Baylor head coach Matt Rhule announced Wednesday the signing of 27 student-athletes to National Letters of Intent to play football for the Bears. The first-year coach inked a 2017 signing class comprised entirely of freshmen, including four early enrollees who are taking part in the spring semester at Baylor.
“We’re excited about this group of young men we signed today,” Rhule said. “We think they represent a great future for the Baylor football program.”
The class is highlighted by national top 300 prospects R.J. Sneed, a receiver from Cypress, Texas (ranked No. 194th nationally on ESPN300), Trestan Ebner, a receiver from Henderson, Texas (217th on ESPN300), Xavier Newman, an offensive lineman from DeSoto, Texas (246th on ESPN300) and Justin Harris, a defensive lineman from Gonzales, La. (276th by 247Sports).
“This is a special group, who believe in Baylor and our future,” Rhule said. “They’ll have an opportunity to receive an elite education and be developed into outstanding football players. These are not only high-character guys, they are leaders – who will represent this university well, on the football field, in the classroom, and in the community.”
The Baylor class includes 14 defensive players and 13 on offense. The emphasis of Coach Rhule and his staff was on linemen, who make up nearly half of the class; 13 of 27, seven on the defensive side and six on offense.
Baylor’s class is made up predominantly of Texas high school athletes (20), but does include seven out-of-state signees, including three from New Jersey (one from Alabama, one from Arkansas, one from Florida and one from Louisiana).
The mid-year signees already enrolled at Baylor include Sneed, Charlie Brewer (QB from Austin, Texas), Jalen Pitre (S from Stafford, Texas) and Abram Smith (RB from Abilene, Texas).
BAYLOR FOOTBALL 2017 SIGNEES
Name Pos Ht Wt Class Hometown (previous schools)
Eleasah Anderson OL 6-4 295 Fr. Houston, Texas (Alief Taylor HS)
DeMarco “D.J.” Artis R 6-2 220 Fr. Sanford, Fla. (Seminole HS)
Terrel Bernard LB 6-1 215 Fr. La Porte, Texas (La Porte HS)
Timarcus Davis CB 5-11 170 Fr. College Station, Texas (College Station HS)
Trestan Ebner WR 6-0 205 Fr. Henderson, Texas (Henderson HS)
Harrison Hand CB 6-0 190 Fr. Cherry Hill, N.J. (Cherry Hill West HS)
Justin Harris DL 6-5 250 Fr. Gonzales, La. (East Ascension HS)
Tyler Henderson TE 6-4 240 Fr. Kyle, Texas (Lehman HS)
Gavin Holmes WR 5-11 195 Fr. Justin, Texas (Northwest HS)
Bryson Jackson LB 6-2 205 Fr. Mansfield, Texas (Lake Ridge HS)
Khalil Keith OL 6-5 320 Fr. Alpine, Ala. (Winterboro HS)
Henry Klinge III OL 6-5 305 Fr. Southlake, Texas (Carroll HS)
Trevon Lewis S 6-0 190 Fr. Houston, Texas (Lamar HS)
Ashton Logan LB 6-2 220 Fr. Temple, Texas (Temple HS)
Johnathan Lovett RB 6-2 195 Fr. Burlington, N.J. (Cherokee HS)
James Lynch DL 6-4 285 Fr. Round Rock, Texas (Round Rock HS)
Cole Maxwell DL 6-5 245 Fr. Allen, Texas (Allen HS)
Ryan Miller C 6-2 290 Fr. Southlake, Texas (Carroll HS)
Jason Moore OL 6-3 295 Fr. Frisco, Texas (Independence HS)
Xavier Newman OL 6-3 300 Fr. DeSoto, Texas (DeSoto HS)
Chidi Ogbonnaya DL 6-5 260 Fr. Houston, Texas (Langham Creek HS)
Rob Saulin DL 6-5 250 Fr. Pennsville, N.J. (Pennsville Memorial HS)
B.J. Thompson DL 6-6 220 Fr. England, Ark. (England HS)
SPRING ENROLLEES
Charlie Brewer QB 6-1 190 Fr. Austin, Texas (Lake Travis)
Jalen Pitre S 6-0 200 Fr. Stafford, Texas (Stafford HS)
Abram Smith RB 6-0 200 Fr. Abilene, Texas (Abilene HS)
R.J. Sneed WR 6-2 185 Fr. Cypress, Texas (Cypress Ranch HS)
2017 BAYLOR FOOTBALL SIGNING CLASS BREAKDOWN:
By State:
Texas (20)
New Jersey (3)
Alabama (1)
Arkansas (1)
Florida (1)
Louisiana (1)
By Position:
Offense (13 - 6 linemen, 4 receivers/ends, 2 running backs, 1 quarterback)
Defense (14 - 7 lineman, 3 linebackers, 4 backs)
Specialist (0)
By Class:
Freshmen (27)
Sophomores (0)
Juniors (0)
