2017 Baylor Bears football team

2017 Baylor Bears football
2017 Baylor Bears football
Conference	Big 12 Conference
Record	1–11 (1–8 Big 12)
Head coach	Matt Rhule (1st season);
Co-offensive coordinator	Glenn Thomas (1st season)
Co-offensive coordinator	Jeff Nixon (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Phil Snow (1st season)
Base defense	3–3 stack
Home stadium	McLane Stadium
	Seasons ← 2016 2018 →

The 2017 Baylor Bears football team represented Baylor University in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bears played their home games at the McLane Stadium in Waco, Texas and competed in the Big 12 Conference. They were led by first-year head coach Matt Rhule. They finished the season 1–11 (1–8 in-conference) to finish in ninth place in the Big 12.

2017 Big 12 Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 3 Oklahoma y$^	8	–	1	12	–	2
No. 9 TCU y	7	–	2	11	–	3
No. 14 Oklahoma State	6	–	3	10	–	3
Texas	5	–	4	7	–	6
West Virginia	5	–	4	7	–	6
Kansas State	5	–	4	8	–	5
Iowa State	5	–	4	8	–	5
Texas Tech	3	–	6	6	–	7
Baylor	1	–	8	1	–	11
Kansas	0	–	9	1	–	11
Championship: Oklahoma 41, TCU 17
^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

Recruiting

Position key

Back	B	Center	C	Cornerback	CB	Defensive back	DB
Defensive end	DE	Defensive lineman	DL	Defensive tackle	DT	End	E
Fullback	FB	Guard	G	Halfback	HB	Kicker	K
Kickoff returner	KR	Offensive tackle	OT	Offensive lineman	OL	Linebacker	LB
Long snapper	LS	Punter	P	Punt returner	PR	Quarterback	QB
Running back	RB	Safety	S	Tight end	TE	Wide receiver	WR

Recruits

Baylor signed a total of 27 recruits.

College recruiting information (2017)
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Jalen Pitre S	Stafford, Texas	Stafford HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	197 lb (89 kg)	Jul 24, 2015
Jalen Pitre S	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Trevon Lewis S	Houston, Texas	Lamar HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Dec 28, 2016
Trevon Lewis S	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Timarcus Davis CB	College Station, Texas	College Station HS	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	Dec 31, 2016
Timarcus Davis CB	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Charlie Brewer QB	Austin, Texas	Lake Travis HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	188 lb (85 kg)	Dec 31, 2016
Charlie Brewer QB	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
James Lynch DT	Round Rock, Texas	Round Rock HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	282 lb (128 kg)	Jan 4, 2017
James Lynch DT	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Abram Smith RB	Abilene, Texas	Abilene HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	196 lb (89 kg)	Jan 5, 2017
Abram Smith RB	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
RJ Sneed WR	Cypress, Texas	Cypress Ranch HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Jan 7, 2017
RJ Sneed WR	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Harrison Hand CB	Cherry Hill, New Jersey	Cherry Hill HS West	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	183 lb (83 kg)	Jan 7, 2017
Harrison Hand CB	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Jason Moore OT	Frisco, Texas	Independence HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	275 lb (125 kg)	Jan 15, 2017
Jason Moore OT	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Eleasah Anderson OG	Houston, Texas	Alief Taylor HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	280 lb (130 kg)	Jan 15, 2017
Eleasah Anderson OG	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Trestan Ebner WR	Henderson, Texas	Henderson HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	188 lb (85 kg)	Jan 15, 2017
Trestan Ebner WR	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Xavier Newman-Johnson OC	DeSoto, Texas	DeSoto HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	272 lb (123 kg)	Jan 15, 2017
Xavier Newman-Johnson OC	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Ashton Logan S	Temple, Texas	Temple HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	203 lb (92 kg)	Jan 18, 2017
Ashton Logan S	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Terrel Bernard LB	La Porte, Texas	La Porte HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Jan 18, 2017
Terrel Bernard LB	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Rob Saulin DE	Pennsville, New Jersey	Memorial HS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	240 lb (110 kg)	Jan 22, 2017
Rob Saulin DE	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Khahil Keith OT	Alpine, Alabama	Winterboro HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	293 lb (133 kg)	Jan 22, 2017
Khahil Keith OT	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Cole Maxwell DE	Allen, Texas	Allen HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Jan 22, 2017
Cole Maxwell DE	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Henry Klinge OG	Southlake, Texas	Carroll HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	295 lb (134 kg)	Jan 22, 2017
Henry Klinge OG	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Bryson Jackson LB	Mansfield, Texas	Lake Ridge HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Jan 22, 2017
Bryson Jackson LB	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Gavin Holmes WR	Justin, Texas	Northwest HS	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	178 lb (81 kg)	Jan 22, 2017
Gavin Holmes WR	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Chidi Ogbonnaya DE	Houston, Texas	Langham Creek HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	Jan 26, 2017
Chidi Ogbonnaya DE	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Ryan Miller C	Southlake, Texas	Carroll HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	270 lb (120 kg)	Jan 29, 2017
Ryan Miller C	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Tyler Henderson TE	Kyle, Texas	Lehman HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Jan 29, 2017
Tyler Henderson TE	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Johnathan Lovett RB	Marlton, New Jersey	Cherokee HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Jan 30, 2017
Johnathan Lovett RB	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
DeMarco Artis DE	Sanford, Florida	Seminole HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Jan 31, 2017
DeMarco Artis DE	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
B.J. Thompson DE	England, Arkansas	England HS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Feb 1, 2017
B.J. Thompson DE	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Justin Harris DE	Gonzales, Louisiana	East Ascension HS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	250 lb (110 kg)	Feb 1, 2017
Justin Harris DE	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Baylor Football Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 7, 2017. "2017 Baylor Football Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved February 7, 2017. "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 7, 2017. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved February 7, 2017. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 7, 2017.

Schedule

Baylor announced its 2017 football schedule on December 13, 2016. The 2017 schedule consisted of 6 home, 5 away and 1 neutral site game in the regular season. The Bears hosted Big 12 foes Iowa State, Oklahoma, Texas, and West Virginia, and will travel to Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, and TCU. Baylor played Texas Tech for the seventh season in a row in Arlington, Texas.^[2]

The Bears hosted two of the three non-conference opponents, Liberty from the Big South Conference and UTSA from Conference USA and travel to Duke from the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 2	6:00 p.m.	Liberty*	McLane Stadium Waco, TX	FS2	L 45–48	45,784
September 9	6:00 p.m.	UTSA*	McLane Stadium Waco, TX	FSN	L 10–17	41,923
September 16	11:30 a.m.	at Duke*	Wallace Wade Stadium Durham, NC	ACCRSN	L 20–34	26,714
September 23	5:30 p.m.	No. 3 Oklahoma	McLane Stadium Waco, TX	FS1	L 41–49	43,573
September 30	2:30 p.m.	at Kansas State	Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium Manhattan, KS	ESPN2	L 20–33	52,293
October 14	2:30 p.m.	at No. 14 Oklahoma State	Boone Pickens Stadium Stillwater, OK	FS1	L 16–59	56,790
October 21	7:00 p.m.	No. 23 West Virginia	McLane Stadium Waco, TX	FS2	L 36–38	45,389
October 28	11:00 a.m.	Texas	McLane Stadium Waco, TX	ESPNU	L 7–38	45,656
November 4	11:00 a.m.	at Kansas	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	FSN	W 38–9	21,797
November 11	11:00 a.m.	vs. Texas Tech	AT&T Stadium Arlington, TX (rivalry)	FSN	L 24–38	34,482
November 18	1:30 p.m.	Iowa State	McLane Stadium Waco, TX	FSN	L 13–23	40,653
November 24	11:30 a.m.	at No. 10 TCU	Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, TX (rivalry)	FS1	L 22–45	43,015
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game All times are in Central time

Schedule Source:^[3]

Roster

2017 Baylor Bears football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
WR	`6`	Trevor White	Jr
RB	`7`	John Lovett	Fr
QB	`8`	Zach Smith	So
QB	`12`	Charlie Brewer	Fr
QB	`12`	Anu Solomon	Sr
WR	`13`	Tony Nicholson	So
WR	`14`	Chris Platt	Jr
WR	`15`	Denzel Mims	So
WR	`16`	Jared Atkinson	So
QB	`16`	Preston Heard	So
QB	`17`	Garret McGuire	Fr
WR	`17`	Pooh Stricklin	So
WR	`18`	Gavin Holmes	Fr
QB	`18`	Zack Bennema	So
WR	`19`	R.J. Sneed	Fr
WR	`21`	Blake Lynch	So
RB	`22`	Terence Williams	Jr
RB	`23`	Obim Okeke	So
TE	`24`	Ishmail Wainright	Sr
RB	`25`	Trestan Ebner	Fr
RB	`28`	Abram Smith	Fr
RB	`30`	Wyatt Schrepfer	Jr
RB	`33`	JaMycal Hasty	So
WR	`34`	Marques Jones	So
RB	`35`	Dwyer Bucey	So
RB	`40`	Jonathan Hockman	Sr
RB	`44`	Dru Dixon	Fr
FB	`47`	Kyle Boyd	So
OL	`52`	Sam Tecklenburg	So
OL	`55`	Xavier Newman-Johnson	Fr
OL	`56`	Tyrae Simmons	Sr
OL	`57`	Jason Moore	Fr
OL	`58`	Ty Smith	Fr
OL	`61`	Khalil Keith	Fr
OL	`62`	Dalton Justice	So
OL	`63`	Daniel Russell	Sr
OL	`64`	Ryan Miller	Fr
OL	`65`	Christian Beard	Jr
OL	`69`	Josh Malin	Jr
OL	`71`	Jim Threet	Fr
OL	`72`	Blake Blackmar	Jr
OL	`75`	Eleasah Anderson	Fr
OL	`76`	Mo Porter	Sr
OL	`77`	Patrick Lawrence	Jr
OL	`78`	Henry Klinge III	Fr
OL	`79`	Jake Fruhmorgen	Jr
WR	`80`	Tyler Jaynes	Sr
WR	`81`	Blake Murphy	Sr
TE	`82`	Tyler Henderson	Fr
WR	`83`	Russell Morrison	Fr
WR	`84`	Jalen Hurd	Sr
TE	`85`	Jordan Feuerbacher	Sr
TE	`86`	Rob Saulin	Fr
TE	`87`	Jayson Clements	Jr
WR	`88`	Quan Jones	Sr

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
LB	`1`	Taylor Young	Sr
S	`2`	Taion Sells	Sr
S	`3`	Chris Miller	So
CB	`4`	Grayland Arnold	So
DE	`5`	Brian Nance	Sr
DT	`9`	Ira Lewis	Jr
CB	`11`	Jameson Houston	So
S	`12`	Davion Hall	Sr
CB	`13`	Raleigh Texada	Fr
LB	`15`	Eric Ogor	So
S	`18`	Chance Waz	Sr
CB	`19`	Niko Harrell	So
S	`20`	Rajah Preciado	So
CB	`22`	Jordan Tolbert	So
LB	`24`	Jalen Pitre	Fr
LB	`26`	Terrel Bernard	Fr
S	`27`	Verkedric Vaughns	Jr
LB	`28`	Henry Black	So
S	`29`	Jarrod Koym	Jr
S	`30`	Tre'von Lewis	Fr
CB	`31`	Harrison Hand	Fr
LB	`32`	Lenoy Jones Jr.	So
DE	`33`	DJ Artis	Fr
CB	`35`	Ezekiel Brown	Fr
LB	`36`	Allen Anderson	Fr
CB	`37`	Timarcus Davis	Fr
LB	`38`	Jordan Williams	So
S	`39`	John Arthur	Fr
DL	`40`	Deonte Williams	Jr
S	`41`	Connor Stanton	Fr
S	`42`	Jairon McVea	Fr
DE	`43`	Jamie Jacobs	Jr
LB	`44`	Clay Johnston	So
LB	`45`	Bryson Jackson	Jr
DE	`48`	BJ Thompson	Fr
LB	`49`	Chad Kelly	Fr
LB	`50`	Ashton Logan	Fr
DE	`52`	Greg Roberts	Jr
DL	`54`	Will Jones	Jr
DE	`55`	James Lockhart	Jr
DE	`56`	K.J. Smith	Sr
LB	`57`	Iain Hunter	Sr
LB	`58`	Michael McNair	Fr
LB	`59`	Koby Bullard	So
DT	`73`	Chidi Ogbonnaya	Fr
DT	`78`	Cody George	So
DE	`90`	Tyrone Hunt	So
DE	`91`	Andrew Morris	Jr
DT	`92`	Micheal Johnson	So
DT	`93`	James Lynch	Fr
DE	`94`	Xavier Jones	Sr
DE	`96`	Cole Maxwell	Fr
DE	`98`	Justin Harris	Fr
DT	`99`	Bravvion Roy	So

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
P/K	`36`	Drew Galitz	Jr
K	`89`	Jay Sedwick	Fr
K	`95`	Peter Webster	So
K/P	`96`	Connor Martin	So
LS	`41`	Clint Kelly	Jr
LS	`46`	Ross Matiscik	So
LS	`51`	Chris Lutzel	So
LS	`67`	Thor Rodoni	So

Head coach

Matt Rhule

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Phil Snow – Defensive coordinator
Jeff Nixon – Co-offensive coordinator / Running backs
Fran Brown – Assistant head coach / defensive backs
George DeLeone – Offensive line
Joey McGuire – Tight ends
Elijah Robinson – Defensive line
Mike Siravo – Linebackers / recruiting coordniator
Glenn Thomas – Quarterbacks
Bob Bicknell – Wide receivers
Shawn Bell – Analyst

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Roster

References

^ Newton, David (September 29, 2021). "Carolina Panthers' top-ranked defense reflects 'old-man' strength of Phil Snow". ESPN. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
^ "2017 Football Schedule Released" (Press release). Baylor University Department of Athletics. December 13, 2016. Archived from the original on February 14, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
^ "2017 Baylor Bears Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved February 14, 2017.

[1] Newton, David (September 29, 2021). "Carolina Panthers' top-ranked defense reflects 'old-man' strength of Phil Snow". ESPN. Retrieved December 5, 2023.

[BU17-2] "2017 Football Schedule Released" (Press release). Baylor University Department of Athletics. December 13, 2016. Archived from the original on February 14, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2017.

[3] "2017 Baylor Bears Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved February 14, 2017.

[1]

[2]

[3]