Everything Starts Up Front
12/21/2018 8:47:00 PM | Football
Signing Class Includes Seven D-Linemen, Two on O-Line.
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
It's more than just a cliché. In Baylor football's case, everything really does start up front.
Including 6-5, 285-pound defensive tackle Isaiah Howard from Loganville, Ga., who signed with the Bears on Thursday, Baylor's 20-player class in the early signing period includes nine linemen.
"Last year, we were the fastest class in the nation," said tight ends coach Joey McGuire. "This year, we might be one of the longest, most athletic classes. I'd have to go through the list, but there's a number of 6-4, 6-5, 6-6 guys that are really long kids. And a lot of them came through camp, so we were able to see them and work with them one-on-one. That was really big. People are going to remember this class for being that big, athletic, physical class."
Exactly half of Baylor's class is 6-4 or taller, including a pair of offensive linemen in 6-5, 285-pound Davis DiVall from Bridgton Academy prep in Maine and 6-6, 295-pound Blake Bedier from Snow College in Utah.
Both enrolling in the spring, DiVall and Bedier will help the Bears make up for the losses of Christian Beard, Josh Malin and three-year starters Blake Blackmar and Pat Lawrence.
"Two mid-year offensive linemen, I couldn't have dreamed of that happening," head coach Matt Rhule said. "That's really hard to do. And they're two guys we feel really good about."
After not even playing high school football in Lehi, Utah, Bedier walked on at Snow College last year, was put on scholarship this season and ended up earning second-team All-America honors for a team that averaged 489.3 yards and 50 points per game.
"Next thing you know, his recruiting blows up," said offensive line coach Shawn Bell. "We found out about him late, but I think he's going to be able to come in and really help us. Just a guy who is really athletic and extremely intelligent for only playing two years."
At Snow College, Bedier was tutored by former Oklahoma State and NFL offensive lineman Andrew Mitchell, who was recently promoted from offensive coordinator to become the Badgers' head coach.
"One thing that's unique is so many kids grow up and learn at a low level and you have to fix habits and break bad habits," Bell said. "(Bedier's) first rep as an offensive lineman was with a tremendous offensive line coach, Coach Mitchell up at Snow College. Everything he's learned has been Division I-caliber, so he doesn't have any bad habits. He's got development that he's got to work on, but as far as his technique and fundamentals, he's where he needs to be."
DiVall is a late bloomer as well, starting his high school career at Notre Dame Prep in Scottsdale, Ariz., as a soccer player and then switching from defense to offensive line three games into his senior season. After getting little to no interest coming out of high school, DiVall spent this fall at Bridgton Academy in Maine and picked Baylor over offers from Maryland and Oregon.
"He's a kid that we think has a huge ceiling," Bell said. "He was 6-5 on his visit and ran a 4.9 (in the 40) last summer. So, he's extremely athletic. And, he actually provides some versatility for us. He can play a multitude of positions for us on the offensive line. Just a young man that I think you're going to see come in and really transform."
There's even more help coming on the defensive line with Howard, TJ Franklin (6-5, 280) from Temple, Texas, Gabe Hall (6-5, 288) from Waller and Harrison White (6-5, 263) from Houston at tackle and Logan Compton (6-4, 225) from Tomball, Matt Jones (6-3, 230) from Odessa Permian and Niadre Zouzoua (6-4, 245) from Monroe College at end.
"When you're trying to sign that many guys at one position or one group, you worry about guys wondering about playing time and who's going to do what," said defensive line coach Frank Okam, an All-American defensive tackle at Texas. "All these guys really understood what we're trying to build here at Baylor and really wanted to be a part of that. So, it was great to get every single one of those guys signed and committed."
Another Bridgton Academy product, Zouzoua had seven sacks and 12 tackles for loss over the last two seasons at Monroe College in Rochelle, N.Y., and was the seventh-ranked junior college defensive end in the nation by Rivals. He could provide some immediate help with the loss of senior ends Greg Roberts and Xavier Jones.
"He's a little bit older, 20 years old, a kid that understands what he wants and what he wants to accomplish with his two years left of eligibility," Okam said.
"We needed someone to get here and get here now," Rhule said of Zouzoua. "The coaches at Monroe College do a great job, but he doesn't eat the way we eat. So, we think he's just going to flourish here and get to 260 (pounds) and be a dominant player."
Compton was a two-way player at Tomball High School, catching 32 passes for 512 yards and two touchdowns as a tight end and registering seven tackles for losses, three QB hurries, one interception and a sack at defensive end. Jones, the District 2-6A Defensive Player of the Year, had 14 sacks, 27 stops behind the line, three pass breakups and two forced fumbles as a senior at Odessa Permian.
Howard, who didn't sign until Thursday night, had one sack, three tackles for loss and three QB hurries for a powerhouse Grayson High School team that had 11 other players sign with Power 5 programs.
Along with Franklin, Hall and White, Howard will help the Bears make up for the loss of tackles Ira Lewis and Tyrone Hunt in the middle of the defense.
"The great thing about my d-tackles is they all played d-end in high school," Okam said. "What you really want to do is you get a guy who starts outside and move him inside so he maintains his quickness advantage over everyone else. The great thing is these guys are all taller than me. We're going to have some really big length in the middle for the Big 12 to have to deal with coming up in a few years."
The Bears, who finished bowl practices in Waco on Wednesday, will reconvene in Houston on Sunday in preparation for next Thursday's Texas Bowl matchup against Vanderbilt. Tickets for the game are available at www.baylorbears.com/tickets.
Baylor Bear Insider
It's more than just a cliché. In Baylor football's case, everything really does start up front.
Including 6-5, 285-pound defensive tackle Isaiah Howard from Loganville, Ga., who signed with the Bears on Thursday, Baylor's 20-player class in the early signing period includes nine linemen.
"Last year, we were the fastest class in the nation," said tight ends coach Joey McGuire. "This year, we might be one of the longest, most athletic classes. I'd have to go through the list, but there's a number of 6-4, 6-5, 6-6 guys that are really long kids. And a lot of them came through camp, so we were able to see them and work with them one-on-one. That was really big. People are going to remember this class for being that big, athletic, physical class."
Exactly half of Baylor's class is 6-4 or taller, including a pair of offensive linemen in 6-5, 285-pound Davis DiVall from Bridgton Academy prep in Maine and 6-6, 295-pound Blake Bedier from Snow College in Utah.
Both enrolling in the spring, DiVall and Bedier will help the Bears make up for the losses of Christian Beard, Josh Malin and three-year starters Blake Blackmar and Pat Lawrence.
"Two mid-year offensive linemen, I couldn't have dreamed of that happening," head coach Matt Rhule said. "That's really hard to do. And they're two guys we feel really good about."
After not even playing high school football in Lehi, Utah, Bedier walked on at Snow College last year, was put on scholarship this season and ended up earning second-team All-America honors for a team that averaged 489.3 yards and 50 points per game.
"Next thing you know, his recruiting blows up," said offensive line coach Shawn Bell. "We found out about him late, but I think he's going to be able to come in and really help us. Just a guy who is really athletic and extremely intelligent for only playing two years."
At Snow College, Bedier was tutored by former Oklahoma State and NFL offensive lineman Andrew Mitchell, who was recently promoted from offensive coordinator to become the Badgers' head coach.
"One thing that's unique is so many kids grow up and learn at a low level and you have to fix habits and break bad habits," Bell said. "(Bedier's) first rep as an offensive lineman was with a tremendous offensive line coach, Coach Mitchell up at Snow College. Everything he's learned has been Division I-caliber, so he doesn't have any bad habits. He's got development that he's got to work on, but as far as his technique and fundamentals, he's where he needs to be."
DiVall is a late bloomer as well, starting his high school career at Notre Dame Prep in Scottsdale, Ariz., as a soccer player and then switching from defense to offensive line three games into his senior season. After getting little to no interest coming out of high school, DiVall spent this fall at Bridgton Academy in Maine and picked Baylor over offers from Maryland and Oregon.
"He's a kid that we think has a huge ceiling," Bell said. "He was 6-5 on his visit and ran a 4.9 (in the 40) last summer. So, he's extremely athletic. And, he actually provides some versatility for us. He can play a multitude of positions for us on the offensive line. Just a young man that I think you're going to see come in and really transform."
There's even more help coming on the defensive line with Howard, TJ Franklin (6-5, 280) from Temple, Texas, Gabe Hall (6-5, 288) from Waller and Harrison White (6-5, 263) from Houston at tackle and Logan Compton (6-4, 225) from Tomball, Matt Jones (6-3, 230) from Odessa Permian and Niadre Zouzoua (6-4, 245) from Monroe College at end.
"When you're trying to sign that many guys at one position or one group, you worry about guys wondering about playing time and who's going to do what," said defensive line coach Frank Okam, an All-American defensive tackle at Texas. "All these guys really understood what we're trying to build here at Baylor and really wanted to be a part of that. So, it was great to get every single one of those guys signed and committed."
Another Bridgton Academy product, Zouzoua had seven sacks and 12 tackles for loss over the last two seasons at Monroe College in Rochelle, N.Y., and was the seventh-ranked junior college defensive end in the nation by Rivals. He could provide some immediate help with the loss of senior ends Greg Roberts and Xavier Jones.
"He's a little bit older, 20 years old, a kid that understands what he wants and what he wants to accomplish with his two years left of eligibility," Okam said.
"We needed someone to get here and get here now," Rhule said of Zouzoua. "The coaches at Monroe College do a great job, but he doesn't eat the way we eat. So, we think he's just going to flourish here and get to 260 (pounds) and be a dominant player."
Compton was a two-way player at Tomball High School, catching 32 passes for 512 yards and two touchdowns as a tight end and registering seven tackles for losses, three QB hurries, one interception and a sack at defensive end. Jones, the District 2-6A Defensive Player of the Year, had 14 sacks, 27 stops behind the line, three pass breakups and two forced fumbles as a senior at Odessa Permian.
Howard, who didn't sign until Thursday night, had one sack, three tackles for loss and three QB hurries for a powerhouse Grayson High School team that had 11 other players sign with Power 5 programs.
Along with Franklin, Hall and White, Howard will help the Bears make up for the loss of tackles Ira Lewis and Tyrone Hunt in the middle of the defense.
"The great thing about my d-tackles is they all played d-end in high school," Okam said. "What you really want to do is you get a guy who starts outside and move him inside so he maintains his quickness advantage over everyone else. The great thing is these guys are all taller than me. We're going to have some really big length in the middle for the Big 12 to have to deal with coming up in a few years."
The Bears, who finished bowl practices in Waco on Wednesday, will reconvene in Houston on Sunday in preparation for next Thursday's Texas Bowl matchup against Vanderbilt. Tickets for the game are available at www.baylorbears.com/tickets.
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