Baylor Recruiting: June and July Wrap-Up

There's been so much going on in recruiting over the last couple of months that we never got the opportunity to really sit back and take stock of where things are at the end of the day.  We can take that opportunity now and look back at the months of June and July 2015. Starting with the 2016 class...

2016 Recruiting Class

When June began, Baylor had 8 commits in a 2016 class that had picked up several stars early in Zach Smith, Kameron Martin, Patrick Hudson, and J.P. Urquidez, to name four, but that had stagnated a bit with no more commits in May.  That stagnation wouldn't last, however, as the Bears picked up 5 commits over the next six weeks:

WR: Denzel Mims | Committed: 6/7/15
WR: Jared Atkinson | Committed: 6/10/15
DT: Bravvion Roy | Committed: 6/14/15
LB: Deonte Williams | Committed: 6/23/15
CB: Rajah Preciado | Committed: 7/13/15

Mims and Atkinson came first, a few days apart, giving Baylor a pair of athletic wideouts both capable of playing other positions in college.  Both saw their rankings increase almost immediately after committing to the point that both are now included in the ESPN Top 300 and ranked as high-3*s, low-4*s in 247Sports' Composite.  Bravvion Roy gave Baylor fans what they were waiting for a few days later, becoming the Bears' first commit on the defensive line since Jordan Elliott decommitted in April, then he was joined on the defensive side of the ball by Deonte Williams, who committed to the Bears over Oklahoma and TCU, among others. Finally, relative unknown Rajah Preciado joined the squad after a brief lull, giving us five commits in the secondary so far.

Looking Forward:

Baylor has a huge recruiting weekend coming up with the start of fall camp this week and the Meet the Bears practice on Saturday morning.  There are various visitor lists floating around the paid sites that I'll link here as I come across them, but won't take unless given the information to share.  One reported visitor I can share: DT Chris Daniels. Check back for more.

2017 Recruiting Class:

This is where the real magic happened for Art Briles and the Bears over the last two months.  Baylor didn't have so much as one commit for the 2017 class going into June, and then didn't get one until 24 days into the month.  But when it rains, it pours, and Baylor would string together two Huge Wednesdays to build the core of a class that is now 7 recruits strong and ranked #3 in the country as of this writing.

QB: Kellen Mond | Committed: 6/24/15
WR: Hezekiah Jones | Committed: 6/24/15
WR: Jhamon Ausbon | Committed: 7/15/15
TE: Kedrick James | Committed: 7/15/15
S: Donovan Stiner | Committed: 7/15/15
LB: Baron Browning | Committed: 7/18/15
ATH: Jalen Pitre | Committed: 7/24/15

In a pair of Big Wednesdays that will go down in Baylor lore (posts at right), Baylor's 2017 class kicked off with the commits of a 4* QB, Kellen Mond, and 4* WR, Hezekiah Jones.  They were soon joined by another 4* WR (Jhamon Ausbon), a local 4* TE (Kedrick James), and a 3* safety (Donovan Stiner).  Perhaps the biggest commit yet, however, came somewhat unexpectedly in the form of LB Baron Browning, the #1 player at his position in the entire country for 2017.  After that, athlete Jalen Pitre, who could play corner or safety at the next level, was icing on the cake.

You can't say enough about how amazing the start to the 2017 class has been for Baylor.  In Mond, Hezekiah, and Ausbon, Baylor has three outspoken advocates (and elite players, to boot) to build around over the next 18 months.  Mond, in particular, has been extremely active in the recruiting process with his contemporaries, and it has already paid off bigtime.  He's a dynamic player and personality, as well as a huge part of what has made the #17SuperTeam so great already.

Looking Forward:

As I mentioned above, Baylor is bringing in quite a few recruits for this week's practice and Meet the Bears, and we could see some continued positive movement as the staff tries to capitalize on its momentum.  DE K'Lavon Chaisson, a Baylor legacy through his father, has already confirmed that he will visit this week, as have CB Chevin Calloway and OT Austin Deculus.  Again, there are other players rumored/reported to be visiting on the various sites, but I'm not going to steal their info.  I will say that it appears the staff is focused on bringing in the 2017 class for the practice, and the 2016 class for Meet the Bears.

All-in-all, with 12 commits total over the last two months, things have been very good for the Baylor Bears on the recruiting trail.  Stay tuned to the monthly recruiting threads (now in August if you can believe it!) for more information as it becomes available!