Baylor Bears Football Continues to Build Depth at Every Position

Thinking back to just a couple years ago, when there were only six or seven scholarship offensive linemen on the team, Jeff Nixon can't help but smile.

Everywhere he looks now, there is depth and experience.

"Now, we've got about 15 or 16 (offensive linemen), a lot of competition up front for the guard and tackle and center positions," Baylor's co-offensive coordinator said after Saturday's second practice of fall camp. "We feel we've got depth at quarterback. . . . All of our backs are back, our three leading rushers from last year. And then, of course, Christoph Henle and our receiving corps, we have a lot of depth and a lot of competition at those positions."

Even after losing a pair of three-year starters in Blake Blackmar and Pat Lawrence, the offensive line is deeper than it's been in a long time.

Sam Tecklenburg has the most experience with 25 consecutive starts, but Johncarlo Valentin, Xavier Newman, Jake Frughmorgen and Connor Galvin all have starts under their belts. And they're being pushed by the next wave that includes redshirt freshman Casey Phillips, sophomores Jason Moore, Ty Smith and Henry Klinge and junior college transfer Blake Bedier.

"We'll make those decisions, and it will be based off of how they play on film. Their film is their resume," Nixon said. "I'm sure a couple weeks before our first game, we'll probably end up having our starting five and go with that lineup. But, you've got to have depth in the offensive line. You really need to have seven, eight confident offensive linemen, guys who can play both guard and tackle or maybe a guy that can play both center and guard."

Junior running back Trestan Ebner has seen "a lot of determination" out of the offensive linemen during spring ball, this summer and the first couple practices in fall camp.

"They all want to play, they're all working at a high level and competing with each other," Ebner said. "Unfortunately, only five guys can (start). So, I think we just try to see who does the best throughout camp."

As crowded as the offensive line might appear to be, the running back room doesn't even have enough seats. John Lovett was the team's leading rusher for the second straight year with 573 yards and six touchdowns on 109 carries; JaMychal Hasty is 28th all-time with 1,371 career yards rushing; and Ebner had 199 combined yards rushing and receiving in the bowl game victory over Vanderbilt.

"I'm expecting a huge year out of the running back unit," Nixon said of the position he coaches. "We increased our running game to 170 yards a game last year, and I'm hoping we can get that up to 200 yards this year. I feel we have the backs that can do that. They all add a little something different with the way they run the football, but I think all three, four, five of our backs are explosive, and they should be able to make big plays for us in the run game."

That's the thing, it doesn't begin and end with Ebner, Lovett and Hasty. There's also sophomore Abram Smith, redshirt freshman Craig "Sqwirl" Williams and true freshmen Qualan Jones and Jonah White. That's seven-deep at one position.

"You can't relax. An off day is another guy's blessing," Ebner said. "You just try to go in with the same mentality every day. You can't let the fatigue catch up to you at practice and all these long meetings. You've got to come in focused, and you can't worry about the rest of the world."

The Bears have big shoes to fill at receiver with the loss of Jalen Hurd, an all-Big 12 pick and third-round draft pick by the San Francisco 49ers who led the team with 69 catches for 946 yards and four touchdowns. One of Tennessee's all-time leading rushers before transitioning to receiver at Baylor, Hurd also gave Nixon and the offense a threat in the backfield in third-down packages.

"Some other guys have to step up," Nixon said. "Denzel Mims, this is his senior year, I'm looking for him to put it all together and be one of the best receivers in the conference. Last year, he caught a lot of balls on third down. And then Josh Fleeks and Chris Platt . . . they're a different type of receiver, but they're definitely capable of making big plays in the offense."

With Hurd missing the bowl game, Baylor returns every yard of offense (668) from that 45-38 victory over Vanderbilt in the Texas Bowl. Eight different players caught at least one pass in the game, led by Mims with six catches for 95 yards and Ebner with 109 yards and one TD on three grabs.

"I gained a lot of confidence," said Ebner, who added 90 yards and another score on 13 carries in his first career start. "I try not to let it get to me. I feel like I just have to come in every day and work hard and try to play every game just like that, or do better."

Junior quarterback Charlie Brewer earned MVP honors in the game, throwing for 384 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for a career-high 109 yards and one TD. After competing for the job each of the previous two seasons, Brewer goes in this time as the undisputed starter.

"We're looking for Charlie to be one of the best quarterbacks in the Big 12," Nixon said. "We're looking for him to take that next step, because he's definitely capable of it. We've got some depth behind him, but Charlie's definitely our leader and we're expecting a big season out of Charlie."

The Bears go through their third straight day of workouts on Sunday in preparation for the Aug. 31 opener against Stephen F. Austin at McLane Stadium. For season and single-game tickets, go to www.baylorbears.com/bthere.