12 Comments

  1. Travis

    Again, thanks for your time on this Ian. It is really fun to get an outsider’s perspective.

    Note on Bedier: Not sure if you came across this in your studies, but he had never played a single sport in his life until he walked on at Snow College. And he didn’t redshirt, so has only played for 2 years at this point. Takes him from a good JUCO OL take to a potential 1st team all big 12’er. I hope Baylor can redshirt him cause he could be incredible by a RS Senior year.

    I wouldn’t be surprised if Compton ended up at TE, but he earned an offer at a Baylor camp because the coaches saw that he had really natural pass rushing ability. Could be a potential two-way guy.

    Will Williams is my favorite guy in this class. I wrote an article over at ODB lobbying for Baylor to use him like Haasan Reddick.

    Ellis reminds me of KD Cannon with his effortless speed. They’re the same size and seem to play with a similar tenacity.

    • ianaboyd

      I did not see that about Bedier, kinda makes sense though because he’s crazy talented for a JUCO. I dunno if they’ll have the luxury of redshirting him but that would be the ultimate Rhule rebuild move, haha.

      Texas is in a similar spot with G-Tech grad transfer Parker Braun. He’s not new to football but he’s been playing in the flexbone the last 3 years so a redshirt would help but he was also a freshman AA and then 2-time All-ACC guard so I dunno if they can keep him off the field next year.

      Williams is a lot of poundage away from being Reddick but that’d be a huge win if he got there. Sounds like I could be off on Compton, I guess we’ll see though.

      • Travis

        Well the thing about Reddick is he was “only” up to 230, the same weight as current Bear MLB Clay Johnston. I just feel like if Williams is capable of getting up to 225 like a WILL linebacker would, he could be really special at that weight as a Rush DE. The thing that made Reddick so special (besides insane natural talent) was that because he moved positions several times he acquired that very versatile skillset, which Williams looks to have on film.

        Yeah, I doubt Bedier redshirts, even if Fruhmorgen comes back healthy teams will almost always need a 3rd swing tackle who plays a bunch.

        That’s good for Texas to get Braun, after losing Vahe and now depth with Hudson.

        • ianaboyd

          Texas has a ton of promising talent at guard but much of it is unproven. Like Junior Angilau, his development or that of massive senior Tope Imade will determine if Braun has to play or not. Or if they found another tackle and could play both Kerstetter and Okafor inside, but I digress.

          I’ve seen 190 and 200 for Will Williams. I think Reddick was kinda small too when he started but he filled out quick. I bet Williams could fill out and maintain his athleticism IF his frame is the sort to carry weight easily. We’ll see though where he ends up, will is also an impactful spot and that seems closer than getting to 230. There’s also safety, where Baylor hasn’t been overflowing with quality of late.

          • Ricardo

            Definitely putting a lot of eggs on the JT Woods/Christian Morgan basket at safety. I recall you being pretty high on both guys last year. Looks like Lovett will get some run there in spring ball as well.

          • Travis

            Well I’m glad that you, Eric, and others see that he is a stud. I think he is the prototypical example of the kind of guy recruiting services miss: far from any recruiting hotbed, doesn’t attend national camps, you have to evaluate him off film alone. It is moronic that he is rated as a mid three star recruit.

  2. Andrew

    Ian,

    Are your ‘C’ grades more reflective of lack of numbers, question marks on player development, or where they’ll end up (DO/OL)? Personally, I’m just happy that they were able to get a good bunch of guys on the OL for right now and the future. Especially, when you consider the OL issues they’ve had (consistency in protections and creating gaps/creases). I do think having a better DL with the ability to funnel the ball to the linebackers will improve, hopefully soon. In your estimation, how far out are they?

    My main concerns are: 1) the continued changing of players and positions, resulting in less actual time at their final position; 2) struggle with D regarding big plays and assignments, though towards the end of the year the D seemed to get better; and 3) what we’ve seen vs what the coaching staff’s final vision is. Any thoughts?

    I do like the high floor/high upside athletes. I just don’t know how well or how soon we’ll see the team we’re meant to see. I do think that the hybrid smash system they’re implementing will yield greater dividends compared to similar systems instead of more of a pure spread/iso type system, especially with the change we’re seeing in the B12. What do you think?

    • ianaboyd

      I don’t think Baylor took many iffy guys (if any) so the grades usually reflected lack of numbers or fit rather than lack of talent.

      Changing guys to different positions can be a boon to your team, helps guys see the bigger picture and potentially develop hybrid skill sets. But that doesn’t work if you’re overly complex. I think the better practice amongst defenses is to copy the HUNH offenses by running tons of plays from “different formations.” Have hybrid guys that do lots of different things so that while your overall structure is simple, the players are expected to perform multiple roles within it. Then you can focus on creating matchups that favor your side. That’s not really what Baylor’s up to and I don’t know if their way can work in this league.

      As for the smashmouth style with multiple tight ends. That can work under two conditions:

      1) You play great defense so that a slower-scoring slugfest is even possible.
      2) You have truly hybrid players at TE that can hurt opponents in the pass game as well as in the run game.

      • Andrew

        Ian,

        As always, excellent analysis. I continue to look forward to your articles.

        As far as Baylor, for me this year is an ‘on the cusp’ year. New coaches in the B12 with new systems may allow us to pick up another 1 to 2 games, which will positively impact recruiting. With improved player development (a significant piece of the puzzle for them), I’m hopeful we can see more consistency on the OL and DL. Maybe 2020 will be the year we see a more true Rhule type team. However, until that player development yields the results the program needs and the defensive secondary (mainly safety play) improves, I’m not expecting Baylor playing for a B12 title in 2019. Maybe if everything clicks and the program takes good steps forward during 2019 and 2020 we may get there. In your estimation, do you think 2020 might be the year Baylor has what it takes to truly compete for the B12 and a potential playoff spot?

        • ianaboyd

          I think OU and Texas are looking too strong right now for Baylor to reach the level of league title contention until the 2020s.

          As far as improving and pulling off more league wins next year, it does seem plausible. Mostly because you expect Brewer to be the difference in lots of tight games against less experienced QBs.

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