Baylor's Blake Shapen Receives Preseason 'Herbie Awards' for Breakout Star
Add "breakout star" to the growing list of preseason accolades for Baylor Bears quarterback Blake Shapen.
Shapen, a redshirt sophomore, garnered the honor during Kirk Herbstreit's preseason 'Herbie Awards,' where the Baylor quarterback received the breakout star prize.
"We saw him play late in the year last year," Herbstreit said. "In fact, he quarterbacked the Bears in the Big 12 Championship Game against Oklahoma State. Played very, very well, and led them to a victory.
"So he's a guy that has some experience in some high-profile opportunities. But now, with Gerry Bohanon moving on, becomes the guy. And I think there's some intangibles there that Dave Aranda really likes. And I expect him to emerge as a guy to look out for in the Big 12."
Jeff Grimes, Baylor's offensive coordinator, recently spoke about Shapen being named the starter over Bohanon in an interview on SiriusXM Radio.
"I love both these guys; I really do," Grimes said. "I love Gerry, and I wish him nothing but the best and have still been in touch with him, but I just think Blake threw the ball more consistently. And I feel like for us to take the next step as an offense, we've got to throw the ball better."
Last season for the Bears, Shapen appeared in six games (starting two), airing out 596 passing yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions.
"We ran it well this year and that was a good start," Grimes said. " But we didn't throw it as well as we needed to in order to create the kind of balance that I really want in an offense."
Shapen and the Baylor football team kick off the 2022 season against Albany at McLane Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 3 at 6 p.m. Central Time.
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Denton Ramsey has been a journalist for over 20 years with a decade of experience as a sports writer and editor for a plethora of newspapers throughout Texas and Alabama. Growing up in Houston and attending Baylor University, Ramsey is a die-hard sports fan with a true passion for writing. He may be reached via email at denton.itb@gmail.com