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Baylor Bears Spring Practice Preview: 3 Storylines To Watch
March 18 will mark the dawn of a new era at Baylor, as Matt Rhule begins his first spring with the Bears amid a controversial climate that has engulfed the entire university.
March 3, 2017
A Baylor Bears spring practice preview with storylines as the dawn of a new era begins in Waco. Matt Rhule begins his first spring with the Bears amid a controversial climate that has engulfed the entire university.
The Bears went 7-6 a year ago, its worst season since 2010. But wins and losses were the very least of the school’s worries in 2016.
Baylor has become ground zero for scandalous athletic programs, resulting in the ouster of successful head coach Art Briles last May. And the drip, drip, dip of bad news is far from over. Ditto the fallout related to Title IX lawsuits and potential NCAA sanctions. This situation is a mess, yet it didn’t scare off Matt Rhule from turning down Oregon to put down stakes in Waco.
Rhule and his staff have a couple of main objectives this month. First, they want to start learning the personnel they inherited to determine inherent strengths and weaknesses of the 2017 squad. And second, they’ll begin the protracted process of gradually fixing a campus culture that had been rotting from the inside out.
Baylor Bears Spring Practice Storylines
1. Anu Beginning?
Rhule wasn’t deterred by Baylor’s off-field issues. Neither was Anu Solomon, who transferred from Arizona to spend his final year of eligibility as a Bear.
Solomon brings a ton of experience to Waco, as well as almost 7,000 yards and 49 touchdowns through the air. But will the first-year staff anoint a stopgap veteran or hand the reins to a sophomore, Zach Smith?
Smith wasn’t expected to play extensively as a true freshman in 2016, but a Seth Russell injury forced him into action in November. And he delivered, throwing 11 touchdown passes over the final four games, capped by a stellar effort in the Cactus Bowl win over Boise State.
2. Soft In The Middle
Although Baylor will have just one hole along the O-line, it’s going to be an enormous one.
The Bears are putting out APBs for centers now that First Team All-Big 12 stalwart Kyle Fuller, who closed his career with 39 consecutive starts, is beginning his NFL career. Making matters worse, 2016 backup Sean Muir has retired because of concussions. Baylor literally has no one on the roster with experience at the position, so select guards are likely to be cross-trained in the spring.
Baylor has plenty of experience at tackle and guard. Those vets, especially the guards, might need to provide cover for the center if Fuller’s successor is slow to adjust to his promotion.
3. Snow In Waco
Sure, Rhule was the big catch for the Baylor administration. But the Bears have also scored with the addition of Phil Snow, one of college football’s most underrated defensive coordinators.
Snow followed Rhule from Temple, a move that cannot be overstated for the long-term success of the program. The coordinator will use these next few months to begin instilling toughness, fundamentals and new schemes into the holdovers.
Snow is going to succeed with the Bears, though overnight miracles should not be expected. Baylor isn’t chock full of defensive stars at this time, and a secondary that was already going to miss safety Orion Stewart and cornerback Ryan Reid must now deal with the recent suspension of Travon Blanchard.
