By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
The Topper
A couple of interesting nuggets from college basketball.
>Earlier this week, the NCAA approved men’s basketball evaluation periods for June 25-27, July 8-11, July 16-18 and July 23-25. That means the coaches can get out on the road again and start evaluating prospects the tournaments that will be organized.
Here are two tweets that list the tournament scheduled for the last weekend in June. You can expect when Baylor’s coaching staff travels, all will go to multiple locations.
>If you didn’t catch it in the Tevin Williams story, the rest of the 2021 signing class is expected to arrive at Baylor Saturday, May 29, with the rest of the team returning on June 1.
Memorial Day weekend has always been the traditional time for past summer arrivals.
Arkansas 2022 defender talks Baylor
Baylor’s move to the 2022 class really hasn’t focused so much on linebackers. The staff has only offered 19 linebacker prospects and eight of those have committed elsewhere.
Yet there’s something intriguing about the recent offer made to Little Rock (AR) Parkview’s Jaylon White.
The coaching staff sees him as a hybrid – perhaps the Star position – between outside linebacker and safety. Baylor offered White on May 14.
“I’m talking to [Defensive Coordinator] Ron Roberts a lot,’’ White said. “We text daily. It’s going pretty cool.’’
Baylor’s view of White is pretty much shared by the others who have offered. White has a mix of P5 and G5 offers. The P5s include Oklahoma State, Utah, Kansas State, Ole Miss and Louisville.
What gets people’s attention is his frame – 6-3, 210 – that allows versatility to be able to drop into pass coverage or used as a blitzer off the edge. Today’s defensive play is about that than playing one position.
“He said I could play both at a high level,’’ White said. “He just started naming the stuff he loved because of my size and skill set. And if I work hard, I can most likely be a first-round pick.’’
White already has an official visit set up for Kansas State (June 24). If Baylor is to make an immediate move, it’s going to have to do so quickly. White said that he is at least entertaining the idea of taking an unofficial visit in June during Baylor’s camp season.
He helped Parkview to a 9-2 record and appearance in the 2020 Class 6A playoffs.
“I don’t mind it at all that I’m looked at as hybrid,’’ White said. “Wherever my skills are needed, that’s where I’ll go.’’
With three stars, Rivals rates White as a 5.5.
The Cy Ranch tri-fecta?
It started with incoming defensive back Romario Noel for the 2021 class. It’s continuing with 2022 offensive lineman Bryce Simpson who recently committed.
Could there be a third consecutive commitment from Houston area school Cy Ranch sending a player to Baylor? Time will tell. However, the Bears got into the race early with 2023 defensive end Ashton Porter with a recent offer.
“I think it’s a great program to play for,’’ Porter said. “I like the scheme that they run. I’m talking to coach bell and the vibe is incredible. Baylor will be one of the top schools I’m looking for.’’
The ceiling is high for a prospect that still has two more years to play at the varsity level. Texas, Michigan State, SMU, Tennessee and Colorado have all offered.
As a sophomore, he made quite the debut. While he collected just 32 total tackles, 11.5 went for losses. He also collected four sacks and forced two other fumbles.
“Coach Bell liked my aggression and how I got off the ball,’’ Porter said. “I describe myself as a finesse guy and sometimes use my power when I need to.”
Porter has visited with both Noel and Simpson about their decisions of going to Baylor. Time will tell what kind of impact it has when it’s time for him to make a commitment decision.
“I can see that it’s a great school to go,’’ Porter said. “They talk good about it all time.”
Emptying the Notebook
>You should expect the next ratings period for Rivals to be released sometime in the middle of June. That will occur after Rivals camp season concludes this weekend in Los Angeles. The next ratings period will be in August following the camp and 7-on-7 summer season.
Publisher
The Topper
A couple of interesting nuggets from college basketball.
>Earlier this week, the NCAA approved men’s basketball evaluation periods for June 25-27, July 8-11, July 16-18 and July 23-25. That means the coaches can get out on the road again and start evaluating prospects the tournaments that will be organized.
Here are two tweets that list the tournament scheduled for the last weekend in June. You can expect when Baylor’s coaching staff travels, all will go to multiple locations.
>If you didn’t catch it in the Tevin Williams story, the rest of the 2021 signing class is expected to arrive at Baylor Saturday, May 29, with the rest of the team returning on June 1.
Memorial Day weekend has always been the traditional time for past summer arrivals.
Arkansas 2022 defender talks Baylor
Baylor’s move to the 2022 class really hasn’t focused so much on linebackers. The staff has only offered 19 linebacker prospects and eight of those have committed elsewhere.
Yet there’s something intriguing about the recent offer made to Little Rock (AR) Parkview’s Jaylon White.
The coaching staff sees him as a hybrid – perhaps the Star position – between outside linebacker and safety. Baylor offered White on May 14.
“I’m talking to [Defensive Coordinator] Ron Roberts a lot,’’ White said. “We text daily. It’s going pretty cool.’’
Baylor’s view of White is pretty much shared by the others who have offered. White has a mix of P5 and G5 offers. The P5s include Oklahoma State, Utah, Kansas State, Ole Miss and Louisville.
What gets people’s attention is his frame – 6-3, 210 – that allows versatility to be able to drop into pass coverage or used as a blitzer off the edge. Today’s defensive play is about that than playing one position.
“He said I could play both at a high level,’’ White said. “He just started naming the stuff he loved because of my size and skill set. And if I work hard, I can most likely be a first-round pick.’’
White already has an official visit set up for Kansas State (June 24). If Baylor is to make an immediate move, it’s going to have to do so quickly. White said that he is at least entertaining the idea of taking an unofficial visit in June during Baylor’s camp season.
He helped Parkview to a 9-2 record and appearance in the 2020 Class 6A playoffs.
“I don’t mind it at all that I’m looked at as hybrid,’’ White said. “Wherever my skills are needed, that’s where I’ll go.’’
With three stars, Rivals rates White as a 5.5.
The Cy Ranch tri-fecta?
It started with incoming defensive back Romario Noel for the 2021 class. It’s continuing with 2022 offensive lineman Bryce Simpson who recently committed.
Could there be a third consecutive commitment from Houston area school Cy Ranch sending a player to Baylor? Time will tell. However, the Bears got into the race early with 2023 defensive end Ashton Porter with a recent offer.
“I think it’s a great program to play for,’’ Porter said. “I like the scheme that they run. I’m talking to coach bell and the vibe is incredible. Baylor will be one of the top schools I’m looking for.’’
The ceiling is high for a prospect that still has two more years to play at the varsity level. Texas, Michigan State, SMU, Tennessee and Colorado have all offered.
As a sophomore, he made quite the debut. While he collected just 32 total tackles, 11.5 went for losses. He also collected four sacks and forced two other fumbles.
“Coach Bell liked my aggression and how I got off the ball,’’ Porter said. “I describe myself as a finesse guy and sometimes use my power when I need to.”
Porter has visited with both Noel and Simpson about their decisions of going to Baylor. Time will tell what kind of impact it has when it’s time for him to make a commitment decision.
“I can see that it’s a great school to go,’’ Porter said. “They talk good about it all time.”
Emptying the Notebook
>You should expect the next ratings period for Rivals to be released sometime in the middle of June. That will occur after Rivals camp season concludes this weekend in Los Angeles. The next ratings period will be in August following the camp and 7-on-7 summer season.
