By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
Carl Williams reaction
Not a lot from Baton Rouge 2023 defensive back Carl Williams IV about his commitment to the Bears. But the fact that the Bears were one of the first ones to pursue and keep up the relationship convinced CW4 where he wanted to be.
“The family feel,’’ he said. “And that they showed they care about their players. And it’s a great football team.’’
Team ranking blows up
There’s still a long way to go in the recruiting season for rankings – Alabama only has five commits – but the way Baylor has been surging over the last three weeks has produced an unprecedented run in the rankings.
Following Sunday’s commitment of Covington (GA) offensive guard Sean Thompkins, who now has his rating of 3 stars and a 5.6 rating, the Bears now are at No. 6 in the Rivals 2023 team rankings. Of course, the commitment of Katy Mayde Creek and Rivals No. 152 Tay’Shawn Wilson on Saturday gave it another boost. With 18 commitments, Baylor has a chance to finish in the Top 20 by the time the final rankings are solidified February 2023.
This No. 6 ranking is as high as you publisher has ever seen it this deep in the season. Of course, the 2016 class was No. 17. Other programs can make runs and there are certainly many uncommitted 250 players still out there. That cause rankings to fluctuation.
However, this is a run – six commitments in the last seven days with the possibility of more in the coming days – that is beyond impressive.
Porter fights through it
Call it a test of wills for Jadon Porter Saturday at Baylor’s final June camp on Saturday.
The 4-star 2024 wide receiver commit from Lorena definitely wasn’t at his best. He was playing with blisters on his feet. A combination of playing five games in the Texas 7 on 7 state tournament in College Station along with the heat refracted by the McLane Stadium turf from the intense heat all played into it.
“Yeah, it just tore up my feet,’’ Porter said. “I got blisters everywhere. After playing 8 games Thursday and Friday my feet had a few blisters. But wasn’t going to miss Baylor.’’
Of course, the coaching staff didn’t need to evaluate anything further on its signature commit. Porter committed to Baylor back in April. On Saturday, he had to take things cautiously.
“It hurt to run,’’ he said. “But we got 2 weeks off now so I can heal my body.’’
With football being a 365-day sport, the 7-on-7 season became invaluable for Porter to take his forecasted P5 game to another level. Working with his trainer, he continued to refine his quickness and become more of a disciplined route runner.
The season helped sharpen them so he could be more polished in both skills. The visit Saturday, though, was kind of like a welcome back event.
“Always good to be back home with the Bear community,’’ he said. ‘’It was good day at camp and looking forward to more events with the Bears.’’
His relationship with Baylor strengthening, Porter mentioned the staff’s energy when it came to him being a part of the program. He then witnessed elsewhere Saturday.
“They were helping everyone,’’ Porter said. “Not just the ones that were really good, but they wanted everyone to be great. And the energy is always high.’’
Schram scrams
He’s 6-5, weighs 275, and he just finished his freshman season at Boerne High School. When Logan Schram finished the combine portion of Baylor’s camp Saturday, this is how it looked:
>40-time: 5.12 (unofficial)
>Vertical: 28
>Broad Jump: 8-9.4
Now, you know why Baylor offered the rising tackle who still has plenty of time in front of him to grow, mature and get even better. The Bears joined an early offer list that includes SMU, Texas Tech and UTSA.
But for Schram, he also developed a quick rapport with Baylor offensive line coach Eric Mateos who is developing quite a following among Texas high school OL recruits.
“I definitely learned a ton,’’ Schram said. “I have a lot I can take back home and improve my game with. Especially in pass protection. He knows what he’s talking about for sure, and I love his energy.”
A couple of items on Schram’s agenda Saturday was to work on his pass protection and his base. Without a strong base, an offensive lineman becomes more prey than anything else. Schram had not been in contact too much with Baylor prior to Saturday. But when the Bears invited him to the camp, they wanted to see firsthand if he measured up. He did.
“Pass protection is definitely something I need to improve on,’’ Schram said. “As I continue my training and get more experience, I want to develop my footwork, and other things like my base so it becomes muscle memory.”
Including Schram, many recruits have talked about the organization of the camp and how things were run in an orderly fashion. Obviously, it makes for a great experience when you’re offered. But even if you’re not, there’s much value to it.
“I loved the camp. It was very organized and well planned,’’ he said. “I also really enjoyed how you got plenty of reps and a chance to put what you were learning into action. Coming to camp was worth it for sure, and the knowledge I have gained will definitely benefit my game.”
Schram said he plans to return sometime later in the year for a football game or two should his schedule allow.
The Big Easy knows Jack
It’s only been a couple of weeks since New Orleans product Jonathan Bax committed to Sotuhern Miss. But he sensed there was something more to his game.
The Edna Karr 2023 defensive end had known Baylor for a while. However, when he took advantage of the invitation to attend Saturday’s camp in Waco, he didn’t disappoint. He left with a Baylor offer.
“They already knew who I was by looking at my film which helped me for camp by putting me in a great position,’’ Bax said. “I was exceptional in drills and even better in 1 on 1’s. Shoutout to Coach Dennis Johnson for inviting me, and I was just a stud out there amongst others and I was blessed enough to walk away with that Big 12 offer.’’
Hey, it ain’t braggin’ if you can do it. Baylor is still in the hunt for defensive line options. Bax was one of them. The staff worked him out at the JACK position.
But he had the chance to work with defensive line coach Dennis Johnson, an up-and-coming position coach along the front.
“Awww, man it was fun and intense,’’ Bax said. “You can tell he really loves the game of football but also wants us to play it the best we can every rep. Same for the other coaches that was with us.’’
In 2021, Bax played on the edge for Edna Kar and finished with 40 tackles, 12 TFL, 12 sacks and two forced fumbles as Edna Karr finished 11-1. Those are plays to create issues in the backfield.
There have been some discussions about a possible official visit later this fall. But that likely would be in the fall. It could also depend on if Baylor has what it needs for DL for the 2023 or not.
Bax is a 3-star prospect with a 5.5 rating.
Publisher
Carl Williams reaction
Not a lot from Baton Rouge 2023 defensive back Carl Williams IV about his commitment to the Bears. But the fact that the Bears were one of the first ones to pursue and keep up the relationship convinced CW4 where he wanted to be.
“The family feel,’’ he said. “And that they showed they care about their players. And it’s a great football team.’’
Team ranking blows up
There’s still a long way to go in the recruiting season for rankings – Alabama only has five commits – but the way Baylor has been surging over the last three weeks has produced an unprecedented run in the rankings.
Following Sunday’s commitment of Covington (GA) offensive guard Sean Thompkins, who now has his rating of 3 stars and a 5.6 rating, the Bears now are at No. 6 in the Rivals 2023 team rankings. Of course, the commitment of Katy Mayde Creek and Rivals No. 152 Tay’Shawn Wilson on Saturday gave it another boost. With 18 commitments, Baylor has a chance to finish in the Top 20 by the time the final rankings are solidified February 2023.
This No. 6 ranking is as high as you publisher has ever seen it this deep in the season. Of course, the 2016 class was No. 17. Other programs can make runs and there are certainly many uncommitted 250 players still out there. That cause rankings to fluctuation.
However, this is a run – six commitments in the last seven days with the possibility of more in the coming days – that is beyond impressive.
Porter fights through it
Call it a test of wills for Jadon Porter Saturday at Baylor’s final June camp on Saturday.
The 4-star 2024 wide receiver commit from Lorena definitely wasn’t at his best. He was playing with blisters on his feet. A combination of playing five games in the Texas 7 on 7 state tournament in College Station along with the heat refracted by the McLane Stadium turf from the intense heat all played into it.
“Yeah, it just tore up my feet,’’ Porter said. “I got blisters everywhere. After playing 8 games Thursday and Friday my feet had a few blisters. But wasn’t going to miss Baylor.’’
Of course, the coaching staff didn’t need to evaluate anything further on its signature commit. Porter committed to Baylor back in April. On Saturday, he had to take things cautiously.
“It hurt to run,’’ he said. “But we got 2 weeks off now so I can heal my body.’’
With football being a 365-day sport, the 7-on-7 season became invaluable for Porter to take his forecasted P5 game to another level. Working with his trainer, he continued to refine his quickness and become more of a disciplined route runner.
The season helped sharpen them so he could be more polished in both skills. The visit Saturday, though, was kind of like a welcome back event.
“Always good to be back home with the Bear community,’’ he said. ‘’It was good day at camp and looking forward to more events with the Bears.’’
His relationship with Baylor strengthening, Porter mentioned the staff’s energy when it came to him being a part of the program. He then witnessed elsewhere Saturday.
“They were helping everyone,’’ Porter said. “Not just the ones that were really good, but they wanted everyone to be great. And the energy is always high.’’
Schram scrams
He’s 6-5, weighs 275, and he just finished his freshman season at Boerne High School. When Logan Schram finished the combine portion of Baylor’s camp Saturday, this is how it looked:
>40-time: 5.12 (unofficial)
>Vertical: 28
>Broad Jump: 8-9.4
Now, you know why Baylor offered the rising tackle who still has plenty of time in front of him to grow, mature and get even better. The Bears joined an early offer list that includes SMU, Texas Tech and UTSA.
But for Schram, he also developed a quick rapport with Baylor offensive line coach Eric Mateos who is developing quite a following among Texas high school OL recruits.
“I definitely learned a ton,’’ Schram said. “I have a lot I can take back home and improve my game with. Especially in pass protection. He knows what he’s talking about for sure, and I love his energy.”
A couple of items on Schram’s agenda Saturday was to work on his pass protection and his base. Without a strong base, an offensive lineman becomes more prey than anything else. Schram had not been in contact too much with Baylor prior to Saturday. But when the Bears invited him to the camp, they wanted to see firsthand if he measured up. He did.
“Pass protection is definitely something I need to improve on,’’ Schram said. “As I continue my training and get more experience, I want to develop my footwork, and other things like my base so it becomes muscle memory.”
Including Schram, many recruits have talked about the organization of the camp and how things were run in an orderly fashion. Obviously, it makes for a great experience when you’re offered. But even if you’re not, there’s much value to it.
“I loved the camp. It was very organized and well planned,’’ he said. “I also really enjoyed how you got plenty of reps and a chance to put what you were learning into action. Coming to camp was worth it for sure, and the knowledge I have gained will definitely benefit my game.”
Schram said he plans to return sometime later in the year for a football game or two should his schedule allow.
The Big Easy knows Jack
It’s only been a couple of weeks since New Orleans product Jonathan Bax committed to Sotuhern Miss. But he sensed there was something more to his game.
The Edna Karr 2023 defensive end had known Baylor for a while. However, when he took advantage of the invitation to attend Saturday’s camp in Waco, he didn’t disappoint. He left with a Baylor offer.
“They already knew who I was by looking at my film which helped me for camp by putting me in a great position,’’ Bax said. “I was exceptional in drills and even better in 1 on 1’s. Shoutout to Coach Dennis Johnson for inviting me, and I was just a stud out there amongst others and I was blessed enough to walk away with that Big 12 offer.’’
Hey, it ain’t braggin’ if you can do it. Baylor is still in the hunt for defensive line options. Bax was one of them. The staff worked him out at the JACK position.
But he had the chance to work with defensive line coach Dennis Johnson, an up-and-coming position coach along the front.
“Awww, man it was fun and intense,’’ Bax said. “You can tell he really loves the game of football but also wants us to play it the best we can every rep. Same for the other coaches that was with us.’’
In 2021, Bax played on the edge for Edna Kar and finished with 40 tackles, 12 TFL, 12 sacks and two forced fumbles as Edna Karr finished 11-1. Those are plays to create issues in the backfield.
There have been some discussions about a possible official visit later this fall. But that likely would be in the fall. It could also depend on if Baylor has what it needs for DL for the 2023 or not.
Bax is a 3-star prospect with a 5.5 rating.
