Countdown to National Signing Day: Baylor Bears

[caption id="attachment_21663" align="alignright" width="288"]Photo by Artie Guerrero Photo by Artie Guerrero[/caption] National Signing Day is Feb. 3. We’ll take a look at each recruiting class from the 12 FBS football programs in Texas as the day approaches. Baylor Rivals.com rank: 10^thOverview With three weeks until recruits can sign on the dotted line, Baylor holds the best recruiting class in the state. Art Briles ups his recruiting stock with each signing class, as the Bears earn a higher profile with each passing successful season. JUCO signees Branton Autry and Jeremy Faulk will provide instant depth this spring, as will early-enrollees Zach Smith and Tren’Davian Dickson. The Bears are known for skill-position players, but that reputation is changing thanks to current and former players like Andrew Billings and Spencer Drango. Baylor has two four-star offensive line commits from the prep ranks. Copperas Cove’s J.P. Urquidez and Silsbee’s Patrick Hudson signified a true shift in recruiting momentum inside the state. Baylor has 10 defensive commitments, including one already on campus from the JUCO ranks. Half of those commitments play in the secondary. Strengths Surprise, surprise, Baylor did well at wide receiver. The Bears are bringing in a plethora of playmakers on the outside, led by Dickson. The former Navasota star enrolled early and will be a part of spring practice. He set every school record at Navasota and broke state records as a receiver. He’s not alone, though. Briles secured commitments from Devin Duvernay (Sachse), Jared Atkinson (Mesquite Horn) and Denzel Mims (Daingerfield). Defensively, Brandon Bowen could be the next elite pass rusher for Baylor. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound defensive end is a four-star prospect with all of the tools needed to become a three-down defensive end for Baylor. He could provide instant depth as a situational player in 2016. Needs Baylor still has scholarships available with 21 days until National Signing Day. Briles will try and fill up the class with defensive depth and a playmaker. The talent gap between the offense and defense in Waco closed some over the past few recruiting classes, but there is still plenty of room on campus for explosive defensive linemen and guys who can cover Big 12 wide receivers and tight ends. Top Player Patrick Hudson is a 6-foot-5, 330-pound demolition ball. He played mostly offensive tackle for Sisbee High School, but he is expected to move inside and play guard for Baylor. Rivals.com rates him as the best guard prospect in the country. Hudson is predictably strong at the point of attack. He rarely loses a battle when he gets his hands on a defender. Hudson’s athleticism is what makes him special. He’s agile for a man his size and does a great job getting to the second level of a defense. He blocks well in space and his time as an offensive tackle will help him as a pass blocker at the college level.