Baylor 2012 Recruiting

Baylor Bears 2012 ... Head Coach: Art Briles

Baylor Bears

2011 Record: 10-3

Sep. 3 TCU W 50-48
Sep. 10 OPEN DATE
Sep. 17 Stephen F. Austin W 48-0
Sep. 24 Rice W 56-31
Oct. 1 at Kansas State L 36-35
Oct. 8 Iowa State W 49-26
Oct. 15 at Texas A&M L 55-28
Oct. 22 OPEN DATE
Oct. 29 at Oklahoma St L 59-24
Nov. 5 Missouri W 42-39
Nov. 12 at Kansas W 31-30
Nov. 19 Oklahoma W 45-38
Nov. 26 Texas Tech W 66-42
Dec. 3 Texas W 48-24
Alamo Bowl
Dec. 29 Washington W 67-56

2010 CFN Prediction: 5-7
2010 Record: 7-6

Sept. 4 Sam Houston St W 34-3
Sept. 11 Buffalo W 34-6
Sept. 18 at TCU L 45-10
Sept. 25 at Rice W 30-13
Oct. 2 Kansas W 55-7
Oct. 9 Texas Tech (in Dal) L 45-38
Oct. 16 at Colorado W 31-25
Oct. 23 Kansas State W 47-42
Oct. 30 at Texas W 30-22
Nov. 6 at Oklahoma St L 55-28
Nov. 13 Texas A&M L 42-30
Nov. 20 Oklahoma L 53-24
Nov. 27 OPEN DATE
TEXAS BOWL
Dec. 29 Illinois L 38-14
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The Entire 2012 Recruiting Class

Top 5 Baylor Recruits To Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. DE Javonte Magee
6-6, 273, Scout.com 11th ranked, four-star defensive end. Magee has a great frame to either play strongside defensive end or move to the interior and play defensive tackle in college. His frame, with high-cut hips, suggests that he could stay on the end. He is relentless in his pursuit of the ball and will purse from the backside. He is extremely athletic for a bigger defensive lineman. He chews up the run and can put pressure on QBs. He needs to continue to work on is technique.

2. WR Corey Coleman
5-11, 178, Scout.com 23rd ranked, four-star receiver. A versatile weapon which is used in a number of ways on offense. He has the reputation for being a speedster so that is what everyone will say his best attribute is and there is nor doubt that it is his best weapon, but he also shows some nice catching skills by having the ability to make adjustments to the ball while it is in the air. He can take an underneath route and turn it in to a massive gain with a little room to get going.

3. S Aiavion Edwards
6-1, 200, Scout.com 22nd ranked, four-star safety. Edwards is a hard-nosed player. It’s easy to see that he has the size and ability to be factor at a number of positions in college. He could be an excellent linebacker or he could possibly even play some safety, the spot he got reps at early in his prep career. Do not rule out running back, He can run, does not go down on first contact and has vision. You want that talent on your roster and you find a spot to get him on the field.

4. LB Brian Nance
6-3, 210, Scout.com 31st ranked, three-star outside linebacker. This guy has a knack for making big plays. He has great coverage skills and is a great asset against the spread offense. Against the run he explodes to the ball and will initiate the contact on the ball carrier on his terms. He is extremely athletic and his body will only be more impressive once he dedicates himself to football full-time in college. Because of his explosion and speed he is also effect in blitz based schemes.

5. LB Kendall Ehrlich
6-1, 215, Scout.com 34th ranked, three-star middle linebacker.

The 2012 Class Was Heavy On... Defensive backs. Maybe it’s time Baylor started playing a little defense. You can’t win in the Big 12 if you can’t score, and as the Bears figured out last year, you can’t win big unless you can come up with a few stops. After years of keying on offensive firepower, with wildly successful results, head coach Art Briles is going hard after defensive prospects with the line getting a little bit of attention and the secondary getting a host of speedy options.

Team Concerns For 2012: The loss of Robert Griffin III Might not be as devastating as it might seem. Nick Florence can play, and even with Kendall Wright gone and without Terrance Ganaway to hand off to, the offense should be explosive. The defense that didn’t stop anyone last year has to get by without Tracy Robertson and Nicolas Jean-Baptiste on the defensive interior, but most of the back seven is back and all the pass rushers on the outside return.

Looking Ahead To The 2012 Season: Is it the offense or the parts? Remember, Art Briles’ teams put up huge numbers at Houston before taking over at Baylor, but Robert Griffin took things to another level. Nick Florence has the unenviable task of replacing the Heisman winner, and he won’t have Kendall Wright to throw to or Terrance Ganaway to hand off to. Three starters return up front and Terrance Williams and Tevin Reese are good receivers, but there’s a ton of turnover. The defense that was so awful – finishing 116th in the nation – loses both starting tackles, but nine starters are back after trotting out six sophomores. The punting game was among the worst in America, but Spencer Roth is back along with PK Aaron Jones.

The 2011 Class Was Heavy On … Running backs. With Jay Finley gone, Baylor might be hoping one of its young new recruits can shine right away. B.J. Allen, Jermichael Selders, and Anthony Webb aren’t thumpers, but they’re slick speedsters who can tear off yards in chunks. The passing game got a big pickup with Jonathan Lee, a big target who has No. 1 potential. The instant help is for the secondary with three JUCO transfers and good-looking prep safety Jermarcus Johnson all to be thrown into the rotation immediately.

2010 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 51. That Class Was Heavy On ... Offensive linemen. Art Briles was looking to build up on the front lines and signed a few nice defensive line prospects in tackle Dominique Jones and end Kedrick Dial. On the offensive side, tackle Troy Baker needs to be a starter within three years, while JUCO transfer Robert Griffin will be needed at tackle to protect the other Robert Griffin, the team's star quarterback. Guard Xavier Ruben is a good athlete for his size and could be the unsung signing for the offense. Helping out the passing game will be Eddie Johnson, a tall, talented wide receiver, and Antwan Goodley, a speedy target who'll get time to develop.

2009 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 42. That Class Was Heavy On ... the passing game. Being in the Big 12 South with all the big-time passing attacks, head coach Art Briles wasted no time in going hard after defensive backs, bringing in several decent safeties, but his reputation as a top offensive head coach helped land a ton of really good, really surprising prospect. Do the receivers want to play with star sophomore QB Robert Griffin? Oh yeah. Darius Jones is a smallish, quick playmaker who could be a No. 1 target right away, but Skyler Scott, Tevin Reese, Willie Jefferson and Glasco Martin are all good enough to emerge as future stars in the system. QB Bryce Petty will be a superstar in a few years.

Valero Alamo Bowl
Baylor 67 … Washington 56
- CFN Thoughts on the Alamo

Baylor: The Bears came up with 777 yards and 482 rushing yards. … Robert Griffin III completed 24-of-33 passes for 295 yards and a score, and ran 18 times for 55 yards and a score. … Terrance Ganaway ran 21 times for 200 yards and five scores. …. Jerred Salubi ran five times for 101 yards and two scores. … Tevin Reese ran twice for 101 yards and caught five passes for 66 yards …. Kendall Wright caught seven passes for 91 yards and a score. … Baylor LB Elliot Coffey made 15 tackles.

Washington: The Huskies gained 620 yards … Keith Price completed 23-of-37 passes for 438 yards and four scores, and ran five times for 39 yards and three scores. … Chris Polk ran 30 times for 147 yards and a score. … Jermaine Kearse caught five passes for 198 yards and a score, and Devin Aguilar caught five passes for 90 yards and two scores. … Sean Parker made 15 tackles. … Josh Shirley made five tackles and three sacks.

SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III wasn't dazzling - and didn't need to be - as No. 15 Baylor pulled out a thrilling Alamo Bowl victory in the highest-scoring bowl game in history, beating Washington 67-56 in a record-smashing shootout Thursday night.

If this was RG3's final showcase before jumping to the NFL, it was a gripping goodbye to watch. One of the nation's most electrifying players was upstaged by an even more exciting game that shattering the previous record for points in regulation set in the 2001 GMAC Bowl.

Griffin had an unremarkable night, throwing just one touchdown pass and running for another. But Terrance Ganaway starred ably in his place, rushing for 200 yards and five touchdowns.

His last was a 43-yard run with 2:28 left to seal Baylor's first 10-win season since 1980.

Griffin wasn't the star, but a crowd overwhelmingly in favor of Baylor that was left breathless by five lead changes and three touchdown plays of 50 yards or longer still treated him like one.

"One more year! One more year!" fans chanted as Griffin darted around the field in celebration.

Asked when he'll make his decision on whether to forgo his senior year, the AP Player of the Year said, "Pretty soon here, probably."

The previous bowl record for a regulation game was 102 total points set in the 2001 GMAC Bowl between Marshall and East Carolina. That game went to double overtime and ended with a combined 125 points - which still stands as the overall bowl record.

Baylor and Washington (7-6) also set a bowl record for total offense in a game with 1,377 yards.

Washington quarterback Keith Price outplayed his Heisman counterpart, going 23 for 27 with 438 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran for another three scores.

Griffin was 24 of 33 for 295 yards - and his only touchdown throw came on the game's opening drive.

Blown out in four other games against ranked opponents this season, the Huskies finally made one interesting. Not that it started that way after Baylor ran up 245 yards of offense alone in the first quarter - awful even by the standards of Washington's defense, which is among the nation's worst.

Then the most award-winning QB in the country suddenly stopped looking like even the best one in the Alamodome.

Price, a sophomore who threw a school-record 29 touchdowns in his first year as the starter, began cutting into a 21-7 deficit with a 12-yard scoring strike to James Johnson. Seven minutes later he tied the game when Devin Aguilar somersaulted over the goal line after catching a 1-yard lob.

The overwhelming crowd of Baylor fans - decked in green-and-gold Heisman shirts and armed with signs such as "Superman wears RG3 socks" - stood in stunned silenced. That gave way to disbelieving gasps on the next series, when the typically sure-handed Griffin fumbled after getting popped by Andrew Hudson.

After that, it was practically a free-for-all of big plays.

A 56-yard touchdown dash by Polk. An 80-yard touchdown catch by Washington's Jermaine Kearse two plays into the second half. An 89-yard scoring rumble by Baylor's Terrance Ganaway. Kearse again, catching and darting for 60 yards before getting dragged down, setting up Price's fourth touchdown toss the next play.

Back and forth, back and forth. One after another. In all, five plays covered 50 or more yards, three of them for scores.

For an Alamo Bowl short on drama and light on matchups in recent years, it was a thrilling scoring spree that overshadowed the mere novelty of featuring the Heisman winner. And that in itself was a rarity for a bowl of this stature: Not since Ty Detmer took BYU to the Holiday Bowl in 1990 had a Heisman winner played in a bowl before New Year's Day.

Plenty came to see this one.

Anticipating a surge of Heisman gawkers, Alamo Bowl officials added 800 temporary seats and opened up others with obstructed views that required ticket-buyers to sign a form acknowledging the poor sightlines. Those seats sold, anyway, and the announced attendance of 65,256 was the fifth-largest in the bowl's history.

Others had better seats.

That includes Miami Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland, who kicked for Baylor in the late 1980s but was here on business scouting Griffin in case the fourth-year junior enters the draft. Griffin's parents, two sisters and fiancee watched the nail-biter with front-row seats.

Griffin acknowledged this week his parents are looking at his draft prospects but denies having any substantial talks with them.

Win or lose, it was an impressive finale for Washington after stumbling into the postseason losing four of its last six. Particularly against a ranked team after then-Top 25 opponents Nebraska, Stanford, Oregon and USC all crushed the Huskies by an average of 24 points.

Dec. 3 at Baylor 48 … Texas 24
CFN Analysis: If Robert Griffin doesn’t win the Heisman, he deserves to be the runner-up. He was once again brilliant completing 15-of-22 passes for 320 yards and two scores with a pick, and he ran 12 times for 32 yards and two touchdowns. … Texas isn’t giving up rushing yards to anyone. Terrance Ganaway took off for 152 yards and two scores on 23 carries. … All the press will be about Griffin, but Sam Holl might have been the MVP for the game with 16 tackles and two picks. He did everything as the last line of defense. 
(AP) WACO, Texas -- Robert Griffin III lifted Baylor to its best football in a generation. 

Nov. 26 Baylor 66 … Texas Tech 42
CFN Analysis: Even with Robert Griffin knocked out, the offense still rolled on the way to a fourth straight win. Terrance Ganaway took over the game and took over the team when he needed to be the star with 42 carries for 246 yards and two scores. … Ganaway controlled the clock holding the ball for close to 37 minutes. … Nick Florence is a veteran who was more than fine in place of Griffin completing 9-of-12 passes for 151 yards and two scores. … The Bear ground game cranked out 360 yards and five scores. … The 11 penalties were too many, but the offense overcame every mistake with a scoring drive. … Now if the Bears can beat Texas, they’ll have a shot at their first ten-win season since 1980. 

Nov. 19 at Baylor 45 … Oklahoma 38
CFN Analysis: Baylor might not be the best team in the Big 12, and the defense sure isn’t anything special, but Robert Griffin and the offense are magical. To have the confidence and the stones to carve up the Sooner defense in the final moments, and to throw a game-winning touchdown pass like Griffin did in the final seconds, was an all-timer of a finish for Baylor football. … Griffin’s 479 passing yards, four scores, no picks, and 72 rushing yards might add up to the best performance of any player in college football this season. … Don’t forget about the play of the receivers. Kendall Wright caught eight passes for 208 yards and a score, and in all, seven different players made catches.  

Nov. 12 Baylor 31 … at Kansas 30
CFN Analysis: Okay, Baylor, it might have taken a while to get going, but a win is a win. A loss to Kansas would’ve undone most of the big things the team had done this year, but Robert Griffin wouldn’t let it happen. It also helped that the defense survived the missed two-point conversion attempt in overtime. Again, a win is a win. … Griffin got hot when he had to in the fourth quarter, finishing with 312 yards and three touchdowns on 22-of-29 passes. He also took the game into his own hands running ten times for 103 yards and a score. … The defense hasn’t exactly been a rock this year, and it didn’t do anything to slow down the KU running game that dominated early. The Bears gave up almost 300 yards on the ground; the line was shoved around too easily. … This team doesn’t play complete game and it’s going to have its down moments, but it’s bowl eligible with a chance to make some really big noise up next against Oklahoma.  

Nov. 5 at Baylor 42 … Missouri 39
CFN Analysis: The defense might have died down the stretch, hanging on for dear life, but the Missouri comeback didn’t overshadow the 697 yards of BU total offense with Robert Griffin showing once again why he deserves to be in the discussion among the nation’s top quarterbacks. With 406 yards and three touchdowns through the air, and 64 yards and a score on the ground, he did it all to put up points in bunches to get up early and make Missouri have to rally. Terrance Ganaway added 186 yards and two scores on the ground to help balance things out, but this was Griffin’s show throughout. Mike Hicks made 13 tackles and Elliot Coffey made 11, but the defense was the Baylor defense; it continues to be a problem and it almost proved costly late. The TCU win was good, but this was better, and now if the Bears can make the layup at Kansas, they’ll go bowling for the second year in a row.  

Oct. 29 at Oklahoma State 59 ... Baylor 24
CFN Analysis: The Bear offense put up 622 yards and Robert Griffin bombed away, but it didn’t matter. The defense continues to be a disaster, giving up 55 points to Texas A&M last week before getting ripped apart this week by an Oklahoma State attack that did whatever It wanted in the first half. The five turnovers were a killer, but more than the mistakes, once again the Bears showed they just don’t have enough overall talent to stay with the better Big 12 teams. They’re not good enough to be so bad in turnover margin, but as long as Griffin is throwing well, there’s always a shot. However, now it’ll take a big win over Missouri at home to get back on track before the easy game against Kansas. 

Oct. 15 at Texas A&M 55 … Baylor 28
CFN Analysis: Robert Griffin doesn’t have a defense to help the cause, and while he was able to keep up the pace for a while, the 430 yards and three scores just weren’t enough. Baylor usually relies on the running game to help balance things out and control the clock and the game, but there wasn’t any room to move and nothing worked, averaging 1.6 yards per carry. The ten penalties were too many, the pass defense was a disaster, and for the second time in three weeks, Griffin’s special day was wasted. 

Oct. 8 at Baylor 49 … Iowa State 26
CFN Analysis: Oh yeah, the running game. Robert Griffin was Robert Griffin throwing the ball, hitting 22-of-30 passes, but he only threw for 212 yards. He was terrific on the ground, running 24 times for 107 yards, while Terrence Ganaway ripped off 200 yards with scores from three, two, and 22 yards away as the Bears controlled the ball and the clock holding on for 36 minutes and finishing with 603 yards of total offense. The secondary continues to be a problem, but as long as the offense keeps showing off the same sort of explosion, mixed in with a little bit of balance, the defensive problems might be hidden … might. With road trips to Texas A&M and Oklahoma State up next, 600 yards and 49 points probably aren’t going to get the job done.    

Oct. 1 at Kansas State 36 … Baylor 35
CFN Analysis: It’s sad that all most people will remember from this game, or from the highlights, was the Robert Griffin pick at the end. He was magnificent once again, completing 23-of-31 passes for 346 yards and five touchdowns, but he did throw the key pick and he didn’t get going on the ground with just six net yards after having problems with the KSU pass rush. Kendall Wright continues to play like an All-American with 201 yards and three touchdowns on nine grabs, and Tevin Reese has become a nice deep threat running mate. As good as the first part of the season has been, things will quickly change if the run defense isn’t stronger in a hurry. Texas A&M and Oklahoma State are coming up soon after the Iowa State date next week. 

Sept. 24 at Baylor 56 … Rice 31
CFN Analysis: No one’s playing better right now than Robert Griffin. The offense is second in the nation and the passing game is the second most efficient, and it’s all because of Griffin, who’s playing at a special level after completing 29-of-33 passes for 338 yards and five scores, and running for 51 yards and a touchdown, and Kendall Wright continues to be phenomenal with 11 grabs for 108 yards and a score. The defense allowed Rice to make this interesting in the second quarter, but Griffin and the offense weren’t going to give the game away. The Bears have to show they can do it on the road with Kansas State and the start of the Big 12 season up next.  

Sept. 17 at Baylor 48 ... Stephen F. Austin 0
CFN Analysis: There wasn’t any rust from all the time off from the TCU win, and Robert Griffin picked up where he left off completing 20-of-22 passes for 265 yards and three scores, taking target practice on the SFA secondary. Four different players ran for 44 yards or more, and that included Griffin, who took off a bit more than usual running eight times for 78 yards. There wasn’t any heavy lifting and the domination was complete by the time the game was called because of weather, and now it’s on to another easy date against Rice before kicking off Big 12 play against Kansas State. More of a pass rush would be nice, and the punting game hasn’t had a chance to do much of anything, but everything is rolling for the Big 12’s it team. 

Sept. 1 at Baylor 50 … TCU 48
CFN Analysis: Robert Griffin was almost perfect. He might have missed a few throws late, and he might have given up a key fumble, but he and Kendall Wright showed off the type of explosiveness that’ll make the Bears a factor in the Big 12 chase. However, as great as this win might have been, especially with the gut-check final scoring drive with everything going TCU’s way, one of big focuses will be the collapse and the gag job by the Bears in the fourth quarter. 11 penalties for the game were way too many, with several really, really dumb errors helping the Horned Frogs get back into the game. As Griffin showed, there are elements to this team good enough to work with to beat anyone in the Big 12, but all the little things have to be done right. Of course, if Griffin can complete 21-of-27 passes for 359 yards and five scores, and if Kendall Wright can catch 12 passes for 189 yards and two scores, several mistakes will be overcome.
 
The 2011 Recruiting Class Is Heavy On … Running backs. With Jay Finley gone, Baylor might be hoping one of its young new recruits can shine right away. B.J. Allen, Jermichael Selders, and Anthony Webb aren’t thumpers, but they’re slick speedsters who can tear off yards in chunks. The passing game got a big pickup with Jonathan Lee, a big target who has No. 1 potential. The instant help is for the secondary with three JUCO transfers and good-looking prep safety Jermarcus Johnson all to be thrown into the rotation immediately.

Five Baylor Recruits You Should Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. OT Spencer Drango
6-6, 270, Scout.com’s 20th ranked offensive tackle. Drango is extremely athletic with great feet and good punch. On top of that, he is intelligent and a team player. He plays with discipline and is great in the locker room. He has the frame to play multiple positions in college, but his pass protection makes him a viable tackle prospect. He had one of the best performances at the 2010 U.S. Army All-American Combine.

2. WR Jonathan Lee
6-3, 196, Scout.com’s 42nd ranked receiver. Big target as receiver, he is not a burner but has good speed. Does a good job of getting behind coverage and considering he is not a small guy it makes his ability to beat coverage even more impressive. Runs good routes most of the times but gets a little sloppy at times. He is not a game breaker, he is not fast enough, but he does have a knack for the big play and getting open.

3. RB B.J. Allen
5-10, 185, Scout.com’s 45th ranked running back. Has a nice burst and reads the field extremely well. Allen is a fast-twitched athlete who shows tremendous balance. He is a threat in the return game and is also pretty solid in coverage when he lines up at corner back. Because of his big play ability you may want to find spot for him on the offensive side of the ball. He has nice size in his lower body, so it would not be a surprise if he bulks up some and gets a shot at running back in college.

4. DT Suleiman Masumbuko
6-3, 265, Scout.com’s 36th ranked defensive tackle. Tough, strong, inside run-stuffer, who can also make some plays on the pass rush. Just uses bull rushes at this point, if he can use some other moves he could be very special. A total scrapper and fighter in the trenches, he will beat double teams because he works so hard. Not going to make plays outside the tackles but he will own the inside.

5. DE Beau Blackshear
6-4, 230, Scout.com’s 112th ranked defensive end. Great frame that could work inside or outside on the defensive line depending on how much more he grows. Plays all up and down the line for his team. Very quick off the snap with great explosion that drives the line of scrimmage backwards. He demands double teams, he has not learned how to beat those yet. On the outside he has solid quickness, but it is not top tier, his quickness on the inside is top tier.

2011 Entire Recruiting Class
B.J. Allen ATH 5-11 185 Fr. Tatum, Texas/Tatum
Beau Blackshear DL 6-4 270 Fr. Waco, Texas/Midway
Kyle Boyd LB 6-1 225 Fr. Mesquite, Texas/Horn
Donald Bryant DL 6-3 240 Fr. Daingerfield, Texas/Daingerfield
Pat Colbert OL 6-6 275 Fr. Kilgore, Texas/Kilgore
Devante Davis LB 6-2 195 Fr. Dallas, Texas/Lincoln
Spencer Drango OL 6-6 285 Fr. Cedar Park, Texas/Cedar Park
Desmine Hilliard OL 6-5 285 Fr. Dallas, Texas/Lincoln
Jay Johnson DB 6-0 170 Fr. Lago Vista, Texas/Lago Vista
Nick Johnson DL 6-2 290 Jr. Waco, Texas/Waco/Navarro College
Jonathon “Jay” Lee WR 6-3 190 Fr. Allen, Texas/Allen
Suleiman Masumbuko DL 6-3 280 Fr. Euless, Texas/Trinity
LaQuan McGowan OL 6-6 335 Fr. Amarillo, Texas/Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch
Kenny “K.J.” Morton DB 5-10 185 So. Warner Robins, Ga./Northside/College of the Sequoias
Jermichael Selders RB 5-11 180 Fr. Houston, Texas/Cypress Creek
Trevor Clemons-Valdez DT 6-2 265 Fr. Copperas Cove, Texas/Copperas Cove
Anthony Webb ATH 5-11 180 Fr. La Porte, Texas/La Porte
David Whitmore DB 6-2 190 Jr. Port Arthur, Texas/Memorial/Iowa Western CC
Josh Wilson DB 6-0 195 Jr. Humble, Texas/Kilgore College