NOTE: With the Memorial Day Weekend approaching and people doing their thing (along with yours truly having some late Thursday/early Friday deadlines for another walk of life), we thought it would be a good thing to spread out the blitz during the week and make them into mini blitzes.
Wheeler still high on Baylor
It's been awhile since we touched base with the Rivals No. 216 prospect. However, we had a chance to do so earlier in the week.
First of all, the Dallas Skyline linebacker said he is in no hurry to make a commitment decision. He's also balancing a work schedule amid all of this attention and spring football. Wheeler said he plans on visiting Waco sometime during the summer.
That could be as early as the June 1 camp in Waco. He could also make an appearance at the June 6 camp at Lake Highlands.
"I'm still considering them strongly,'' Wheeler said.
In case you missed it, it's been awhile since Wheeler (6-2, 216) released his Top 10 schools. In no particular order, they are:
1. Baylor
2. Texas
3. Oklahoma
4. Texas A&M
5. Alabama
6. LSU
7. Stanford
8. Notre Dame
9. Ohio State
10. Florida State
-Kevin Lonnquist
About Ennis DE James Lockhart
We also checked in with the Rivals No. 145 prospect. Like several of these highly sought recruits, Lockhart said he is in no hurry to make a decision.
He has unofficial visits planned for Baylor, Alabama, Texas A&M and perhaps Florida State, Arkansas and Texas Tech. Lockhart said his position on Baylor hasn't changed and has a good relationship with the coaching staff.
His last visit with them was last week. At this point, this is a process that Baylor is just going to have to go through and obviously, be willing to do it.
Baylor coaches Jim Gush and Jeff Lebby should be at the Ennis spring game on Tuesday at Ennis Stadium.
-Kevin Lonnquist
Baylor visiting Tarrant County
Running backs coach Jeff Lebby was in greater Fort Worth on Tuesday looking at a few prospects that are either considered under the radar or about to erupt in terms of their potential.
Under the radar
White Settlement Brewer athlete Chris Gibson (6-0, 200). We talked about him in a Blitz back in November. But he's a recruit that is only now starting to gain some attention. The problem is that Brewer has not had a history of producing athletes so not many schools have taken notice.
He went to a Baylor camp last and said he plans to attend one on June 1. For now, Gibson has an offer from Illinois State.
About to blow up
Go to Trophy Club Byron Nelson and that program has three 2016 prospects who may be on the verge of collecting offers.
It starts with Carrollton Newman Smith transfer and athlete Brandon Bowen (6-4, 210), linebacker Akel Beard (6-1, 220) and defensive end/tight end Kellen Diesch (6-6, 250).
Nelson coach Brian Polk said Lebby invited all three to come to the June 1 camp in Waco. Let's start with Bowen who is considered versatile at several positions. He's going to be playing wide receiver. Polk said Bowen's biggest asset is his hands.
For Beard, he's considered a pretty physical player but is raw. If he performs well at several camps, offers may follow. Diesch is a big target and will be playing on both sides of the ball for the Bobcats.
And his projected position in college is really also either side. Offensively, he's a matchup problem. Defensively, his size will be a challenge for quarterbacks to deliver the ball through windows.
"Baylor, Texas, A&M and Oklahoma have all been through here,'' Polk said. "They really are taking a hard look at these guys.''
-Kevin Lonnquist
Baylor checks in on DISD
Dallas Lincoln 2015 DB/WR Cristian Williams (6-0, 165) is new prospect to take a look at. He just picked up his first offer from SMU the other day. However, Baylor assistant Brian Norwood stopped by on Tuesday to visit with Williams.
Williams said it was his first visit with Norwood so he doesn't know too much about the Bears just yet. However, he said he hopes to attend the June 6 camp at Lake Highland. Baylor has not offered him.
Also, Kimball 2016 DE Demerick Gary (6-3, 250) plans to attend Baylor's June 8 camp in Waco. He has been in touch with Norwood. Baylor has not offered. This would be Gary's first visit to Baylor.
Pay close attention to Dallas Skyline 2016 RB Da'Leon Ward. He just picked up his first offer from Louisville on Wednesday. Skyline coaches tell us films are going out and Baylor should be receiving Ward's film very soon.
-Kevin Lonnquist
Baseball vs. TCU
Baylor's only chance to advance to the NCAA tournament has to be winning the Big 12 tournament. That starts today with rematch with TCU at 12:30 p.m. at Oklahoma City's Bricktown Ballpark.
The game will be carried on TV by Fox College Sports. Dillon Newman (5-3, 3.42 ERA) will get the start.
The winner of Wednesday's contest goes on to face the winner of No. 3 Kansas vs. No. 6 West Virginia on Thursday at 4 p.m. The loser faces the loser of the KU-WVU game on Thursday at 9 a.m.
Baylor baseball had a trio of players earn All-Big 12 honors for the first time, the league announced Tuesday. Record-setting closer Josh Michalec earned a first team nod, outfielder Adam Toth was an honorable mention and left-handed pitcher Daniel Castano was an All-Freshman Team choice.
-SicEmSports
In the spirit of Kevin's mini Baylor blitz, here are a couple more recruiting stories/nuggets.
Baylor finally makes the call
High school kids don't mind missing a little class -- especially if it's for the reason 2015 Alvin Manvel DB Deontay Anderson was pulled out of class on Wednesday afternoon.
"It happened around 3:15 (Wednesday)," Anderson said of getting an offer from Baylor. "Coach told me to call the Baylor coach and I did, and he offered then."
Anderson's recruitment is surging right now. Notre Dame also offered him the same day as Baylor. Since he's only headed into his junior season, he's not in a hurry to make a decision.
"I want to commit before my senior year, but i'm not trying to rush it," he said.
Baylor will have a fight on its hands, but with an offer on the table, the Bears are at least on his radar.
"I've actually been waiting for the Baylor offer," he said. "I know that they're getting way better and the program is growing. They're in the right place. They have a bright future."
Baylor interested in the next Detmer
His father played at Colorado, his uncle at BYU, and his grandfather has coached all over the map. Could the next Detmer end up in Waco?
That chance is growing. Koy Detmer Jr., the son of the former Colorado star quarterback who had a long career as an NFL backup, has attracted some Baylor interest in recent weeks. I caught up with him last night to get the scoop.
"This past summer I went to a camp and the quarterback coach, he seemed like he had a little interest," Detmer said of . "I hadn't heard anything after that.
"Two weeks ago, during our athletic period, (Baylor assistant coach Chris) Achuff came by and said that they are looking for a quarterback in the 2015 class, and he said they are interested. He watched our practice and said the quarterback coach will come down and watch me throw. He told me to go to camps and stuff, so that's the biggest interest that I've heard and seen from them."
(First off, interesting words from Achuff. It's now plainly obvious Baylor wants another quarterback in this current class to go with President/Lynch.) As for Detmer, he said he already had a favorable opinion of the Bears, but their Big 12 title run changed things.
"They were a solid team, but after this past year, I really like them," he said. "They run a good offense and pick up the tempo. They score a lot of points and throw the ball a lot. What more could I ask for?"
Detmer is still waiting on his first offer, but BYU, Houston and Texas are among the programs who, like Baylor, plan to come back to small-town Somerset to watch Detmer in action. He plans to head to Waco July 18 for a Baylor camp. He knows he needs to impress then -- and during his senior season -- to start converting interest into offers.
Wheeler still high on Baylor
It's been awhile since we touched base with the Rivals No. 216 prospect. However, we had a chance to do so earlier in the week.
First of all, the Dallas Skyline linebacker said he is in no hurry to make a commitment decision. He's also balancing a work schedule amid all of this attention and spring football. Wheeler said he plans on visiting Waco sometime during the summer.
That could be as early as the June 1 camp in Waco. He could also make an appearance at the June 6 camp at Lake Highlands.
"I'm still considering them strongly,'' Wheeler said.
In case you missed it, it's been awhile since Wheeler (6-2, 216) released his Top 10 schools. In no particular order, they are:
1. Baylor
2. Texas
3. Oklahoma
4. Texas A&M
5. Alabama
6. LSU
7. Stanford
8. Notre Dame
9. Ohio State
10. Florida State
-Kevin Lonnquist
About Ennis DE James Lockhart
We also checked in with the Rivals No. 145 prospect. Like several of these highly sought recruits, Lockhart said he is in no hurry to make a decision.
He has unofficial visits planned for Baylor, Alabama, Texas A&M and perhaps Florida State, Arkansas and Texas Tech. Lockhart said his position on Baylor hasn't changed and has a good relationship with the coaching staff.
His last visit with them was last week. At this point, this is a process that Baylor is just going to have to go through and obviously, be willing to do it.
Baylor coaches Jim Gush and Jeff Lebby should be at the Ennis spring game on Tuesday at Ennis Stadium.
-Kevin Lonnquist
Baylor visiting Tarrant County
Running backs coach Jeff Lebby was in greater Fort Worth on Tuesday looking at a few prospects that are either considered under the radar or about to erupt in terms of their potential.
Under the radar
White Settlement Brewer athlete Chris Gibson (6-0, 200). We talked about him in a Blitz back in November. But he's a recruit that is only now starting to gain some attention. The problem is that Brewer has not had a history of producing athletes so not many schools have taken notice.
He went to a Baylor camp last and said he plans to attend one on June 1. For now, Gibson has an offer from Illinois State.
About to blow up
Go to Trophy Club Byron Nelson and that program has three 2016 prospects who may be on the verge of collecting offers.
It starts with Carrollton Newman Smith transfer and athlete Brandon Bowen (6-4, 210), linebacker Akel Beard (6-1, 220) and defensive end/tight end Kellen Diesch (6-6, 250).
Nelson coach Brian Polk said Lebby invited all three to come to the June 1 camp in Waco. Let's start with Bowen who is considered versatile at several positions. He's going to be playing wide receiver. Polk said Bowen's biggest asset is his hands.
For Beard, he's considered a pretty physical player but is raw. If he performs well at several camps, offers may follow. Diesch is a big target and will be playing on both sides of the ball for the Bobcats.
And his projected position in college is really also either side. Offensively, he's a matchup problem. Defensively, his size will be a challenge for quarterbacks to deliver the ball through windows.
"Baylor, Texas, A&M and Oklahoma have all been through here,'' Polk said. "They really are taking a hard look at these guys.''
-Kevin Lonnquist
Baylor checks in on DISD
Dallas Lincoln 2015 DB/WR Cristian Williams (6-0, 165) is new prospect to take a look at. He just picked up his first offer from SMU the other day. However, Baylor assistant Brian Norwood stopped by on Tuesday to visit with Williams.
Williams said it was his first visit with Norwood so he doesn't know too much about the Bears just yet. However, he said he hopes to attend the June 6 camp at Lake Highland. Baylor has not offered him.
Also, Kimball 2016 DE Demerick Gary (6-3, 250) plans to attend Baylor's June 8 camp in Waco. He has been in touch with Norwood. Baylor has not offered. This would be Gary's first visit to Baylor.
Pay close attention to Dallas Skyline 2016 RB Da'Leon Ward. He just picked up his first offer from Louisville on Wednesday. Skyline coaches tell us films are going out and Baylor should be receiving Ward's film very soon.
-Kevin Lonnquist
Baseball vs. TCU
Baylor's only chance to advance to the NCAA tournament has to be winning the Big 12 tournament. That starts today with rematch with TCU at 12:30 p.m. at Oklahoma City's Bricktown Ballpark.
The game will be carried on TV by Fox College Sports. Dillon Newman (5-3, 3.42 ERA) will get the start.
The winner of Wednesday's contest goes on to face the winner of No. 3 Kansas vs. No. 6 West Virginia on Thursday at 4 p.m. The loser faces the loser of the KU-WVU game on Thursday at 9 a.m.
Baylor baseball had a trio of players earn All-Big 12 honors for the first time, the league announced Tuesday. Record-setting closer Josh Michalec earned a first team nod, outfielder Adam Toth was an honorable mention and left-handed pitcher Daniel Castano was an All-Freshman Team choice.
-SicEmSports
In the spirit of Kevin's mini Baylor blitz, here are a couple more recruiting stories/nuggets.
Baylor finally makes the call
High school kids don't mind missing a little class -- especially if it's for the reason 2015 Alvin Manvel DB Deontay Anderson was pulled out of class on Wednesday afternoon.
"It happened around 3:15 (Wednesday)," Anderson said of getting an offer from Baylor. "Coach told me to call the Baylor coach and I did, and he offered then."
Anderson's recruitment is surging right now. Notre Dame also offered him the same day as Baylor. Since he's only headed into his junior season, he's not in a hurry to make a decision.
"I want to commit before my senior year, but i'm not trying to rush it," he said.
Baylor will have a fight on its hands, but with an offer on the table, the Bears are at least on his radar.
"I've actually been waiting for the Baylor offer," he said. "I know that they're getting way better and the program is growing. They're in the right place. They have a bright future."
Baylor interested in the next Detmer
His father played at Colorado, his uncle at BYU, and his grandfather has coached all over the map. Could the next Detmer end up in Waco?
That chance is growing. Koy Detmer Jr., the son of the former Colorado star quarterback who had a long career as an NFL backup, has attracted some Baylor interest in recent weeks. I caught up with him last night to get the scoop.
"This past summer I went to a camp and the quarterback coach, he seemed like he had a little interest," Detmer said of . "I hadn't heard anything after that.
"Two weeks ago, during our athletic period, (Baylor assistant coach Chris) Achuff came by and said that they are looking for a quarterback in the 2015 class, and he said they are interested. He watched our practice and said the quarterback coach will come down and watch me throw. He told me to go to camps and stuff, so that's the biggest interest that I've heard and seen from them."
(First off, interesting words from Achuff. It's now plainly obvious Baylor wants another quarterback in this current class to go with President/Lynch.) As for Detmer, he said he already had a favorable opinion of the Bears, but their Big 12 title run changed things.
"They were a solid team, but after this past year, I really like them," he said. "They run a good offense and pick up the tempo. They score a lot of points and throw the ball a lot. What more could I ask for?"
Detmer is still waiting on his first offer, but BYU, Houston and Texas are among the programs who, like Baylor, plan to come back to small-town Somerset to watch Detmer in action. He plans to head to Waco July 18 for a Baylor camp. He knows he needs to impress then -- and during his senior season -- to start converting interest into offers.
