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Bears Gain Commitment From Northern Arizona QB RJ Martinez | Baylor Tracker

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Bears Gain Commitment From Northern Arizona QB RJ Martinez | Baylor Tracker
Bears Gain Commitment From Northern Arizona QB RJ Martinez | Baylor Tracker /
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JAN 19 ANOTHER QB COMMITS

The Baylor Bears have now landed their second quarterback commit via the NCAA Transfer Portal, in Northern Arizona signal caller, RJ Martinez.

Last season with the Lumberjacks as a sophomore, Martinez completed 291 of 441 attempts for 2,885 yards and 16 touchdowns.

A native of Austin, Texas, Martinez threw for 7,608 yards for 67 touchdowns and rushed 1,612 yards and 28 touchdowns in three seasons for Westwood High School.

JAN 12 SQWIRL ENTERS PORTAL

CraigSqwirl Williams was one of the Bears' best offensive players in 2022, finishing second on the team in rushing with 101 carries for 557 yards and four touchdowns, with 11 catches for 80 yards and a score.

And now, he is on the move, entering the NCAA Transfer Portal on Friday. 

Williams, a former four-star recruit in the 2018 class, is entering the portal as a grad transfer.

JAN 10 UNT TE TO BAYLOR

The Baylor Bears have landed a commitment from North Texas Tight End Jake Roberts he announced on Monday.

Roberts has two years of eligibility remaining. 

At North Texas, Roberts has hauled in 43 passes for 541 yards and three scores in his career.

Last season he had 28 catches 394 yards and three touchdowns.

JAN 9 QBs VISIT WACO

A pair of transfer portal quarterbacks are visiting Waco, in Mississippi State's Sawyer Robertson, and Oregon State's Tristan Gebbia, sources tell InsideTheBears.com. 

Robertson, a former 4-star recruit, is a native of Lubbock Texas and entered the transfer portal after one season in Starkville.

Robertson appeared in four games for the Bulldogs, completing 6 of 11 passes for 23 yards and an interception. 

Gebbia, a four-star recruit and a member of the 2017 class, originally started at Nebraska, before transferring to Oregon State. 

Gebbia entered the transfer portal after four seasons in Corvalis with the Beavers, playing in 11 games with five starts, and completing 128 of 200 passes for 1,250 yards and five touchdowns with four interceptions. 

JAN 5 TRANSFER KICKER COMMITS

The Baylor Bears landed a commitment from former Michigan State kicker Jack Stone on Thursday, filling a glaring need for the 2023 season. 

In 2002, Stone 2 of 4 kicks and 15-for-16 PATs. 

He also hit a 51-yard field goal against Penn State in the season finale.

DEC 22 BEARS LAND SECOND BYU OL COMMIT

The Baylor Bears landed their second BYU offensive line commitment on Thursday, in graduate transfer Clark Barrington. 

Barrington, the brother of recent Bears signee Campbell Barrington, started 40 games for the Cougars before entering the transfer portal to reunite with offensive coordinator, Jeff Grimes and offensive line coach, Eric Mateos 

DEC 21 KETRON JACKSON SIGNS

The Bears have officially signed a big-time receiver via the transfer portal, in former Arkansas Razorback, Ketron Jackson. 

Jackson had 21 catches for 274 yards and four touchdowns in two seasons with the Razorbacks

DEC 19 OREGON VISITS NOVOSAD

In the wake of the de-commitment of top SI99 quarterback Dante Moore, the Oregon Ducks have begun scrambling to find a replacement before the Early Signing Period begins on Wednesday. 

And one of the first names on the Ducks list, is the Baylor Bears No. 1 commit and quarterback of the future, Austin Novosad.

With that said, during an interview with InsideTheBears earlier this month, Novosad noted his intent to enroll early at Baylor. 

"In January, I'm going to play in the All-American Bowl down in San Antonio, and then after that, I think we move in the second week of January," Novosad told Locked On Baylor. "I'll be with the early enrollees at Baylor."

Novosad compiled a 27-6 career record at Dripping Springs and threw for 9,197 yards and 116 touchdowns. 

DEC 11 YORK DECOMMITS 

2023 linebacker recruit Taurean York has de-committed from Baylor, he announced on his Twitter account. 

"Thank you to Coach Aranda and the Baylor staff for giving me an opportunity to play at the next level," York tweeted. "This recruiting process has been nothing short of a blessing. After much consideration and conversation, I’ve decided to reopen my recruitment. God Bless."

NOV 20 WALKER EARNS OFFER

After a much talked-about visit to Waco over the weekend for the showdown against TCU, Walker White announced his scholarship offers news on Sunday. 

The 2024 quarterback, out of Little Rock (Ark.) Christian Academy, has been busy on the visit trail this fall. Now that Baylor has offered, it may make a play for one of the top juniors remaining at the sports most important position. 

DJ Lagway, a Baylor legacy in the class, has long been considered the top Bear target at QB. He is set to commit on December 7 with Florida, USC, Texas A&M and others among the challengers to Dave Aranda's program.

NOV 15 WALKER WHITE INCOMING

After getting a visit from top 2024 QB DJ Lagway last week, the Bears are in line to get a visit from another top 2024 signal caller this weekend against TCU, in Little Rock Christian Academy's Walker White. 

White has been heavily pursued by Ole Miss, Alabama, Florida, Arkansas, Kansas State, LSU, TCU, Mississippi State, and others. 

White is coming off of a visit to Ole Miss for their matchup with Alabama.

NOV 12 LAGWAY IN TOWN

The one of the top quarterbacks in the 2024 class, DJ Lagway is visiting Waco for the Baylor Bears' big night game against the Kansas State Wildcats. 

Lagway has been highly pursued by many top programs already, and has taken visits to Texas A&M, Alabama, LSU, Florida, Clemson, and many more. 

So far this season with Willis (TX) High School, Lagway has thrown for 2,081 yards and 24 touchdowns, with five interceptions. He has also rushing 50 times for 517 yards and seven more scores.

OCT 26 BRATHWAITE FLIPS

The Baylor Bears lost a major commitment on Wednesday morning when linebacker Christian Brathwaite flipped his pledge to LSU. 

Alongside quarterback Austin Novosad, Brathwaite was widely considered the Bears' highest-rated commitment by multiple recruiting services. 

LSU first offered Brathwaite on Tuesday, immediately becoming his most impressive offer.

Brathwaite had been committed to Baylor since January 30.

OCT 13 NOVOSAD NAMED TO ALL-STAR GAME

Top Baylor Bears commitment Austin Novosad, who has emerged as one of the nation's top passers over the last few months, has been named to the 2023 All-American Bowl.

Novosad has completed 95 of 143 passes for 1,299 yards and 18 touchdowns with 2 interceptions in six games. 

He also has a quarterback rating of 129.1 and has led Dripping Springs to a 6-0 record, with an average margin of victory of 49-6.

His next two cames come against Austin area powerhouses Westlake and Lake Travis.

AUGUST 6 UPDATE

The Baylor Bears landed their 24th commitment of the 2023 class on Saturday afternoon when Ellison (Killeen, TX) defensive lineman Brendan Bett pledged to the program. 

Bett picked the Bears over offers from Colorado, SMU, Georgia State, Houston and Texas Tech.

Bett was a first-team all-district selection as a junior, finishing the year with 67 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, two sacks and a fumble recovery. 

Bett now becomes the fifth defensive lineman to pledge to the Bears in the 2023 cycle, joining Trent Thomas, DK Kalu, Jaren Woods and Trey Wilson in the class. 

JULY 24 UPDATE

As the hunt for Austin Novosad, longtime Baylor Bear quarterback commitment, continues -- there is good news and some bad on the BU front. 

On the front end, the Dripping Springs (Texas) High School star will be back in Waco next weekend to wrap up his summer visits. On the downside, he will get a closer look at the newest program to offer -- Notre Dame -- on Tuesday. Both trips were initially reported by Sam Spiegelman on Sunday. 

Novosad has taken three official visits to date, checking out Baylor, Ohio State and Texas A&M in June. The Irish offered during July's dead period and from that point the Bear pledge has said he will take his time making a final decision. 

Novosad became a national recruit during the offseason, thanks to superb 2021 tape and a great camp and combine run in 2022, capped by a strong Elite 11 run (No. 10 overall via SI) at the end of June. 

JULY 14 UPDATE

Once Austin Novosad took a pause from his busy recruitment, thanks in part to the Elite 11 event to end the month of June followed by a recruiting dead period stretching until July 24, a new timeline would emerge. 

Throw in a July 11 offer from Notre Dame, and now four programs are in contention for a final decision from the current Baylor Bear commitment. A&M, BU, the Irish and Ohio State are the finalists for the Dripping Springs (Texas) High School star. 

Notre Dame has yet to host him as a priority prospect, though there is a small window of opportunity at the end of July as the Irish host prospects two weekends from now. Novosad told SI All-American's John Garcia, Jr. he has not yet penciled in a visit, though he is vetting the Irish as much as possible after taking official visits to the three additional contenders. 

Once looking like a late July decision-maker, Novosad could now stretch his recruitment just a bit longer to give the Irish its due diligence, he added. He originally picked Baylor back in December.

JULY 11 UPDATE

Another blue blood has entered the race for Baylor QB commit Austin Novosad -- The Notre Dame Fighting Irish. 

The Irish offered Novosad on Monday, giving him yet another impressive offer alongside Texas A&M, Ohio State, Stanford and others. 

Novosad has already taken visits to A&M, Ohio State, Georgia and Baylor, and was thought to be narrowing down his decision at some point soon.

It is unclear as to whether or not the Irish offer will affect his decision, but the relationship he has with the Baylor staff should still play in the Bears' favor for now. 

JUNE 28, 11:30 AM UPDATE

Baylor is in the top three for offensive tackle Calvin Clements, one of the top recruits from the Big 12 region. He just posted his schools via social media.

Hailing from Lawrence (Kan.) Free State, the 6-7, 290-pound Clements just took an official visit to Baylor (June 24), and he’s also trekked to Kansas (June 10) and Kansas State (June 17). He has also received offers from programs like Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Iowa State and Minnesota.

With the natural height and wingspan of Clements, he is projected to play offensive tackle at the college level. He has a well proportioned frame and can easily end up at well over 300 pounds.

Baylor currently has three offensive line commitments for the class of 2023, and 19 verbal commitments overall. 

JUNE 25, 4:20 PM UPDATE

Baylor fans tracking Austin Novosad's official visit to Texas A&M got big, though expected, news on Saturday. 

Jimbo Fisher's staff offered the Dripping Springs (Texas) High School quarterback while on the trip. He has been committed to Baylor since December. 

Novosad has been courted by several programs this year, including Ohio State, A&M, Stanford and others. He took his official visit to Waco just last weekend and left with strong reviews regarding the coaching staff under Dave Aranda.

Novosad and the rest of the top QB recruits in the country will compete at the Elite 11 Finals in Los Angeles next week. 

JUNE 23 6:20 PM UPDATE

More top programs continue to try to pry Baylor quarterback commit Austin Novosad away from Waco. 

The latest? The Texas A&M Aggies. 

Per reports, Novosad is set to take a visit to College Station this weekend, to an Aggies program that is desperate to land a quarterback in the 2023 cycle.

Novosad is coming off of a pair of visits to Ohio State and Baylor, and is one of the fastest risers in the 2023 class. 

"It was really good," Novosad told Inside the Bears.com. "Great to connect with the whole coaching staff again! They stayed with their values which were person over player."

JUNE 18, 9:00 am UPDATE

While Baylor is hosting several top recruits for its big official visit weekend, the most critical visitor remains the class headliner and longtime commitment Austin Novosad. 

The Dripping Springs (Texas) High School star and Elite 11 Finalist is coming off of two straight visits to Ohio State, one in which he camped and earned an offer from Ryan Day and the other being an official visit. 

Some have called it a two-team race in terms of Novosad sticking with Baylor or flipping to Ohio State, but SI sources maintain additional programs keeping tabs on the emerging recruit. 

To say any one visitor is more important than the other is typically incorrect to a degree, Dave Aranda and company holding onto Novosad could have plenty to do with how his official visit weekend goes over the next 48 hours.

JUNE 12, 1:45 pm UPDATE

Baylor has added to the future of its offensive line. 

On Saturday afternoon, in-state trench talent West Tucker went public with a verbal commitment to play for Dave Aranda and BU. 

"I'm very excited to announce I will be committing to Baylor University! Tucker Tweeted.

"Sic 'Em!"

The Argyle (Texas) High School star, listed at nearly 6-foot-5, 260 pounds, chose the Bears over offers from Texas Tech, Kansas, Colorado State and others. 

Tucker camped at Texas over the weekend and has an official visit scheduled to BU next weekend, overlapping with prized QB commitment Austin Novosad and others for the biggest recruiting weekend for the program of late.

The Bears are up to up to 11 verbal commitments in the class of 2023 to date.

JUNE 10, 2:00 pm UPDATE

One of the top prospects in the 2024 class will soon be in Waco.

According to Sam Speigelman of On3, Saint Louis (Mo.) University School star wide receiver Ryan Wingo will be making an unofficial visit to Baylor next Friday.

The 6-foot-2 wide receiver, who scored 15 offensive touchdowns in 10 games with 638 reception yards and another 214 on the ground, has not yet reported a Baylor offer. 

Assuming it's coming based on 30 other programs having jumped in, perhaps Dave Aranda's program is waiting to deliver the news to the star junior in person. 

JUNE 9, 8:30 UPDATE

The Bears' top commitment, Dripping Springs (TX) quarterback Austin Novosad, has scheduled an official visit to Ohio State on Friday, he tells InsideTheBears.com

Novosad still plans to head to Waco for his official visit with Baylor on June 17. 

Ohio State has been arguably the nation’s top program for recruiting quarterbacks during the past few seasons. In 2019, Ohio State did not sign a quarterback, but Justin Fields transferred over from Georgia after being a consensus national top five recruit overall. In 2020, Ohio State signed now Heisman candidate CJ Stroud out of California. 

The 2021 Buckeyes’ class included now Texas quarterback Quinn Ewars from Southlake Carroll on the edge of Dallas. Finally, the Buckeyes nabbed Devin Brown from Utah this past season. All of them were four or five-star signal-callers coming from the prep ranks.

For Baylor to get over the hump and be a consistent College Football Playoff contender, it must beat out teams like Ohio State for top-notch recruits. Novosad will be the first litmus test in that regard. 

JUNE 7 8:45 AM UPDATE

The Bears are hot on the trail for multiple offensive linemen in the state of Texas, including Lamar (Arlington, TX) tackle, Isaiah Robinson, who is planning an official visit to Waco on the weekend of June 17.

Robinson recently released a list of finalists, putting the Bears amongst 12 other schools.

Auburn, California, Grambling, LSU, Oklahoma State, Prairie View A&M, USC, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, and Texas A&M all made the cut for Robinson.

Louisiana cornerback MarJayvious Moss is also expected to be in Waco on June 17, with the Bears locked in a tight battle with Vanderbilt and Minnesota for his services.

JUNE 3, 11:00 AM UPDATE

One of the emerging offensive line recruits in the Lone Star State will work out for a Baylor offer. 

Amid a busy June camp slate, Houston (Texas) Cain High School two-way lineman Gibson Pyle will be in Waco to see if he can punch his ticket to a Bear offer. Already armed with many following his sophomore season, the 6-foot-4, 275-pound offensive line projection is trending up on many college boards.

After a big camp run, he will be back in Houston in July to focus on the 2022 season. 

"Then it’s back to the daily grind of getting ready for my junior season," Pyle told The Grove Report.

JUNE 1, 7:05 PM UPDATE

As the Baylor Football program continues to elevate its recruiting efforts, that also means competing with even stiffer competition. To that end, the Bears are now going head-to-head with Ohio State for one of the Bears’ commitments.

Austin Novosad is in Columbus now competing at Ohio State’s camp. That’s how he earned the scholarship offer. He’s joining quite a select group of signal callers to be offered by the Buckeyes.

Ohio State has been arguably the nation’s top program for recruiting quarterbacks during the past few seasons. In 2019, Ohio State did not sign a quarterback, but Justin Fields transferred over from Georgia after being a consensus national top five recruit overall. In 2020, Ohio State signed now Heisman candidate CJ Stroud out of California. The 2021 Buckeyes’ class included now Texas quarterback Quinn Ewars from Southlake Carroll on the edge of Dallas. Finally, the Buckeyes nabbed Devin Brown from Utah this past season. All of them were four or five star signal callers coming from the prep ranks.

For Baylor to get over the hump and be a consistent College Football Playoff contender, it must beat out teams like Ohio State for top-notch recruits. Novosad will be the first litmus test in that regard. 

JUNE 1 UPDATE:

Baylor is a top school for one of Oklahoma's best. 

Bai Jobe, the Norman (Okla.) Community Christian School standout pass rusher, released his top eight programs on Tuesday evening and the Bears made the cut. Oklahoma, Texas A&M Georgia, Michigan State, Vanderbilt, Alabama and Miami also made the top eight.

Baylor initially got involved with Jobe with an offer out in December. He was back on campus for time with Dave Aranda in March. 

MAY 31 UPDATE:

The Baylor Bears' top commit, Dripping Springs (TX) quarterback Austin Novosad, has officially locked in an official visit to Waco this summer. 

Novosad will take his official visit to Aranda's program on the weekend of June 17. It will be his initial official visit of the process.

However, he tells Inside the Bears the process remains strong with Baylor and he knows when he will be back in Waco, too.

The Elite 11 finalist, who preparing for his senior season at quarterback for Dripping Springs, picked Baylor back in December.

MAY 28 UPDATE:

The Baylor Bears have offered a talented 2024 tight end recruit, in Desert Mountain (Scottsdale, AZ) prospect Dillon Hipp. 

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"It means a lot, I’m pumped to strengthen my relationships with the coaches and learn more about the program," Hipp told 247 Sports. 

Hipp also holds offers from Iowa State, Oregon, Washington State, New Mexico State, Colorado State, and Northern Iowa, and is being recruited primarily by Baylor assistant Jeff Grimes.

"I talked with both Coach Grimes and coach Bolfing before I was offered officially,"Hipp said. "Coach Grimes had called me and told me that I was gonna be the first class of 24 tight end to be offered by Baylor which meant a lot."

MAY 25 UPDATE: 

The Bears have been busy on the recruiting trail as of late, and have now appeared in among the finalists for multiple key prospects in the 2023 class. 

First up on the list was Ryan (Denton, TX) cornerback Chance Rucker, who added the Bears to his top-7. 

Rucker also had Arkansas, California, Florida, Michigan State, Nebraska, and TCU in his final group. 

Lamar (Arlington, TX) offensive lineman Isaiah Robinson also released a list of finalists, putting the Bears amongst 12 other schools. 

Auburn, California, Grambling, LSU, Oklahoma State, Prairie View A&M, USC, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, and Texas A&M all made the cut for Robinson.

MAY 24 UPDATE:

As Baylor looks to build from the inside out, new offers have been extended to trench talents. In the case of Trent Thomas, the Bears represent the primary Big 12 offer on his growing list. 

Colorado and Boston College are the other Power Five offers to date in for the Missouri City (Texas) Fort Bend Marshall standout, listed at 6'4", 235 pounds. 

Thomas didn't hold an FBS offer before the New Year, and now he sits over one dozen. 

MAY 23 UPDATE:

The Baylor Bears are in the mix for one of the top defensive line prospects in the state of Texas, in Cypress Ranch (Houston, TX) recruit, Ashton Porter.

Porter, a 6-foot-3, 235-pounder, will still have to wait another year before making his final decision, but he is beginning to narrow down his choices, and the Bears are on the list.

Porter also has Arizona State, Arkansas, Cal, Grambling State, Miami, Nebraska, Northwestern, Oklahoma State and Texasin his final group. 

MAY 16 UPDATE:

The Bears are set to get an official visit from one of the top in-state corners in the 2023 class, in Mayde Creek Katy (TX) defensive back TayShawn Wilson. 

Wilson will make his way to Waco from June 24-June 26 and is primarily being recruited by cornerbacks coach Kevin Curtis.

Last season, Wilson finished his junior campaign with 30 tackles, seven pass breakups and an interception. 

Alongside the Bears, Wilson currently holds offers from a plethora of FBS programs including Texas, Colorado, Houston, Georgia Tech, Kansas, Nebraska, SMU, and many others. 

MAY 15 UPDATE

Austin Novosad, the class headliner and Elite 11 finalist preparing for his senior season at quarterback for Dripping Springs (Texas) High School, picked Baylor back in December. 

Since, other programs have continued to recruit the talented Texan, who added a scholarship offer from Stanford on Friday. 

However, he tells Inside the Bears the process remains strong with Baylor and he knows when he will be back in Waco, too. 

Novosad will take his official visit with Aranda's program the weekend of June 17. It will be his initial official visit of the process, taking place just a couple of weeks before he puts Baylor on the national recruiting stage at the Elite 11 Finals in Los Angeles. 

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