Baylor’s 2017 Class Breakdown Part 1: Miller, Saulin, Ogbonnaya, Henderson, and Klinge.

#27: Ryan Miller, OC, 6-2 290 lbs. Carroll HS, Southlake, TX. Highlights

Ian Boyd recently wrote a terrific article over at Footballstudyhall titled “Did Your Team Get the Right 3-Stars?” If you haven’t read it yet, I recommend you do, it is terrific. In it, he talks about how the 5 star guys, and some 4 star guys, aren’t really scheme specific. The idea behind those rankings is that a college coach won’t have to do too much to get them ready for the NFL. For 3 stars, it often means that the right buttons have to pushed, and they need to be developed in the right scheme in order to have a chance.

Miller is a great example of a perfect fit. The Baylor offense will likely be centered around the zone-stretch run play, as opposed the man-power schemes Baylor has used in the past. What this means is that, particularly on the interior positions, Baylor can make great use out of shorter, smaller OL who have quick feet and can move well laterally.

Miller’s film is replete with examples of Southlake running the zone-stretch scheme. He’s very quick laterally, and does a great job of driving his feet when he engages a defender. Furthermore, he plays with a mean streak that will suit him well.

I’m not sure if I buy Baylor’s 290 lbs listing, but he has the potential to be there for his playing weight.

The coaching staff noted that Miller only played on the OL his senior season. For a guy who is just learning the position, he shows great technique.

Position: Miller is an OC all the way. He could play guard if needed to, but Baylor will have better guys suited for that position.

Outlook: I think he has a chance to play early, especially if he gets bigger over the summer.

#26: Rob Saulin, DE/H-Back, 6-5 250 lbs. Pennsville HS, Pennsville, NJ. Highlights

Saulin is intriguing. He’s got a big frame and a high motor. Rhule noted that he loved his work-ethic and thinks he has a lot of potential once he gets bigger. His film is split about half between DL and TE, and he is pretty good at both positions.

He’s a good athlete, showing good burst off the line. Plays violent with his hands and attacks his opponent, whether it’s an OL or a DL/LB.

Position: Particularly with Baylor’s numbers at DL, I think Saulin is better suited as a bruising H-Back. It seems like the coaching staff is going to play him as a DL, though.

Outlook: Clear redshirt candidate here. He’ll probably show up as a rFR at 285 lbs ready to compete for a starting DL spot.

#25: Chidi Ogbonnaya, DL, 6-5 260 lbs. Langham Creek HS, Houston, TX. Highlights

I really like Ogbonnaya. He’s tall with long limbs and is just beginning to tap into his potential. His HS mostly played him at the nose, where he attacked the opposing C every play. His job was engage the OL, find the ball, shed the OL and make the tackle. He does a really good job of that throughout his film.

He’s a guy, like Saulin, who will probably show up after his redshirt year close to 285 lbs and a completely different player.

Position: Because of his long arms and frame, I think he is a good candidate for DE.

Outlook: He’ll be a run-stopping force no matter what, the question is whether he ever develops the ability to rush the passer. That will be the difference for him in whether he is a solid starter or an all-conference player.

#24: Tyler Henderson, TE, 6-4 240 lbs. Lehman HS, Kyle, TX. Highlights

By Henderson’s senior year, he was the best athlete on the team, so his coach put him at QB, WR, TE, even DL, and just let him play. His film shows a variety of skills, being able to highpoint the ball, make catches in traffic, break tackles, etc. He’s a really good athlete for his size, looking like he will be able to maintain around a 4.7 when he gets up to 250 lbs or so.

Another upside guy here, Henderson will benefit from being able to play one position. He’s super athlete, so if he has a great work ethic it’s hard not seeing him being successful.

Position: The coaches stated he’ll be at that TE/H-Back position.

Outlook: With only 2 scholarship TEs, I doubt they redshirt him. With his size and athleticism, he’ll immediately be valuable on special teams as well.

#23: Henry Klinge III, OL, 6-5 305 lbs. Carroll HS, Southlake, TX. Highlights

InsideTexas.com had this to say about Klinge in their Top 100 Texas rankings (where they put Klinge at #82, about 100 spots higher than the 247 composite), and I think it is pretty spot on: “Upside, upside, upside. Klinge was set to become a household name but missed his junior season. He bounced back very well this year. Already with great size, Klinge moves well. He’ll need to loosen up his hips a bit, but I think he’ll stick at tackle. His ability to regroup and root-out shorter defenders suggests he could be a guard as well. Baylor with the steal.”

Recruiting services consistently undervalue guys who break out their senior seasons, and Klinge is one of them. He’s huge, has quick feet, and plays with a mean streak. All the same things I noted with Miller with respect to scheme fit are true with Klinge.

If Klinge was able to play as a Junior, he’s likely one of the 5 or 6 highest rated guys in this class. As long as he can stay healthy, I think Baylor got a steal here. Sometimes teams can actually benefit from having more spots available late in the recruiting period, and it worked to Baylor’s benefit here.

Position: My one disagreement with the InsideTexas piece is I think Klinge stays at guard. Mostly, this is because it is where Klinge has already played and I think 2 other Baylor signees stay at OT.

Outlook: High, high upside here. Most OL end up redshirting, but expect Klinge to compete very soon in his career.

Please comment with your own opinions. I’m just a guy who enjoys doing this.