By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
Oh, those odd one-hit wonders where the artists were taking advantage of pop culture.
Well, in the early 1980s, video games were just starting to become part of the American scene. Local arcades were jammed with teen-agers and those teen-agers who had to drag their younger brother or sister with them just to play all of them.
You remember, Pac Man, Galaga, Donkey Kong and Space Invaders. Well, for some reason, a singing duo from Akron, OH in Jerry Buckner and Gary Garcia took advantage and released the single, “Pac Man Fever” in December, 1981. They made sure the sound effects from the game were a major presence.
And wouldn’t you know, they struck gold, meaning it reached gold status. By the end of 1982, this silly tune sold 1.2 million copies. Formally or informally, a VH1 show in 2008 ran a list of the top 100 one-hit wonders. This one was ranked No. 98.
So if you got a pocket full of quarters head to arcade.
You may not have a lot of money, but bring everything you made.
*****
A great Sunday in Coppell for the Rivals Camp Series event. We had a tremendous turnout for both sessions, especially when it came to second one when the skill players and linebackers arrived.
What wasn’t great was the wind. Howling out of the south at easily 20-25 mph consistently. Never a moment where it subsided. That impacted the enjoyment to an extent.
However, Stephen and I can thank it for preventing the heat from becoming a real factor. Plus, we got a little cloud cover at the end. Still, my farmer tans look great.
Got a lot of content coming your way this week from Baylor targets. It’s a mix between video interviews and stories and notes, etc.
Tell your friends or family members who may be on the fence about signing up and joining our community. All it costs is basically the price of one subway sandwich, chips and a drink.
I’m using this week’s entry for my read and what I know on where Baylor is on some particular targets.
Let’s get it going.
*****
Let’s get it started with 4-star QB commit Austin Novosad. If you haven’t checked out my video interview with the Dripping Springs native, I would encourage you to do that. Only four minutes. But worth it.
This was my first time to watch him in person. Considering the wind, he was enduring with the rest of the QBs, he handled everything pretty well. For where he is in his career, his mechanics are solid. He keeps the elbow up, foot work is quick, release is good. There is something extra on his throws and you could easily tell that when he was throwing against the wind. Most would be on a line and cut right through it. Easily the best QB at the camp.
He’s also rail thin so when he arrives in college, he will need a full-scale S&C plan to get his body going to the D1 level.
Now to the Texas A&M angle. I think it’s still there. Something that has to be watched closely. When he was in College Station a couple of weeks ago, I think there was the expectation that the Aggies would offer right after Eli Holstein decommitted.
That didn’t happen. The word was the Aggies told him that they wanted to let the situation die down before they pivoted in another direction.
I’m told there is a good possibility they will offer him. The timing of it may be in play in terms of when it will. The next month is going to be critical.
Should that happen, then Baylor has to push this really hard to keep him. Of course, this staff knows that.
Then we’ll see what happens. However, unlike the 2022 class when Baylor didn’t replace Zach Pyron, they will have to have a Plan B for 2023. Just hope it doesn’t get to this point.
****
Had a chance to check out Houston Stratford TE commit Hawkins Polley. He’s a big kid and when he gets to Baylor, that S&C program is going to have a lot of fun molding him.
A solid route runner. He catches everything. He will look the ball into his hands. Polley has also had a very good spring season with 7on7 and camp events.
I mentioned in the camp thread that with him and Phoenix TE Matthew Klopfenstein on board Baylor should be done with TEs for 2023. Knowing that, I wouldn’t look for Bridgeland TE Reid Mikeska to visit now.
Mikeska said in late March he was looking at coming for this past Saturday’s scrimmage. But with Klopfenstein committing last week and Mikeska going off to Clemson on Friday, that probably tells you something.
****
This 2023 running back recruiting is going to be really fun to watch. Does Baylor take one or does it take two?
I really like Marquise Collins from College Station. He’s strong, low to the ground, keeps his head up, has a burst and pretty decent as a pass catcher. He recently placed Baylor in his Top 8. He still hasn’t been to Baylor for spring practice and is trying to work something out with the coaches for that to happen.
Then there’s Denton Ryan’s Kalib Hicks. He recently said he will try to get down to Baylor’s spring game on April 23. Hicks has the same package as Collins.
The number of RBs it will take may change depending on the wide receiver needs (more on that in a minute). It’s pretty fluid right now. They’re both equally talented.
****
On the wide receiver situation:
>I believe North Mesquite 4-star WR Cordale Russell is choosing between three teams, Baylor, Arkansas and Texas Tech.
>My interview with Temple’s Mikal Harrison-Pilot is coming up soon. But I think Baylor has some work to do against TCU and Houston. Houston for two reasons. First, his dad played at Houston. Second, you can’t look at Houston as a non-P5 program anymore since it’s joining the Big 12 next year. The other thing that rubs me hmmm on Baylor’s chances is that it may simply be too close to Temple.
****
Quick hitters on 2023s:
>I absolutely love Fort Bend Marshall defensive end Zachary Chapman. He’s just now all the way back from a torn ACL in March of 2021. He has pro type of body. His burst is really good.
>I think Baylor’s chances with Frisco Wakeland offensive lineman Connor Stroh depends on if he comes to the spring game. Remember, that was day he told me he was planning to visit.
>Katy Mayde Creek DB Tay’Shawn Wilson showed out Sunday. He plays taller than 5-10. Loves to push the issue. Fearless.
>Just keep watching the S’Maje Burrell thing. I think the North Crowley linebacker committed to Texas because it was on a snap of a finger, and he was swept up in the moment. But Baylor is not out of this, especially if the staff can get him to commit to an official visit. If so, that’s likely going to be June. As of now, he says he wants to do that.
He hasn’t been to Baylor yet for spring practice. However, my understanding is that he’s going to check out a Texas practice on April 21. On the way down or on the way back, he could stop by.
****
Now, a look at other Baylor sports…
> Baylor men's golf finished ninth at the Aggie Invitational on Sunday with a three-round total of 57-over 921 at Traditions Golf Club.
BU climbed as high as seventh in the final round before finishing the weekend with a 19-over 307, which tied for the fourth-best round of the day. The wind proved to be a significant factor on Sunday, where no players broke par, and the stroke average climbed to 78.69, nearly a stroke higher than the second round and over two strokes higher than round one.
The Bears will head west to compete in the Arizona State Thunderbird Collegiate on Friday and Saturday. It will be their final regular-season tournament.
>No. 4 Baylor men's tennis took the win on Sunday evening over No. 34th-ranked Oklahoma, 6-1, at the Hurd Tennis Center to close out the home slate and celebrate its seniors.
The Bears (21-3, 3-1 Big 12) finished out the regular-season home schedule with a 11-1 record with the win over the Sooners (13-7, 1-2 Big 12).
The Bears finish out the regular season in Lubbock when they face Texas Tech on April 16 with a 5 p.m. start time at the McLeod Tennis Center.
>Baylor track and field wrapped up the 44 Farms Team Invitational at E.B. Cushing Stadium on the campus of Texas A&M Saturday, recording seven gold medals and three meet records on Day Two.
The men's 4x100 meters featured two groups of Bears that put up first and third-place finishes. Laurenz Colbert, Isaiah Cunningham, Kamden Jackson and De'montray Callis ran a 39.30-second race, good enough for a new meet record. Jayson Baldridge, Hasani Barr, Dillon Bedell and Matthew Moorer finished just behind in 40.18 seconds.
Following the Easter weekend break, the Michael Johnson Invitational is set for April 22-23.
>No. 1 Baylor acrobatics & tumbling continued its winning ways against No. 5 Oregon on Sunday afternoon in the Eugene, winning 281.990 – 270.775 over the Ducks.
The Bears (8-0) defeated the Ducks (2-4) with by a total of 11.215 points to cap off the season, while improving the all-time record to 19-13.
Baylor awaits their seeding and bracket in the NCATA Championships, to be announced on Monday, April 11.
>Baylor women's golf will close out the regular season beginning Monday morning when the Bears open play at the Bruzzy Challenge.
Baylor won the event in its only other appearance in 2019 and will be one of six ranked teams in the field this week at Waterchase Golf Club.
>The No. 21 Baylor women's tennis team hosted a Sunday afternoon classic as the Bears downed No. 25 Kansas, 4-3, at the Hurd Tennis Center. No. 21 Baylor hosts Texas at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 16 for Senior Day.
>Baylor softball dropped the series finale Sunday afternoon against Kansas, 3-1, at Arrocha Ballpark in Lawrence, KS. But the Lady Bears (20-18, 2-7) won the series, 2-1. No Big 12 games this week. However, Baylor has three home games, Tuesday against Texas State and Friday and Saturday against Sam Houston State.
Let’s make it a great week!
Publisher
Oh, those odd one-hit wonders where the artists were taking advantage of pop culture.
Well, in the early 1980s, video games were just starting to become part of the American scene. Local arcades were jammed with teen-agers and those teen-agers who had to drag their younger brother or sister with them just to play all of them.
You remember, Pac Man, Galaga, Donkey Kong and Space Invaders. Well, for some reason, a singing duo from Akron, OH in Jerry Buckner and Gary Garcia took advantage and released the single, “Pac Man Fever” in December, 1981. They made sure the sound effects from the game were a major presence.
And wouldn’t you know, they struck gold, meaning it reached gold status. By the end of 1982, this silly tune sold 1.2 million copies. Formally or informally, a VH1 show in 2008 ran a list of the top 100 one-hit wonders. This one was ranked No. 98.
So if you got a pocket full of quarters head to arcade.
You may not have a lot of money, but bring everything you made.
*****
A great Sunday in Coppell for the Rivals Camp Series event. We had a tremendous turnout for both sessions, especially when it came to second one when the skill players and linebackers arrived.
What wasn’t great was the wind. Howling out of the south at easily 20-25 mph consistently. Never a moment where it subsided. That impacted the enjoyment to an extent.
However, Stephen and I can thank it for preventing the heat from becoming a real factor. Plus, we got a little cloud cover at the end. Still, my farmer tans look great.
Got a lot of content coming your way this week from Baylor targets. It’s a mix between video interviews and stories and notes, etc.
Tell your friends or family members who may be on the fence about signing up and joining our community. All it costs is basically the price of one subway sandwich, chips and a drink.
I’m using this week’s entry for my read and what I know on where Baylor is on some particular targets.
Let’s get it going.
*****
Let’s get it started with 4-star QB commit Austin Novosad. If you haven’t checked out my video interview with the Dripping Springs native, I would encourage you to do that. Only four minutes. But worth it.
This was my first time to watch him in person. Considering the wind, he was enduring with the rest of the QBs, he handled everything pretty well. For where he is in his career, his mechanics are solid. He keeps the elbow up, foot work is quick, release is good. There is something extra on his throws and you could easily tell that when he was throwing against the wind. Most would be on a line and cut right through it. Easily the best QB at the camp.
He’s also rail thin so when he arrives in college, he will need a full-scale S&C plan to get his body going to the D1 level.
Now to the Texas A&M angle. I think it’s still there. Something that has to be watched closely. When he was in College Station a couple of weeks ago, I think there was the expectation that the Aggies would offer right after Eli Holstein decommitted.
That didn’t happen. The word was the Aggies told him that they wanted to let the situation die down before they pivoted in another direction.
I’m told there is a good possibility they will offer him. The timing of it may be in play in terms of when it will. The next month is going to be critical.
Should that happen, then Baylor has to push this really hard to keep him. Of course, this staff knows that.
Then we’ll see what happens. However, unlike the 2022 class when Baylor didn’t replace Zach Pyron, they will have to have a Plan B for 2023. Just hope it doesn’t get to this point.
****
Had a chance to check out Houston Stratford TE commit Hawkins Polley. He’s a big kid and when he gets to Baylor, that S&C program is going to have a lot of fun molding him.
A solid route runner. He catches everything. He will look the ball into his hands. Polley has also had a very good spring season with 7on7 and camp events.
I mentioned in the camp thread that with him and Phoenix TE Matthew Klopfenstein on board Baylor should be done with TEs for 2023. Knowing that, I wouldn’t look for Bridgeland TE Reid Mikeska to visit now.
Mikeska said in late March he was looking at coming for this past Saturday’s scrimmage. But with Klopfenstein committing last week and Mikeska going off to Clemson on Friday, that probably tells you something.
****
This 2023 running back recruiting is going to be really fun to watch. Does Baylor take one or does it take two?
I really like Marquise Collins from College Station. He’s strong, low to the ground, keeps his head up, has a burst and pretty decent as a pass catcher. He recently placed Baylor in his Top 8. He still hasn’t been to Baylor for spring practice and is trying to work something out with the coaches for that to happen.
Then there’s Denton Ryan’s Kalib Hicks. He recently said he will try to get down to Baylor’s spring game on April 23. Hicks has the same package as Collins.
The number of RBs it will take may change depending on the wide receiver needs (more on that in a minute). It’s pretty fluid right now. They’re both equally talented.
****
On the wide receiver situation:
>I believe North Mesquite 4-star WR Cordale Russell is choosing between three teams, Baylor, Arkansas and Texas Tech.
>My interview with Temple’s Mikal Harrison-Pilot is coming up soon. But I think Baylor has some work to do against TCU and Houston. Houston for two reasons. First, his dad played at Houston. Second, you can’t look at Houston as a non-P5 program anymore since it’s joining the Big 12 next year. The other thing that rubs me hmmm on Baylor’s chances is that it may simply be too close to Temple.
****
Quick hitters on 2023s:
>I absolutely love Fort Bend Marshall defensive end Zachary Chapman. He’s just now all the way back from a torn ACL in March of 2021. He has pro type of body. His burst is really good.
>I think Baylor’s chances with Frisco Wakeland offensive lineman Connor Stroh depends on if he comes to the spring game. Remember, that was day he told me he was planning to visit.
>Katy Mayde Creek DB Tay’Shawn Wilson showed out Sunday. He plays taller than 5-10. Loves to push the issue. Fearless.
>Just keep watching the S’Maje Burrell thing. I think the North Crowley linebacker committed to Texas because it was on a snap of a finger, and he was swept up in the moment. But Baylor is not out of this, especially if the staff can get him to commit to an official visit. If so, that’s likely going to be June. As of now, he says he wants to do that.
He hasn’t been to Baylor yet for spring practice. However, my understanding is that he’s going to check out a Texas practice on April 21. On the way down or on the way back, he could stop by.
****
Now, a look at other Baylor sports…
> Baylor men's golf finished ninth at the Aggie Invitational on Sunday with a three-round total of 57-over 921 at Traditions Golf Club.
BU climbed as high as seventh in the final round before finishing the weekend with a 19-over 307, which tied for the fourth-best round of the day. The wind proved to be a significant factor on Sunday, where no players broke par, and the stroke average climbed to 78.69, nearly a stroke higher than the second round and over two strokes higher than round one.
The Bears will head west to compete in the Arizona State Thunderbird Collegiate on Friday and Saturday. It will be their final regular-season tournament.
>No. 4 Baylor men's tennis took the win on Sunday evening over No. 34th-ranked Oklahoma, 6-1, at the Hurd Tennis Center to close out the home slate and celebrate its seniors.
The Bears (21-3, 3-1 Big 12) finished out the regular-season home schedule with a 11-1 record with the win over the Sooners (13-7, 1-2 Big 12).
The Bears finish out the regular season in Lubbock when they face Texas Tech on April 16 with a 5 p.m. start time at the McLeod Tennis Center.
>Baylor track and field wrapped up the 44 Farms Team Invitational at E.B. Cushing Stadium on the campus of Texas A&M Saturday, recording seven gold medals and three meet records on Day Two.
The men's 4x100 meters featured two groups of Bears that put up first and third-place finishes. Laurenz Colbert, Isaiah Cunningham, Kamden Jackson and De'montray Callis ran a 39.30-second race, good enough for a new meet record. Jayson Baldridge, Hasani Barr, Dillon Bedell and Matthew Moorer finished just behind in 40.18 seconds.
Following the Easter weekend break, the Michael Johnson Invitational is set for April 22-23.
>No. 1 Baylor acrobatics & tumbling continued its winning ways against No. 5 Oregon on Sunday afternoon in the Eugene, winning 281.990 – 270.775 over the Ducks.
The Bears (8-0) defeated the Ducks (2-4) with by a total of 11.215 points to cap off the season, while improving the all-time record to 19-13.
Baylor awaits their seeding and bracket in the NCATA Championships, to be announced on Monday, April 11.
>Baylor women's golf will close out the regular season beginning Monday morning when the Bears open play at the Bruzzy Challenge.
Baylor won the event in its only other appearance in 2019 and will be one of six ranked teams in the field this week at Waterchase Golf Club.
>The No. 21 Baylor women's tennis team hosted a Sunday afternoon classic as the Bears downed No. 25 Kansas, 4-3, at the Hurd Tennis Center. No. 21 Baylor hosts Texas at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 16 for Senior Day.
>Baylor softball dropped the series finale Sunday afternoon against Kansas, 3-1, at Arrocha Ballpark in Lawrence, KS. But the Lady Bears (20-18, 2-7) won the series, 2-1. No Big 12 games this week. However, Baylor has three home games, Tuesday against Texas State and Friday and Saturday against Sam Houston State.
Let’s make it a great week!