IT'S A SNAP

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider

While Baylor true freshman long snapper Dylan Schaub filled in quite nicely when Garrison Grimes suffered a season-ending ACL injury five games into last season, the special teams unit lost its leader.

"Toward the end of the season, after he got surgery, he didn't travel with us," punter Palmer Williams said of Grimes. "I think that was a big thing we were lacking on our sidelines was his leadership. He's our main leader and he's an NFL snapper. He definitely brings a big difference to our special teams unit."

Nine months post-surgery, Grimes said he is "out snapping . . . I'm full go."

"It was definitely a long recovery, but we've got great athletic trainers, and they helped me get back to where I am now," said Grimes, a redshirt junior who was the Bears' long snapper for field goals, extra points and punts for 18-consecutive games before the injury.

"I was cutting on it . . . probably six months, five months, but it's still partly not normal. But I'm getting better, so I definitely feel more comfortable with it."

On top of the injury, Garrison had a foot out the door when his dad, Jeff Grimes, took the offensive coordinator's job at Kansas after being fired at Baylor after three years in the same role with the Bears.

"It took me a while to decide on this," he said, "but I felt like this is just where the Lord wanted me. That was the main thing that kept me here, because everything would kind of tell me I should go. But we were having this Bible study that was getting started up, and a lot of guys were going to it. I felt like my ministry wasn't done yet. So, that was the main reason why I stayed here."

Grimes said it was also his faith that got him through the months of rehab.

"Just knowing that at the exact same time when I got hurt, my church, Harris Creek, was going through 1^st Peter, talking about trials and tribulations," he said. "They use an example of how when they are purifying gold, they put it in the furnace and then scrape the impurities off the top, and then do it again. That's just kind of how life is. I understood at the time, I was going through a trial. But during that time, I was able to grow closer to God through my faith."

Baylor's special teams were a mixed bag of success and failure last season. Williams had a decent enough freshman season, averaging 42.9 yards per punt, but the Bears were 12^th in the Big 12 and 96^th nationally with a net punting average of 37.4.

"Last year, I felt like a deer in the headlights a couple times," Williams said. "I would never say the lights were too bright, but there were a couple times where I was definitely feeling a little palm sweat. But this year, I think I've grown up a lot and ready to go get it this year."

There's a confidence in the group as a whole, with Williams, Garrison, field goal/extra points kicker Isaiah Hankins and kickoff specialist Jack Stone all returning with another year under their belts.

"I feel like my path every season has been, it's kind of a little shaky at the start of it, the middle has been really good, and then at the end is also kind of shaky," said Hankins, who was 18-of-25 on field goals and 21-of-23 on extra points. "This year, I want to start fast and pick it up quick and not take a while to get to that point. So, just cleaning up little things . . . and also just really envisioning the ball going through the uprights."

After losing his job the year before, Hankins showed his range last season, hitting 2-of-3 from 50+ with a career-long of 54 yards.

"I would just love any sort of long kick, especially if I've got some wind at my back and I've got a shot at a record. "We could try as far as we wanted to, and I'd absolutely give it a shot. I think those are super fun."

Nearly 50 years later, Waco native Bubba Hicks still holds the school record with a 60-yarder.

"That's crazy, that's a long time," Hankins said. "We can get that."

Hankins admits that it was "a little nerve-wracking" when a true freshman had to replace Garrison at such a critical spot halfway through the 2023 season.

"And I think (Schaub) ended up doing really well," Hankins said, "but (Garrison's) consistency and just his level of play is super-high. Also, we have not played a full season together, so maybe we'll both make it this time."

Grimes said the group of specialists as a whole "just grew up."

"That's the biggest thing. Last year, we had a bunch of just immaturity throughout the whole team," he said, "whether it was not caring about winning, not caring about being the best that you can be, being complacent with taking losses and stuff. We've grown up. We have matured a lot as a team, and I'm ready to show it."

The Bears also return the bulk of their kick returners. Redshirt junior receiver Josh Cameron averaged 15.5 yards on punt returns and earned preseason All-Big 12 honors, while running back Richard Reese returned two kickoffs for touchdowns in the season finale versus West Virginia and is on a number of preseason awards watch lists.

Outside of the specialists, "there's a lot of energy, especially on defense," Williams said.

"I feel like dudes like Steve (Linton) and KT (Keaton Thomas), they bring a lot of juice to our defense," he said. "I think people are just flying around, especially on offense, too. I feel like there's a lot of big plays that maybe we were lacking last year, to ride that momentum."

The Bears are going through their second full week of fall camp and will have their second closed scrimmage on Saturday at McLane Stadium. Baylor's annual "Meet the Team" event will be held at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24, at the Allison Indoor Practice Facility.

For football season tickets, mini plans or single-game tickets, go to the link at 2024 Football.

Players Mentioned

Josh Cameron

Garrison Grimes

Isaiah Hankins

Richard Reese

Dylan Schaub

Jack Stone

Keaton Thomas

Palmer Williams

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