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BAYLOR UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

February 1, 2017

Matt Rhule

Waco, Texas

MATT RHULE: Thanks for coming. I appreciate everyone coming to listen to us as we talk about sort of this class that we're proud of, and these kids that have made the decision to come to Baylor and help us build a team for the future. So just a couple opening remarks, if I could. I'd like to, first of all, thank all of you guys for coming and listening to us as we talk about these kids that we're so proud of.

Before I go into detail about this tremendous group of young men, I just want to touch on a few things. Obviously it's been sort of a whirlwind since we first got here in December. But I'd be remiss if I didn't thank the people of Baylor, the people of Waco, all over the state of Texas, they couldn't be more kind to us, our families. They've been warm and inviting and we're extremely appreciative. That kindness comes from students, comes from faculty, comes from people across this campus, alumni. It's really been unbelievable.

You get a sense, the more you're around the people that have helped us, that have opened up their arms to us, just how much Baylor means to them and just how much building a great football team moving forward is important to them.

I want to thank Dr. Garland and Mack Rhoades for their friendship and support these last months. They've been awesome as we sort of put together the pillars of our program and build a foundation. They've been there every step of the way. I want to thank our new coaching staff and support staff. Many of whom have been away from their families for weeks. They've jumped right in and worked 20-hour days, they've worked nights, and I'm grateful to them for their work ethic and all that they've put into this. I'm grateful to our families. My wife flew down for every official visit weekend, my kids flew down, our coaches, their wives drove in, flew in. Because it's really important to us as people come and look at Baylor and look at this football program that they understand the people that they're going to be around, and understand and meet our families and understand our approach.

Our families have sacrificed to allow us to put together this great class. I want to thank the high school coaches and educators in the state of Texas who have shared their stories with us and allowed us to share ours. They've been unbelievably open and kind and gracious. Obviously it's helped to have Joey McGuire, David Wetzel and Shawn Bell here.

But at the end of the day, I also believe that the people we met out on the road recruiting, the great high school coaches in this State, the principles principals, the teaches, it's really important to them that their kids go to a place to get a tremendous education, have a great experience, and they've been unbelievably open to us and listening to us. I think it's going to be a great relationship moving them forward.

Most of all, I want to thank the student-athletes in our program who have committed to working hard, to winning championships, to earning their degrees and doing it with integrity. We were out there this morning at 6 a.m. with the kids on the team. As I told them, when they see these, because it's a total of 29 kids, 29 kids that have made the decision to come to Baylor since we got here in December. They're not coming here because of me. They're not coming here because of assistant coaches. They're coming here because when they met the guys on our team they said I feel good about this group. When their parents met the kids on our team, they said, I feel great about these kids, and I want my kid to be around these guys.

So, really proud of these guys that are on this team and everything they've done moving forward. So, we're excited. Obviously, there are 27 freshmen. We also have Anu Solomon and James Lockhart who transferred in at the mid year. So 29 new scholarship athletes joining the program. Extremely excited about them. 21 of the freshmen total coming from the state of Texas, obviously, some relationships and other places.

Excited to, number one, get these kids here and build for the future. But number two, really excited to replenish the offensive and defensive lines and begin to build a foundation of a program that we can win up front with. So, proud of the kids, proud of the effort that they gave, and with that, I'll see if you guys have any questions.

Q. Obviously started behind the eight ball. You had one commitment before the Cactus Bowl. How did you guys do it? That's a ton of commitment and quality, too.
MATT RHULE: First of all, I think it's important that we mention Jalen Pitre. His decision to stay committed to Baylor, I don't know that he even understands how important that is to the people that have gone to school here, the people that love the University. And just his belief, his family's belief, when I met them, it was very clear he was going to be a special young man in this program.

I think beyond that, first of all, there are a lot of great football players in the state of Texas. It's easy when you have just everywhere you turn, there is a great, well-coached football player. But at the end of the day, it's really not about us as coaches. It's about Baylor. As we said, Baylor hasn't changed. It's a new coaching staff. There is change, there is transition. But it's still an elite, not a great, an elite education. It's still an elite experience. It's still, everywhere you turn, there are championship caliber athletics programs, championship caliber facilities. There are so many kids that have grown up in the church, grown up with having a relationship with a God, and this is a place that sticks to its Christian core and Christian commitment.

There were so many things we knew about Baylor that we knew kids would want, and it was about giving them the opportunity. So many of them hadn't been recruited because of the situation, and it wasn't for everybody, but for a lot of kids it was. I have a special place in my heart for the kids that committed to us without ever meeting us: R.J. Sneed, Abram Smith, Charlie Brewer, and on the flip side, Anu and James Lockhart. They made one of the biggest decisions of a young man's life, and they made the decision to come here. Literally, I met them when they moved their stuff in the dorm. For their parents and families to have that confidence in us, it's not about me or my staff. It's about Baylor.

Q. During recruiting, did you recruit based on position need or was it just a best, talented athlete available?
MATT RHULE: I'm a little bit different. I don't ever recruit based upon need because of sort of the way we think. We don't really recruit based upon -- we don't look at kids based upon what they've done. That's a part of it. But what can they be? That's why at our last school, we had so many kids that were, I'm proud of the fact that we put seven kids in the combine the last two years. None of them had another Division 1 offer. Because when we saw them, we didn't see what everyone else saw, we looked to the future.

So when you recruit big guys, we say, hey, he's going to be something, right? So we knew we had to do something at quarterback, because we had one scholarship quarterback in Zach. So we needed to have some depth. We knew we needed to do something on the offensive line. Other than making sure we're sort of in range of having enough of everything, we wanted to get the best football players and the best fit. We wanted to get guys that are versatile that could do a lot of things, because those are the guys to me that end up being NFL players.

Q. Coach, Charlie Brewer seemed pretty content on his commitment to SMU for quite a long time. What did you do as a coach to convince him that Baylor would be a better opportunity? And do you think that what he did in high school as a great high school player can translate into becoming a great college player?
MATT RHULE: Well, yeah, and I coached quarterbacks a couple times, I'm not an expert. But I know accuracy and intangibles are what make a great quarterback. So he's 78% completion percentage. He's one of the most accurate quarterbacks, I think, in the country this year, if not the most. He obviously has tremendous intangibles. He's a guy that's confident. He's a guy that led his team to the State Championship. He's a guy that everywhere I went, high school coaches talked about him.

So I think when you have that presence, and you have that accuracy, you have a chance to be great no matter what the system, no matter what the fit. At the same time, I don't ever talk about another school. Coaches say that, I really mean it. I don't say you shouldn't go there. All we do is talk about us, especially the program you're talking about. I have immense respect for that program and that man.

For us, it was, hey, we believe that he has a chance to be a starting quarterback in the Big 12 and help us win the Big 12 Championship. So my statement to him and to everybody was this is where we're heading. If you believe we're good enough to help us win the Big 12, then come along with us. I think a lot of kids grew up watching Robert Griffin, watching Bryce Petty, watching Seth Russell, watching Nick Florence. It's a natural fit for a quarterback to want to come play quarterback at Baylor.

Q. You talked about the process of recruiting some of these guys, that some of them weren't really recruited because of the lame duck situation before. Was it a hard sell with a lot of these guys? Was it easier? I know each individual is different.
MATT RHULE: I would say this has been an extremely challenging situation, the couple months. I think there are a lot of obstacles to overcome, but at the end of the day, I'm really, in recruiting, I'm sort of one of those guys that I think two things. Number one, we have a staff full of tremendous evaluators. I think we'll offer kids that no one else has offered and they'll have three or four offers in a week. It's because people know that's what we do.

At the same time, I think also it's not -- we're going to get the kids that are right for us. It's not always you're not going to get every kid. It's not about the ones we don't get. It's about the ones we do get.

But this was a challenge, and it was a good challenge. One of the unique things about this, these kids that are coming in now, we've had really strong relationships. We've had to talk about a lot of things with them. We're not talking about just the helmets and the uniforms and you know what I mean? Look at the stadium. That's the fun part of it. We've had to have real conversations. We've had to build real relationships in two weeks.

I've probably put on 20 pounds, eating at McDonald's and places driving around. But we've had to work. It's been good. You know what? We've built unbelievable relationships as a coaching staff and a recruiting staff. I didn't know Joey McGuire, sitting in the back of the room, two months ago, and he's like a brother to me now. These guys I didn't even know, because we have grinded. It's been good. But it's been a challenge, I would be remiss if I didn't say that.

Q. You talked about it. You've still got 21 guys out of Texas, but eight out-of-state. Do you see this as a normal class for you, or was it more because you already had the connections with the New Jersey guys? I know you all had connections in Florida. Is this a typical type class for you?
MATT RHULE: Yeah, I think it's unusual in that you know, we probably aren't going to recruit New Jersey every year. But those are kids we've known since they were this big. I think the one thing I will say is I want to make sure people at Baylor and the people at Texas understand Baylor travels. I mean, even my son who is 12 years old, it's like, what? RG3? It's a national brand football-wise.

That being said, we're going to try to sign the best players in Texas, and then we'll always supplement it with kids in the surrounding states. But we don't plan on making a plan. But we are, at certain positions going to look for the best guys. But if we don't sign 20 kids a year out of Texas, we're not doing our job because there are so many great players and they're so well-coached. It's just been exciting for me.

People asked me why I took this job? One of the reasons is because we're smack dab in the middle of an unbelievable recruiting base. When you do things the way our staff does them, we are relationship driven people. You're not going to see me dancing on Twitter. We're not doing all that, right? So we want to have real relationships and real conversations with people.

So that works when people get to know you over time. When they come and visit Baylor, and they visit Baylor, and they visit Baylor, it just starts to feel like home. That's our way of recruiting. So it will probably work best with local kids, but if there is a kid out there that can play, we're going to go get him too.

Q. Coach, you took away one of our big-time coaches out of Austin, Shawn Bell. One, do you have a job description for him? What will his responsibilities be? Do you look for him to maybe be a coach some day?
MATT RHULE: He's been an unbelievable surprise, and I don't mean that in a negative way. Just I didn't know him, right? When I met him I felt a connection to him like, hey, this is my kind of guy. His exact responsibilities are not 100% determined. I sort of hired him in the role of, hey, a young analyst-type guy, and he just keeps exceeding my expectations, and we will see where that ends up.

There are a lot of things happening in football and college football where there are some rules out there. We're kind of waiting to see how everything turns out. So I don't have his exact deal done yet. But he's going to be a Division 1 football coach.

The one thing I want to make clear about all three Texas high school coaches. They're not -- obviously they were a great conduit for me into Texas. But to say that is their value would severely understate who they are.

My son met Joey McGuire one time, and when I pick up the phone he doesn't say, hey, dad, I love you. It's, where's coach McGuire at? He has an unbelievable infectious personality. And Shawn Bell is an amazing young recruiter, builds tremendous relationships.

David Wetzel is a detail-oriented guy with unbelievable relationships. So these guys bring so much value beyond just the fact that they're Texas high school football coaches. They do an unbelievable job, and by the way, they happen to know everyone in the State.

But I think Shawn Bell is going to be a star in college football. I think he has a tremendous future, and in the next week or so, I'll probably announce his exact role here, which is not great timing, but I've been a little busy on my end.

Q. What was the experience like recruiting for a Big 12 program? Was it any different than what you had done at Temple? Was it just the level of recruits the size, what was it like?
MATT RHULE: Yeah, I mean, on a deep level recruiting is recruiting and building relationships. But, yeah, it was great to walk into every school and know that our brand stands against any brand. That's not to diminish anybody else. But to sit there and recruit against Big 12 schools and SEC schools and have kids know that everything I want to get done in my life, I can get done in Baylor. I can have an elite education, have a tremendous experience, I can stay close to home, I can go win the Big 12 Championship, I can compete for a National Championship, and go to a place that develops NFL players. There are first-round picks as you walk into our indoor all over the place. So to have that backing with our work ethic and relationships and approach is fantastic.

Q. For coming in so late, it looks like you fill just about every position across the board. Was that just watching it or how did that all work out?
MATT RHULE: Well, I hope it means we did a good job. I hope it means that we have tremendous planning. I'd be remiss if I didn't say Mike Siravo our recruiting coordinator and Eric Cooper, our director of player personnel. I thought they did an absolutely fantastic job of finding leads for us. Our coaches did a great job of running down leads.

It was literally like Monday. Hey, this kid's interested. Two Tuesday, official visit. Saturday, he's committed. I thought they did a tremendous job of doing all of that. And while we did get some kids that were committed to other schools, I thought we did a good job of being respectful to those other schools and not engage in hijinx, recruiting, being straight up and honest.

I think there was a plan to it. We wanted to make sure we found enough. We had positions of need. Make sure you find enough of the other positions and still try to get the best available players.

Q. You guys signed Ashton Logan out of Temple High School. He's the most local player you've signed. What did you see from him and what made you want to offer him?
MATT RHULE: We watched him on film, and our coaches said, Matt, if he looks good, if he's a good enough looking kid to grow from a safety into a linebacker, let's offer him. So I went to the school, he walked in, and I literally, yeah, he looks good enough.

He's an impressive kid. He can dunk a basketball and put his whole hand in. Then I was at the coach's workout, and they have a sign pride on the wall. Kids are lifting, and the coach blows the whistle, and every kid has to stop and stand at attention. So like literally he'd blow the whistle, and the entire team stops and they do this. I said anybody that grew up in that culture is going to work. Literally he blew the whistle, and I did it. I was so scared. He said, "Coach, you don't have to do that." And I said, "Coach, I'm doing that." Because they were getting after the kids that didn't.

But it was an awesome atmosphere. You could tell he was well-coached and tough. Comes from a great family. A tremendous athlete, and we believe in our way of thinking of things as a safety, he can grow into a linebacker, and be a rally dominant player.

Q. Two players I was impressed with on your list, James Lynch was a USC commit, and he turns to come here. Tyler Henderson was an Oklahoma State recruit, comes here. Can you just say what you like about each of those two players?
MATT RHULE: Absolutely. Well, James is a kid that went to all the regional combines. Got invited to the opening, which was quite an accomplishment and he had tremendous numbers. Just really athletic. He's one of those kids that's actually the first kid I did a home visit with that last day that you're allowed to go recruiting in December. It just seemed like too good of a fit.

Great family, great kid, tremendously athletic. We thought, you know what? This is exactly the kind of guy that we're looking for, especially with our emphasis on defensive linemen. We think he can be a productive defensive lineman for us.

And Tyler Henderson is that kid we talked about later in the process that we got on a mid-week visit. His mom, Sheila, the athletic director down in Kyle, and just really had a great feel for the recruiting process and what they were looking for. While they were committed to some other schools, we're a team that uses a tight end, so it's a great fit for him. Coach Lubick at Oregon had used a tight end last year, so it was a great fit for him.

So I think the chance to stay so close to home, and the chance to get a great education, great academic kid, it was a good fit. Both guys are positions of need for us, and both guys are kids we're really excited about as they develop.

Q. (Indiscernible)?
MATT RHULE: They did a lot of things with him, but I think for us he'll be that hybrid H-back, tight-end-type of a kid.

Q. Coach, I'm sure that the evaluations of all these guys will be happening over time through spring, and through preseason camp. But how do you feel about, do you, with freshmen, do you want to red-shirt most of them? Who are some of these guys when you look at this class that you say we're not going to be able to keep this guy off the field as a freshman?
MATT RHULE: So, my philosophy is very simple. If you walk in our building, you see the word compete and the word process everywhere. I don't have a lot of slogans, I'm not smart enough and I'm not a branding guy. We want to be the most competitive program in the country. So we compete in everything. We compete in workouts in the morning. I want to compete academically, we compete on being on time. Everything's a competition for us.

So the whole ethos around us therefore states that you have to then, when you get here, we're trying to get you ready to play, and we want to play every freshman. And we want everyone, we want to have an open competition. I'd rather play the freshman, all the statistics say if you play freshmen, the retention is better, the grades are better, they're happy. That's what everything says.

So I'd love to play the freshmen, if they're ready. I kind of, at Temple, a lot of times I red-shirt kids their sophomore year. I play them as freshmen and red-shirt them their sophomore year just so they can get a taste of it. So if a kid's ready, I'm going to play him. By ready, I mean physically ready, mentally ready, in terms that they've learned enough of the system that they can compete, and they're emotionally ready. I have a lot of freshmen that say I want to play, and the stadium's packed and everyone's counting on you, and they say, Coach, I don't know if I'm ready for this yet. So each kid's different.

One thing I learned from Coach Paterno, it's better to play too late than play too early. I'm not going to put a kid out there too early where he could lose his confidence.

Everything we do is trying to get the freshmen on the field, competing, but you have to earn it and you have to be ready. That being said, when it up cans to offensive linemen and defensive linemen, you hope to have a chance to red-shirt some of those guys. I don't know if we will. But some of these kids look like they might be game ready. I think it's just a person-by-person evaluation as you get into training camp and even in the first couple of games.

Q. It's kind of been, I guess Waco's version of the bat signal. But how long is McLane Stadium going to stay lit tonight after your recruiting class?
MATT RHULE: That's funny (laughing). I had people calling me the green lights are on. What's that mean? I said I guess we forgot to turn them off because no one committed today. That's been a cool thing and a fun thing. It's nice when something catches on and, you know, I don't know if we'll use that moving forward, but it was a fun deal. I think a lot of kids were excited about it, even the players and the families.

We'll relax tonight, and then send all the coaches to go home, and a couple of us are going to go do clinics the next couple days. So we don't have a chance to turn the light off yet, so...

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