speed and power.’’
Shelby is going to be a veteran with this program. This fall, he will be entering his third season as a starter. He is going through both the track and power lifting seasons. As for his offseason program, he’s working on drills to improve his agility. For players of his frame, there are a lot of moving parts.
Baylor’s early competition is coming against USC, Tennessee, Texas and Florida State. He does plan to visit when Baylor is going through spring football. He’s working on a date.
A three star with a 5.7 rating, Collins is the No. 26 player rated at his position in the country by Rivals.
Lightning in a bottle
Nothing recruits better than winning big. Baylor’s record setting 2021 continues to draw the interest of highly rated recruits.
Aldine Eisenhower 4-star athlete Ryan Niblett squarely has the Bears on his radar. Now, he wants to see what could transpire over the next several months. So does Baylor since it’s pursuing an athlete who averaged nearly 30 yards every time he had the ball in his hands.
“I definitely have interest in Baylor,’’ the Rivals No. 223 prospect said. “I talk to almost everyone even coach [Dave] Aranda. That vibe is great, and I love the culture out there.’’
Niblett is listed as an athlete. However, Baylor likes him at wide receiver. Given his size, he’s an ideal candidate to play the slot.
On Feb. 1, he named Baylor among his Top 7 schools. That included Alabama, Arkansas, Houston, Kansas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech. However, that could be altered as LSU offered on Thursday.
In 2021 it was just then he was starting make his breakthrough. He had nine receptions for 292 yards and nine rushing attempts for 242 yards. But do the math. That’s 32 yards per reception and 27 yards per rush. He was named the District 14-6A All-Purpose Player of the Year.
“My explosion and my ability to get open are what I work hard to do,’’ Niblett said. “And once I get the ball, it’s hard to tackle me. They call me lighting in a bottle.’’
There will more of that to watch during the track season. In 2021, he posted personal bests in the 100 (10.58) and 200 (22.14). He also ran the 400 in 50.44.
Plans are in the works for him to come up for spring practice.
With a 5.8 rating, Rivals rates Niblett as the No. 11 athlete in the country and the No. 43 prospect in Texas.
Baylor Baseball at Shriners Children's College Classic
Fresh off a 9-0 victory at Rice Wednesday, the Bears (4-4) are at Minute Maid Park for the round robin tournament where they will face three of the top programs in the country. The Bears have won three of their last four.
UCLA is unranked by D1 Baseball – the one that is most widely accepted - but is 6-3 and a consistent NCAA tournament team. No. 17 Tennessee (7-0) was in the 2021 College World Series. No. 7 LSU (7-1) is led by new head coach Jay Johnson who led Arizona to the 2021 College World Series.
One interesting note: The Bears will stay close to home in 2022, as 46 of the 52 regular-season contests will be played in the state of Texas.
A look at the probable pitching matchups:
Friday • 11:00 a.m. CT • LHP Tyler Thomas (1-1, 1.50 ERA) vs. UCLA RHP Jake Brooks (2-0, 0.00 ERA)
Saturday • 3:00 p.m. CT • RHP Jake Jackson (1-1, 2.25 ERA) vs. Tennessee RHP Chase Dollander (1-0, 2.70 ERA)
Sunday • 7:00 p.m. CT • RHP Will Rigney (0-0, 3.00 ERA) vs. LSU TBD
Publisher
The Topper I
With Baylor going on Spring Break starting Saturday, there will be no Blitz next Friday, March 11.
The Topper II
There are plans for Baylor to get Rivals No. 232, North Mesquite wide receiver Cordale Russell, down to campus for a visit to spring football. Russell recently decommitted from TCU. He was also previously committed to SMU in 2021.
First impressions
Jeremy Payne brought quite the resume with him when he took an unofficial visit to Baylor this past Wednesday.
For the Fort Bend Hightower 2024 running back, this was his first visit. Well, it actually was his first unofficial visit of any kind as a recruit.
“What stood out was the hospitality and how I was treated as family,’’ he said. “The main thing I took out of it was that your education should be your main focus so you can keep making plays on the field.”
Well, he was making a lot of plays on the field for the Hurricanes in his first season as a starter. Payne was as good as anticipated. He rushed for 1,447 yards, averaged 8.7 yards per attempt with 10 scores. And the offense wasn’t bashful including him in the passing game. He averaged 21 yards per reception.
That kind of productivity gets everyone’s attention. Payne’s name is rising. He’s since picked up offers from Indiana, Houston, Oregon State and SMU. With Baylor, he’s naturally developing a relationship with running backs coach Justin Johnson.
“I mainly talk to Coach Juice,’’ Payne said. “And his message was that football is not only for just playing the sport. It’s about how to become better men as a team.”
Payne got a tour of the facilities and sense of what Baylor wants to do moving forward. He’s a recruit whose stock should be going to the next level.
“I was very impressed with the facilities,’’ he said. I didn’t know to expect, but the bar was set high.”
As a 2024, Payne does not have a rating.
Shelby ready for next level with Baylor
This is true. Friendswood 2023 6-5 prospect Braylan Shelby has played defensive back. He’s also played outside linebacker and defensive end. All in the same game.
For someone with his athleticism, it lends himself to be able to play all three defensive levels. In high school football get your best player in the best position at all times. The height is not an issue.
“They lined me up all over the place,’’ Shelby said. “On defense alone, I lined up as a corner to defensive end to linebacker. I also played wide receiver on offense.’’
Well for Baylor’s purposes, the Bears like him at outside linebacker, his natural position. With the length and wingspan he can be used in different perimeter defensive situations and also get his hands up to disrupt passing lanes.
That appeared to pay off in 2021. He collected eight sacks, 12 tackles for loss, one interception and 77 total tackles. When he was used at corner, the Friendswood coaching staff matched him up against the No. 1 receiver.
Shelby has been developing a relationship with newly promoted outside linebackers coach Caleb Collins. Collins took over in November.
“I talk to the whole staff on a regular basis,’’ Shelby said. “But the ones I’m close with are coach Collins and coach [Dave] Aranda. I like how easy it is to talk to coach Collins. I could talk to him about anything. He just likes my versatility, my ability to play out in space with speed and power.’’
Shelby is going to be a veteran with this program. This fall, he will be entering his third season as a starter. He is going through both the track and power lifting seasons. As for his offseason program, he’s working on drills to improve his agility. For players of his frame, there are a lot of moving parts.
Baylor’s early competition is coming against USC, Tennessee, Texas and Florida State. He does plan to visit when Baylor is going through spring football. He’s working on a date.
A three star with a 5.7 rating, Collins is the No. 26 player rated at his position in the country by Rivals.
Lightning in a bottle
Nothing recruits better than winning big. Baylor’s record setting 2021 continues to draw the interest of highly rated recruits.
Aldine Eisenhower 4-star athlete Ryan Niblett squarely has the Bears on his radar. Now, he wants to see what could transpire over the next several months. So does Baylor since it’s pursuing an athlete who averaged nearly 30 yards every time he had the ball in his hands.
“I definitely have interest in Baylor,’’ the Rivals No. 223 prospect said. “I talk to almost everyone even coach [Dave] Aranda. That vibe is great, and I love the culture out there.’’
Niblett is listed as an athlete. However, Baylor likes him at wide receiver. Given his size, he’s an ideal candidate to play the slot.
On Feb. 1, he named Baylor among his Top 7 schools. That included Alabama, Arkansas, Houston, Kansas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech. However, that could be altered as LSU offered on Thursday.
In 2021 it was just then he was starting make his breakthrough. He had nine receptions for 292 yards and nine rushing attempts for 242 yards. But do the math. That’s 32 yards per reception and 27 yards per rush. He was named the District 14-6A All-Purpose Player of the Year.
“My explosion and my ability to get open are what I work hard to do,’’ Niblett said. “And once I get the ball, it’s hard to tackle me. They call me lighting in a bottle.’’
There will more of that to watch during the track season. In 2021, he posted personal bests in the 100 (10.58) and 200 (22.14). He also ran the 400 in 50.44.
Plans are in the works for him to come up for spring practice.
With a 5.8 rating, Rivals rates Niblett as the No. 11 athlete in the country and the No. 43 prospect in Texas.
Baylor Baseball at Shriners Children's College Classic
Fresh off a 9-0 victory at Rice Wednesday, the Bears (4-4) are at Minute Maid Park for the round robin tournament where they will face three of the top programs in the country. The Bears have won three of their last four.
UCLA is unranked by D1 Baseball – the one that is most widely accepted - but is 6-3 and a consistent NCAA tournament team. No. 17 Tennessee (7-0) was in the 2021 College World Series. No. 7 LSU (7-1) is led by new head coach Jay Johnson who led Arizona to the 2021 College World Series.
One interesting note: The Bears will stay close to home in 2022, as 46 of the 52 regular-season contests will be played in the state of Texas.
A look at the probable pitching matchups:
Friday • 11:00 a.m. CT • LHP Tyler Thomas (1-1, 1.50 ERA) vs. UCLA RHP Jake Brooks (2-0, 0.00 ERA)
Saturday • 3:00 p.m. CT • RHP Jake Jackson (1-1, 2.25 ERA) vs. Tennessee RHP Chase Dollander (1-0, 2.70 ERA)
Sunday • 7:00 p.m. CT • RHP Will Rigney (0-0, 3.00 ERA) vs. LSU TBD
