Strolling through the 1980s, the Jackson family played a large role in the pop music scene. The late Michael was dubbed the King of Pop with a blockbuster album “Thriller”. Brother Jermaine had his share of hits.
But the RJB wanted to go the sister route with Janet. Through her, we learned a new phrase, “Wardrobe Malfunction”. Yes, you remember when Ms. Janet had the issue with Justin Timberlake at the Super Bowl halftime show. Did you know that was way back in 2004?
However, the RJB kind of dug her stuff in the 1980s and into the 1990s. While she was in her brother’s shadow per se, Jackson developed a pretty good rhythm and sound to her music.
Her first major album “Control” (third overall) in 1986 produced a treasure trove of hits. For the RJB, it’s partial to this one. Oh, and only in the 80s video era could you get the big hair, the shoulder pads and the video that made no sense. At the beginning, you’ll note the friend talking to Jackson is Paula Abdul.
As for the wardrobe malfunction video, you’re on your own for that one.
By the way, Ms. Janet just turned 54 on Saturday.
****
If there’s anything we have learned about new Baylor head coach Dave Aranda and his staff’s approach to recruiting over the last two months, it’s this:
It really helps when you know your program is already located in one of the hotbeds for college talent – Texas – and you recruit and act like it.
I have no idea if Baylor can hang on to a class ranking that currently sits at No. 17. But all I can tell you is that the type of players this staff is establishing relationships with and eventually securing should give you a sense of confidence.
For all that he was and was not, Art Briles understood Texas and really took Baylor deeper into Texas than we had seen in other times prior. For as mush as he did a yeoman’s job of transitioning Baylor out of the nightmare of 2016, I never got the sense that Matt Rhule’s staff had a comprehensive plan to recruit this state.
To his credit, Rhule hired Texas contacts in Joey McGuire, David Wetzel and Shawn Bell. He also brought on James Blanchard. Yet something just didn’t add up.
Aranda’s staff had been in other places and recruited Texas well enough to understand how the lay of the land worked. Texas high school coaches will help you out. You have to recruit the Texas high school coaches as hard as you do the players.
Let’s transition this to the ranking post where I said this was the highest-ranking class that had been assembled since the 2016 class. Before it imploded, that class finished at No. 16. At least, I’m pretty sure it finished there. When chaos of the summer followed, the prominent names were removed from the signing class and Baylor fell to No. 58.
What I do know is that that class was ranked No. 10 before National Signing Day began on that day, Feb. 3, 2016. The name programs landed some big fish on that day. Baylor missed on a couple and so the movement caused it to fall a few spots.
I remember when Briles mentioned in his presser that he was pretty excited to have a Top 15 class.
With every year, the rankings fluctuate. Baylor is achieving this ranking without a 4-star in the bunch. It’s going to need a few of those and hope several of the current high 3 stars will add that next star in order to stay on pace with 2016. If it doesn’t, then it’s going to slip into the 20s. It’s a simple case of math.
The reality is that 2016 class had an amazing run with nine – count them nine – four-star recruits. As we all know, what looks great on paper may not look great on the field.
Those seven that were released from the letters of intent and another two that just moved on have either finished or about to finish their careers. It might be a good time to reflect upon what came of them:
>Wide receiver Devin Duvernay from Sachse enjoyed the most success of any of them. Moving on to Texas, he didn’t do much in either his freshman or sophomore seasons. He was more productive as a junior with 546 yards and then turned in a great senior season in 2019 with 1,386 yards and nine scores. Baltimore selected in the third round of the NFL draft.
>Wide receiver Donovan Duvernay was just a package deal to come to Texas with his twin brother Devin just like it happened at Baylor. He was pretty much a squad man before entering the transfer portal in January this year. He wasn’t a 4-star prospect. But he was one of the seven who left.
>Defensive back Parrish Cobb wound up returning to Oklahoma. But his career never got off the ground. After he completed the 2016 season, he was arrested in January 2017 for aggravated robbery and eventually pleaded guilty in 2018. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison.
>Offensive lineman J.P. Urquidez of Copperas Cove announced in December 2019 that he was entering the transfer portal and would be a grad transfer. Urquidez was limited to mainly special teams play and never could crack the offensive line rotation.
>Offensive lineman Patrick Hudson from Silsbee never had much of a career at Texas either. A series of injuries forced Hudson to medically retire from the game.
>Defensive end Brandon Bowman from Trophy Club Byron Nelson has suffered through an injury plagued career at TCU. He missed the balance of 2016 after three games and then the entire 2017 and 2019 seasons because of injuries. He is returning for his senior season at TCU this fall.
>Running back Kameron Martin from Port Arthur Memorial probably had the second most amount of success in his time at Auburn. He wasn’t hurt but was not the featured running back for the Tigers. Martin finished his career with 1,564 yards and eight touchdowns. At this time, Martin did not have an opportunity with an NFL team as a free agent.
As for the other 4 stars from that class, Quarterback Zach Smith eventually transferred to Tulsa after 2017 and has been just OK with former Baylor offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery. Offensive lineman Brandon Autry voluntarily withdrew from the university in June 2016. Wide receiver Tren’Davian Dickson had been at Baylor since January 2016 but withdrew in June and eventually transferred to Houston. However, that didn’t last long. It was just a couple of months. Dickson went on to FCS Texas Southern, which is also located in Houston.
At the time they signed with Baylor, these nine – with the exception of Donovan Duvernay - were poised to be the nucleus to a program that expected to continue to compete for Big 12 championships and even as high as the college football playoffs.
When they left, it was a catastrophic jolt to Baylor because mainly the thinking was that they were going to help those other programs and contribute significantly. From above, that really hasn’t been the case.
What we assume and what we see are two different things. If it wasn’t for Duvernay pulling out a great senior year, his career was destined to be a dud. Give him credit for doing something about it. Martin was a solid D1 player but not a game changer.
The other five have been washouts due to injury or just ineffectiveness. That’s the way this college football world works.
Hopes are high for this Baylor 2021 class to arrive in January and June of 2021 with the idea of keeping the Bears in the breath of conference championship conversations.
This is always going to be a game of What If with this 2016 group. If it had stayed together, perhaps the chemistry would have worked and Baylor would have kept up its run. Perhaps not. Given the injury issues with Hudson and Bowen, maybe that was their destiny.
For this 2021 class, we’re nearly 60 percent of the way there with a complete class of 25. There are far more storylines left to be developed.
All any program wants with the players it recruits is to have a chance. On paper, this 2021 class presents one.
Let’s make it a great week!
But the RJB wanted to go the sister route with Janet. Through her, we learned a new phrase, “Wardrobe Malfunction”. Yes, you remember when Ms. Janet had the issue with Justin Timberlake at the Super Bowl halftime show. Did you know that was way back in 2004?
However, the RJB kind of dug her stuff in the 1980s and into the 1990s. While she was in her brother’s shadow per se, Jackson developed a pretty good rhythm and sound to her music.
Her first major album “Control” (third overall) in 1986 produced a treasure trove of hits. For the RJB, it’s partial to this one. Oh, and only in the 80s video era could you get the big hair, the shoulder pads and the video that made no sense. At the beginning, you’ll note the friend talking to Jackson is Paula Abdul.
As for the wardrobe malfunction video, you’re on your own for that one.
By the way, Ms. Janet just turned 54 on Saturday.
****
If there’s anything we have learned about new Baylor head coach Dave Aranda and his staff’s approach to recruiting over the last two months, it’s this:
It really helps when you know your program is already located in one of the hotbeds for college talent – Texas – and you recruit and act like it.
I have no idea if Baylor can hang on to a class ranking that currently sits at No. 17. But all I can tell you is that the type of players this staff is establishing relationships with and eventually securing should give you a sense of confidence.
For all that he was and was not, Art Briles understood Texas and really took Baylor deeper into Texas than we had seen in other times prior. For as mush as he did a yeoman’s job of transitioning Baylor out of the nightmare of 2016, I never got the sense that Matt Rhule’s staff had a comprehensive plan to recruit this state.
To his credit, Rhule hired Texas contacts in Joey McGuire, David Wetzel and Shawn Bell. He also brought on James Blanchard. Yet something just didn’t add up.
Aranda’s staff had been in other places and recruited Texas well enough to understand how the lay of the land worked. Texas high school coaches will help you out. You have to recruit the Texas high school coaches as hard as you do the players.
Let’s transition this to the ranking post where I said this was the highest-ranking class that had been assembled since the 2016 class. Before it imploded, that class finished at No. 16. At least, I’m pretty sure it finished there. When chaos of the summer followed, the prominent names were removed from the signing class and Baylor fell to No. 58.
What I do know is that that class was ranked No. 10 before National Signing Day began on that day, Feb. 3, 2016. The name programs landed some big fish on that day. Baylor missed on a couple and so the movement caused it to fall a few spots.
I remember when Briles mentioned in his presser that he was pretty excited to have a Top 15 class.
With every year, the rankings fluctuate. Baylor is achieving this ranking without a 4-star in the bunch. It’s going to need a few of those and hope several of the current high 3 stars will add that next star in order to stay on pace with 2016. If it doesn’t, then it’s going to slip into the 20s. It’s a simple case of math.
The reality is that 2016 class had an amazing run with nine – count them nine – four-star recruits. As we all know, what looks great on paper may not look great on the field.
Those seven that were released from the letters of intent and another two that just moved on have either finished or about to finish their careers. It might be a good time to reflect upon what came of them:
>Wide receiver Devin Duvernay from Sachse enjoyed the most success of any of them. Moving on to Texas, he didn’t do much in either his freshman or sophomore seasons. He was more productive as a junior with 546 yards and then turned in a great senior season in 2019 with 1,386 yards and nine scores. Baltimore selected in the third round of the NFL draft.
>Wide receiver Donovan Duvernay was just a package deal to come to Texas with his twin brother Devin just like it happened at Baylor. He was pretty much a squad man before entering the transfer portal in January this year. He wasn’t a 4-star prospect. But he was one of the seven who left.
>Defensive back Parrish Cobb wound up returning to Oklahoma. But his career never got off the ground. After he completed the 2016 season, he was arrested in January 2017 for aggravated robbery and eventually pleaded guilty in 2018. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison.
>Offensive lineman J.P. Urquidez of Copperas Cove announced in December 2019 that he was entering the transfer portal and would be a grad transfer. Urquidez was limited to mainly special teams play and never could crack the offensive line rotation.
>Offensive lineman Patrick Hudson from Silsbee never had much of a career at Texas either. A series of injuries forced Hudson to medically retire from the game.
>Defensive end Brandon Bowman from Trophy Club Byron Nelson has suffered through an injury plagued career at TCU. He missed the balance of 2016 after three games and then the entire 2017 and 2019 seasons because of injuries. He is returning for his senior season at TCU this fall.
>Running back Kameron Martin from Port Arthur Memorial probably had the second most amount of success in his time at Auburn. He wasn’t hurt but was not the featured running back for the Tigers. Martin finished his career with 1,564 yards and eight touchdowns. At this time, Martin did not have an opportunity with an NFL team as a free agent.
As for the other 4 stars from that class, Quarterback Zach Smith eventually transferred to Tulsa after 2017 and has been just OK with former Baylor offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery. Offensive lineman Brandon Autry voluntarily withdrew from the university in June 2016. Wide receiver Tren’Davian Dickson had been at Baylor since January 2016 but withdrew in June and eventually transferred to Houston. However, that didn’t last long. It was just a couple of months. Dickson went on to FCS Texas Southern, which is also located in Houston.
At the time they signed with Baylor, these nine – with the exception of Donovan Duvernay - were poised to be the nucleus to a program that expected to continue to compete for Big 12 championships and even as high as the college football playoffs.
When they left, it was a catastrophic jolt to Baylor because mainly the thinking was that they were going to help those other programs and contribute significantly. From above, that really hasn’t been the case.
What we assume and what we see are two different things. If it wasn’t for Duvernay pulling out a great senior year, his career was destined to be a dud. Give him credit for doing something about it. Martin was a solid D1 player but not a game changer.
The other five have been washouts due to injury or just ineffectiveness. That’s the way this college football world works.
Hopes are high for this Baylor 2021 class to arrive in January and June of 2021 with the idea of keeping the Bears in the breath of conference championship conversations.
This is always going to be a game of What If with this 2016 group. If it had stayed together, perhaps the chemistry would have worked and Baylor would have kept up its run. Perhaps not. Given the injury issues with Hudson and Bowen, maybe that was their destiny.
For this 2021 class, we’re nearly 60 percent of the way there with a complete class of 25. There are far more storylines left to be developed.
All any program wants with the players it recruits is to have a chance. On paper, this 2021 class presents one.
Let’s make it a great week!
