Dec. 16, 2015 WACO, Texas - Baylor football has added four student-athletes to its program that will enroll for the spring 2016 semester, head coach Art Briles announced Wednesday.
Two junior college transfers, offensive lineman Branton "B.J." Autry of Coffeyville Community College and defensive lineman Jeremy Faulk of Garden City Community College have signed National Letters of Intent, and two early high school graduates, receiver Tren'Davian Dickson of Navasota (Texas) High School and quarterback Zach Smith of Grandview (Texas) High School, have signed financial aid contracts to join the Bears program.
Autry is the top-rated junior college offensive guard recruit nationally by ESPN (rated No. 2 by Scout) and the No. 34 juco recruit among all positions. He is a two-time All-KJCCC honoree at Coffeyville, and helped lead the Red Ravens to a No. 14 final ranking in 2015. He is a former all-state lineman at Blount High School in Eight Mile, Ala.
Faulk is a first-team 2015 NJCAA All-America who spent two years at Florida Atlantic before transferring to Garden City. He's rated the No. 18 juco recruit by ESPN and the second-rated defensive lineman. He was named the 2015 KJCCC Co-Defensive Player of the Year after totaling 87 tackles and 7.5 sacks as a sophomore at GCCC.
Dickson is a record-setting All-America receiver and the 2015 Gatorade Texas Player of the Year. He set a national prep record in 2014 with 39 receiving touchdowns as a junior at Navasota. A consensus top-200 national recruit, he's rated the No. 31 recruit overall on the Scout300 list, the No. 4 receiver. Dickson is a 2015 U.S. Army All-American who has amassed 4,505 career receiving yards and 76 TDs on 211 catches. He led NHS to the state Class 4A state title and a perfect 16-0 record.
Smith is a top-15 national quarterback recruit and 2016 Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl selection. The two-time all-state honoree led Grandview to a 12-1 record in 2015 and the Zebras averaged 48.9 points per game. Smith, who also has been honored as an all-state pitcher, threw for 3,877 yards and 46 touchdowns (also six rushing TDs) as a senior in 2015. He topped 10,000 passing yards and threw 114 career TDs in high school, and is rated No. 282 on the ESPN300 recruiting listing.
No. 17 Baylor concludes the 2015 season by facing No. 10 North Carolina in the Russell Athletic Bowl on Dec. 29. Fans can purchase tickets and find bowl information at www.BaylorBears.com/bowlcentral.