Baylor Football Recruiting
Baylor's QB recruiting puzzle waiting to come together
Thirteen commitments into the 2018 recruiting class, Baylor head man Matt Rhule and quarterback coach Glenn Thomas are still without a QB pledge, a position which could help propel the momentum of their second class through the summer and into the early fall.
The chances are good that Baylor will be closer to 20 commitments than they are to 10 by the time they do receive a quarterback situation. Stated another way, expecting at least another three commitments before a quarterback comes on board with the Bears should be expected.
A quarterback is typically the staple of a recruiting class. They are the player which additional prospects and fellow members of the class can rally around. Intentionally or unintentionally, a quarterback will become the leader of the class before ever they ever realize it. A commitment from a quarterback can create a momentum swing in the positive and get the ball rolling for others to make the move.
But for Baylor, finding the correct piece to the puzzle sooner rather than later could take a top 15 class based solely on sheer numbers and turn it into a top 15 class when National Signing Day is completed in February.
The leader aspect in a class of a quarterback recruit can mean that much.
And, for now, Baylor has two realistic options they are pursuing in Tanner Mordecai (Midway) and Gerry Bohanon (Earle, AR/Earle).
For a moment, let's look to the lesser known of the two names for Baylor fans in Bohanon. Several days prior to the commitment of Jalen Mayden (Sachse) to Mississippi State, whose oldest brother recently took a graduate assistant job with the Bulldogs for the upcoming season, the staff offered the dual-threat quarterback from the small town of Earle in Arkansas.
Bohanon responded by transforming his commitment announcement into a list of six schools which happened to include Baylor. Consider it a coincidence without meaning for now, but know that Baylor is in hot pursuit.
The second of the two names is the local 6-foot-3, 215-pound QB who is located a few miles up the road from Baylor's campus at Midway High School. Despite Baylor needing to fill their 2017 class in a hurry, Mordecai was given an offer by Rhule and Co. on Dec. 30, less than a month from Rhule's introductory press conference at the Ferrell Center.
It would only seem logical that Baylor would be in the driver's seat for Mordecai who grew up in Waco, but the dual-threat hasn't made the choice to settle down just yet. He has received recent offers from Georgia and Oklahoma and is still being pursued by the likes of Texas Tech and Ole Miss and their pass-happy offenses.
Many conversations between Mordecai and the Baylor staff have taken place, enough to have Mordecai familiar enough with their personalities and know that his quarterback coach spent time coaching Atlanta Falcon's QB Matt Ryan during multiple years during the peak of his career.
He should know the personality of Rhule while seeing the speed at receiver that would be joining him in Waco this time next year. He could also view the quarterback situation as friendly with one junior and redshirt freshman when he would be set to arrive.
He's spent enough time on campus to know more than the typical prospective student or student athlete. He has been recruited by just everyone in the football offices including, most likely, the graduate assistants and equipment managers.
They all know his name. They all know his face.
So what's the holdup? At times there is a need for a high school student to get away, but that has never been expressed by Mordecai... at least not to the media who he doesn't spend much time visiting with.
The offense could always be an issue. An on-paper view can lay out what he should expect, but until he sees it live, productive, and in person, concerns as always legitimate. However, in this day, "bad offenses" typically are a result of poor play at the QB position, not anything more or less.
Tanner Mordecai, a local star who was recently nominated to play in the 2018 U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, has a decision to make. There is no right or wrong decision for anyone but Tanner Mordecai. It is his decision to make for his future and for his life.
Whatever the case, his decision will be greatly felt by many people. And rightfully so.
But at the end of the day, by choosing to stay in Waco, he could become the puzzle piece that legitimizes the early portion of Rhule's recruiting career at Baylor while becoming the new face that the City of Waco points to when discussing collegiate football and the revitalization of the program in his hometown.
Not just for what he does on the field, but for the legacy he could create.
The chances are good that Baylor will be closer to 20 commitments than they are to 10 by the time they do receive a quarterback situation. Stated another way, expecting at least another three commitments before a quarterback comes on board with the Bears should be expected.
A quarterback is typically the staple of a recruiting class. They are the player which additional prospects and fellow members of the class can rally around. Intentionally or unintentionally, a quarterback will become the leader of the class before ever they ever realize it. A commitment from a quarterback can create a momentum swing in the positive and get the ball rolling for others to make the move.
But for Baylor, finding the correct piece to the puzzle sooner rather than later could take a top 15 class based solely on sheer numbers and turn it into a top 15 class when National Signing Day is completed in February.
The leader aspect in a class of a quarterback recruit can mean that much.
And, for now, Baylor has two realistic options they are pursuing in Tanner Mordecai (Midway) and Gerry Bohanon (Earle, AR/Earle).
For a moment, let's look to the lesser known of the two names for Baylor fans in Bohanon. Several days prior to the commitment of Jalen Mayden (Sachse) to Mississippi State, whose oldest brother recently took a graduate assistant job with the Bulldogs for the upcoming season, the staff offered the dual-threat quarterback from the small town of Earle in Arkansas.
Bohanon responded by transforming his commitment announcement into a list of six schools which happened to include Baylor. Consider it a coincidence without meaning for now, but know that Baylor is in hot pursuit.
The second of the two names is the local 6-foot-3, 215-pound QB who is located a few miles up the road from Baylor's campus at Midway High School. Despite Baylor needing to fill their 2017 class in a hurry, Mordecai was given an offer by Rhule and Co. on Dec. 30, less than a month from Rhule's introductory press conference at the Ferrell Center.
It would only seem logical that Baylor would be in the driver's seat for Mordecai who grew up in Waco, but the dual-threat hasn't made the choice to settle down just yet. He has received recent offers from Georgia and Oklahoma and is still being pursued by the likes of Texas Tech and Ole Miss and their pass-happy offenses.
Many conversations between Mordecai and the Baylor staff have taken place, enough to have Mordecai familiar enough with their personalities and know that his quarterback coach spent time coaching Atlanta Falcon's QB Matt Ryan during multiple years during the peak of his career.
He should know the personality of Rhule while seeing the speed at receiver that would be joining him in Waco this time next year. He could also view the quarterback situation as friendly with one junior and redshirt freshman when he would be set to arrive.
He's spent enough time on campus to know more than the typical prospective student or student athlete. He has been recruited by just everyone in the football offices including, most likely, the graduate assistants and equipment managers.
They all know his name. They all know his face.
So what's the holdup? At times there is a need for a high school student to get away, but that has never been expressed by Mordecai... at least not to the media who he doesn't spend much time visiting with.
The offense could always be an issue. An on-paper view can lay out what he should expect, but until he sees it live, productive, and in person, concerns as always legitimate. However, in this day, "bad offenses" typically are a result of poor play at the QB position, not anything more or less.
Tanner Mordecai, a local star who was recently nominated to play in the 2018 U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, has a decision to make. There is no right or wrong decision for anyone but Tanner Mordecai. It is his decision to make for his future and for his life.
Whatever the case, his decision will be greatly felt by many people. And rightfully so.
But at the end of the day, by choosing to stay in Waco, he could become the puzzle piece that legitimizes the early portion of Rhule's recruiting career at Baylor while becoming the new face that the City of Waco points to when discussing collegiate football and the revitalization of the program in his hometown.
Not just for what he does on the field, but for the legacy he could create.
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