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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Semper Fi Bound
Baylor 2016 quarterback commit Zach Smith of Grandview announced Thursday he has been selected to play in the Semper Fi All-American Bowl Jan. 3 in Garden Grove, CA. Smith will be with the West team. Smith is enjoying a stellar senior season completing nearly 64 percent of his attempts for 1,470 yards and 22 touchdowns.
“It’s really a blessing and a true honor,’’ Smith said. “To get to play in a prestigious game like this one really means a lot.’’
-Kevin Lonnquist
Basketball notes
>Baylor has offered 2017 point guard Matt Coleman (6-2, 170) from Oak Hill (VA) Academy. Coleman is the No. 29 player in the Rivals150 and already has 13 offers including Texas, Virginia, Arizona, Memphis and Indiana.
>All indications are that Oak Hill (VA) 2016 small forward Mario Kegler’s visit to Baylor went very well. But this is going to go down to the end. Kegler (6-7, 210) still has two more official visits remaining. Those are Maryland (10/17) and Indiana (10/24). Kegler, the No. 29 player in the Rivals150, has also taken an official visit to Arizona State (9/18). Kegler came to Baylor instead of Penn State.
-Kevin Lonnquist
VIDEO: Anthony Hines
Courtney Roland was back in the DFW area recently and caught up with Plano East 2017 LB Anthony Hines. In August, Hines released a Top 20 where he included Baylor. Hines provided an update.
-Courtney Roland
Texas Tech-Baylor visitors
Texas Tech and Baylor meet at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. While it’s a neutral site game, the Bears are the designated home team. Therefore, they can host visitors. This list is subject to change, but here’s a look at those recruits who have told SicEmSports they plan to attend.
>Marcel Southall, DT, Duncanville (2016 Baylor offer)
>Raleigh Texada, DB, Frisco Centennial (2016 Baylor commit)
>Chris Miller, S, Frisco Lone Star (2016 Baylor commit)
>Deonte Williams, LB, Plano Prestonwood (2016 Baylor commit)
>Jared Atkinson, WR, Mesquite Horn (2016 Baylor commit)
>J.P. Urquidez, OL, Copperas Cove (2016 Baylor commit)
>Avery Davis, QB, Cedar Hill (2017 Baylor interest)
>Charleston Rambo, WR, Cedar Hill (2017 Baylor interest)
>Jaylon Jackson, WR, Cedar Hill (2017 Baylor interest)
>Zach Smith, QB, Grandview (2016 Baylor commit)
>Camron Buckley, WR, Cedar Hill (2017 Baylor interest)
>Hyrin White, OL, DeSoto (2017 Baylor interest)
>Kedrick James, TE, Waco (2017 Baylor commit – he isn’t sure but maybe)
-SicEmSports
Coaches keeping tabs on Anderson
The Baylor coaches added a new 2016 commitment from Fort Bend Hightower defensive end Micheal Johnson last week. Johnson and his teammate, defensive tackle Darius Anderson, visited Waco this past weekend for the game against Rice.
Anderson is an intriguing prospect, and although his offer list does not reflect the interest, many programs have kept in touch with him throughout the recruiting process – including the Baylor coaching staff.
“I have been in touch with Coach [Carlton] Buckels and Coach [Chris] Achuff for the past year,” Anderson said. “Some of my teammates and I visited Baylor for a junior day in the spring, plus I camped with Baylor when the coaches were here in Houston this summer.
“The visit this weekend really surprised me. I didn’t know what to expect on a game day and it was just a great environment. The entire coaching staff made us feel very comfortable and welcome the entire time.”
The 6-foot-2, 300-pound defensive tackle feels close to the Baylor coaching staff and spoke highly of his relationship with the Bears’ staff.
“The Baylor coaches have been with me the entire time, through the good and bad times,” Anderson said. “I would probably have several offers by now, but I had a bad freshman year and didn’t take care of my grades. The coaches have seen how much my grades have improved since, all A’s and B’s.
“I have worked hard and I’m on track to become a full qualifier once I take the SAT again this year. Right now, my focus is on football and having a great senior season. If I work hard and stay focused, then the rest of this will take care of itself. I really feel like an offer from Baylor is coming soon. We are going back up there in a few weeks for another visit.”
While the Baylor coaches have seemed to build the best relationship with Anderson, there are a handful of other programs staying in contact with him during the season.
“I’m still hearing from coaches at Baylor, Texas, Nebraska, Texas A&M and TCU,” Anderson said. “The A&M coaches want me to visit for a game, but I don’t really have any other visit plans right now. I’m going to visit Baylor again and then see what other visits I can take after the season.”
-Matt Clare
2017 WR interested in Baylor
Caldwell 2017 wide receiver Devin Morris is beginning to hear from some college programs throughout the state, including the Baylor coaching staff.
“I keep in touch with Coach [Carlton] Buckels from Baylor,” Morris said. “We have been talking a lot and I cannot wait to meet him when I make it out to one of their games this month.
“I really like everything about Baylor right now. I like the coaching staff, the program, the facilities and the direction of the program. I wasn’t able to make it out for the camp at Baylor this summer, but I’m really looking forward to getting up there for a game soon.”
Morris has even been in touch with a few of the current Baylor commitments from the ‘17SuperTeam’, Hezekiah Jones and Kellen Mond.
“I have been talking with Hezekiah and Kellen who are both committed to Baylor,” Morris said. “It would be a really great opportunity if I had the chance to play with them in the future. We have mostly gotten to know each other, but they both talk with me about joining them and the ‘17SuperTeam’.”
The 6-foot-1, 175-pound receiver, who is also a member of the basketball and track teams at Caldwell, is hearing from a few other in-state programs and believes his first offer could be coming soon.
“No schools have offered yet, but I’m pretty confident in myself and that I will begin to receive some offers after this season,” Morris said. “Baylor, TCU and Texas are the programs that have reached out to me the most so far. I camped with both TCU and Texas this summer.
“For now, I’m focused on the season and helping my team improve. We are 2-3 on the season so far, but we still have a lot of work to do and have done better each week as a team.”
-Matt Clare
Opposing player spotlight: Texas Tech WR Devin Lauderdale
When he emerged as a Division I prospect at Houston Bellaire, Baylor actually was one of the first to offer Lauderdale.
For a time, it looked like Lauderdale and Baylor had struck some connection for its 2013 class. As time went, the two sides went their separate ways. The Bears wound up signing two receivers in Quan Jones and Robbie Rhodes.
Lauderdale committed to Texas Tech. However, he had to take a detour through Navarro College for 2013 before he arrived in Lubbock.
As a sophomore, he became one of the featured targets. The Red Raiders struggled to a 4-8 record. Lauderdale finished with 589 receiving yards on 31 receptions and seven touchdowns.
Now, he is on pace to exceed those numbers in 2015. Lauderdale (13-307, 3TD) could finish with 40 receptions for 921 yards. And as long as he’s making big plays, that works for this offense. He leads all Tech receivers in yards per catch at 23.7.
At 5-10, 176, Lauderdale should be lined up in the slot.
-Kevin Lonnquist
Visiting with the Bears
Stephen Cook had interviews with the likes of Baylor wide receiver Corey Coleman (audio only), junior quarterback Seth Russell and junior running back Shock Linwood.
WR Corey Coleman (audio)
QB Seth Russell
RB Shock Linwood
Big 12 Power Rankings
Each week, SicEmSports releases its power rankings. Their rankings are determined by how teams performed from the previous week. Agree or disagree, that’s what makes these interesting.
1. TCU – Sometimes, it’s better to be lucky than good
2. Oklahoma – Sooners begin a stretch of nine straight without a break
3. Baylor – Has it clicked for QB Seth Russell?
4. Oklahoma State – Nothing impresses you but the Cowboys win
5. West Virginia – Mountaineers learn this weekend how good their defense is
6. Kansas State – A win in Stillwater gives the Wildcats more credibility
7. Texas Tech – Red Raiders remain confident despite heartbreaking loss to TCU
8. Texas – This offense could rival Kansas’ as the worst in the league
9. Iowa State – The heat on Paul Rhoads starts to turn up even more
10. Kansas – A winless season is a real possibility
- Kevin Lonnquist
Big 12 weekend
A look at the games impacting the Big 12 conference for Saturday, Oct. 3. All times are Central. Every team is in action. Games are shown in the order of kickoff time.
Texas (1-3, 0-1) at No. 3/4 TCU (4-0, 1-0), 11:00 am, Amon Carter Stadium, Fort Worth (ABC) – Series – Texas leads, 62-22-1: Texas’ offense continues its struggles. It scored three touchdowns last week against Oklahoma State, two by the defense. TCU is getting healthier with its defense. But this program has flipped to a wide open offensive attack. Senior WR Josh Doctson leads the Big 12 in receptions (35), yards per game (148.2) and yards (593).
No. 21/22 West Virginia (3-0, 0-0) at No. 14/15 Oklahoma (3-0, 0-0), 11:00 a.m., Memorial Stadium, Norman, OK (Fox Sports 1) – Series – Oklahoma leads, 5-2: This is the best test for the Mountaineers who have allowed only 23 points. Through three games, Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield has already thrown for 1,062 yards. Oklahoma has won all three meetings since West Virginia joined the Big 12.
Kansas (0-3, 0-0) at Iowa State (1-2, 0-0), 11:00 a.m., Jack Trice Stadium, Ames, IA (Fox Sports Net) – Series – 50-38-6: The loser of this game is probably going to go winless in league play this year. Kansas is still trying to right its quarterback situation riddled with injury and illness. In Iowa State’s defense, Cyclones quarterback Sam B. Richardson has been pretty efficient throwing only one interception in his first 106 attempts.
Texas Tech (3-1, 0-1) vs. No. 4/5 Baylor (3-0, 0-0), 2:30 p.m. AT&T Stadium, Arlington (ESPN2/ABC) – Series – Tied, 36-36-1: Red Raiders skilled star Jakeem Grant leads the Big 12 in all-purpose yardage with 730. He has 413 receiving, 314 kick returns and three rushing. Baylor is the top rushing team in the country at 379.7 yards per game. The Red Raiders are last in the Big 12 in rushing defense at 254.8 yards per game.
Kansas State (3-0, 0-0) at No. 19/20 Oklahoma State (4-0, 1-0), 3:00 p.m. Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwater, OK (Fox Sports 1) – Series – Oklahoma State leads, 37-24: The Cowboys may have payback on their minds after getting blown out in Manhattan last year, 48-14. However, their rushing offense is very average at 160.5 yards per game. The Wildcat offense is just OK at a 371.3 yards per game. Kansas State is going to learn if QB Joe Hubener can be a playmaker
-SicEmSports
Emptying the Notebook
>It was a longshot but Bradenton, FL 2016 tight end Isaac Nauta said he has eliminated Baylor from consideration. Nauta took an unofficial to Baylor back in July and de-committed from Florida State. Nauta is taking official visits to Georgia, USC and Michigan. He’s visiting TCU the weekend the Horned Frogs play Baylor (Nov. 27).
>ESPN Stats released a finding that the over/under total for Baylor-Texas Tech (90.5) is the biggest for a college football game same since at least 1990. The 2014 game at AT&T Stadium finished with 94 points. That's the least amount of points scored between the two teams in Baylor winning the last four meetings.
>In case you missed the Baylor alumni meeting at Globe Life Arlington Thursday night, it was Steve Smith’s legacy on display. Texas Rangers closer Shawn Tolleson faced Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pinch hitter David Murphy in the top of the ninth of the Rangers postseason clinching 5-3 victory. Tolleson battled back from down in the count 3-1 to induce a ground ball out to first base
-SicEmSports
