2018 SPRING PROSPECTUS BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS: 1500 S. University Parks Drive | WACO, TX 76706 | BAYLORBEARS.COM | @BUFOOTBALL QUICK FACTS PRESEASON NOTES GENERAL INFORMATION BEARS AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS IN RETURNING PRODUCTION Location: Waco, Texas Baylor ranks fourth overall among the national FBS leaders in returning production according to SB Chartered: 1845, by the Republic of Texas Nation. The Bears return 93 percent (2nd nationally) of their offensive production from a season ago Enrollment: 16,186 including 1,000-yard receiver Denzel Mims, top two rushers John Lovett and JaMycal Hasty and President: Dr. Linda Livingstone presumtive starting quarterback Charlie Brewer. Baylor also returns 88 percent of its defensive leaders Faculty Rep.: Jeremy Counseller from 2017 which ranks 17th nationally, including 16 of its top 20 tacklers. Director of Athletics: Mack Rhoades Nickname: Bears BAYLOR WELCOMES THREE NEW ASSISTANTS Colors: Green (PMS 560) & Gold (1235) Stadium: McLane (45,140/2014) Three new assistant coaches join head man Matt Rhule’s staff for 2018. The Bears add wide receiver Surface: Artificial (Hellas Matrix) coach Frisman Jackson, defensive line coach Frank Okam and newly-promoted Evan Cooper. With six Conference: Big 12 years of NFL playing experience, Jackson comes to Waco following one season at wide receivers coach with the Tennessee Titans. He previously served under Rhule at Temple from 2015-16. Okam, a six-year FOOTBALL INFORMATION NFL veteran himself, worked as defensive line coach at Rice from 2016-17 and is a former Freshman 2017 Record: 1-11, 1-8 Big 12 All-American at Texas. Cooper has five years of experience on Rhule’s staff including the 2017 season as 2017 Final Ranking: NR (AP), NR (Coaches) Baylor’s Director for Player Personnel. 2017 Bowl Appearance: N/A Offensive System: Multiple BEARS INK ONE OF NATION’S TOP CLASSES Defensive System: Multiple Baylor enjoyed a second consecutive strong recruiting season inking 21 players in December and 2017 Starters Returning: 22 (9 O; 9 D; 4 ST) following with a key junior college addition in February. The Bears’ class finished the cycle ranked No. 24 2017 Starters Lost: 6 (3 O; 3 D; 0 ST) by ESPN. A consensus top-30 class, Baylor’s signee group was widely ranked as No. 3 or No. 4 in the 2017 Lettermen Ret.: 52 (19 O; 28 D; 5 ST) 2017 Lettermen Lost: 15 (9 O; 5 D; 1 ST) Big 12 Conference. The Bears signed 17 players from the state of Texas. First Year of Football: 1899 All-Time Football Record: 589-568-44 (.509) FOUR TRANSFERS ELIGIBLE FOR BAYLOR IN 2018 Conference Titles (last): 8 (2014) Baylor and head coach Matt Rhule will add five Division I transfers to the roster for the 2018 season in Bowl Appearances (last): 23 (2016) WR Jalen Hurd, DL James Lockhart, OL Jake Fruhmorgen, OL Christian Beard and CB Derrek Thomas. Hurd played the first three years of his career at Tennessee and left as one of the top rushers in Vols COACHING STAFF history, but will move his 6-foot-4 frame to wide receiver as a senior. Lockhart saw action at Texas A&M Head Coach: Matt Rhule (Penn State, 1997) for two seasons, but will compete to anchor Baylor’s defensive line during his junior season. Fruhmorgen Record at Baylor: 1-11, second season started eight times for National Champion Clemson in 2016 before making the move to Waco. Beard, Career Record: 29-34, fifth season a graduate of nearby Midway High School, will add depth across multiple spots on the offensive line. Defensive Coord./Safeties: Phil Snow Thomas, a 6-foot-3 graduate transfer from Temple, is expected to push incumbent starters Grayland Co-Offensive Coord./Running Backs: Jeff Nixon Arnold and Harrison Hand at corner. Co-Offensive Coord./Quarterbacks: Glenn Thomas Asst. Head Coach/Cornerbacks: Fran Brown Asst. Coach/Offensive Line: Shawn Bell BREWER BACK BEHIND CENTER Asst. Coach/Secondary: Evan Cooper The 2017 Big 12 Co-Offensive Freshman of the Year Charlie Brewer passed for 1,562 yards and 11 Asst. Coach/Wide Receivers: Frisman Jackson touchdowns with a 68.1 percent completion percentage in eight games (four starts). His completion Asst. Coach/Tight Ends: Joey McGuire percentage ranked second in both BU history and Big 12 history among freshmen behind Heisman Asst. Coach/Defensive Line: Frank Okam winners Robert Griffin III and Sam Bradford. Brewer completed 67 percent of passes thrown in 2.6 Asst. Coach/Recruiting Coord./LB: Mike Siravo seconds or more - the best in the nation according to Pro Football Focus. Senior Offensive Consultant: George DeLeone SOCIAL MEDIA 2018 SCHEDULE 2017 RESULTS Official Athletic Website: www.BaylorBears.com TENTATIVE & SUBJECT TO CHANGE 1-11, 1-8 BIG 12 (9th) Twitter: @BUFootball Sept. 1 ABILENE CHRISTIAN TBA Sept. 2 LIBERTY L, 48-45 Instagram: @BUFootball Sept. 8 at UTSA TBA Sept. 9 UTSA L, 17-10 Facebook: @BUFootball Sept. 15 DUKE TBA Sept. 16 at Duke L, 34-20 Sept. 22 • KANSAS TBA Sept. 23 • OKLAHOMA L, 49-41 Sept. 29 • at Oklahoma TBA Sept. 30 • at Kansas State L, 33-20 ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS Oct. 6 • KANSAS STATE TBA Oct. 14 • at Oklahoma St. L, 59-16 Office Phone: 254-710-2743 Primary Contact: Taylor Bryan Oct. 13 • at Texas TBA Oct. 21 • WEST VIRGINIA * L, 38-36 Cell: 254-709-4411 / Twitter: @TaBryan Oct. 25 • at West Virginia TBA Oct. 28 • TEXAS L, 38-7 Email: [email protected] Nov. 3 • OKLAHOMA STATE * TBA Nov. 4 • at Kansas W, 38-9 Secondary Contact: Zach Peters Nov. 10 • at Iowa State TBA Nov. 11 • vs. Texas Tech # L, 38-24 Cell: 254-749-0712 / Twitter: @ZRP_23 Nov. 17 • TCU TBA Nov. 18 • IOWA STATE L, 23-13 Email: [email protected] Nov. 24 • vs. Texas Tech # TBA Nov. 24 • at TCU L, 45-22 • Big 12 Conference game • Big 12 Conference game * Homecoming * Homecoming # at AT&T Stadium - Arlington, Texas # at AT&T Stadium - Arlington, Texas All times central BAYLOR 2018 FOOTBALL PROSPECTUS #SICEM HEAD COACH MATT RHULE A new era began for Baylor football Sophomore Mike Malone was named first-team All-Southern Conference after averaging on Dec. 7, 2016, as Matt Rhule was 31.29 yards per kickoff return, ranking second nationally. Two offensive linemen earned introduced as the 27th head coach to lead second-team all-league accolades. the Bears’ program. In 2004, WCU ranked 12th nationally in total defense and 15th in pass defense, largely In his first season at the helm of the due to the production of Rhule’s linebacker corps. The team’s top five tacklers were Baylor program in 2017, Rhule helped linebackers in its eight-man front scheme. In 2003, the Catamounts led the SoCon in rush a youthful roster navigate a difficult Big defense for the first time in school history. 12 schedule. Under Rhule’s guidance Rhule arrived at Western Carolina after serving as assistant defensive line coach at quarterback Charlie Brewer was named UCLA in 2001. He assisted in coaching five Bruins that earned All-Pac-10 honors as the 2017 Big 12 Co-Offensive Freshman of team posted a 7-4 record under head coach Bob Toledo. the Year. From 1999 to 2000, Rhule served as an assistant coach at Mid-American Conference In Feb. 2018, Rhule and his staff member Buffalo, directing the Bulls defensive line in 2000 and working as assistant secured a recruiting class ranked as high defensive line coach in 1999. In 2000, the team’s sack total increased from 12 to 27 as No. 24 nationally by ESPN, earning utilizing a 3-4 alignment. Buffalo also earned its first two wins over Division I-A programs national acclaim. that season. Rhule, a 20-year coaching veteran, Rhule began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant at Penn State in the spring arrived in Waco fresh off leading Temple of 1998 before working at Albright College in Reading, Pa., for the 1998 season. At to the 2016 American Athletic Conference Albright, he coached the linebackers in a 4-3 scheme and recruited western and central championship. He guided the Owls to the Pennsylvania. school’s first-ever back-to-back 10-win seasons and bowl berths in 2015 and 2016, and a Rhule played four seasons at linebacker with the Nittany Lions under Joe Paterno. A two-year 14-2 record in AAC play. He spent four seasons as head coach at Temple and 10 three-time Penn State Scholar-Athlete, he earned Academic All-Big Ten honors in 1997. He total seasons at the school. received his undergraduate degree in political science from PSU in 1997 before earning his The Owls earned their first top 25 ranking in 36 seasons under Rhule’s guidance (in master’s degree in educational psychology from Buffalo in 2003. 2015) and among the 29 All-AAC honorees produced by Temple in his four seasons as Born Jan. 31, 1975, Rhule spent his childhood in New York City before moving to State head coach was 2015 Bednarik Award and Nagurski Trophy winner and two-time All- College, Pa., as a teenager. He is married to the former Julie Nibert. The couple has a son, American Tyler Matakevich. Rhule also mentored 10 players invited to the Senior Bowl Bryant, and two daughters, Vivienne and Leona. as a head coach, and had 70 players earn Academic All-AAC honors in his first three seasons. Rhule led Temple to the 2016 AAC championship with a 34-10 victory over Navy in the THE RHULE FILE title game and earned a bid to the Military Bowl. Nine players from the 10-3 squad received PERSONAL All-AAC honors and the Owl defense ranked third nationally allowing just 275.9 yards per Born: January 31, 1975 game.