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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Devin Duvernay: Why it’s Baylor
It might be the worst-kept secret since August if not longer. But by sometime on Friday, Sachse wide receiver Devin Duvernay is expected to announce on social media that he will commit to the Baylor. The Rivals No. 66 player (No. 11 at his position and No. 9 in Texas) had narrowed a finalist list to Baylor, Ohio State, Alabama and Oklahoma.
There are rumors that Duvernay has already given a silent commit to Baylor. True or not, here are all of the signs why this announcement should fall in the direction of Art Briles program.
Timing: When the last visit is to the school that’s been considered the favorite and the announcement of a commitment decision is within a week, it pretty much assures followers that the visit concluded everything was in place. Also, Sachse is out of the Class 6A playoffs following its 10-7 bi-district loss at Killeen Shoemaker last week.
Family: Baylor preaches a family environment. But Duvernay has said that he wants to play Division I college football with twin brother Donovan. So when Donovan committed to Baylor in September that nearly sealed it. Consider that the only schools where Devin and Donovan overlapped with offers were Baylor and TCU.
No official visit: The official visits to Oklahoma, Ohio State and Alabama made sense. A drive to Baylor in November is the price of a tank of gas (which is really cheap these days). Plus, Baylor traditionally wants all of its recruits to hold off on taking their official visits until that second or third weekend in January. It’s a way to build chemistry within the class. Duvernay didn’t have any reason to burn his official visit to Waco unless Baylor realized is had a fight on its hands.
Connection: Baylor was one of the first to offer Duvernay back in 2014. There had been some wild thoughts that Duvernay was going to commit back at that spring game. Obviously, he didn’t. But credit offensive coordinator Kendal Briles and now wide receivers coach Tate Wallis forming a tight bond with Duvernay. It’s similar to the way they worked with K.D. Cannon before he committed.
Reminder: As we reported on Wednesday, our Oklahoma, Alabama and Ohio State colleagues have no reason to believe Duvernay will commit anywhere buy Baylor. They believe their information is solid.
Currently: With its class of 16 commitments, Baylor is No. 27 in the Rivals team rankings. Securing Duvernay would give this program five 4-star commitments – the most in the Art Briles era – and potentially raise the team rankings either into the low 20s or high teens.
-Kevin Lonnquist
JUCO DT Ready for visit
Even when he was at Palatka (FL) high school, Jeremy Faulk didn’t receive any Division I attention. Little changed as he went through his junior college career at Garden City (KS) Community College.
But then that changed on Nov. 13 when Baylor offered Faulk who is from nearby Hastings, Fl. On Dec. 4, Faulk (6-3, 275) will take his official visit the weekend the Bears play Texas to finish the regular season. Faulk is a mid-semester enrollee (January 2016) and would have two years of eligibility.
“I really wasn’t getting this kind of attention…maybe [FCS] schools and Division II,’’ Faulk said. “It was a shock to me but it wasn’t to any of my coaches. Baylor came by to see me during the season. But I didn’t think too much about it then. Now, I’m really excited.’’
Faulk’s other Division I interest is Southern Mississippi. But he offers the versatility to play either straight tackle or nose tackle. However, Faulk said Baylor coaches have told him they are looking at him as a tackle. Of course, the Bears believe they have their future nose tackle with the commitment of Spring’s Bravvion Roy.
If statistics mean anything, then it validated what the Baylor coaches saw on film and why they moved. Faulk was second on the defense with 87 tackles (also second on the defense with 50 solo stops). But he led with 18.5 tackles for loss and 12 sacks. He made opponents pay for it as those plays resulted in 140 yards in losses. That’s an average of 4.6 yards per loss. Faulk also forced two fumbles and recovered two others.
“I love their football program, so I’m not worried about that,’’ Faulk said. “I’m looking forward to getting there and checking everything out. I want to learn about everything and what I can do with an education there.’’
-Kevin Lonnquist
Ausbon’s growth
Baylor 2017 WR commit Jhamon Ausbon and Houston St. Thomas open the TAPPS playoffs Saturday playing host to Nolan Catholic in a second round game. Ausbon has 910 receiving yards this year along with nine touchdowns. St. Thomas (9-1) has a 25-game home winning streak.
Ausbon, who committed to Baylor on July 15, transferred from Houston Episcopal to St. Thomas this past year. He attended the Baylor-Oklahoma game.
At 6-3, 215, he’s faced all kinds of coverage options. He has seen corners with safeties over the top. One thing most opponents will do is go with press coverage. Ausbon is averaging 23 yards per reception.
“It’s been pretty good but now it’s time to go in the playoffs,’’ Ausbon said. “I’ve learned so much more. I’m a lot smarter than last year. I know a lot more about my position and how to play it.’’
-Kevin Lonnquist
Another 're'commit for Baylor in 2016?
Houston (Texas) Westside defensive tackle, and one-time Baylor commitment, Jordan Elliott spent the weekend in Waco last weekend on an official visit.
“It was crazy,” Elliott said. “The atmosphere at Baylor is one of a kind. It was about 50,000 people, but it sounded like over 200,000 people in the stadium. I really loved the atmosphere and had a lot of fun at the game.”
Elliott spent most of his time with Baylor defensive line coach Chris Achuff during the visit.
“Coach Achuff was saying that a lot of schools really want me, but not every school needs me,” Elliott said. “They really want me and also really need me on the roster. Baylor is a school that I do really like, it’s a great program and a good fit for me.”
What keeps bringing Baylor back into the mix for the standout defender?
“It’s the whole coaching staff, all the way down to the strength and conditioning coach,” Elliott said. “It’s one big family at Baylor and I really like that about the program.”
Elliott is taking his time with the recruiting process and plans on taking a few more visits before making a final decision.
“I’m going to visit Oklahoma this weekend and have a visit setup to Michigan on Dec. 11th,” Elliott said. “Baylor, Texas, Oklahoma and Michigan are the schools that I’m looking at right now. I would say that Michigan is my leader right now. The coaches have built a great relationship with me and my family.”
Rated a three-star prospect, the 6-foot-5, 300-pound tackle is the No. 28 defensive tackle prospect in the nation and the No. 52 player on the Rivals.com Texas Top 100 for the 2016 class.
-Clare
Baylor firmly in the mix for JUCO CB
Coffeyville (Kansas) C.C. corner JaMarcus King is another prospect that spent the past weekend on an official visit in Waco.
A longtime target of the coaching staff, the visit to campus was significant for the JUCO corner who graduates this December. With several offers and a handful of visits taken, King now plans to take a few weeks before making his decision.
“I had a great time on the visit,” King said. “I spent a lot of time with Coach (Cris) Dishman and my host, Orion Stewart, showed me around the campus a little bit. They didn’t get the win, but the game was a lot of fun and the atmosphere was pretty wild.
“I also met a lot of the players and the rest of the coaching staff. Everyone was welcoming and the Baylor players all seem to get along very well.”
The 6-foot-2, 180-pound corner will enroll in the school of his choice in January with three years to play two years. How did the visit this weekend help the Bears?
“I learned a lot about the program,” King said. “Coach Dishman and I sat down on Sunday to go over the roster, talk about their needs and the opportunity all together. Really all of the coaches believe that I can come in and help them right away. That’s really what I’m looking for, an opportunity to compete and play at a winning program.”
Originally from Alabama, the other program battling for King’s commitment is Auburn. King had been committed to the Tigers earlier in the recruiting cycle, but reopened things earlier this fall.
There are still a handful of programs looking to secure a late visit from King, but it’s safe to say that Baylor and Auburn are the main two programs is focused on.
“I graduate next month, so now I’m going to take a few weeks and think about my decision,” King said. “There are a few schools wanting me to visit, but I haven’t decided about any additional visits. The Baylor coaches and the entire visit gave me a lot to think about though.”
Rated a four-star prospect, King is the No. 9 prospect in the Rivals.com JUCO Top 100 for the 2016 class and holds over 15 FBS offers from programs across the country.
-Clare
MBB: No. 20/21 Baylor (1-1) vs. Jackson State (1-1)
Time/Site: 7:00 pm/Ferrell Center
TV: FSSW Plus
Notable: The Bears are 6-0 all-time against Jackson State and won by an average of 27 points…The Bears are coming off a 74-67 loss this past Monday at Oregon, despite Al Freeman scoring a career-high 22 points….Baylor has won 25 consecutive non-conference home games going back to December 2012….Rico Gathers (858) needs eight more rebounds to move into third place on the all-time rebounding list….although he struggled from the field at Oregon, Taurean Prince has scored in double figures in 19 of his last 20 games.
-SicEmSports
BB: A 2019 to watch
I hope to get a more formal interview soon, but I watched Fort Worth Nolan post Le’Jon Doss against Mesquite Poteet earlier this week. Consider Doss (6-5, 200) a very raw player with a ceiling.
He scored seven points but he has a really explosive first step when he drives to the basket. Doss tends to be tentative especially in the post. That’s not surprising for a freshman. But when he isn’t, he’s shows that he’s pretty comfortable. He scored nine points in Nolan’s Nov. 13 opener at Dallas St. Mark’s.
Doss still needs to work on his jumper. But there is a lot to like. A couple of web sites have projected him to be a high major recruit. There are no known offers to this point. The talent is there. The experience isn’t. The more Doss settles in, the better he will play. He has a chance to average close to a double double this season.
-Kevin Lonnquist
Baylor audio: Jarrett Stidham
From this week with the media.
Jarrett Stidham
-Stephen Cook
Big 12 Weekend
The following is the Big 12 schedule for the weekend of Nov. 21. All times are central. Games are listed in chronological order. TV listings are noted. Texas (4-6, 3-4) and Texas Tech (6-5, 3-5) have a bye and will meet on Thanksgiving night in Austin.
Iowa State (3-7, 2-5) at Kansas State (3-6, 0-6); 11:00 a.m. Bill Snyder Family Stadium, Manhattan, KS (Fox Sports 1): Series – Iowa State leads, 49-45-4 – Every game is a must win for the Wildcats who need to win their last three in order to become bowl eligible. Kansas State’s offense has shown some life scoring 68 points in the last two games against Baylor and Texas Tech. But it hasn’t been enough. Iowa State running back Mike Warren has surpassed 1,000 yards for the season (1,070).
West Virginia (5-4, 2-4) at Kansas (0-10, 0-7); 11:00 a.m. Memorial Stadium, Lawrence, KS (Fox Sports Net): Series – West Virginia leads, 3-1 – Two years ago, Kansas pulled off this upset and snapped then a 27-game conference losing streak. The Mountaineers are looking to become bowl eligible with a victory. While West Virginia QB Skyler Howard has had his ups and downs, he’s led this team to the brink of the postseason. The Mountaineers lead the Big with 16 interceptions.
No. 10 Baylor (8-1, 5-1) at No. 6 Oklahoma State (10-0, 7-0); 6:30 p.m., Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwater, OK (FOX): Series – Oklahoma State leads, 19-14 – Key stat for Baylor: The Bears have lost their last 11 games in Stillwater by an average of 27.5 points. Key stat for Oklahoma State: The Cowboys have the best Red Zone scoring offense percentage (93.8) in the Big 12. They are 45-of-48 with 34 touchdowns. Their red zone touchdown distribution is balanced with 17 rushing and 17 passing.
No. 18 TCU (9-1, 6-1) at No. 7 Oklahoma (9-1, 6-1); 7:00 p.m. Memorial Stadium, Norman, OK (ABC): Series – Oklahoma leads, 9-5 – This is the 10-year anniversary when an unheralded TCU team went to then No. 5 Oklahoma and knocked off the Sooners, 17-7. The Horned Frogs will be without WR Josh Doctson (wrist) for the last two regular season games. QB Trevone Boykin (ankle) could be a game-time decision. The Sooners have the conference’s No. 1 overall defense (336.1). QB Baker Mayfield appears to have put himself in the Heisman Trophy race based on his performance last week at Baylor.
-SicEmSports
Big 12 Power Rankings
Each week, SicEmSports ranks the conference teams based on their performance from the previous week. Agree or disagree, they do make for good water cooler talk.
1. Oklahoma State – Regardless of their method, the Cowboys find a way to win
2. Oklahoma – Was QB Baker Mayfield’s scramble TD pass vs Baylor his Heisman moment?
3. Baylor – Health issues now the primary issue for this team
4. TCU – No lead WR and a QB whose mobility will be challenged
5. West Virginia – RB Wendell Smallwood (1,119) trails Shock Linwood by 30 only yards for the Big 12 lead
6. Texas Tech – QB Pat Mahomes (3,911) looking to go over 4,000 passing yards
7. Texas – must win the last two (Texas Tech, Baylor) to become bowl eligible
8. Iowa State – Questions about Paul Rhoads job security start to mount
9. Kansas State – Reports of KSU administration working on contingencies if Bill Snyder retires
10. Kansas – Have attempted only 21 extra points all year (converted 19)
-Kevin Lonnquist
Emptying the notebook
>The Bears are still in the race for Duncanville 2016 defensive tackle Marcel Southall. Southall, who was in attendance for the Oklahoma game last week at McLane Stadium, is scheduled to travel to Norman, OK this weekend for an official visit to OU. An official visit to Baylor is unknown at this time
>The Bears are still in the running for Kentwood, LA athlete Shyheim Carter. While it doesn’t sound like an official visit is planned for the Rivals No. 76 prospect, it does appear at this point that one should be set up in January. If that’s successfully completed, then it could be the weekend when all of the recruits would come down for their official visit.
>We’re not saying anything you probably don’t know. That said, junior QB Seth Russell cannot apply for a medical redshirt because he has played too many games (7). The minimum that can be played to seek one is four.
-SicEmSports
