SENSE OF URGENCY
8/2/2024 12:53:00 PM | Football
Baylor FB begins fall camp with 'cleanest first day'
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
With the Aug. 31 season opener against Tarleton a little over four weeks away, fifth-year Baylor head coach Dave Aranda opened fall camp on Thursday with a sense of urgency.
"You feel the urgency, for sure," Aranda said. "You feel kind of the buildup of all of it. In the spring, it's like, 'Hey, I'm just learning, this is the first time I've been in the pool.' You kind of dip your toe in – is it cold, is it hot? You're jumping into the deep end now. I think there's that, for sure, that was happening today"
Senior receiver Ketron Jackson Jr. said that sense of urgency "trickled down to the team."
"(Aranda) stated that today, and I truly felt that from every single coach," Jackson said. "All the players had to pick it up everywhere. And I felt that throughout the whole team."
Coming off a 3-9 season, the emphasis for the Bears is winning now, Aranda said, adding a sensible edge to the first day of practice.
"I thought today was a lot of effort, a lot of detail, a lot of excitement," he said. "All the work that went into summer and the investment of all the offseason, we've talked about the chip on the shoulder. There is an edge, I almost say a tension, that comes with that. So, to get to where you can unleash it and kind of play and have fun in the midst of all that was cool.
"It was the cleanest that it has been for a first day. And that goes back to all the work that we put in. Whether it's been winter, spring, summer, there's been a lot of hours put into all of it. I think the feeling around the team is good. They know there's a chance to really be good, and they're going to fight for it."
Jackson, an Arkansas transfer who ranked third on the team last season with 28 catches for 489 yards and one touchdown, is part of a deep and talented receiving corps that includes returners Monaray Baldwin, Josh Cameron, Hal Presley and Jonah Burton, transfers Ashtyn Hawkins and Jamaal Bell and true freshman Jadon Porter from Lorena.
"I feel like we've really grown from last year, really matured," Jackson said. "Adding (the two transfers) and adding our freshman, Jadon, I feel they just add a lot of talent to the team. And I feel like that just boosted everybody's confidence, boosted everybody's play. I just feel we're going to be good."
Hawkins, who played for first-year offensive coordinator Jake Spavital at Texas State, totaled a school-record 141 catches for 1,745 yards and 11 touchdowns in three seasons with the Bobcats. Bell set program records in kickoff return yards (1,712) and finished his career at Nevada with 76 catches for 689 yards and three TDs.
Aranda sees the talent in a receivers room led by assistant coach Dallas Baker, but "we have not performed at that level."
"Whether that's been the blocks that have to happen or the throws that have to happen . . . I take responsibility for that," Aranda said. "So, we have talent there and we added talentNow, it's time to perform."
While Aranda and Spavital have not settled on a starting quarterback, Toledo transfer Dequan Finn got a "put-up" in Thursday's practice.
"We have put-ups and call-ups at the end of practice to put up some guys that are doing positive things and a call-up if a guy's below the line, needs to get called up," Aranda said. "Guys were able to put up DQ, so it was really good. I think a good first day for him. Sawyer (Robertson) has been battling and doing his stuff, so I'm excited to see."
Another area with a little chip on their shoulders is a secondary that totaled just six interceptions last season. That group, however, does include a returning Freshman All-American in cornerback Caden Jenkins and a former starter returning in Arkansas transfer Lorando "Snaxx" Johnson.
"(Johnson) brings a lot of energy," said sophomore safety Carl Williams IV. "When he makes a play, you're going to feel it. And as a defense, we feed off that. We feed off guys showing their emotions. That's like our swagger. He brings that swagger and energy, so it's cool to see."
A young guy himself who played all 12 games with five starts at the Star position last year, Williams said he sees the younger defensive backs like freshman safety Kris Wokomah watching extra film and "trying to make themselves an asset to the team."
"The young guys, they're learning. Some of them are in the learning curve, some of them are getting out of that learning curve," Williams said. "but the young guys are coming to play. . . (Wokomah) comes in with a lot of energy, comes in ready to ball and always has a good attitude about himself, always willing to work extra."
Taking on a more active role with the defense this year, Aranda said it's a difficult balance that he's still trying to get down.
"I think it takes hours in the morning when it's just you, and there's not the pull of this or that," he said. "I think it's the ability to kind of pull from stuff in the past, whether that's defense or just being a head coach. 'Hey, these are what day ones look like, these are what day twos look like.' You pull on that experience. And then, we've got coaches that have been head coaches that have been in the role. So, you can rely on them, too.'"
The Bears are back on the field Friday afternoon. All practices are closed to the public. The 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.
Baylor Bear Insider
With the Aug. 31 season opener against Tarleton a little over four weeks away, fifth-year Baylor head coach Dave Aranda opened fall camp on Thursday with a sense of urgency.
"You feel the urgency, for sure," Aranda said. "You feel kind of the buildup of all of it. In the spring, it's like, 'Hey, I'm just learning, this is the first time I've been in the pool.' You kind of dip your toe in – is it cold, is it hot? You're jumping into the deep end now. I think there's that, for sure, that was happening today"
Senior receiver Ketron Jackson Jr. said that sense of urgency "trickled down to the team."
"(Aranda) stated that today, and I truly felt that from every single coach," Jackson said. "All the players had to pick it up everywhere. And I felt that throughout the whole team."
Coming off a 3-9 season, the emphasis for the Bears is winning now, Aranda said, adding a sensible edge to the first day of practice.
"I thought today was a lot of effort, a lot of detail, a lot of excitement," he said. "All the work that went into summer and the investment of all the offseason, we've talked about the chip on the shoulder. There is an edge, I almost say a tension, that comes with that. So, to get to where you can unleash it and kind of play and have fun in the midst of all that was cool.
"It was the cleanest that it has been for a first day. And that goes back to all the work that we put in. Whether it's been winter, spring, summer, there's been a lot of hours put into all of it. I think the feeling around the team is good. They know there's a chance to really be good, and they're going to fight for it."
Jackson, an Arkansas transfer who ranked third on the team last season with 28 catches for 489 yards and one touchdown, is part of a deep and talented receiving corps that includes returners Monaray Baldwin, Josh Cameron, Hal Presley and Jonah Burton, transfers Ashtyn Hawkins and Jamaal Bell and true freshman Jadon Porter from Lorena.
"I feel like we've really grown from last year, really matured," Jackson said. "Adding (the two transfers) and adding our freshman, Jadon, I feel they just add a lot of talent to the team. And I feel like that just boosted everybody's confidence, boosted everybody's play. I just feel we're going to be good."
Hawkins, who played for first-year offensive coordinator Jake Spavital at Texas State, totaled a school-record 141 catches for 1,745 yards and 11 touchdowns in three seasons with the Bobcats. Bell set program records in kickoff return yards (1,712) and finished his career at Nevada with 76 catches for 689 yards and three TDs.
Aranda sees the talent in a receivers room led by assistant coach Dallas Baker, but "we have not performed at that level."
"Whether that's been the blocks that have to happen or the throws that have to happen . . . I take responsibility for that," Aranda said. "So, we have talent there and we added talentNow, it's time to perform."
While Aranda and Spavital have not settled on a starting quarterback, Toledo transfer Dequan Finn got a "put-up" in Thursday's practice.
"We have put-ups and call-ups at the end of practice to put up some guys that are doing positive things and a call-up if a guy's below the line, needs to get called up," Aranda said. "Guys were able to put up DQ, so it was really good. I think a good first day for him. Sawyer (Robertson) has been battling and doing his stuff, so I'm excited to see."
Another area with a little chip on their shoulders is a secondary that totaled just six interceptions last season. That group, however, does include a returning Freshman All-American in cornerback Caden Jenkins and a former starter returning in Arkansas transfer Lorando "Snaxx" Johnson.
"(Johnson) brings a lot of energy," said sophomore safety Carl Williams IV. "When he makes a play, you're going to feel it. And as a defense, we feed off that. We feed off guys showing their emotions. That's like our swagger. He brings that swagger and energy, so it's cool to see."
A young guy himself who played all 12 games with five starts at the Star position last year, Williams said he sees the younger defensive backs like freshman safety Kris Wokomah watching extra film and "trying to make themselves an asset to the team."
"The young guys, they're learning. Some of them are in the learning curve, some of them are getting out of that learning curve," Williams said. "but the young guys are coming to play. . . (Wokomah) comes in with a lot of energy, comes in ready to ball and always has a good attitude about himself, always willing to work extra."
Taking on a more active role with the defense this year, Aranda said it's a difficult balance that he's still trying to get down.
"I think it takes hours in the morning when it's just you, and there's not the pull of this or that," he said. "I think it's the ability to kind of pull from stuff in the past, whether that's defense or just being a head coach. 'Hey, these are what day ones look like, these are what day twos look like.' You pull on that experience. And then, we've got coaches that have been head coaches that have been in the role. So, you can rely on them, too.'"
The Bears are back on the field Friday afternoon. All practices are closed to the public. The 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
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