Baylor never trailed for Mitchell
When we mentioned Wednesday that the dominoes appeared to be falling for Wendell Mitchell to commit to Baylor, it accelerated on Thursday when the Rockdale 3-star guard verbally committed to the Bears.
Well, it was actually Wednesday. Mitchell called Baylor coach Scott Drew and told him he was a Bear. However, Mitchell wanted to announce it Friday. Well, that didn't work out since he started telling people Thursday afternoon. Then it spread. Mitchell can sign his letter of intent on Nov. 12.
The Bears were the heavy favorite for Mitchell. He had been on the campus several times. SMU made a late run but it was far too late. Mitchell was scheduled to officially visit SMU this weekend. Obviously, that won't happen. He'll take his official visit to Baylor next week.
"For me, it was just timing and making sure that this was right,'' Mitchell said. "It was just timing. Every time I went to Baylor, it was a great visit, and I felt comfortable. It's like a family atmosphere.''
Baylor got the guard it wanted. Mitchell (6-3, 180) has a scorer's mentality. He dominated in 2013-14 with Rockdale averaging 32 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. His exposure erupted over the summer for his Under Armour summer team, Houston Defenders. He averaged 21 points per game.
"The summer was big and helped me a lot,'' Mitchell said. "It helped me see where I was with some of the top players in the country. I got a good look and felt I could compete.''
With Baylor, he is expected to play the point. While shooting is always a work in progress, he prides himself in his ability to get to the rim.
Baylor now has four members for the 2015 class between Mitchell, guard Jake Lindsey, point guard King McClure and JUCO power forward Joseph Acuil.
-Kevin Lonnquist
Drew Galitz to the Under Armour game
High School all-star games have become an early year tradition. Rowlett place-kicker/punter Drew Galitz is now going to be a part of it.
Blessed with a leg possessing power and accuracy, the Baylor 2015 commit had dreamed of playing in one of these games. He's been selected to participate in the 2015 Under Armour All America High School all-star game Jan. 2, 2015 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fl.
On Wednesday morning at the school library, he receives his jersey for the game. Galitz received the honor during the summer. That was when he was committed to Miami (Fla.). He switched his commitment to Baylor on Aug. 26.
"I've always wanted to be on one of these teams,'' Galitz said. "I've dreamed about it. This is a huge honor to be a part of game where there are so many great players.''
Galitz has been enjoying a pretty solid season for Rowlett thus far. He's converted 2-of-4 field goals. One of the misses was blocked. The other was a 59-yard attempt that fell short of the crossbar by about a half a yard.
But when he comes to Baylor, it appears his future will be as a punter. With Spencer Roth graduating -- Chris Callahan is handling the place-kicking duties -- Baylor needs a replacement. That's fine with Galitz. He's averaging 39.1 yards per punt and roughly 4.0 seconds on his hang time.
"It's just a matter of getting the reps and working on the drop,'' Galitz said. "I really take a lot of pride in this.''
-Kevin Lonnquist
Time to talk
Baylor usually doesn't recruit JUCO wide receivers. But it's hard to ignore what Blinn's DeDe Westbrook has been doing.
That's why Baylor has offered him. And that's why Westbrook is taking an official visit to Waco on Nov. 1. At 6-1, 170, Westbrook has already has 69 receptions for 1,336 yards, averaging 19.4 yards per reception. He's also caught 11 touchdowns.
It appears to be a perfect fit for Baylor, right? Well it seems the Bears coaching staff has a little more work to do with the product from Cameron Yoe. At this point, Westbrook said he hasn't talked to Baylor about being a recruited as an athlete. But it would be hard to talk him into doing that given what he's doing on offense.
"I want to see more with them,'' Westbrook said. "I just want to get to know them more and see how really interested they are in me.''
Westbrook's visit to Baylor will be the first of three. He's scheduled to visit Oklahoma on Nov. 8 (ironically when Baylor visits) and Texas Tech on Dec. 5. Westbrook is a 4.5 speedster. His recruiting took off because of size, speed and production.
"Focus!,'' he said. "I practice hard Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and then carry it over with the same kind of intensity to Saturday.''
-Kevin Lonnquist
Hasty hopeful
Longview running back and Baylor commit JaMycal Hasty hasn't played a down this year because of a back injury that was disclosed in August.
Hasty, though, is still hopeful he can play at some point this season. Longview is heading toward the playoffs. Hasty said he expects to see a doctor soon to find out if he could be well enough to play. Those chances are probably long. However, he still has a goal to play this season.
"I just hate it that happened in my senior year,'' Hasty said. "I'll bounce back strong though. I've handled it pretty well thus far. Hopefully, I'll be back out there within the next week or two.''
Hasty is No. 214 on the Rivals 2015 250.
-Kevin Lonnquist
Big 12 Power Rankings
Each week, SicEmSports ranks the Big 12 teams based on expectations and performance. Ratings always vary. Agree or disagree, there's nothing like finding out who is ranked where.
1. Kansas State - In the Big 12 driver's seat but road games at WVA, TCU & Baylor await
2. TCU - WR Josh Doctson emerging as one of the league's top receivers
3. Baylor - Right side of the offensive line needs an overhaul
4. West Virginia - Mountaineers seem to have the 3-3-5 defensive alignment down
5. Oklahoma - You look at this team and it just doesn't click like it should
6. Oklahoma State - Gundy wasn't kidding; the running game is struggling
7. Texas - Little by little, QB Tyrone Swoopes is looking settled
8. Texas Tech - 4-game losing streak over; Red Raiders head to TCU
9. Iowa State - Once a very good defensive program, the Cyclones aren't anymore
10. Kansas - Michael Cummings bringing stability to the QB position
-Kevin Lonnquist
Big 12 Weekend
A look at Saturday's action. All times are central. Another weekend of league action looms for the final Saturday of October. Baylor, Oklahoma, Iowa State and Kansas all have byes.
Texas (3-4, 2-2) at No. 11/11 Kansas State (5-1, 3-0)
11:00 a.m., Bill Snyder Family Stadium, Manhattan, KS (ESPN)
The skinny: Kansas State quarterback Jake Waters is having a very efficient season completing 65 percent of his passes. That's the reason why the Wildcats are in first place by themselves. But no one is paying attention to the defense. KSU is third in the Big 12 in total defense (352.0). Texas has a little momentum following its last-second 48-45 win over Iowa State. But the defense struggled.
No. 25/22 West Virginia (5-2, 3-1) at Oklahoma State (5-2, 3-1)
2:30 p.m., Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwater, OK (ESPN)
The skinny: Back-to-back wins over Texas Tech and Baylor have the Mountaineers on the verge of being bowl eligible. But they are also in the Big 12 championship race. QB Clint Trickett (2,525 passing yards) is on pace to throw for more than 4,300 yards in the regular season. Oklahoma State is coming off a rough outing at TCU (a 42-9 loss) so the Cowboys are looking to rebound. PK Ben Grogran leads all Big 12 place-kickers with 17 made field goals. Junior DB Kevin Peterson is second in the conference with 10 passes defended.
Texas Tech (3-4, 1-4) at No. 10/10 TCU (5-1, 2-1)
2:30 p.m., Amon Carter Stadium, Fort Worth (FOX)
The skinny: TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin is making a serious case for Big 12 player of the year honors. He's thrown for 1,873 yards and rushed for another 346. He leads the conference in total yards per game at 369.8. Meanwhile Texas Tech is trying to find a way to pull off the upset. The Red Raiders have turned it over more than anyone else in the Big 12 (16). TCU leads the league in turnover ratio at plus 8.
Emptying the Notebook
>With Baylor Associate Head Coach Brian Norwood watching for the entire game, Baylor commit and Keller Fossil Ridge safety Montrel Wilson and Keller Fossil Ridge won a crucial district game against district rival Keller Central in overtime, 20-16. Wilson said he was a little nervous but handled it pretty well. Fossil Ridge is 6-2 and 3-2 in District 5-6A.
>As for another 2015 linebacker candidate, Baylor appears to be close to - if it hasn't already - offering Richmond Foster linebacker Eric Ogor (6-1, 200). Ogor has been on several Division I program's radar but has not really surfaced yet.
>Another 2017 prospect to watch down the line is 2017 athlete Keldrick Carper from Plain Dealing (LA) New Tech High School. He's very versatile. He's pretty big at 6-4, 185. Not sure how much Baylor knows about him but a Louisiana contact told me Carper is very interested in Baylor.
>Finally, we had a chance to visit with Alief Elsik 2016 LB Dontavious Jackson. The No. 207 recruit in the 2016 Rivals 250 said Baylor wants him to come to the Nov. 1 Homecoming game against Kansas. Jackson said he's hoping to do that. I'll have more on him next week. But he definitely has interest in Baylor. The Bears have not offered yet.
>Here's something to consider for the remainder of the Big 12 season for the current contenders with one or no losses.
The combined record for Baylor's (6-1, 3-1) final five opponents - Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Kansas State - is 20-14.
The combined record for Kansas State's (5-1, 3-0) final six opponents - Baylor, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma State, TCU and West Virginia - is 26-15.
The combined record for TCU's (5-1, 2-1) final six opponents - West Virginia, Kansas State, Kansas, Iowa State, Texas and Texas Tech - is 20-21.
The combined record for Oklahoma State's (5-2, 3-1) final five opponents - West Virginia, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Texas and Baylor - is 19-10
The combined record for West Virginia's (5-2, 3-1) final five opponents - TCU, Texas, Oklahoma State, Kansas State and Iowa State - is 20-13
-Kevin Lonnquist
When we mentioned Wednesday that the dominoes appeared to be falling for Wendell Mitchell to commit to Baylor, it accelerated on Thursday when the Rockdale 3-star guard verbally committed to the Bears.
Well, it was actually Wednesday. Mitchell called Baylor coach Scott Drew and told him he was a Bear. However, Mitchell wanted to announce it Friday. Well, that didn't work out since he started telling people Thursday afternoon. Then it spread. Mitchell can sign his letter of intent on Nov. 12.
The Bears were the heavy favorite for Mitchell. He had been on the campus several times. SMU made a late run but it was far too late. Mitchell was scheduled to officially visit SMU this weekend. Obviously, that won't happen. He'll take his official visit to Baylor next week.
"For me, it was just timing and making sure that this was right,'' Mitchell said. "It was just timing. Every time I went to Baylor, it was a great visit, and I felt comfortable. It's like a family atmosphere.''
Baylor got the guard it wanted. Mitchell (6-3, 180) has a scorer's mentality. He dominated in 2013-14 with Rockdale averaging 32 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. His exposure erupted over the summer for his Under Armour summer team, Houston Defenders. He averaged 21 points per game.
"The summer was big and helped me a lot,'' Mitchell said. "It helped me see where I was with some of the top players in the country. I got a good look and felt I could compete.''
With Baylor, he is expected to play the point. While shooting is always a work in progress, he prides himself in his ability to get to the rim.
Baylor now has four members for the 2015 class between Mitchell, guard Jake Lindsey, point guard King McClure and JUCO power forward Joseph Acuil.
-Kevin Lonnquist
Drew Galitz to the Under Armour game
High School all-star games have become an early year tradition. Rowlett place-kicker/punter Drew Galitz is now going to be a part of it.
Blessed with a leg possessing power and accuracy, the Baylor 2015 commit had dreamed of playing in one of these games. He's been selected to participate in the 2015 Under Armour All America High School all-star game Jan. 2, 2015 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fl.
On Wednesday morning at the school library, he receives his jersey for the game. Galitz received the honor during the summer. That was when he was committed to Miami (Fla.). He switched his commitment to Baylor on Aug. 26.
"I've always wanted to be on one of these teams,'' Galitz said. "I've dreamed about it. This is a huge honor to be a part of game where there are so many great players.''
Galitz has been enjoying a pretty solid season for Rowlett thus far. He's converted 2-of-4 field goals. One of the misses was blocked. The other was a 59-yard attempt that fell short of the crossbar by about a half a yard.
But when he comes to Baylor, it appears his future will be as a punter. With Spencer Roth graduating -- Chris Callahan is handling the place-kicking duties -- Baylor needs a replacement. That's fine with Galitz. He's averaging 39.1 yards per punt and roughly 4.0 seconds on his hang time.
"It's just a matter of getting the reps and working on the drop,'' Galitz said. "I really take a lot of pride in this.''
-Kevin Lonnquist
Time to talk
Baylor usually doesn't recruit JUCO wide receivers. But it's hard to ignore what Blinn's DeDe Westbrook has been doing.
That's why Baylor has offered him. And that's why Westbrook is taking an official visit to Waco on Nov. 1. At 6-1, 170, Westbrook has already has 69 receptions for 1,336 yards, averaging 19.4 yards per reception. He's also caught 11 touchdowns.
It appears to be a perfect fit for Baylor, right? Well it seems the Bears coaching staff has a little more work to do with the product from Cameron Yoe. At this point, Westbrook said he hasn't talked to Baylor about being a recruited as an athlete. But it would be hard to talk him into doing that given what he's doing on offense.
"I want to see more with them,'' Westbrook said. "I just want to get to know them more and see how really interested they are in me.''
Westbrook's visit to Baylor will be the first of three. He's scheduled to visit Oklahoma on Nov. 8 (ironically when Baylor visits) and Texas Tech on Dec. 5. Westbrook is a 4.5 speedster. His recruiting took off because of size, speed and production.
"Focus!,'' he said. "I practice hard Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and then carry it over with the same kind of intensity to Saturday.''
-Kevin Lonnquist
Hasty hopeful
Longview running back and Baylor commit JaMycal Hasty hasn't played a down this year because of a back injury that was disclosed in August.
Hasty, though, is still hopeful he can play at some point this season. Longview is heading toward the playoffs. Hasty said he expects to see a doctor soon to find out if he could be well enough to play. Those chances are probably long. However, he still has a goal to play this season.
"I just hate it that happened in my senior year,'' Hasty said. "I'll bounce back strong though. I've handled it pretty well thus far. Hopefully, I'll be back out there within the next week or two.''
Hasty is No. 214 on the Rivals 2015 250.
-Kevin Lonnquist
Big 12 Power Rankings
Each week, SicEmSports ranks the Big 12 teams based on expectations and performance. Ratings always vary. Agree or disagree, there's nothing like finding out who is ranked where.
1. Kansas State - In the Big 12 driver's seat but road games at WVA, TCU & Baylor await
2. TCU - WR Josh Doctson emerging as one of the league's top receivers
3. Baylor - Right side of the offensive line needs an overhaul
4. West Virginia - Mountaineers seem to have the 3-3-5 defensive alignment down
5. Oklahoma - You look at this team and it just doesn't click like it should
6. Oklahoma State - Gundy wasn't kidding; the running game is struggling
7. Texas - Little by little, QB Tyrone Swoopes is looking settled
8. Texas Tech - 4-game losing streak over; Red Raiders head to TCU
9. Iowa State - Once a very good defensive program, the Cyclones aren't anymore
10. Kansas - Michael Cummings bringing stability to the QB position
-Kevin Lonnquist
Big 12 Weekend
A look at Saturday's action. All times are central. Another weekend of league action looms for the final Saturday of October. Baylor, Oklahoma, Iowa State and Kansas all have byes.
Texas (3-4, 2-2) at No. 11/11 Kansas State (5-1, 3-0)
11:00 a.m., Bill Snyder Family Stadium, Manhattan, KS (ESPN)
The skinny: Kansas State quarterback Jake Waters is having a very efficient season completing 65 percent of his passes. That's the reason why the Wildcats are in first place by themselves. But no one is paying attention to the defense. KSU is third in the Big 12 in total defense (352.0). Texas has a little momentum following its last-second 48-45 win over Iowa State. But the defense struggled.
No. 25/22 West Virginia (5-2, 3-1) at Oklahoma State (5-2, 3-1)
2:30 p.m., Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwater, OK (ESPN)
The skinny: Back-to-back wins over Texas Tech and Baylor have the Mountaineers on the verge of being bowl eligible. But they are also in the Big 12 championship race. QB Clint Trickett (2,525 passing yards) is on pace to throw for more than 4,300 yards in the regular season. Oklahoma State is coming off a rough outing at TCU (a 42-9 loss) so the Cowboys are looking to rebound. PK Ben Grogran leads all Big 12 place-kickers with 17 made field goals. Junior DB Kevin Peterson is second in the conference with 10 passes defended.
Texas Tech (3-4, 1-4) at No. 10/10 TCU (5-1, 2-1)
2:30 p.m., Amon Carter Stadium, Fort Worth (FOX)
The skinny: TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin is making a serious case for Big 12 player of the year honors. He's thrown for 1,873 yards and rushed for another 346. He leads the conference in total yards per game at 369.8. Meanwhile Texas Tech is trying to find a way to pull off the upset. The Red Raiders have turned it over more than anyone else in the Big 12 (16). TCU leads the league in turnover ratio at plus 8.
Emptying the Notebook
>With Baylor Associate Head Coach Brian Norwood watching for the entire game, Baylor commit and Keller Fossil Ridge safety Montrel Wilson and Keller Fossil Ridge won a crucial district game against district rival Keller Central in overtime, 20-16. Wilson said he was a little nervous but handled it pretty well. Fossil Ridge is 6-2 and 3-2 in District 5-6A.
>As for another 2015 linebacker candidate, Baylor appears to be close to - if it hasn't already - offering Richmond Foster linebacker Eric Ogor (6-1, 200). Ogor has been on several Division I program's radar but has not really surfaced yet.
>Another 2017 prospect to watch down the line is 2017 athlete Keldrick Carper from Plain Dealing (LA) New Tech High School. He's very versatile. He's pretty big at 6-4, 185. Not sure how much Baylor knows about him but a Louisiana contact told me Carper is very interested in Baylor.
>Finally, we had a chance to visit with Alief Elsik 2016 LB Dontavious Jackson. The No. 207 recruit in the 2016 Rivals 250 said Baylor wants him to come to the Nov. 1 Homecoming game against Kansas. Jackson said he's hoping to do that. I'll have more on him next week. But he definitely has interest in Baylor. The Bears have not offered yet.
>Here's something to consider for the remainder of the Big 12 season for the current contenders with one or no losses.
The combined record for Baylor's (6-1, 3-1) final five opponents - Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Kansas State - is 20-14.
The combined record for Kansas State's (5-1, 3-0) final six opponents - Baylor, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma State, TCU and West Virginia - is 26-15.
The combined record for TCU's (5-1, 2-1) final six opponents - West Virginia, Kansas State, Kansas, Iowa State, Texas and Texas Tech - is 20-21.
The combined record for Oklahoma State's (5-2, 3-1) final five opponents - West Virginia, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Texas and Baylor - is 19-10
The combined record for West Virginia's (5-2, 3-1) final five opponents - TCU, Texas, Oklahoma State, Kansas State and Iowa State - is 20-13
-Kevin Lonnquist
