For Casey Phillips, a commitment to Baylor was inevitable

For Franklin (TX) High School offensive lineman Casey Phillips‍, being committed to Baylor had begun to seem like an inevitability. His campus visit on Feb. 18 put something into motion that came to fruition on the afternoon of Baylor’s first Spring practice of 2017.

“I’ve always known, I think, but today was the closure I needed,” Phillips told SicEm365 following the announcement of his commitment.

Phillips made the trip to Waco to take in Baylor’s first Spring practice on Saturday morning, but he didn’t tell Coach Matt Rhule that he was committing to the Bears until he arrived home later that day.

“Coach Rhule and Coach (George) DeLeone were both really excited,” Phillips said. For Phillips, it wasn’t about seeing anything in particular at the Bears’ first practice of the Rhule era, but more about just having his feelings about the new staff confirmed by what he saw.

“I’m not sure that anything about today made me want to commit any more than I have already, but I felt that it was the right time and that I’ve seen what I needed to see.”

With three offensive linemen committed for the 2018 cycle, it’s clear that Rhule is placing a special importance on shoring up a position of need going forward. Phillips, a 6-foot-5 prospect weighing in at 280 pounds, has been made to feel how important he is to Matt Rhule’s vision throughout his recruitment.

“I’ve felt it,” he said, speaking about his importance to the staff. From Coach DeLeone spending an entire day with him on a heavily-attended junior day to the staff continually checking in with him, Phillips has been aware of how much the Baylor staff wanted him.

While not a highly-rated prospect according to various recruiting services, the staff sees potential in Phillips and trusts their ability to mold him into a top-tier player. Phillips also holds offers from Oklahoma State, TCU and Texas Tech among several others and is currently holds the No. 3 SPARQ rating for offensive linemen in the country at 96.72.

“They like how I come off of the ball,” Phillips explained. Phillips, whose humility prevents him from even touting areas of his game of which he’s particularly proud, says that he sees room for improvement in his pass-blocking. “I don’t think I’m really good at anything, because I can always improve.”

Phillips, whose father played tennis at Texas A&M and grandfather football at Texas, says that the current plan is for him to be an early-enrollee at Baylor University in less than one year’s time.

“I’m excited about what the program is going towards, and I look forward to being a part of something great.”