Ten Things That Stood Out Against Texas State
Baylor gets back in the win column, but several things stood out during the game against Texas State
Practice Observations: 3/29
I'm not going to wax poetic on what I observed in the 15-20 minutes of pre-practice yesterday, but several things did stand out to me during that period. I spent much of my time with OL/DL/JACK and then used the rest of the time with STAR and FS. You can tell the amount of time Vic and staff are pouring into the playersThe team is bigger in bodies and size. Just a better roster for this Spring run and into the Fall compared to the last two years with 3 deep across all positionsMose Jeffery seems to be taking the 1st string guard opening as he led warmups and took reps with 1st teamMicah Mazzccua looks like he's back up Mose and this will be a battle to watchThe other OL piece I noticed, outside of new technique was Grant Miller runing smoe 1st team at CThe new techniques looked to be an added jab step for power blocking and a leverage technique Mateos was executing himself to teach the players what he wantedI asked David Kaye how accurate the weights were for the players and he said the staff doesn't care what they weigh in the Spring on paper. I joked that we'll take the brunt of that info not being right for him on the message boards. He's still handling Football and Basketball SID gigs, which used to be two people, so if you see him, tell him thanks for te hard work he does.Galvin looks like you'd expect.Tate Williams wasn't out there, but have heard not to worryHave heard Williams is still off on pass protection, but he's got a year more to learnOk, let's talk Jackie Marshall. There is no way, no way he's 235. His legs are bigger than Gabe Hall and he's pushing 270+ and fluid. During a pass tip drill he just plucked the ball out of the air for an INT instead of batting it away. I'm not sure he gets on the field in front of Randolph, Obi, or Anyanwu to start, but he's going to be trouble late in games if an opponent thinks there will be a dropoff.Anthony Anyanwu looks great as well and recovered from the broken leg last year right before the season. He was the starter before the injury, so that tells you his potential. He's a solid 250ish and the explosion is thereJordan Jenkins just looks different than the other backs and that takes nothing away from Taye McWilliams or Josh Fleeks, but the thud from the blocking pad hitting him is like hearing Bo Jackson hit a baseball and Dickie ThonMcWilliams looks good and is running 1st reps and has more home run hitting ability than Jenkins from a speed standpoint, but late in a game is where Jenkins is going to demoralize defenses just dragging them for yards. Fleeks and Squirrel are great changes of pace and the speed jumps a little when each gets the ballGetting both in space will be something the new offensive sets utilizes or from what I could observe as each ran some quick curl routes for the QBsDevin Neal looks good as did Devin Lemear STAR is loaded with Christian Morgan, Romario Noel Lorando Johnson, Jr. out there with physicalityCoach Aranda has a notebook/notepad he carries around with him taking notes of position groups. Not sure if he's curing cancer on that notepad or just jotting down quick notes to review later, but it was something new compared to last year.
The FRO: Super Seniors returning, 2023 recruiting momentum, and MBB
In Facts, Rumors & Opinions (aka FRO), the SicEm365 staff compiles their knowledge and speculation from a number of conversations for a piece to cover a variety of interesting topics on Baylor University and Baylor Athletics including football, basketball and recruiting.
Roster: Staying or Going?
I put together an article on all the seniors on the roster as if they were all going to leave last week. Luckily, that isn't the case. We know the Bears invited to post season bowls by the NFL will be gone. I expected a few more to be gone as well.I am hearing to expect much of the OL that can will return. Another year under Mateos is what is being preached from some NFL scouts/agents to the players. That doesn't mean a player won't get a better grade than expected and take the opportunity, but for now, losing a 1-2 starters from the line is the expectation. If Baylor were to get Connor Galvin, Grant Miller, Jacob Gall, and possibly Khalil Keith back, it would allow the classes below time to get even more experience. Baylor would likely be on the market for a tackle in the portal and several names have popped on the scene and will continue to do so if Keith is unable to return. Micah Mazzccua should slide into Newman-Smith's position.Another area of need is obviously CB with Barnes, Milton, and Texada leaving the program after the season. Nothing on new names as of today from my end.There are rumors of 1-2 defensive linemen retiring after the bowl game, but with the rotations Ron Roberts runs on defense, the depth will remain strong.Dillon Doyle looks to remain on campus, but replacing Bernard will be a primary focus for the staff.