Baylor’s future class kept making noise Friday night, with several committed recruits delivering strong performances as their teams moved through another week of high school football.
Hudson Whitenight helped set the tone in a blowout, as Dripping Springs rolled past Bowie 56-14. The offensive line had plenty to work with, too: Dripping Springs piled up 357 rushing yards, reached the end zone six times on the ground, and averaged 9.9 yards per carry. Whitenight, a 3-star recruit, is listed at 6′5″ and 290 pounds.
Karece Hoyt turned a handful of touches into a big night for Lone Star in a 64-7 win over Centennial. The national 4-star receiver from Frisco finished with 113 yards and two touchdowns on just four catches. Hoyt stands 6′2″ and weighs 200 pounds.
Barbers Hill quarterback Luke Babin kept his team in the fight despite a 55-42 loss to Dickinson. Babin went 12-of-24 for 162 yards, threw two touchdown passes and two interceptions, and added 46 rushing yards with two more scores on the ground. The 3-star recruit from Mont Belvieu is 6′3″ and 200 pounds.
Defensively, Waco native Davontrae Kirkland was active all night for University in a 28-0 loss to Ellison. Kirkland recorded 13 tackles, including two for loss, and also forced a fumble. The home-town 3-star safety is listed at 6′1″ and 190 pounds.
In Alabama, Thompson linebacker Trenton McCorvey showed up in a narrow 28-27 loss to Prattville. The 3-star recruit from Alabaster finished with seven tackles, two for loss, and a sack. McCorvey is 6′1″ and 210 pounds.
Devin Watkins also found a way to stand out in defeat, even as Mesquite Poteet fell 68-6 to South Oak Cliff. Watkins had six tackles and accounted for the team’s only points with a 78-yard kickoff return touchdown. The 3-star Mesquite product stands 6′0″ and 180 pounds.
In Other News...
Baylor Has A Special Teams Weapon Getting National Attention
A Baylor special teams standout is drawing national notice in a place teams usually hope never to think about much: the punters role. Senior Palmer Williams has been named to The Sporting News Midseason All-America Second Team, another sign that his leg has become one of the more reliable weapons in the country and a steady asset for the Bears as they move through the season.
Williams is currently leading the nation with a 51.4-yard punting average and is on pace to top the Big 12 for the third straight season, which helps explain why he has already picked up multiple preseason All-America honors and landed among the finalists for the Ray Guy Award. For Baylor, having that kind of field-position edge matters in tight games, and Williams keeps giving the Bears something every opponent has to account for. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Heads To Baylor With One Problem Fans Can't Ignore
Kansas is heading into its Big 12 matchup at Baylor still trying to clean up the issues that showed up in its loss to Kansas State, where Lance Leipold pointed to a lack of physicality and too many missed tackles. The Jayhawks were gashed for 359 rushing yards and never found much rhythm offensively, which makes this trip even more important as they try to steady things against another conference opponent.
Baylor arrives with some questions of its own after a loss to TCU, and the Bears have had their own offensive line concerns to sort through. For both teams, this is more than just another league game on the calendar. It is a chance to show whether the problems from last week were a one-game setback or something deeper that still needs fixing. [Read more 🡒]
Jalen Pitre Update Gives Baylor Fans A Reason To Exhale
Baylors NFL contingent had a mixed Week Six, with several former Bears dealing with the usual wear and tear of a long season while still finding ways to make an impact. The cleanest update came on Jalen Pitre, who came away with a non-severe AC joint and shoulder injury and is expected back soon, which should ease any concern for Baylor fans tracking the health of one of the programs most reliable pros.
There was less encouraging news elsewhere, though, as Tyquan Thornton remains sidelined after ankle surgery. Even so, Baylor alums continued to show up around the league, with Josh Cameron, Terrel Bernard, James Lynch, Ross Mastick and Jon Weeks all turning in notable contributions or steady work in their respective games, a reminder that the Bears NFL pipeline still has plenty of life in it. [Read more 🡒]