By Jason Orts

Tribune-Herald staff writer

There’s no right or wrong way to go through the recruiting process.

Some players get an offer they can’t refuse and pounce on it, while others decide to wait until all of their options are laid out in front of them.

One of those playing the waiting game was China Springs’ Mike Hicks, who despite a stellar high school career had yet to receive a scholarship offer from a big-name school when his senior season ended.

• Signing day photos
• Midway players sign letters of intent
• Centex Top 25 recruits
• Trib Top 100
• Baylor's 2009 class
• Recruiting primer: Q&A
• Central Texas signings list for all sports
• Chad Conine: Results of hard work evident at Midway, other schools on signing day
• Capsule bios for the new Baylor football recruits
• Briles, Baylor football produce deep, versatile recruiting class
• China Spring standout Hicks, other local players find homes on signing day

Reicher's Kenneth Cluley (left) and Ross Rasner signed with Navy and Arkansas, respectively. (Rod Aydelotte photo)

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Despite a late official visit to Texas Tech, Waco High's Andrew Weaver (left) decided to stick with his decision and play football for Texas A&M, while Charles Silmon will run track for TCU. (Rod Aydelotte photo)

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University receiver Vencent Finley was one of five Trojans to sign letters of intent Wednesday, inking with Stephen F. Austin. (Duane A. Laverty photo)

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So when Hicks got the call from Baylor, he jumped on the offer and signed a national letter of intent Wednesday, fulfilling a dream of playing college football in his own backyard. Hicks was one of more than 50 local football players who signed.

“Throughout the season I was just trying to be patient,” Hicks said. “I was told some of the best offers come in last, and that’s how it worked out. I’ve always been a Baylor fan, and I’m sure I’ll have great fan support with my family and friends close by.”

Hicks joins a Baylor program that appears to be on the rise.

The Bears were 4-8 last season in their first season under coach Art Briles but were only a few plays from reaching their first bowl game since 1994.

The 5-foot-11, 175-pound Hicks set 11 school records and was the second-most prolific receiver in Texas high school history with 228 catches for 4,328 yards and 41 TDs.

But Hicks’ greatest attribute is his versatility. He added 619 yards and 11 touchdowns rushing in his senior season, but will likely focus on the defensive side in college and play safety.

Hicks certainly didn’t go about his recruiting journey alone. He had plenty of support from China Spring coach Mark Bell and former China Spring and Baylor quarterback Shawn Bell.

“I was emphatic in telling the Baylor coaches that Mike Hicks could play for them,” Mark Bell said. “And Shawn, as an alum, stayed in constant contact with Baylor. He’s been telling them for a year and a half that Mike could help their program.”

Baylor made the decision easy for Hicks, but things weren’t so cut-and-dried for Waco High’s Andrew Weaver.

The Lions’ 6-foot-2, 220-pound defensive end committed to Texas A&M last summer, but almost called an audible and switched to Texas Tech at the last minute. Weaver even took an unexpected official visit to Lubbock last month, but decided to stick with his original choice.

“I wanted to go to Tech, and I kept praying about it and praying about it,” Weaver said. “God said, ‘You need to stay with your commitment.’ I know for a fact that I made the right decision.”

Weaver, a first-team Super Centex pick last season, said what made him stick with the Aggies was coach Mike Sherman and that he’s going to College Station with the mindset of helping Texas A&M rebound from its 4-8 record and last-place finish in the Big 12 South in 2008.

He chose the Aggies over offers from other Big 12 schools Baylor, Colorado, Kansas State, Missouri and Oklahoma State in addition to Texas Tech.

Midway’s 2008 season was one to remember, and the trio of running back John Hubert, the Super Centex offensive player of the year, tight end Trey Graham and left tackle Ty Horn were a big reason why.

All three of them signed with Division I universities Wednesday. Graham and Horn committed to Texas and TCU, respectively, early, while Hubert landed with Kansas State less than a month ago.

“They stuck around me when I was down on my grades,” said Hubert, who broke LaDainian Tomlinson’s city rushing record with 2,853 yards and scored 41 touchdowns. “I took a visit up there, and I fell in love with it. It reminded me of another Waco.”

At Reicher, a pair of key cogs in the Cougars’ back-to-back state championships played the recruiting game a little differently.

Linebacker Ross Rasner and quarterback Kenneth Cluley both had Division I offers last summer. But Rasner took the first one he got, which was from Arkansas, while Cluley received an offer from Navy after his junior season but waited until Tuesday to commit.

“About a month after we won the state championship (in 2007), Navy offered me,” Cluley said. “I wanted to see if any others came through, but after a visit I decided that was where I wanted to go. I think their offense fits me. I love to run, and I think I can hit the corner and run hard downhill.”

Cluley also had an offer from Army, while Rasner, the Texas Football magazine TAPPS player of the year, picked Arkansas over Utah, Louisiana Tech, Navy, Rice, SMU and Tulsa.

Like Rasner, China Spring defensive end Ryan Boutwell liked his first offer the best.

The 2008 Super Centex defensive player of the year committed to North Texas last summer and lived up to his Division I billing with 94 tackles — 21 of them for losses — and 10 sacks from his defensive end spot.

Former Cougar Jeremiah Chapman played for North Texas and earned all-Sun Belt Conference honors. Boutwell hopes to match or even better that.

“They saw my film and they like me as a player,” Boutwell said. “Jeremiah Chapman went there, so I know if I can be as good as he is or better I can help their program.”

La Vega cornerback Daxton Swanson’s recruiting story was changed by a coaching move. Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Tim Beckman was looking at Swanson, and when he took over as Toledo coach in December, he snatched Swanson up.

“He knew about me when he was at Oklahoma State, and when he got the Toledo job they came and got me,” Swanson said. “It’s always been my dream to play at the Division I level, and I’ve worked hard every day for it.”

Staff writer Chad Conine contributed to this report.

jorts@wacotrib.com

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