YOUNG FREAKS IN O-LINE

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Eric Mateos lights up when he starts talking about the young "freaks" on Baylor's offensive line.

            "You look at our young players, they're freaky," said Mateos, who's rebuilding an offensive line that lost a trio of sixth-year players and a four-year starter at left tackle.

            "There are a lot of guys right now that have four years of eligibility that are going to make a lot of money playing football on Sundays. I've been super-impressed with them. And they've all taken huge steps. Every single guy has had a rep where you can say, 'Wow, that looks like an NFL player!' So, really excited about the young talent in the room."

            At least in backup roles, the Bears may have to rely on a redshirt freshman class that includes twin towers Kaden Sieracki (6-8, 314) and Alvin Ebosele (6-6, 308). That group also includes Timothy Dawn (6-2, 304) at center and George Maile (6-3, 298) and Coleton Price (6-2, 311) at guard.

            BYU transfer Clark Barrington, something of a freak himself at 6-6, 305, said "it's a bunch of athletic freaks in the room who know what they're doing and they're able to do it. The ceiling for the O-line is sky-high, and we'll see where we go."

            Barrington, who started 37-consecutive games at BYU, adds experience to a group severely lacking in it. Senior Gavin Byers has made eight starts in each of the last two seasons, but he's the only returning offensive lineman with any starts at Baylor under his belt.

            "It's kind of flown by, but it's been a good transition coming into more of a leadership role," said Byers, who has moved from tackle to guard. "Coming in, (the older players) showed me the ropes so I can pass that down to the younger guys. But I feel like having a lot of young guys that have been through this, too, they don't really need a lot of people telling them what to do."

            While last year's offensive line ranked among the nation's most-experienced groups with Connor Galvin, Khalil Keith and sixth-year grad students Jacob Gall and Grant Miller, Mateos said returning starts is "one of the silliest things to talk about."

            "The only reason they talk about it is because they don't have any other stats for the offensive linemen," Mateos said. "People don't consider how you played.

            "Everybody's going to get their first start and they're going to get a little blood on their lip, and you have to go back in there and fight. And then, all of a sudden, they're not a new guy anymore. Now, everybody will anoint them that they're some great players because they started some games. We've got to prep for every game like it's the most important thing."

            Campbell Barrington (6-6, 295) is the projected starter at left tackle after joining his older brother in the transfer portal. Two years ago, Campbell started six of the eight games he played and earned Freshman All-America honors at BYU.

            "We love having them," Byers said of the Barrington brothers. "They're a blessing to have on the offensive line. They're fun, spirited, goofy. But when we play football, you can tell they have some seriousness to them. They flip the switch whenever they get on the field."

            Mateos said his relationship with the Barrington family, having coached Clark as a freshman starter in 2019, is "probably the reason they're here . . . and probably for some warmer weather, too."

            "When Clark made the decision to play another season and go into the portal, I felt that was a no-brainer," Mateos said. "I never coached Campbell, nor did I recruit him, but I think knowing his dad and knowing the family was a huge help, obviously. I think their parents appreciated how I coached Clark when I was at BYU."

            Having already played under Mateos, Clark said he "knew how I would be coached if I came here."

            "That was a big thing for me, just receiving that great coaching every day and learning and improving and getting better."

            Sophomore Tate Williams, who has also moved from tackle to guard, said the best part about this offensive line is "everybody's so tight."

            "Every single one of us, we align on the same sense of humor and the same wavelength, I guess," he said. "I think that comes into why we're playing as well, all the guys seem to connect really well."

            Since they also live together, Williams and Byers talk a lot "at the house and try to figure out what we need to fix."

            "You can see a lot watching film," Williams said, "but I think we're both adapting well, and I think Gavin is going to be great inside."

            Beyond just his experience, Mateos said Byers has "won big-time ballgames," coming off the bench in wins over Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship game and Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl during the 2021 season.

            "He's been on the field for some big-time moments for our team," Mateos said. "As we say in our room, he's got skins on the wall. He's been in the fight, he's been in the grind. He's battled against great players in this conference, and he's whupped them. When you have a guy like that, you feel good about it."

            After taking the Easter weekend off, the Bears went through another workout Tuesday and will practice Thursday before scrimmaging Saturday. Baylor will wrap up the spring with the annual Green & Gold Game at 12 p.m. next Saturday, April 22, at McLane Stadium.

YOUNG FREAKS IN O-LINE

Players Mentioned

Campbell Barrington

Clark Barrington

Gavin Byers

Timothy Dawn

Alvin Ebosele

Jacob Gall

Connor Galvin

Khalil Keith

George Maile

Grant Miller

Coleton Price

Kaden Sieracki

Tate Williams

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