Dec. 31, 2001
Editor's Note: Articles such as this one by Dave Campbell appear in each edition of the Baylor Bear Insider Report, available upon membership in the Baylor Bear Foundation. For information on joining the Bear Foundation, click here.
Continued from previous feature
And what about the other positions?
They keep all their wideouts, lose three starters in the offensive line (center Joe Jackson and tackles Jon Erickson and Greg Jerman), lose two tight ends (starter Andrew Obriotti and backup Anthony Dozier), two running backs/fullbacks (starting fullback Melvin Barnett and seldom-healthy Derek Lagway), two defensive linemen (starter Ryan Gillenwater and reserve Demetrio Phillips), no linebackers, two defensive backs (starter Samir Al-Amin and backup Kyle Staudt), and two kickers (No. 1 kicker/punter Adam Stiles and backup punter Ryan Chapdelaine).
IN RECRUITING TO REPLACE those seniors and upgrade the quality of the roster throughout, Steele said the reception has been "very, very good," and while he has mentioned that the number of junior college signees could match that of last year (eight), my guess is the number could go as high as 12, or maybe higher. And the overall quality is likely to be better.
Steele said his recruiters have found junior college standouts are mainly interested in two things: playing in the Big 12 and being able to play immediately. Baylor can offer both things.
Thus an all-out push for juco help in the secondary (three), at linebacker (one or two), a pash-rushing defensive end of the A.C. Collier variety (one), at wide receiver (one or two real speedsters), in the offensive line (two or three), and maybe one running back.
They would join a squad that impresses this observer as lining up this way:
THE WIDEOUTS: The Bears have in senior-to-be Reggie Newhouse what Steele terms "a producer -- he's produced against everybody in this league -- and obviously a very good football player." Robert Quiroga (6-2, 190) has the type of speed that Steele craves, and should be a better player next fall as a junior. John Martin (sophomore) is a good possession receiver. Marques Roberts (6-1, 218, sophomore) has talent to spare, he just needs to mature. Ray Harrington, a juco transfer, should be improved as a senior and after a full round of spring training. And Steele is convinced J Fields (6-3, 190), who will go into the spring work as a redshirt freshman, has a bright future. And likewise ex-QB Kerry Dixon, who will be a sophomore.
Even so, there will be a place for a couple of jets in the mix if the Bears can sign them. "We're looking for speed," said Steele.
THE OFFENSIVE LINE: The question is, who will be next season's Greg Jerman? The 6-6, 286-pound El Paso product was only of marginal Big 12 quality as a sophomore and junior. This past season as a senior he became perhaps the team's best all-around offensive lineman and was named on a couple of All-Big 12 second and third teams.
But that, said Steele, is the nature of the beast where offensive linemen are concerned. They grow and mature and get a little better year by year, and when they are seniors (sometimes juniors) they are really ready to shine. "Jerman had a great year, a phenomenal year," said Steele at season's end.
Next fall's seniors in the offensive line will be Antoine Murphy, Derrick Pearcy, Matt Bickel and T.J. Helmcamp. Murphy (6-3, 342, truly talented) is a juco transfer who could be the standout up front. That often is the case for gifted juco transfers. They need a season to adjust to the new system before they really blossom.
But Pearcy (6-3, 331) is a lot like Jerman, he's stayed around, worked hard, improved year by year. Bickel is huge (6-4, 363). "If Bickel loses weight -- and we have a nutritionist working with him -- he could be a starter. No question, he just has a great attitude. And Helmcamp defies all odds," said the coach.
A key question: who will replace Joe Jackson at center? Jackson had some trouble with deep snaps this past season but he's been solid for three years, and a fine leader. The Bears will miss Joe Jackson. The best bet to replace him? Probably Cedric Fields (6-3, 311, junior), a starting guard this past season. Fields worked a lot at the center position in fall practices. Pearcy also has experience there, and likewise sophomore Brad Schlueter.
Certainly not to be overlooked in the rebuilding of the offensive line are Quintin Outland (6-4, 329, very good as a true freshman and a good bet to win national honors before he leaves Baylor), sophomores Ryan McDaniel (6-5, 276) and Chris Sipes (6-4, 287), junior Derek Long (6-6, 300) and redshirt freshman Glen Oskin (6-5, 300).
And, as mentioned earlier, several junior college transfers probably will be added to that mix. "We don't expect to slide backward despite the loss of the three seniors," said Steele.
TIGHT END: Junior Shane Williams (6-3, 245), a record-setting receiver as a tight end in high school in Arkansas (93 catches for 1,273 yards and 26 touchdowns as a senior on a state championship-winning team, and 67 catches for 1,100 yards and 21 TDs as a junior) was seldom used by the Bears last season. But none of the tight ends made much of an impact as a receiver.
Williams returns as the heir apparent at the position. But don't be surprised if fullback Jonathan Evans (6-2, 239, a sophomore), a former tight end, moves back to that position this spring.
And, who knows, the new offensive coordinator may actually make tight end an integral part of the offense next fall? That hasn't been the case for more years than I can count.
QUARTERBACK: It figures to be Karas, Vinson, Zachry, Cicero, maybe Jeffrey, and let us hope they all blossom under the new offensive coordinator's care. But I still think Jeffrey will likely go to wide receiver or the secondary, and Cicero probably faces an uphill fight to get in the mix in a prominent way.
TAILBACK/FULLBACK: Based on how they finished the season, sophomore Anthony Krieg stands at the head of the class, ahead of junior Jonathan Golden and senior Chedrick Ricks, but again, who knows? I figure all bets are off until the new coordinator has his say. If Eron Haynes (a redshirt last season) can master the academic challenge, don't overlook him. He has breakaway speed to go with his 6-1, 185-pound frame.
However, I'm going to be mightily surprised if newcomers (high school signees or juco transfers) don't make an impact at the ball-carrying positions before next fall's two-a-days are over. What the Bears currently have at tailback just haven't impressed many people as having the right tools to stand out in the tough Big 12.
While Baylor's ability to establish an effective ground game was questioned throughout the season, Steele rejects the thought that the formation used by the Bears last fall handicapped the ground game enormously.
"You look at Northwestern and Clemson, several other teams -- they run the ball effectively. Plenty of teams do it. And I'm talking about the exact same offense," he said.
DEFENSIVE LINE: While Steele craves and will pursue the signature of a defensive end who can give the Bears the kind of pass rush that A.C. Collier provided last season, he feels relatively secure about Baylor's prospects for the defensive line. And this is the first year he has been able to say that.
Returning at the ends will be Collier, who made at least one All-Big 12 first team in his first season after transferring from Tyler Junior College, junior starter Aaron Lard, backups Charles Mann (much-used senior) and junior Joe Simmons, fine sophomore Khari Long and redshirt Shaun Jackson. Collier already is a standout, Lard and Mann are solid, and Long, in time, could be something special.
"But we need another Collier, someone just like him," said Steele.
At the two inside positions, look for seniors Kevin Stevenson and Ethan Kelley to become the best tackle twosome Baylor has had in years. They will miss Gillenwater, who had a fine senior season, but make no mistake, Stevenson and Kelley are good. Indeed, Stevenson already is considered all-star material.
Behind them is another experienced senior Travis Hicks and a pair of good-looking redshirts, Luke Groth and Eric Jackson, and keep an eye on Jackson. The 6-5, 290-pounder has stardust all over him.
"We're solid at tackle," said Steele, and how long has it been since a Baylor coach could say that?
LINEBACKERS: All three starters -- junior John Garrett in the middle, senior Greg Wade and junior Stephen Sepulveda outside -- return. Also back are such backups as sophs Michael Tolbert, Justin Crooks and Jack Wallace, senior Kelvin Chaisson, Jamaal Harper (a freshman they redshirted after he had to have his knee scoped but has good speed), and a redshirt who really could make an impact, Colin Allred.
Allred is a 6-1, 225-pound, two-year all-district product of Dallas Hillcrest who turned down Tulane, signed with Air Force and then changed his mind and opted for Baylor. "Allred has real instincts -- he's a natural," said Steele.
The best guess is that Wade will move to the middle back position next fall, Garrett will move outside, and they will let the remainder of those guys (plus a juco transfer or two) fight for the other starting job.
"I think a healthy Greg Wade will be just fine," said Steele. "And I think a healthy John Garrett will be just fine. Neither of them was fully healthy all season. Wade had a groin problem that really gave him trouble."
Meanwhile, the coaches feel Crooks has a good future, Tolbert and Sepullveda have proved they can play in this league, and Chaisson is a good solid backup with experience.
THE SECONDARY: As the season moved toward the finish line, this became a disaster area for the Bears because of injuries and mainly because of an injury to fine cornerback Bobby Hart. But cornerback Randy Davis also went down and the Bears found themselves playing people at cornerback who really should have been at other positions or not playing at all.
Hart, Davis and starting strong safety Derrick Cash will all be back, and with the year of experience should be improved. That is particularly true of Davis and Cash, who were playing their positions for the first time. Cash, blessed with great speed (led the Bears in interceptions and was among the Big 12 leaders in that respect), shows signs of becoming a true star, and Hart already is one.
Still, the Big 12 has become a pass-minded league, and it is imperative that the Bears hit it rich in fast (and hopefully big) cornerbacks when they prowl the juco ranks.
Among the returning reserves, junior Matt Johnson, soph Michael Boyd and redshirt freshman Maurice Lane are names to remember.
THE KICKING GAME: Short-range kicker Daniel Andino returns, otherwise, the Bears virtually will be starting over in an aspect of the game that was shaky all last season although Adam Stiles did prove to be a fine punter in his senior season.
According to informed sources, Baylor already has a verbal commitment from a punter the coaches like and could sign another kicker. And a walk-on, Grant Callison, shows enough promise that "he almost got in the mix" this past season.
AND OVERALL: Having analyzed everything backward and forward, Steele still feels the Bears are only about three players away from being what they need to be on defense, and only about two or three on offense.
"I think we're a lot closer than most people think," he told the INSIDER. "If that's not true, it won't matter what I say."
Editor's Note: Articles such as this one by Dave Campbell appear in each edition of the Baylor Bear Insider Report, available upon membership in the Baylor Bear Foundation. For information on joining the Bear Foundation, click here.
