EXPERIENCE EVERYWHERE

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Chansi Stuckey knows that he can't teach first-semester freshmen Elijah Bean and Javon Gipson the same way he does veterans like Tyquan Thornton and R.J. Snead.
            "It moved fast for me, just how imagine how it is for those guys," said Stuckey, in his first year as Baylor's receivers coach after two seasons on staff at his alma mater, Clemson. "They're kids straight out of high school, should be going to prom. And they're here with bigger, a lot faster, a lot more veteran guys, trying to compete. The key is treating everyone fairly but not treating everyone the same."
            Part of the 2021 signing class, the 6-5, 203-pound Bean and 6-3, 205-pound Gipson both came in January as early-enrollee freshmen from Humble and Richmond, respectively.
            "Gip is a guy that can play inside and outside. He has a unique set of skills," Stuckey said. "As for Bean, he's still learning. He's put on 18 pounds, I think. That's a huge adjustment going from high school to now you put on 18 pounds. How's my body going to react to that? Both of those guys have done a good job."
            LEARN 'EM ALL: Rather than having his receivers focus on one position, Stuckey has all of them learning the F, X and Z positions this spring.
            "We have a lot of guys with – which I love – versatility," Stuckey said. "Just learn the concepts, so that when something happens, a guy goes down, it's not the next position, it's the next man up. (The slot position) is critical to a lot of the reads and a lot of the stuff (offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes) likes to do. So, there's good competition there."
            Josh Fleeks, Kolby White and Dartmouth transfer Drew Estrada have all gotten reps at flanker, and even Sneed has been used there "when a lot of guys got hurt," Stuckey said.
            Estrada "can play all three positions, which is critical."
            "He's extremely smart, very savvy in his route running," Stuckey said. "We've just got to get him back on the field. That's the biggest thing for him, just staying healthy and being able to contribute the way he can."

Stuckey

            DEPTH AT TIGHT END: A staple of Grimes' offense at BYU, the tight end position has some surprising depth with senior Christoph Henle, juniors Tyler Henderson and Ben Sims, sophomore Drake Dabney and redshirt freshman Ty Moore.
            "We've definitely gone back and watched some of the stuff (at BYU), but it's all about if you can do it," said Sims, who had 14 catches for 164 yards and three touchdowns. "If you can do it, you're going to be on the field. There's a big emphasis on doing things right and doing it the right way."
            BEEN AROUND THE BLOCK: Opting to return for a sixth season, an extra year granted by the NCAA because of COVID-19, cornerback Raleigh Texada is playing for his fifth different position coach with Kevin Curtis replacing Brian Stewart after he left for the defensive coordinator position at Maryland.
            "Having veteran guys who have played coming back gives us more experience in the room," said Curtis, a former All-Big 12 safety at Texas Tech who came from SMU. "(Texada) and (Kalon Barnes) and Zeke (Brown) have all been leaders, so it's been great to have him back in the room."
            The group of veteran corners that includes juniors Mark Milton, Byron Hanspard and Al Walcott has "taken my coaching and have done everything I've asked them to do. They come to work every single day. They're listening and you can see them try to do it. They're getting better, so I'm excited about that group."
            DOCTOR BROWN?: Another sixth-year senior, Brown has already earned his undergrad and master's degree and has started working on a PhD in electrical and computer engineering.
            "I'm here for football, but I'm also here for school. I've got to take classes anyway, why not get the most out of it," said Brown, a first-team Academic All-Big 12 selection the last two years.
            Brown said Curtis is helping the cornerbacks improve their ball skills, "making sure we locate the ball and make sure that we have equal opportunity with the receiver to go get the ball and just be turned around so we can make a play."
            'IT'S GAME DAY': Baylor football wraps up spring drills with the Green & Gold Game at 12 noon Saturday at McLane Stadium, with gates opening at 11 a.m.
            "Every day we step on the field in our pads, it's game day," Curtis said. "That's how you keep from going up and down, up and down. Every time you put on the pads, it's game day. If we're going through a walk-through, it's a walk-through. But, if you put your pads on, you need to come with that mindset that it's game day. You're working and it's game speed. We're not going to win at all costs, but we're going game speed."
            The Bears kick off the 2021 season Sept. 4 at Texas State and will host four home games, including BYU, Texas and Oklahoma. For ticket information, go to the 2021 Baylor Football Tickets link.

EXPERIENCE EVERYWHERE

Players Mentioned

Kalon Barnes

Elijah Bean

Drake Dabney

Drew Estrada

Josh Fleeks

Javon Gipson

Tyler Henderson

Christoph Henle

Mark Milton

Ty Moore

Ben Sims

Raleigh Texada

Tyquan Thornton

Al Walcott

Kolby White

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