WedNesday, aug. 28, 2024
TEMPLE DAILY TELEGRAM
“TannerRoofingdoesveryhigh-qualitywork andisverydependable.”-OdisP.ofBelton
Recruiting process is lifeblood of UMHB program
By ERIC DRENNAN TELEGRAM SPORTS EDITOR
College football has changed in so many ways in recent years that it’s hard to keep count. Chief among them, though, are the addition of the transfer portal, rules that allow players to change schools without losing any eligibility, and athletes’ ability to receive money from name, image and likeness (NIL) deals.
One constant that will never change is the fact that it takes talent to win. And for Mary Hardin-Baylor to put together a team of talented players, its coaching staff works from January through December every year to put together all the pieces of the recruiting puzzle.
“The part of identifying players you want has been streamlined with the technology, but recruiting is still recruiting. There’s still no shortcut to building relationships,” UMHB head coach Larry Harmon said. “Recruiting is the lifeblood of your program. You’re not going to have a very good program if you’re not willing to make the sacrifice to spend a lot of time with people outside of your family, because that’s what it takes.”
The portal and NIL
Because of the transfer portal and NIL money, college football players have become — to some degree — free agents on an annual basis. As such, the rich schools get richer while all of the others scratch and claw for who’s left.
“The power conference schools, because they have all of the NIL money, have the pick of the litter of whoever they want. Then all the other schools from Division I on down are fighting for everybody else,” Harmon said. “Getting kids from the portal may or may not be a blessing, because
we still have to get them to buy into our culture. But if you’re looking for a kid with some college experience, the portal saves you time because there’s a lot of guys in there.
“I think it’s 3 percent of the people who enter the portal play the following year. It’s a very low percentage. But you can find some talent, if you can make it fit.”
When a college football player wants to enter the portal, he tells a person at his school — typically a compliance officer — and that person enters the player’s NCAA identification number into the portal, along with his status at the school.
It’s as simple as that.
“So as a coach, you can pull up the portal and tell it you want to see, for example, anybody from the state of Texas who plays running back and graduated from high school anywhere from 2021 until now,” Harmon explained. “It really is easy to use.”
In addition to the portal, there is another technological advance that has helped coaches on the recruiting trail. A growing number of schools — including UMHB — now pay for some form of recruiting software service that keeps coaches up to date on the athletes they are recruiting.
“When we find a kid we want and mark that kid in the software, we’ll get a notification any time anything happens with that kid. If another school talks to that kid, we’ll get a notification,” Harmon said. “That software tracks all forms of social media and news outlets to find that information for you, and then we can contact that kid again. It makes your time more efficient.”
Regardless of how much time and effort coaches spend trying to convince an athlete to join their program, it often comes
down to money.
“College football has changed,” Harmon said. “When we went to the national championship game for the first time in 2004, I think PJ Williams was the only guy we had that we hadn’t groomed since he was a freshman. That’s just not common any more.
“Now, it’s all about playing immediately. Kids think, ‘Where can I go so I can get the stats immediately to get a school with more NIL money to look at me?’”
High school recruits
Unlike the portal, which requires just a few strokes on a keyboard to discover what transfers are available, identifying high school players is a more lengthy task.
That’s where UMHB’s bond with high school coaches becomes crucial.
“Most of the high school kids we recruit, we know about them the spring of either their sophomore or junior year,” Harmon said. “A coach we have a relationship with will say, ‘Hey, here’s somebody who I think is really good and who doesn’t have the physical measurable for Division I. Y’all need to be all over him.’
That’s usually the first way we hear about a kid. Then in the spring, we’re constantly going out and watching practices and getting game film of kids.”
Once armed with the recommendation of a coach and some videos of an athlete’s games, it’s time for the coaching staff to decide if that player is worthy of pursuing.
“We have an understanding of what kind of guy we’re looking for at every single position and don’t waste a lot of time with people who aren’t in those parameters,” Harmon said. “So when you first watch film of a kid, you’re looking at
overall athleticism, technique at his position, all of it. What you really want to see is how he reacts to adversity. You want to see a game where things aren’t going right and see how he responds.”
Once the decision is made to recruit a player, the work is far from over. Athletes, like all humans, prefer to be around people with whom they feel comfortable and share like-minded goals and philosophies about how to reach those goals.
“Once you find somebody you want, it’s all about building a relationship,” Harmon said. “Once you find one, you don’t want to get in too big of a rush to leave and find another one. Make sure you get to know that kid, meet his parents, aunts and uncles or whoever is really important to him.”
From there, it’s all about selling the program and making sure the athlete and school are right for each other.
“You have to have a vision of what your program is about and what you can offer that will add value to that person’s life,” Harmon said. “You have to have a keen ear to know what somebody’s wanting or needing. You have to be honest. You have to make sure that the kid is the right fit for your program, and that your school is the right fit for that kid.
“The worst thing that can happen to us in recruiting isn’t not getting a certain talented athlete. The worst thing is recruiting somebody to your school, they have a horrible experience and they go back and tell their high school coach. I don’t know if it’s that way everywhere. But at Mary Hardin-Baylor, we rely so much on that relationship with coaches. We want them to know that when one of their kids comes here, he’s going to be taken care of.”
n edrennan@tdtnews.com
UMHB restocked with talent in bounce-back bid
By ERIC DRENNAN TELEGRAM SPORTS EDITOR
BELTON — Many Augusts have come and gone since the last time the preseason talk surrounding Mary Hardin-Baylor didn’t include the previous year’s national championship victory or postseason defeat following a lengthy playoff run. That’s just fine with the Crusaders, who believe that if they take care of themselves, then proof that last year’s 6-4 campaign and playoff absence was just a stumble and not a fall from the ranks of the NCAA Division III elite will take care of itself.
“I don’t think this team really cares about outside talk right now. That’s different because in years past, everybody wanted to know who the preseason All-Americans were and what we were ranked,” thirdyear UMHB head coach Larry Harmon said. “These guys are trying to prove to each other that they deserve to be here. They want their teammates to know they deserve to be here more than they care about what people outside of this building think of them.”
Last season marked the first time since 2003 that the Crusaders didn’t qualify for the playoffs. The span in between included three appearances in the Stagg Bowl (two others were vacated because of NCAA infractions), two championships and eight trips to the national semifinals — including Harmon’s first season in charge in 2022.
That pedigree made last year’s results all the more stunning.
“I feel like last year, we stepped off the pedal a little bit, thinking everything was going to be given to us,” senior receiver Jerry Day Jr. said. “Nothing’s given. You have to earn everything. We have to keep this dynasty going.
“There’s a lot more competition at every position this year, and it’s fun. You have to go out there and compete. That’s what this program is all about.”
The offense
The Crusaders’ offensive production dipped from 460.7 yards and 41.3 points per game in 2022 to 353.5 yards and 31.3 points last season in part because of inexperienced starters along the offensive line and injuries at quarterback that forced Isaac Phe to go from the third string in the season opener to the starting role for the final nine games.
Ray Swindle/Special to the Telegram
Sophomore receiver TJ Rone and the Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders believe they have the talent to make another postseason run after last year’s disappointment.
“We wanted to find some weapons on offense. I think we did that with some running backs and at the wide receiver position and the quarterback position,”
Harmon said. “Also, all 10 offensive linemen on our current two-deep roster played significantly for us last year, so they’re not as inexperienced any more.
“One benefit of last year is we played 31 freshmen, and they got a lot of experience. They’re better now than they were last year.”
Phe is back for his junior season after throwing for 1,738 yards and 20 touchdowns with five interceptions a year ago, and he has competition for the starting job — most notably from a pair of newcomers.
Kade Renfro is a graduate transfer who had previous stops at Mississippi and Arkansas, and Jake Wright is a sophomore transfer from Division II Pittsburgh State.
The top transfers are juniors Kamerin Ferguson (Southwest Baptist) and Asa Osbourn (Navarro).
“I like what we have there,” Harmon said. “All of those guys really want to prove something.”
Along the line, Elijah Mankins left in the offseason to join American Southwest Conference foe East Texas Baptist, so senior Zachary Wilkinson and junior Joseph Montez are pushing to fill the vacancy at center.
Seniors John Schnautz and Jarryd Doucet and sophomore Eric Teutsch are back to compete for time at guard along with newcomers in sophomore Setu Toala and freshman Andrew Sanders. Senior Kyle Wente and junior Carson Gaido headline the group of tackles.
“We’re more athletic up front,” Harmon said. “These guys can move and get to the second level.”
Christopher Gacayan is the top tight end, but fellow sophomores Hayden Tanner and Mason Peacock and junior Tyler Woods could also see playing time.
The list of talented receivers is long and includes Day (38 catches, 484 yards last season), senior Jerry Cephus (20, 281), junior Vontez Martin and sophomores TJ Rone (25, 327), AJ Williams and Jerin Brown.
Edwin Lopez will handle the kicking duties.
Add in sophomore Brayden Whitehead, who was elevated to the third string late last year, and it’s anybody’s guess as to who will be behind center for the season opener Sept. 7 in Tennessee against Bethel.
“Jake was here all spring, so he and Isaac have a better grasp of everything,” Harmon said. “Obviously, Kade has a lot of upside. He can do a lot of things. It’s just about how fast he can learn everything. That’s why we won’t say who the starter is until the week of the first game.”
The five leading ground gainers from last season are gone, so UMHB restocked at running back, and there are four top candidates to get carries.
Junior Cameron Bibins, who was recruited as a running back, has returned to the backfield after playing on the defensive side his first two seasons, and the same goes for sophomore Trent White.
“The coaches did a great job recruiting,” Day said. “We’ve got a lot of great guys. Now, we’re just getting them to be Crusaders.”
The defense
After two seasons spent trying to find the right mix of players in the trenches on the defensive side of the ball, the Crusaders appear to have a front four to match their talented corps of linebackers.
“We have some guys who’ll get after you,” Harmon said. “We have some tremendous speed on the edges and tremendous strength on the inside.”
Among those leading the way up front will be senior Trey Belyeu-Witcher, junior Daniel Keith and sophomore Aidan Ross at end, and seniors Mason Cavness and PJ Johnson, junior Te’Ron Brown and sophomore Dillan Botts at the tackle spots.
They’ll team with the senior linebacker tandem of two-time All-ASC first-team selection Durand Hill and Johnny SmithRider, and either Zha’Mauryon Lofton or
Texas believes it’s ready to battle for SEC title
By JIM VERTUNO ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — The new conference logo is on the field. The campus party over the summer was a hit. New chants of “S-E-C, S-E-C!” are perfected, and a historic rival is back on the schedule.
Now it’s time for No. 4 Texas to play some ball.
The Longhorns are officially members of the Southeastern Conference and roll into new territory with the swagger of the new guy at school who thinks he’s got the talent to be the big man on campus from the start.
Texas won the Big 12 last season, played in its first College Football Playoff and returns a load of talent from a 12-2 squad that finished the year ranked No. 3.
In its fourth year under head coach Steve Sarkisian, Texas isn’t just dreaming about winning after last year’s near miss at playing for the national championship. It starts with an offense that could prove to be as explosive as any unit Sarkisian has had, with quarterback Quinn Ewers, a veteran offensive line and a receiving corps rebuilt with talented transfers.
“They got a taste of what it can taste like, of being a Big 12 champion, playing in a College Football Playoff, and we fell short,” Sarkisian said. “They couldn’t wait to get back to work. They couldn’t wait to get back in the weight room.
“When I took the job, I don’t know if I could have said that. It was almost like kind of prodding cattle to make sure what they were doing day in and day out to get them to that point. Now we’ve got a team full of hungry players.”
Quarterback experience
Ewers took a big step in 2023 with
Texas
Longhorns
Colors: Burnt orange and white
Enrollment: 53,082
Coach: Steve Sarkisian, fourth season at Texas (25-14), 11th overall (71-49)
2023 record: 12-2 (8-1, Big 12)
Last bowl: 2023 CFP semifinal, lost to Washington 37-31
Key returners: QB Quinn Ewers, OL Kelvin Banks, WR Johntay Cook II, DB Jahdae Barron, LB Anthony Hill, FS Derek Williams
Key additions: DL Bill Norton, DL Colin Simmons, DB Andrew Mukuba, WR Ryan Wingo, DB Jordan Johnson-Rubell, DE
Trey Moore, WR Matthew Golden, CB Jay’Vion Cole
3,479 yards passing and 22 touchdowns and chose to return for his junior season rather than head for the NFL.
Sarkisian believes Ewers could prove to be one of the college game’s elite passers this season, though he has had durability issues. Ewers missed at least two games each of the last two seasons with injuries.
Waiting behind him is Arch Manning, the former five-star recruit who might be the most anticipated backup QB at Texas
Please see TEXAS, Page 6
Associated Press
Johntay Cook II (2) is one of only a few returning receivers for Texas, which expects to compete for the conference title in its first season in the SEC.
Elko looks to get Texas A&M back on right track
By KRISTIE RIEKEN ASSOCIATED PRESS
COLLEGE STATION — Mike Elko turned around Duke’s program in his first head coaching job.
He embarks on a much greater challenge at No. 20 Texas A&M, where he will try to take the Aggies to the next level after replacing the underperforming Jimbo Fisher.
Elko spent four years as defensive coordinator with the Aggies before taking the Duke job after the 2021 season. He
Texas A&M Aggies
Colors: Maroon and White
Enrollment: 77,491
Coach: Mike Elko, first season at Texas A&M, third overall (16-9)
2023 record: 7-6 (4-4, SEC)
Last bowl: 2023 Texas Bowl, lost to Oklahoma State 31-23
Key returners: LB Taurean York (Temple), QB Connor Weigman, WR Moose Muhammad, WR Noah Thomas, OL Trey Zuhn, DB Bryce Anderson, DE Shemar Stewart
Key additions: DB Terry Bussey, DE Nic Scourton, DL Dealyn Evans, TE Garrett Miller, WR Cyrus Allen, CB Dezz Ricks, DE Cashius Howell
led the Blue Devils to a 16-9 record in two seasons after the team totaled just 10 wins over the previous three years.
The Aggies are coming off a disappointing 7-6 campaign in which Fisher was fired near the end of his sixth season. His departure led to a major turnover in the roster. Elko said that almost half the team left after last season, and the Aggies have 41 new scholarship players this season.
Despite that, Elko is encouraged by what he has seen from the Aggies since his arrival.
“It’s been awesome to watch them intentionally go out of their way to come together and bond and be ready to put together a tremendous product for Aggie fans to be proud of this fall,” he said. “Make no mistake, there’s a lot of work still to be done to become the best version of ourselves but we’re meeting that challenge head on. I’m excited about our progress.”
One of Texas A&M’s returning players is quarterback Conner Weigman, who is healthy after a season-ending foot injury in the fourth game last season.
“This year I wanted to be a better leader, be the voice on the offensive side and just step up and be that guy in the locker room,” he said. “I feel like I’ve done a pretty good job of that.”
Better pass rush
Texas A&M’s pass rush got a big boost with the addition of defensive end Nic Scourton, who spent the last two seasons at Purdue. Scourton, who was named a second-team preseason All-American, led the Big Ten and ranked eighth in the nation with 10 sacks in 2023.
Scourton went to high school just 5 miles from Kyle Field but was not recruited by the Aggies before signing with Purdue. He is thrilled to be back home.
“No hard feelings at all,” he said. “I
Texas A&M linebacker and former Temple star Taurean York (21) ranked second for the Aggies with 74 tackles as a true freshman last season.
think that just pushes me to go harder. It just makes me want to go out there and prove it more.”
Owens out
The Aggies will be without Rueben Owens this season after the running back suffered a serious foot injury during a recent scrimmage. Elko said he could return if the Aggies advance to the postseason.
Owens had 101 carries for 385 yards in 13 games last season. Without him, the Aggies will look to Amari Daniels and Le’Veon Moss to carry the running game.
Daniels led the team last season with 532 yards rushing and six touchdowns, and Moss added 484 yards.
The schedule
Texas A&M will be tested early with a visit Saturday from seventh-ranked Notre Dame. No. 11 Missouri (Oct. 5) and No. 13 LSU (Oct. 26) both visit College Station. The most highly anticipated game of the season is the return of the rivalry with Southeastern Conference newcomer Texas when the fourth-ranked Longhorns visit Nov. 30.
Continued from Page 5
since Vince Young in 2003. Transfer time Texas landed a load of transfer talent, with a pair of pass catchers from Alabama in receiver Isaiah Bond and tight end Amari Niblack. Edge rusher Trey Moore (UTSA) and safety Andrew Mukuba (Clemson) were big gets as well. Bond carries the load of the biggest ex-
pectations. Texas lost its top five receivers from 2023, and Bond led the Crimson Tide with 48 catches for 668 yards and four touchdowns.
Injury watch
The Longhorns are already shorthanded at running back. Projected starter C.J. Baxter was lost for the season with a knee injury in camp. A week later, freshman Christian Clark tore an Achilles tendon in practice.
Next up is fast but seldom-used junior Jaydon Blue, who has 80 carries for 431
yards and three touchdowns in 23 career games. Blue is a former high school sprinter who once clocked a 10.7-second 100 meters.
Hill to climb
Sophomore linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. looks primed for a breakout year for a defense that lost last year’s dominant line duo of T’Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy to the NFL. Hill ranked second on the team in tackles last season when he played on the edge and was turned loose to chase the ball.
Hill will move to the middle this season, which defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski called his natural position.
The schedule Texas opens the season Saturday at home against Colorado State. The next week, it’s a trip to face defending national champion Michigan. The annual rivalry with Oklahoma on Oct. 12 is now an SEC game, and Texas hosts preseason No. 1 Georgia on Oct. 19. The bow on the regular season is Nov. 30 at Texas A&M, the renewal of a rivalry that dates to 1894.
Associated Press
Houston reloads with transfers, new head coach
By KRISTIE RIEKEN ASSOCIATED PRESS
HOUSTON — Willie Fritz has won at every stop in a coaching career spanning more than three decades.
Now at Houston, the 64-year-old Fritz faces his biggest challenge yet in his first job in a power conference. Outside expectations are low for the Cougars, who enter their second season in the Big 12 and were picked to finish 15th out of 16 teams in a preseason media poll.
Fritz, who won 23 games over the last two seasons at Tulane, isn’t worried about what anyone outside of the program thinks about his new team.
“Well, we’ve got high expectations. We want to win every one of these ballgames that we play this season,” he said.
That would be a tall task for any team, much less one that lost scores of players to the transfer portal after coach Dana Holgorsen was fired. The Cougars went 4-8 overall and 2-7 in league play in his fifth year at the school.
Fritz replenished his roster with a bevy of Texas-born players, taking advantage of the depth of the state’s talent pool. He was thrilled to have easy access to recruiting in Texas in his return to the state after spending two years at Georgia Southern and the last eight at Tulane, where he won the second-most games in the school’s 130-season history
Fritz began his head coaching career in Texas at Blinn College and was the coach at Sam Houston State from 2010-13.
“We’re at the epicenter of football in the world — Houston, Texas,” he said. “I love the fact I didn’t have to get on a plane to go recruit. I just stayed in my car the whole time when I went out recruiting, and there’s plenty of great players throughout the state of Texas.”
Experienced QB
While many of Houston’s starters from last season transferred, the Cougars do return veteran quarterback Donovan Smith.
Smith threw for a career-high 2,801 yards with 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions last year in his first season in Houston after spending two years at Texas Tech. He added 428 yards rushing with six scores.
He missed spring practice after surgery to repair a torn labrum but is healthy now
Houston
Cougars
Colors: Red and white
Enrollment: 46,676
Coach: Willie Fritz, first season at Houston, 28th overall (208-116)
2023 record: 4-8 (2-7, Big 12)
Last bowl: 2022 Independence Bowl, beat Louisiana-Lafayette 23-16
Key returners: WR Joseph Manjack, QB
Donovan Smith, RB Parker Jenkins, OL
Tank Jenkins, FS A.J. Haulcy, DL AJ Holmes, LB Jamal Morris
Key additions: LB Marice Williams II, DL Keith Cooper, TE Maliq Carr, DL Zion Taylor, WR Mekhi Mews, TE Jayden York, DB Bryan Massey, LB Michael Batton, DB Hershey McLaurin
and ready to build on last season. Fritz raved about the leadership and skills of the 6-foot-5, 235-pound Smith.
“He’s a true dual-threat quarterback, which usually you hear that and they do one or the other much better,” Fritz said. “He does an excellent job throwing the ball and his football IQ is just off the charts.”
Smith will throw to a mostly new group of receivers after his top targets from last season transferred. Samuel Brown, who led the team with 815 yards receiving last year, left for Miami. Matthew Golden, who had 404 yards, is now at Texas.
Joseph Manjack, whose 577 yards ranked second on the team, remains to lead the group.
The schedule
The Cougars open the season Saturday at home against UNLV before a big test with a trip to No. 16 Oklahoma on Sept. 7. A brutal stretch of four straight games against ranked opponents begins Oct. 19 at No. 22 Kansas. Houston hosts No. 12 Utah on Oct. 26 and No. 18 Kansas State on Nov. 2. An open date comes next before a trip Nov. 15 to face No. 21 Arizona.
After most of Houston’s receivers transferred following last season, Joseph Manjack (0) will be tasked with building on last year’s 577-yard season.
Associated Press
Texas Tech aims to continue upward trajectory
LUBBOCK (AP) — Behren Morton enters the season as Texas Tech’s starting quarterback for the first time, while head coach Joey McGuire once again hopes an injury doesn’t force a long-term need for the backup.
It’s been seven years since the Red Raiders made it through their schedule unscathed at the most important position.
Morton was among the injured last year as Tyler Shough’s replacement, playing through a shoulder issue that led the coaching staff to shut him down early in spring practice while declaring him the starter.
That was April. Now, Morton is most of the way through fall camp in preparation for the opener Saturday at home against Abilene Christian.
“This is my favorite camp by far,” Morton said. “Being the guy and having full control of the offense has been great. The shoulder’s 100 percent. I’m not missing a rep. Feel really good.”
Shough never played more than seven games in any of the three seasons he entered as the starter for the Red Raiders. The former Oregon QB transferred to Louisville and is the projected starter there.
Alan Bowman missed multiple weeks each of the three years before Shough, which means Texas Tech goes all the way back to Nic Shimonek in 2017 for the last time the same QB played all 12 regularseason games.
McGuire has named West Georgia transfer Cameran Brown the backup and hinted the Red Raiders might find ways to use the dual-threat QB regardless of Morton’s health.
Stud recruit
Receiver Micah Hudson — a star at Lake Belton the last three seasons — is a 6-foot freshman with a lot of hype who’s expected to play right away.
“The ceiling for him, there’s not one,” Morton said. “I’m trying to help him the best I can. It’s a complex offense. Every day is a new 60-play playbook.”
McGuire has noticed the prodding and lack of coddling.
“Behren has been extremely demanding with Micah,” McGuire said. “It’s fun to watch the interaction in practice. Talking about maturity level, most freshmen could not handle the starting quarterback in their face, saying, ‘This is what was
Texas Tech
Red Raiders
Colors: Scarlet and black
Enrollment: 40,127
Coach: Joey McGuire, third season at Texas Tech (15-11) and overall 2023 record: 7-6 (5-4, Big 12)
Last bowl: 2023 Independence Bowl, beat California 34-14
Key returners: RB Tahj Brooks, QB Behren Morton, C Caleb Rogers, TE Mason Tharp, LB Ben Roberts, DL Quincy Ledet, DL E’Maurion Banks
Key additions: WR Mikal Harrison-Pilot (Temple), WR Micah Hudson (Lake Belton), DB Malik Esquerra (Killeen Shoemaker), QB Will Hammond, DB Peyton Morgan, WR Josh Kelly
called. This is what we have,’ and respond the way he does.”
Texas Tech also added former Temple High standout Mikal Harrison-Pilot, who transferred from Houston, to its receiver corps.
Don’t forget the run game
Tahj Brooks decided to return for a final season after rushing for 1,538 yards in 2023. He is 1,167 yards shy of Byron Hanspard’s school career record of 4,219 yards from 1994-96.
While Brooks downplayed the role of money from endorsements and name, image and likeness as the reason for a return, he acknowledged that NFL feedback had him going anywhere from the fifth round of the draft to not getting drafted at all.
“I feel like I can come back and be a better Tahj Brooks than I was last year,” Brooks said. “I can put more film on tape, and we can go win games and hopefully win a Big 12 championship.”
Conference shuffling
The Red Raiders aren’t in a conference with rival Texas for the first time
Please see TECH, Page 11
Texas Tech Athletics
Former Lake Belton standout Micah Hudson is the highest-ranked recruit ever signed by Texas Tech. The receiver will be expected to contribute as a freshman.
Aranda needs Baylor to have a winning season
By STEPHEN HAWKINS ASSOCIATED PRESS
WACO — Dave Aranda has now fully embraced the transfer portal and paying players in the NIL era. On the field, and on the hot seat after consecutive losing seasons, he is also getting back to what he was doing before he became Baylor’s head coach.
Aranda will take over as the primary defensive play-caller for the Bears, like he was for LSU’s national championship
Baylor Bears
Colors: Green and gold
Enrollment: 20,824
Coach: Dave Aranda, fifth season at Baylor (23-25) and overall 2023 record: 3-9 (2-7, Big 12)
Last bowl: 2022 Armed Forces Bowl, lost to Air Force 30-15
Key returners: WR Monaray Baldwin (Killeen Shoemaker), RB Dominic Richardson, QB Sawyer Robertson, CB Caden Jenkins, LB Matt Jones, DL Cooper Lanz Key additions: QB Dequan Finn, OL Colton Thomasson, S Kendrick Simpkins, WR Jadon Porter, RB Joseph Dodds, DL Tonga Lolohea, S Joshua Lair, WR Ashtyn Hawkins
five seasons ago before becoming a head coach for the first time.
“I think the biggest change is just being involved with football. With myself, I just think I am at my best when I am all the way through a technique or all the way about a scheme, all the way to the depths of it,” said Aranda, who is 23-25 at Baylor. “And then when I come back up, I can speak really strongly about it and I can own it. And then if it don’t look right, I can get mad at it and get it so it’s right. That’s a big change.”
The Bears set a school record with 12 wins in 2021, when they were Big 12 champions and won the Sugar Bowl in Aranda’s second season. They have gone 9-16 since, including a five-game losing streak to end last season when their 33 points a game allowed were the most in the Big 12 and 10 points a game more than they scored.
New on offense
The Bears also have a new play-caller on offense with new coordinator Jake Spavital, the Cal OC last year and former Texas State head coach who has installed a much more up-tempo scheme. Among his expected playmakers are two transfers, dual-threat quarterback Dequan Finn and Texas State career receiving leader Ashtyn Hawkins, whose first two seasons there were with Spavital.
Finn, a three-year starter at Toledo, threw for 2,657 yards with 22 touchdowns and ran for 563 yards and seven scores last year. Along with returning top receivers Monaray Baldwin — a Killeen Shoemaker product — Ketron Jackson and Hal Presley, who missed the last half of 2023 because of an injury, the Bears added Nevada speedster Jamaal Ball and Hawkins.
Up front
The offensive line added four Division I transfers after the Bears ranked 13th in the Big 12 with only 114.8 yards rushing per game and 13 TDs on the ground. They allowed a league-high 34 sacks.
“We had a bunch of young guys playing (last season) because I failed to hit the portal the previous year,” Aranda said. Jones keeps going
Matt Jones led the Bears with 82 tackles and 11½ for losses last season, his fifth in Waco. The 6-foot-4, 246-pound linebacker decided to come back instead of transferring or maybe making himself available for the NFL draft, af-
ter Aranda became more involved with the defense.
The schedule Baylor opens at home Saturday against FCS member Tarleton State then goes to Big 12 newcomer and 12th-ranked Utah the next week for a game that won’t count in the conference standings because it was part of a home-and-home series scheduled nearly a decade ago. The Utes won in Waco last September. The Bears were 1-7 at home last year, losing all five Big 12 home games. They have four conference home games this year, including No. 17 Oklahoma State and No. 22 Kansas.
Continued from Page 4
fellow sophomore Gavin Brzezinski at the Crusaders’ linebacker/safety hybrid position to form a dangerous front seven.
“Our front seven is going to be pretty tough,” Harmon said. “In ’16 and ’17, we felt like if we could make the quarterback hold the ball for four seconds, somebody was going to get to him. We have the
same feeling right now.”
The biggest position battles on defense are in the secondary, where sophomore Da’marion Morris and junior Ethan Rayfield are competing at free safety, senior Trystin Brown and senior Lamar transfer Joey Johnson are vying for the other safety spot, and junior Southwest Baptist transfer Samuel Steffe is among a large group battling to get on the field as cornerbacks.
“We’ve added a lot of new pieces, and our leadership has stepped up a lot since
last year,” Hill said. “We’re more playerled. Guys are holding guys accountable to a higher standard.”
The schedule
The non-conference slate is comprised of the opener at NAIA member Bethel, a trip to perennial DIII power Wisconsin-Whitewater and home games against Westgate Christian and John Melvin — both members of the non-affiliated New South Athletic Conference.
After a mass exodus left the ASC with only four football programs, the league
schedule is now a double round-robin format. UMHB will face conference foes Hardin-Simmons, Howard Payne and ETBU twice each — once at home and once on the road.
“Whatever you do in the first conference game against somebody, you’d better be way different the second game or you’re in trouble,” Harmon said. “It’s definitely not ideal. Our plan is just to win them all and not get stuck in a tiebreaker situation.”
n edrennan@tdtnews.com
Associated Press
Baylor head coach Dave Aranda is on the hot seat after posting a 23-25 record in his first five years. This season, he’ll also be the defensive play-caller.
TCU doesn’t want a repeat of 2023 campaign
By STEPHEN HAWKINS ASSOCIATED PRESS
FORT WORTH — TCU safety Abe Camara and the Horned Frogs certainly don’t want a repeat of last season, when they just never seemed to get over a hangover.
After an undefeated 2022 regular season and appearance in the national championship game, the Horned Frogs lost their much-hyped opener last year at home to Colorado. They dropped five of six Big 12 games during one stretch on the way to a 5-7 record and didn’t get in a bowl game.
“I think compared to (2022), we kind of got caught up last year with all the lights and stuff and the pressure of it all,” Camara said. “Everybody wanted us to repeat and go back again. We wanted it. The whole TCU community wanted it. But I think we just got caught up in that aspect of it, and then we lost sight of it.”
Camara said the Frogs took a lot of steps
Please see TCU, Page 11
TCU
Horned Frogs
Colors: Purple and white
Enrollment: 12,785
Coach: Sonny Dykes, third season at TCU (18-9), 14th overall (89-72)
2023 record: 5-7 (3-6, Big 12)
Last bowl: 2022 CFP championship, lost to Georgia 65-7
Key returners: QB Josh Hoover, WR Savion Williams, WR Dylan Wright, RB Sam Cook, DL Caleb Fox, LB Johnny Hodges
Key additions: QB Hauss Hejny, OL Bless Harris, WR Gekyle Baker
GET INSP IR ED
Associated Press
Josh Hoover took over as TCU’s starting quarterback for the final six games as a redshirt freshman last season, averaging 339 yards passing per game.
Tech
Continued from Page 8
since 1960 because the Longhorns and Oklahoma moved to the Southeastern Conference.
All but two of Tech’s losses in two seasons under McGuire came before November, which the head coach figures has to change with the Red Raiders believing they can win the Big 12 as Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Colorado join to make it a 16-team league.
“That’s the question we’ve been searching throughout this offseason because we played well at home and we played well late,” McGuire said. “To get to a fast start, the great thing is we’ve got five of our first seven games in Lubbock, Texas, and everybody knows it is a really tough place to play.”
The schedule
The Red Raiders are 3-8 on the road under McGuire, which means visits to No. 21 Arizona, TCU and Iowa State in a four-game stretch starting in early October could go a long way toward determining Texas Tech’s title hopes.
TCU
Continued from Page 10
this offseason to refocus and limit distractions. Third-year coach Sonny Dykes believes they are in a good place.
“Certainly didn’t get the carryover from the national championship run in ’22 to ’23 that we wanted to,” Dykes said. “You’re going to look around and see some teams that are really good one year and maybe struggle a little bit the next. That was certainly us last year, and now we’re ready to get back to playing TCU football.”
Defensive scheme
TCU is going away from its primary three-man defensive front with high-energy new coordinator Andy Avalos, the fired Boise State head coach who installed a 4-2-5 scheme filled with standout players in the middle.
Linebacker Johnny Hodges was the Frogs’ leading tackler in 2022 and is healthy after a lingering hand injury kept him out much of last season, when safety-turned-linebacker Namdi Obiazor had a team-high 84 tackles. TCU
also added linebacker Kaleb ElarmsOrr, who last year led California with 92 tackles.
“We’ve got a bunch of dudes that can play, that can absolutely fly,” Hodges said.
Taking the snaps
Josh Hoover took over as the Horned Frogs’ starting quarterback the final six games as a redshirt freshman last year, averaging 339 yards passing per game and throwing 13 touchdowns in that span.
“He has guts. We love him,” receiver JP Richardson said. “When he speaks up, it’s out of emotions, out of passion. He’s a guy that everybody can rally to, and that’s really important to have as a quarterback.”
Chandler Morris was the starting QB each of TCU’s last two openers before getting hurt both times but transferred to North Texas with two seasons of remaining eligibility. Ken Seals, who is from nearby Azle, transferred to TCU after 22 starts at Vanderbilt.
Receiving targets
The Frogs return top receivers Richardson (46 catches, 536 yards, three touchdowns) and Savion Williams (41-
473-4). LSU transfer Jack Bech, who led the Tigers with 43 receptions as a true freshman in 2021, was a standout in the spring after being hampered by injuries in his TCU debut last year.
Coming home
NaNa Osafo-Mensah went to a lot of TCU games growing up in Fort Worth. The defensive lineman is home to finish his college career after 37 games the past three seasons at Notre Dame, where he had been since 2019.
“TCU has always been just the hometown school for me and the school that really got me to get a vision for college football, start that dream really,” OsafoMensah said. “It’s always been a core part of myself.”
The schedule
The Horned Frogs open the season Friday at Stanford and face another Atlantic Coast Conference newcomer when they visit Dallas-Fort Worth rival SMU on Sept. 21. They play four Big 12 teams in the preseason top 25 poll, in their first two conference road games (at No. 22 Kansas and No. 12 Utah) and their last two home games (No. 17 Oklahoma State and No. 21 Arizona).
Texas FBS Schedules
Aug.
Sept. 21 at Cincinnati Sept. 28 Iowa State
Oct. 4 at TCU Oct. 19 at Kansas Oct. 26 Utah
Nov. 2 Kansas State
Nov. 15 at Arizona
Nov. 23 Baylor
Sept. 7 Stephen F. Austin
Sept. 14 at Texas Tech
Sept. 21 Wyoming
Sept. 28 Tulsa
Oct. 12 at Florida Atlantic
Oct. 19 at Memphis
Oct. 26 Tulane
Nov. 9 Army
Nov. 15 at UTSA
Nov. 23 East Carolina
Nov. 30 at Temple
Aug. 31 Sam Houston State
Sept. 7 Texas Southern
Sept. 14 at Houston
Sept. 21 at Army
Sept. 28 Charlotte
Oct. 12 UTSA
Oct. 19 at Tulane
Oct. 26 at Connecticut
Nov. 2 Navy
Nov. 8 at Memphis
Nov. 23 at Alabama-Birmingham
Nov. 30 South Florida
SMU
Aug. 24 at Nevada Aug. 31 Houston Christian
Sept. 6 BYU
Sept. 21 TCU
Sept. 28 Florida State
Oct. 5 at Louisville
Oct. 19 at Stanford
Oct. 26 at Duke
Nov. 2 Pittsburgh
Nov. 16 Boston College
Nov. 23 at Virginia
Nov. 30 California
TCU
Aug. 30 at Stanford
Sept. 7 Long Island
Sept. 14 Central Florida
Sept. 21 at SMU
Sept. 28 at Kansas
Oct. 4
Houston
Oct. 19 at Utah
Oct. 26 Texas Tech
Nov. 2 at Baylor
Nov. 9 Oklahoma State
Nov. 23 Arizona
Nov. 30 at Cincinnati
Texas
Aug. 31 Colorado State
Sept. 7 at Michigan
Sept. 14 UTSA
Sept. 21 Louisiana-Monroe
Sept. 28 Mississippi State
Oct. 12 vs. Oklahoma
Oct. 19 Georgia
Oct. 26 at Vanderbilt
Nov. 9 Florida
Nov. 16 at Arkansas
Nov. 23 Kentucky
Nov. 30 at Texas A&M
Texas A&M
Aug. 31 Notre Dame
Sept. 7 McNeese State
Sept. 14 at Florida
Sept. 21 Bowling Green
Sept. 28 vs. Arkansas
Oct. 5 Missouri
Oct. 19 at Mississippi State
Oct. 26 LSU
Nov. 2 at South Carolina
Nov. 16 New Mexico State
Nov. 23 at Auburn
Nov. 30 Texas
Texas State
Aug. 31 Lamar
Sept. 7 UTSA
Sept. 12 Arizona State
Sept. 28 vs. Sam Houston State
Oct. 3 at Troy
Oct. 12 Arkansas State
Oct. 19 at Old Dominion
Oct. 29 Louisiana-Lafayette
Nov. 9 at Louisiana-Monroe
Nov. 16 Southern Mississippi
Nov. 23 Georgia State
Nov. 29 at South Alabama
Texas Tech
Aug. 31 Abilene Christian
Sept. 7 at Washington State
Sept. 14 North Texas
Sept. 21 Arizona State
Sept. 28 Cincinnati
Oct. 5 at Arizona
Oct. 19 Baylor
Oct. 26 at TCU
Nov. 2 at Iowa State
Nov. 9 Colorado
Nov. 23 at Oklahoma State
Nov. 30 West Virginia
UTEP
Aug. 31 at Nebraska
Sept. 7 Southern Utah
Sept. 14 at Liberty
Sept. 21 at Colorado State
Oct. 3 Sam Houston State
Oct. 10 at Western Kentucky
Oct. 16 Florida International
Oct. 22 at Louisiana Tech
Nov. 2 Middle Tennessee
Nov. 9 Kennesaw State
Nov. 23 at Tennessee
Nov. 30 at New Mexico State
UTSA
Aug. 31 Kennesaw State
Sept. 7 at Texas State
Sept. 14 at Texas
Sept. 21 Houston Christian
Sept. 28 at East Carolina
Oct. 12 at Rice
Oct. 19 Florida Atlantic
Oct. 26 at Tulsa
Nov. 2 Memphis
Nov. 15 North Texas
Nov. 22 Temple
Nov. 30 at Army
Texans’ Stroud enjoys learning from other QBs
By KRISTIE RIEKEN ASSOCIATED PRESS
HOUSTON — Houston’s C.J. Stroud was excited to talk to Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford last week.
But the Texans’ second-year signal-caller tried to play it cool after Houston and the Rams practiced together. He walked over to where the Los Angeles quarterbacks stood and greeted the other ones before approaching Stafford.
“I have been a fan of Matthew Stafford for a long time,” he said. “But I wasn’t trying to be a fan boy.”
Stroud also wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to pick the brain of Stafford, who is entering his 16th NFL season.
“I asked him a lot of questions,” Stroud said. “I tried to just learn. He was really honest with me and wasn’t mean, which I appreciate. I am definitely a huge fan of his. He’s definitely one of my favorite quarterbacks of all time. I feel like sharing a field with him was dope.”
For Stafford, it’s humbling to have young quarterbacks such as Stroud and
Chicago’s Caleb Williams look up to him. He remembers admiring Brett Favre and Peyton Manning when he was just starting out in the league and the thrill he got from meeting them.
“I’ll never forget playing Brett when he was in Minnesota and I was in Detroit, and he came up to me and was like: ‘Hey man, I’m a big fan,’” Stafford said. “I’m like, ‘You can’t say that to me, right? I’m the fan of you. I’ve been watching you play for forever.’ So, it is cool.”
Stafford, who is entering his fourth year with the Rams, believes it’s important for quarterbacks to support one another.
“This position is hard,” he said. “It’s humbling. It’s difficult. There are ups and there are downs. Guys that play this position for a long time know you have to stick together and pull for each other, so I’m pulling for those guys.”
Although Stroud has played just one season, Stafford said he’s already become a fan of last year’s AP offensive rookie of the year. Stroud, the second pick in the 2023 draft, threw for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns last season, leading the Tex-
ans to the AFC South title and a wild-card win over Cleveland.
Stafford was particularly impressed with a 34-yard touchdown pass Stroud threw to Tank Dell in Houston’s second preseason game this season.
“That’s buzz coverage right into a dagger window,” Stafford said. “You’re usually not throwing that ball. But hey, they didn’t play it as well as they could, and he fit it in there for a touchdown. That’s playing ball in an aggressive way, but smart. I let him know that I thought it was a pretty sweet play. He plays at a really high level, especially for a young kid.” It isn’t just Stafford that Stroud was excited to be around. He was also happy to get some time with Rams coach Sean McVay. The coach walked with Stroud after a couple of plays, and the two had a lengthy discussion after one of them.
“I am a superfan of his, the type of scheme he runs, the way he calls it, the way he uses guys in motion, and just a whole bunch of different things,” Stroud said. “He seems like a good guy and he just had some tips and pointers.”
Associated Press
The Texans’ C.J. Stroud threw for 4,108 yards as a rookie last season.
Rookie OL Guyton learning on the fly for Cowboys
By DAN GREENSPAN ASSOCIATED PRESS
OXNARD, Calif. — There’s no doubt rookie offensive tackle Tyler Guyton has the attributes to be a great player for the Dallas Cowboys.
The first-round draft pick is a physical marvel, and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said Guyton has the mentality to anchor an offensive line. And with his main competition at left tackle sidelined by injury, Guyton has the opportunity to be a starter in the season opener.
The question is whether Guyton can put everything together quick enough to excel immediately.
“I feel like when you think about it too much, it usually messes you up. So I’m just going to go do the best I can and put my best foot forward,” Guyton said.
While there was always a likelihood Guyton would be on the field for the first snap at Cleveland on Sept. 8, a serious toe injury sustained by Chuma Edoga in the preseason opener resulted
in a major increase in first-team reps for Guyton.
Those practice sessions showed why Guyton was drafted No. 29 overall and still needs refinement.
Guyton committed a holding penalty after failing to get his hands on an edge rusher on an inside move during a live team period. Guyton responded in individual drills, though, swiftly negating a rusher’s spin move with quick footwork before blocking him to the ground.
“His ability to kick and slide and redirect is impressive,” Schottenheimer said of the 6-foot-7, 322-pound Guyton. “He’s an amazing athlete. There’s some things we need to clean up with his hands and his punch and things like that.”
Some of those issues have been evident against Cowboys teammate Micah Parsons, an elite pass rusher. What matters more to Guyton is getting as many quality looks as possible after he took up football in his senior year of high school and played just 29 games in four seasons at TCU and Oklahoma.
“Once again, iron sharpens iron, so I’m going against the best of the best,” Guyton said. “You win some and you lose some, but we’re getting better with each and every play.”
Even with that limited experience, Schottenheimer was impressed with the determination Guyton has brought to preseason games.
“In practice, he’s out there working with a purpose,” Schottenheimer said. “But on game day, he looks different. He is out there with a mean streak and he plays that way. He finishes strong.”
With less than two weeks left until the start of the regular season, Guyton said he is focused on improving everything. Schottenheimer believes he has the right mindset and work ethic to thrive, even as a rookie in a high-profile position.
“He just needs to get a ton of reps, and that’s all part of the position,” Schottenheimer said. “Being on an island, there’s a big scope on you because you’re a left tackle and people know where you are. But I think he’s got tremendous upside because of the way he’s wired.”
Associated Press Rookie left tackle Tyler Guyton could start in the Cowboys’ season opener.
