Baylor Football Blog
Friday, February 03, 2006
Recruiting Recap, Part Two
Defensive Backs
Tim Atchison – Talk about a sleeper. This kid was not even in the Rivals database for a LONG time, then he pops up as a 2*, and is quickly moved to a 3*. And that might not have been high enough. With offers from Georgia Tech, OSU, Purdue, Texas Tech, TCU, UTEP and others, Atchison was definitely in demand. He’ll contribute early, possibly as early as this fall if he can show up in shape. He’s a very smart player that brings a great deal of athleticism to the field as well. He can definitely level people, though he’ll need to add some good weight to continue to deliver blows at the college level. Big, fast, smart, athletic. What more could you want from a DB?
Antareis Bryan – This guy reminds me of Braelon Davis from three year ago. He’s 6’ 165 and runs a 4.4 40. But somehow no one notices the guy. He’s got unreal potential and I think that after his redshirt year, he’s going to turn some heads, just like Braelon did.
Dominique Criss – Morriss said Criss had the best technique of any HS defensive back he’s seen in years. That’s pretty high praise. Criss can play any of the defensive back positions, but is slotted to play corner, his natural position. If Davis doesn’t show that he’s 100% back, expect to see Criss on the field this fall
Roman James – Son of NFLer Roland James, Roman is a bit of a mystery. He had 18 interceptions in his HS career, and signed with Baylor two years ago, but then disappeared. Now he’s back, but we still don’t know anything about him. Hopefully he works out…
Calvin Rubles – Man, what an athlete. If Rubles gets qualified, he’s going to be a very special player at corner or outside safety. 6’3” 190, he’s bordering on linebacker size, but he’s got good speed, 4.6 in the 40, and he’s got a 6’5” wingspan. And he hits like a diesel train. Baylor fans should hope that he can get a good enough test score to make it to campus.
Brandon Stiggers – I love this kid. Walks on two years ago, redshirts at Baylor, the goes back to JUCO to get some experience, and then comes back to Baylor, despite offers from NU, WSU, and U-Dub, among many others. The kid is a serious player and loves Baylor. I can’t wait to see him play, and it won’t take long. He’ll be one of the primary backups at CB, if he doesn’t win a starting job outright.
Juwan Ward – Big and fast, Ward will push for a starting position at OS. He’s experienced and I think he’ll be a major impact player and a big reason Baylor gets stronger against the run. He runs a 4.5 40 and has the size to defend TEs and the speed to cover WRs, as well as go sideline-to-sideline for the tackle.
Running Backs
Jay Finley – Finley is going to have a ball in this offense. He’s got very good speed, plenty of moves, and size to run people over when he needs to. He’ll very likely redshirt, due to our depth at RB, but if he can get up to 205/210, he’ll be a serious threat on offense. He was a BIG pickup for Baylor.
Andre Pierce – Speed like you wouldn’t believe and productive despite size that would not be considered prototypical. While he’s only 5-8 175 pounds, Pierce ran for 2,300 yards and a bunch of TDs in 5A. This isn’t some 2A wonderboy, he did this in the big leagues of Texas HS football. I think he’ll be great in this new spread offense, and I think his speed is going to make people pay.
Linebackers
Greg Carlson – Carlson has great size and good speed. He’s 6’4” 220 and has the frame to put a lot of weight on. While I would love to be able to grow him into a 6’4” 245 LBer, there’s a good chance that the coaches will have him put on even more weight to make him a 6’4” 265 DE. And with 4.7 speed that might be the best place for him.
Paul Tolbert – This JUCO is exactly what Baylor needed. Experienced, incredibly strong (430 pound bench press) and ready to come in and take over the starting spot, Tolbert will be the starter about 3 seconds after spring practices begin.
Chris Mitchell – Mitchell was a late pickup and I haven’t seen any film on the guy, so I can’t say much. He’s got good size, and might very well be destined for a DE position, but that depends on his ability to qualify. I can’t really say too much about him as a player, though.
¶ 2/03/2006 0 Comments
Tim Atchison – Talk about a sleeper. This kid was not even in the Rivals database for a LONG time, then he pops up as a 2*, and is quickly moved to a 3*. And that might not have been high enough. With offers from Georgia Tech, OSU, Purdue, Texas Tech, TCU, UTEP and others, Atchison was definitely in demand. He’ll contribute early, possibly as early as this fall if he can show up in shape. He’s a very smart player that brings a great deal of athleticism to the field as well. He can definitely level people, though he’ll need to add some good weight to continue to deliver blows at the college level. Big, fast, smart, athletic. What more could you want from a DB?
Antareis Bryan – This guy reminds me of Braelon Davis from three year ago. He’s 6’ 165 and runs a 4.4 40. But somehow no one notices the guy. He’s got unreal potential and I think that after his redshirt year, he’s going to turn some heads, just like Braelon did.
Dominique Criss – Morriss said Criss had the best technique of any HS defensive back he’s seen in years. That’s pretty high praise. Criss can play any of the defensive back positions, but is slotted to play corner, his natural position. If Davis doesn’t show that he’s 100% back, expect to see Criss on the field this fall
Roman James – Son of NFLer Roland James, Roman is a bit of a mystery. He had 18 interceptions in his HS career, and signed with Baylor two years ago, but then disappeared. Now he’s back, but we still don’t know anything about him. Hopefully he works out…
Calvin Rubles – Man, what an athlete. If Rubles gets qualified, he’s going to be a very special player at corner or outside safety. 6’3” 190, he’s bordering on linebacker size, but he’s got good speed, 4.6 in the 40, and he’s got a 6’5” wingspan. And he hits like a diesel train. Baylor fans should hope that he can get a good enough test score to make it to campus.
Brandon Stiggers – I love this kid. Walks on two years ago, redshirts at Baylor, the goes back to JUCO to get some experience, and then comes back to Baylor, despite offers from NU, WSU, and U-Dub, among many others. The kid is a serious player and loves Baylor. I can’t wait to see him play, and it won’t take long. He’ll be one of the primary backups at CB, if he doesn’t win a starting job outright.
Juwan Ward – Big and fast, Ward will push for a starting position at OS. He’s experienced and I think he’ll be a major impact player and a big reason Baylor gets stronger against the run. He runs a 4.5 40 and has the size to defend TEs and the speed to cover WRs, as well as go sideline-to-sideline for the tackle.
Running Backs
Jay Finley – Finley is going to have a ball in this offense. He’s got very good speed, plenty of moves, and size to run people over when he needs to. He’ll very likely redshirt, due to our depth at RB, but if he can get up to 205/210, he’ll be a serious threat on offense. He was a BIG pickup for Baylor.
Andre Pierce – Speed like you wouldn’t believe and productive despite size that would not be considered prototypical. While he’s only 5-8 175 pounds, Pierce ran for 2,300 yards and a bunch of TDs in 5A. This isn’t some 2A wonderboy, he did this in the big leagues of Texas HS football. I think he’ll be great in this new spread offense, and I think his speed is going to make people pay.
Linebackers
Greg Carlson – Carlson has great size and good speed. He’s 6’4” 220 and has the frame to put a lot of weight on. While I would love to be able to grow him into a 6’4” 245 LBer, there’s a good chance that the coaches will have him put on even more weight to make him a 6’4” 265 DE. And with 4.7 speed that might be the best place for him.
Paul Tolbert – This JUCO is exactly what Baylor needed. Experienced, incredibly strong (430 pound bench press) and ready to come in and take over the starting spot, Tolbert will be the starter about 3 seconds after spring practices begin.
Chris Mitchell – Mitchell was a late pickup and I haven’t seen any film on the guy, so I can’t say much. He’s got good size, and might very well be destined for a DE position, but that depends on his ability to qualify. I can’t really say too much about him as a player, though.
¶ 2/03/2006 0 Comments
Baylor Recruiting Recap, Part One
Quarterbacks
Tyler Beatty – Tyler has great size and surprising speed. He’s got a cannon for an arm and throws the tightest spiral I’ve seen from a HS quarterback. He probably needs time to develop some more strength, but he was the best QB at the Baylor camps this summer and Morriss thinks he’ll be great in the spread offense.
Brad Taylor – Very athletic and has great size. He’s also got very good speed. He’ll need to develop some more accuracy to stay at quarterback, but he has potential at a lot of different positions, most likely safety or linebacker.
Jeremy Sanders – Big, strong, and FAST. Seriously fast. This guy ran down Perrish Cox from behind. And he’s two inches taller and 30 pounds heavier than Cox. He also threw for 2,300 yards and 27 TDs with only 1 interception. He’s got three years experience in the spread offense, so he’ll be familiar with what Baylor’s offense will look like. If Sanders doesn’t make it at QB, he can take his sub-4.4 speed and great size to be a great safety or wide receiver. Or linebacker. Or pretty much whatever he wants to play. As Morriss said, he’s just a complete, all-around football player.
Anthony Norice – Norice was recruited as an athlete, though he did play QB in HS. He threw for 1,100 yards and 13 TDs, but I think his future is at safety for the Bears. He’s got very good speed and would fit perfectly at OS.
Wide Receivers
David Gettis – The complete package. 6’4” 200 pounds, 4.34 in the 40. He’ll need to work on his routes, but he’s going to be a killer in this new offense. Defenses already aren’t able to focus on one receiver in this offense, but they might need to try to, because Gettis is just too good to treat as any other receiver.
Ernest Smith – Think of a guy that looks just like Gettis, but is a little bit slower. Smith still runs in the 4.4-4.45 range, and he’s huge. That’s right, another 6’4” 200 pound receiver with great speed and great body control. This guy will see the field early and will make a big impact.
James “Garfield” Hicks – Hicks is ANOTHER big receiver that has great speed and was very productive in HS. He’s 6’2” 200 and runs a 4.45 40. He’s very explosive and, while he’ll probably redshirt, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him on the field early as a RSFR.
Justin Fentry – Speed. Speed. And more speed. While he might not have the size of these other guys, he’s got a TON of speed. Running a 4.38-4.40 40, Fentry can take a small gain and turn it into a huge gain. For Big XII fans, think Carlos Francis or Wes Welker. For a guy this size, most people would assume he’d redshirt, but I can easily see Fentry playing this fall for the Bears.
Ben Randle – Size and athleticism. This kid has it in spades. 6’5” 220, he’s built more like a TE than a WR. He’s not a burner at 4.6 in the 40, but he’s got enough speed and he does a great job running routes to get himself open and he’ll dominate even the bigger Big XII cornerbacks with his size. I would expect a redshirt year for Randle, but he’ll see the field shortly thereafter.
¶ 2/03/2006 0 Comments
Tyler Beatty – Tyler has great size and surprising speed. He’s got a cannon for an arm and throws the tightest spiral I’ve seen from a HS quarterback. He probably needs time to develop some more strength, but he was the best QB at the Baylor camps this summer and Morriss thinks he’ll be great in the spread offense.
Brad Taylor – Very athletic and has great size. He’s also got very good speed. He’ll need to develop some more accuracy to stay at quarterback, but he has potential at a lot of different positions, most likely safety or linebacker.
Jeremy Sanders – Big, strong, and FAST. Seriously fast. This guy ran down Perrish Cox from behind. And he’s two inches taller and 30 pounds heavier than Cox. He also threw for 2,300 yards and 27 TDs with only 1 interception. He’s got three years experience in the spread offense, so he’ll be familiar with what Baylor’s offense will look like. If Sanders doesn’t make it at QB, he can take his sub-4.4 speed and great size to be a great safety or wide receiver. Or linebacker. Or pretty much whatever he wants to play. As Morriss said, he’s just a complete, all-around football player.
Anthony Norice – Norice was recruited as an athlete, though he did play QB in HS. He threw for 1,100 yards and 13 TDs, but I think his future is at safety for the Bears. He’s got very good speed and would fit perfectly at OS.
Wide Receivers
David Gettis – The complete package. 6’4” 200 pounds, 4.34 in the 40. He’ll need to work on his routes, but he’s going to be a killer in this new offense. Defenses already aren’t able to focus on one receiver in this offense, but they might need to try to, because Gettis is just too good to treat as any other receiver.
Ernest Smith – Think of a guy that looks just like Gettis, but is a little bit slower. Smith still runs in the 4.4-4.45 range, and he’s huge. That’s right, another 6’4” 200 pound receiver with great speed and great body control. This guy will see the field early and will make a big impact.
James “Garfield” Hicks – Hicks is ANOTHER big receiver that has great speed and was very productive in HS. He’s 6’2” 200 and runs a 4.45 40. He’s very explosive and, while he’ll probably redshirt, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him on the field early as a RSFR.
Justin Fentry – Speed. Speed. And more speed. While he might not have the size of these other guys, he’s got a TON of speed. Running a 4.38-4.40 40, Fentry can take a small gain and turn it into a huge gain. For Big XII fans, think Carlos Francis or Wes Welker. For a guy this size, most people would assume he’d redshirt, but I can easily see Fentry playing this fall for the Bears.
Ben Randle – Size and athleticism. This kid has it in spades. 6’5” 220, he’s built more like a TE than a WR. He’s not a burner at 4.6 in the 40, but he’s got enough speed and he does a great job running routes to get himself open and he’ll dominate even the bigger Big XII cornerbacks with his size. I would expect a redshirt year for Randle, but he’ll see the field shortly thereafter.
¶ 2/03/2006 0 Comments
