Football Recruiting - Midlands Region: Baylor Bears
Ishmael Zamora (Houston/Alief Elsik) picked up an offer from Texas on Tuesday afternoon, his 10th overall. However, the big wide receiver will be taking his talents to another Big 12 program.
Zamora said he committed to Baylor on Tuesday evening and became the Bears' ninth member of the Bears' 2014 class. A 6-foot-4, 201-pound receiver with 4.49-second speed in the 40-yard dash, Zamora chose Baylor over offers from SMU, Utah, Colorado and others -- in addition to Texas.
Zamora said he committed to Baylor on Tuesday evening and became the Bears' ninth member of the Bears' 2014 class. A 6-foot-4, 201-pound receiver with 4.49-second speed in the 40-yard dash, Zamora chose Baylor over offers from SMU, Utah, Colorado and others -- in addition to Texas.
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TYLER, Texas -- ESPN 150 athlete Davion Hall (Texarkana, Texas/Liberty Eylau) committed to Baylor on Feb. 2 and still has plans of putting on the green and gold.
But in the back of his head, ever since late last week, the idea of putting on Alabama crimson and white has been something to consider. After picking up an offer from the Crimson Tide, Hall said while his commitment to Baylor is still solid, he’s got a lot to think about.
But in the back of his head, ever since late last week, the idea of putting on Alabama crimson and white has been something to consider. After picking up an offer from the Crimson Tide, Hall said while his commitment to Baylor is still solid, he’s got a lot to think about.
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TYLER, Texas -- East Texas often is considered one of the nation’s most underrated areas in finding elite talent when it comes to college football recruiting. Sunday featured the inaugural East Texas Sports Network combine, which showcased more than 100 players from East Texas.
The event took place at the Accelerate Performance Enhancement Center (APEC) training facility, which has trained professionals such as quarterback Graham Harrell, running back Kendall Hunter and pro baseball pitchers Phillip Humber and Josh Tomlin.
The event took place at the Accelerate Performance Enhancement Center (APEC) training facility, which has trained professionals such as quarterback Graham Harrell, running back Kendall Hunter and pro baseball pitchers Phillip Humber and Josh Tomlin.
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Baylor had made it a priority to focus on the offensive line for its 2014 class. On Saturday, the Bears picked up their third offensive lineman and eighth overall commit of the class.
Offensive tackle Patrick Lawrence (Waxahachie, Texas/Waxahachie) gave Baylor his verbal commitment during an unofficial visit to Baylor. A 6-foot-6, 255-pound lineman, Lawrence joins three-star tackle Josh Pelzel (Rockdale, Texas/Rockdale) and guard Devonte Jones (Bellaire, Texas/Bellaire) as the guys up front, along with Jordan Feuerbacher (Kingwood, Texas/Kingwood Park), who is expected to line up as a flex tight end for the Bears.
Offensive tackle Patrick Lawrence (Waxahachie, Texas/Waxahachie) gave Baylor his verbal commitment during an unofficial visit to Baylor. A 6-foot-6, 255-pound lineman, Lawrence joins three-star tackle Josh Pelzel (Rockdale, Texas/Rockdale) and guard Devonte Jones (Bellaire, Texas/Bellaire) as the guys up front, along with Jordan Feuerbacher (Kingwood, Texas/Kingwood Park), who is expected to line up as a flex tight end for the Bears.
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Q&A: 4-star prospect Martin deciding soon 
May, 15, 2013
May 15
1:00
PM ET
By
William Wilkerson | ESPN.com
AUSTIN, Texas -- Versatility is a trait widely admired by college programs, but one that doesn’t always come in the form of someone 6-foot-6 and 247 pounds.
Koda Martin’s size alone makes him an attractive prospect, but couple it with his ability to play on either side of the ball and it’s easy to see why the four-star recruit from Manvel, Texas, has close to 20 offers.
Martin, who is rated as the No. 21 offensive tackle and No. 43 player in the state of Texas, was in Austin on Saturday to get a better feel for one of those schools that offered him.
We caught up with Martin at the Texas State track and field meet to see how everything went with the visit with Texas, and where he stands overall.
Koda Martin’s size alone makes him an attractive prospect, but couple it with his ability to play on either side of the ball and it’s easy to see why the four-star recruit from Manvel, Texas, has close to 20 offers.
Martin, who is rated as the No. 21 offensive tackle and No. 43 player in the state of Texas, was in Austin on Saturday to get a better feel for one of those schools that offered him.
We caught up with Martin at the Texas State track and field meet to see how everything went with the visit with Texas, and where he stands overall.
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Spring (Texas) Klein Oak High School has a handful of prospects in the 2014, 2015 and even the 2016 classes and plenty of college coaches have made their way to the school in the north Houston area to evaluate them this spring.
One of them is 2014 inside linebacker Josh Mabin, who continues to add schools to his offer list.
One of them is 2014 inside linebacker Josh Mabin, who continues to add schools to his offer list.
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Brenham (Texas) High School doesn't conduct a traditional spring football practice, but like many of their fellow Lone Star State schools, the Cubs still make sure to get plenty of offseason work in.
That has helped players such as 2014 offensive tackle Austin Schlottmann, who has seen several college coaches walk through the doors of Brenham since the evaluation period began last month.
That has helped players such as 2014 offensive tackle Austin Schlottmann, who has seen several college coaches walk through the doors of Brenham since the evaluation period began last month.
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Before Monday, Missouri City (Texas) Ridge Point 2015 linebacker Cameron Townsend had not heard from or spoken to anybody at Michigan.
As a result, he had no idea of the Wolverines' interest level in him. He found out on Monday.
As a result, he had no idea of the Wolverines' interest level in him. He found out on Monday.
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Offensive lineman Lem Galeai (Euless, Texas/Trinity) has two favorites, and a decision might be looming -- but not before a key member of his family is with him.
Galeai, a 6-foot-5, 305-pound guard, said Oklahoma State and Baylor are neck and neck in his recruiting race. Both schools -- and any other potential darkhorses -- will have to wait until at least mid-June. Galeai said one person in particular has to be in attendance.
“I may do it after my brother comes home,” Galeai said, referring to his older brother Richard-Salanoa Afu Galeai. “He’s on a mission in Tonga, and he comes home on June 17.”
Galeai, a 6-foot-5, 305-pound guard, said Oklahoma State and Baylor are neck and neck in his recruiting race. Both schools -- and any other potential darkhorses -- will have to wait until at least mid-June. Galeai said one person in particular has to be in attendance.
“I may do it after my brother comes home,” Galeai said, referring to his older brother Richard-Salanoa Afu Galeai. “He’s on a mission in Tonga, and he comes home on June 17.”
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FRISCO, Texas -- Soso Jamabo (Plano, Texas/Plano West) would have liked to be a part of this weekend’s Nike EYBL series playing with the Texas Titans. With a sling on his right shoulder, however, the 2015 two-sport star was reduced to watching the Titans on the bench, offering instruction to teammates and being the team’s biggest supporter.
For the rest of the spring and most of the summer, Jamabo’s focus will be on rehabbing after undergoing shoulder surgery on April 30. Jamabo broke some bones and damaged some ligaments in his shoulder during a Texas Class 5A Division-I state quarterfinal playoff. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound athlete is expected to miss 6-10 weeks but is projected to return a couple of weeks before Plano West’s first scrimmage in August.
“It’s early in the process, but it’s going well,” Jamabo said of the rehab process. “I’m just trying to get the shoulder back to usual, if not better. Right now, I’m just doing basic stuff and keep everything as minimal as possible.”
Exactly what kind of football player will Plano West look to see back on the field? Jamabo’s first rush as a varsity player was against Flower Mound (Texas) Marcus on Aug. 31. It went for 12 yards. His second rush: A 75-yard touchdown run.
Since then, Soso has been ... well ... anything but.
Only the shoulder injury managed to slow the electrifying 2015 running back down. He rushed for a team-leading 1,697 yards and 24 touchdowns and also caught 20 passes for 453 yards -- an average of almost 23 yards per catch -- and four touchdowns. On the basketball court, Jamabo averaged 13.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 11 games.
For the rest of the spring and most of the summer, Jamabo’s focus will be on rehabbing after undergoing shoulder surgery on April 30. Jamabo broke some bones and damaged some ligaments in his shoulder during a Texas Class 5A Division-I state quarterfinal playoff. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound athlete is expected to miss 6-10 weeks but is projected to return a couple of weeks before Plano West’s first scrimmage in August.
“It’s early in the process, but it’s going well,” Jamabo said of the rehab process. “I’m just trying to get the shoulder back to usual, if not better. Right now, I’m just doing basic stuff and keep everything as minimal as possible.”
Exactly what kind of football player will Plano West look to see back on the field? Jamabo’s first rush as a varsity player was against Flower Mound (Texas) Marcus on Aug. 31. It went for 12 yards. His second rush: A 75-yard touchdown run.
Since then, Soso has been ... well ... anything but.
Only the shoulder injury managed to slow the electrifying 2015 running back down. He rushed for a team-leading 1,697 yards and 24 touchdowns and also caught 20 passes for 453 yards -- an average of almost 23 yards per catch -- and four touchdowns. On the basketball court, Jamabo averaged 13.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 11 games.
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The first time Kingwood (Texas) Kingwood Park tight end Jordan Feuerbacher visited Baylor, he left with a pretty good feeling.
Two days later, he had an offer. On Saturday, he made his return trip to Waco, Texas, for a second visit and gave the Bears his verbal pledge.
The 6-foot-4, 240-pound tight end became the sixth commitment of Baylor's 2014 class.
Two days later, he had an offer. On Saturday, he made his return trip to Waco, Texas, for a second visit and gave the Bears his verbal pledge.
The 6-foot-4, 240-pound tight end became the sixth commitment of Baylor's 2014 class.
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Inspired by Florida's "#ComePlayWRFortheJoker" campaign, our recruiting writers looked at other ways schools can sell themselves on the trail. Here's a look at recruiting pitches for the Big 12:
Baylor Bears
What they’re selling: The new 45,000-seat, $250-million on-campus stadium that will open in 2014. Recruiting is an arms race, and players like fancy stadiums and locker rooms, and Baylor’s upgrade puts them finally on the same level playing field as everybody else in the Big 12.
What they're missing: Help on defense -- specifically at defensive line and defensive back.
Iowa State Cyclones
What they’re selling: Paul Rhoads. He grew up miles from the campus and has helped turn around Iowa State with a physical and fundamentally sound style of football.
What they're missing: A true home-run threat at receiver.
Kansas Jayhawks
What they’re selling: Charlie Weis. He’s taken risks (juco infusion), repaired relationships with area high school coaches and widened KU’s recruiting pool.
What they're missing: Wins. When you’ve won only one conference game in three years, a little bit of everything is missing.
Kansas State Wildcats
What they’re selling: Bill Synder. The plan has worked for years in Manhattan. K-State doesn’t care how many stars a player has attached to his name, a player only earns an offer from K-State unless Snyder personally signs off on it after a lengthy review. It’s a plan that produced a No. 1 BCS ranking and a Big 12 championship in 2012.
What’s missing: I’ve been told by coaches for years that the most difficult position to recruit is defensive tackle. That’s why you often see even average defensive tackles rack up double-digit offers, and finding good depth at defensive tackle has been very difficult to do at K-State.
Oklahoma Sooners
What they’re selling: Oklahoma is proud of its football tradition, and few schools can match the Sooners’ track record for success, facilities and ability to prepare you for the next level.
What they're missing: A renewed focus on evaluating players. It’s what differentiated Bob Stoops’ staff when they started, and it’s how they found players like Sam Bradford, Josh Heupel, Juaquin Iglesias and Donald Stephenson. All at the time were considered to be three-star recruits but wound up being impact players for the Sooners.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
What they’re selling: Their ability to evaluate and develop offensive talent.
What they're missing: Elite players in the Lone Star State. With the best facilities in the conference, it might be just enough to get kids to visit.
Texas Longhorns
What they’re selling: Few in the nation can offer up the type of atmosphere, fan base, tradition and total student-athlete package like Texas can.
What they're missing: A true a difference-maker at quarterback. The last two Heisman Trophy winners have come from Texas high schools, and the Longhorns didn’t recruit one heavily and recruited the other as an athlete.
TCU Horned Frogs
What they’re selling: The Horned Frogs recruit to their style of smash-mouth play on both sides of the ball and don’t care how many stars a recruit has. It hurts them some in the recruiting rankings, but it helps them win a lot of ball games.
What they're missing: BCS conference depth. Heading into their second season in the Big 12 after a 7-6 season, the biggest thing the Horned Frogs need to do is to build the roster to be able to compete year in and year out in the BCS conference.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
What they’re selling: The Red Raiders went through a transition that brought Kliff Kingsbury to Lubbock, and the early reception has been nothing short of positive.
What they're missing: The Red Raiders have never had issues putting up points on people, but under Tommy Tuberville and Mike Leach there was little defense being played.
West Virginia Mountaineers
What they’re selling: WVU is a force in the Atlantic region, can recruit well in Pennsylvania and is arguably one of the best schools at identifying offensive talent in the JC ranks.
What they're missing: The 2014 class will have to be all about rebuilding in Morgantown, as the needs are mounting while several impact players have moved on.
Baylor Bears
What they’re selling: The new 45,000-seat, $250-million on-campus stadium that will open in 2014. Recruiting is an arms race, and players like fancy stadiums and locker rooms, and Baylor’s upgrade puts them finally on the same level playing field as everybody else in the Big 12.
What they're missing: Help on defense -- specifically at defensive line and defensive back.
Iowa State Cyclones
What they’re selling: Paul Rhoads. He grew up miles from the campus and has helped turn around Iowa State with a physical and fundamentally sound style of football.
What they're missing: A true home-run threat at receiver.
Kansas Jayhawks
What they’re selling: Charlie Weis. He’s taken risks (juco infusion), repaired relationships with area high school coaches and widened KU’s recruiting pool.
What they're missing: Wins. When you’ve won only one conference game in three years, a little bit of everything is missing.
Kansas State Wildcats
What they’re selling: Bill Synder. The plan has worked for years in Manhattan. K-State doesn’t care how many stars a player has attached to his name, a player only earns an offer from K-State unless Snyder personally signs off on it after a lengthy review. It’s a plan that produced a No. 1 BCS ranking and a Big 12 championship in 2012.
What’s missing: I’ve been told by coaches for years that the most difficult position to recruit is defensive tackle. That’s why you often see even average defensive tackles rack up double-digit offers, and finding good depth at defensive tackle has been very difficult to do at K-State.
Oklahoma Sooners
What they’re selling: Oklahoma is proud of its football tradition, and few schools can match the Sooners’ track record for success, facilities and ability to prepare you for the next level.
What they're missing: A renewed focus on evaluating players. It’s what differentiated Bob Stoops’ staff when they started, and it’s how they found players like Sam Bradford, Josh Heupel, Juaquin Iglesias and Donald Stephenson. All at the time were considered to be three-star recruits but wound up being impact players for the Sooners.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
What they’re selling: Their ability to evaluate and develop offensive talent.
What they're missing: Elite players in the Lone Star State. With the best facilities in the conference, it might be just enough to get kids to visit.
Texas Longhorns
What they’re selling: Few in the nation can offer up the type of atmosphere, fan base, tradition and total student-athlete package like Texas can.
What they're missing: A true a difference-maker at quarterback. The last two Heisman Trophy winners have come from Texas high schools, and the Longhorns didn’t recruit one heavily and recruited the other as an athlete.
TCU Horned Frogs
What they’re selling: The Horned Frogs recruit to their style of smash-mouth play on both sides of the ball and don’t care how many stars a recruit has. It hurts them some in the recruiting rankings, but it helps them win a lot of ball games.
What they're missing: BCS conference depth. Heading into their second season in the Big 12 after a 7-6 season, the biggest thing the Horned Frogs need to do is to build the roster to be able to compete year in and year out in the BCS conference.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
What they’re selling: The Red Raiders went through a transition that brought Kliff Kingsbury to Lubbock, and the early reception has been nothing short of positive.
What they're missing: The Red Raiders have never had issues putting up points on people, but under Tommy Tuberville and Mike Leach there was little defense being played.
West Virginia Mountaineers
What they’re selling: WVU is a force in the Atlantic region, can recruit well in Pennsylvania and is arguably one of the best schools at identifying offensive talent in the JC ranks.
What they're missing: The 2014 class will have to be all about rebuilding in Morgantown, as the needs are mounting while several impact players have moved on.
If you were to search the Houston area's receiving leaders for 2012, Ishmael Zamora's name isn't easy to find.
That hasn't stopped college coaches from finding the Houston Elsik 2014 receiver, though.
While he doesn't have eye-popping stats, in part because of the run-heavy offense he plays in, Zamora is discovering that schools are noticing his talent anyway.
That hasn't stopped college coaches from finding the Houston Elsik 2014 receiver, though.
While he doesn't have eye-popping stats, in part because of the run-heavy offense he plays in, Zamora is discovering that schools are noticing his talent anyway.
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Fret no more Longhorns faithful, Texas has finally offered ESPN 150 athlete Davion Hall (Texarkana, Texas/Liberty-Eylau).
Now the question becomes, can coach Mack Brown and Co. sway him away from his verbal commitment to Baylor?
Now the question becomes, can coach Mack Brown and Co. sway him away from his verbal commitment to Baylor?
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Northwestern dips into Texas for another
May, 9, 2013
May 9
3:40
PM ET
By RecruitingNation | ESPN.com
Running back Auston Anderson (Plano, Texas/West) committed Thursday to sign with the Northwestern Wildcats, multiple sources report. He is the second 2014 prospect from the Lone Star State to pick NU for 2014. Three-star safety Jordan Thomas (Klein, Texas/Collins) got the Wildcats' class started with his decision in December.
The 5-foot-9, 180-pound Anderson selected Northwestern over scholarship offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Baylor, California, Georgia Tech, Navy, Nebraska, Rice, Stanford, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech, UCLA, Washington and Washington State.
ESPN believes that he possesses, "a sneaky extra gear... good feel as a zone runner... the ability to exploit smaller creases... very good balance and body control... naturally good leverage and a strong lower base."
Anderson, along with Northwestern's other ungraded commitments, will be included as part of ESPN's next rankings update. The Wildcats have eight verbals at this time.
The 5-foot-9, 180-pound Anderson selected Northwestern over scholarship offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Baylor, California, Georgia Tech, Navy, Nebraska, Rice, Stanford, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech, UCLA, Washington and Washington State.
ESPN believes that he possesses, "a sneaky extra gear... good feel as a zone runner... the ability to exploit smaller creases... very good balance and body control... naturally good leverage and a strong lower base."
Anderson, along with Northwestern's other ungraded commitments, will be included as part of ESPN's next rankings update. The Wildcats have eight verbals at this time.
RECRUITING NATION MIDLANDS COVERAGE
The Midlands Region consists of the states of Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota and
Texas and is where Big 12 programs make a living recruiting. However, with the deep talent pool in the Lone Star State, teams from all over the country flock to the Midlands to find players.
More RecruitingNation blogs
RecruitingNation has the latest recruiting news from across the country:
• On The Trail
• East Region blog
• Midwest Region blog
• Southeast Region blog
• West Region blog
MIDLANDS RECRUITING CONTRIBUTORS
Sam KhanESPN Archive |
Max OlsonESPN Archive |
Bob PrzybyloESPN Archive |
Damon SaylesESPN Archive |
Mitch ShermanESPN Archive |
William WilkersonESPN Archive |
