It's kind of funny what can happen when a well-respected former Texas high school football coach can successfully take over a college program and keep his ties to the wealth of high school talent in the state.
Nope, I'm not talking about Todd Dodge at North Texas, but look no further than Baylor head coach Art Briles and what he's building down in Waco.
After getting blue-chip caliber guys like quarterback Robert Griffin, who excelled last year in his first season as the Bears' starting quarterback as the youngest Division I football player in the country, Briles is continuing to load up on big-named kids.
That continued on Monday when Briles, the longtime Stephenville head coach, turned Texas Tech assistant, turned Houston head coach, turned Baylor head coach, landed Lancaster cornerback Tyler Stephenson to an oral commitment.
Of course, oral commitments are non-binding. The first day a Class of 2010 recruit can sign a national letter of intent is Feb. 3.
But I'm sure Briles will take that oral commitment and be happy with it. Last season as a junior, Stephenson tallied 55 tackles, two interceptions and 14 pass breakups. At 5 feet 10 inches and 175 pounds, Stephenson, a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, has a solid frame but is a burner with his 4.43-second 40-yard dash.
Baylor scored the coup on Stephenson by getting him over national powerhouses such as LSU, Tennessee and Oregon, while beating out in-state conference rivals like Texas Tech and Texas A&M.
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With Briles at the helm, and seemingly for the foreseeable future, the Bears look to be on the way up. Will it be enough to compete for the Big 12? That's a different story, but Briles is doing all he can.
Adam Boedeker is a sports writer/award-winning blogger for the Denton Record-Chronicle. He wants a Tommy Hunter jersey.
