Amarillo Boys Ranch is off the beaten path for major college recruiters, but players as big and physical as LaQuan McGowan don’t come along very often.

The 6-8, 350-pound McGowan made a verbal commitment to Baylor on Thursday, giving the Bears their fifth offensive line pledge in the 2011 class.

Boys Ranch coach Mike Lozano said McGowan attended camps at Missouri, Texas Tech, TCU and Baylor this summer.

“After looking at all the schools he visited, LaQuan decided that Baylor would be a better fit for him,” Lozano said. “He can play both guard and tackle. He stays after it in the weight room and is really strong. But it’s also unbelievable how much quicker he’s gotten off the ball. He’s manhandled people in our two scrimmages.”

Playing for a Class 1A school, McGowan towers over his opponents as both an offensive and defensive lineman. He’s become a more physical player during his three years as a starter.

“LaQuan is a great kid,” Lozano said. “He’s always been bigger than anybody else and has always been told that he can’t pick on people. But we’ve seen that he’s gotten a lot more physical on the field this year.”

McGowan, who is originally from Dallas, plays basketball for Boys Ranch and won the Class 1A state championship in the shot put with a throw of 55 feet, 5 inches in May.

“He’s always loved basketball and I thought that’s what he wanted to do,” Lozano said. “But he decided he wanted to play football in college.”

Baylor previously received offensive line commitments from Cedar Park’s Spencer Drango, Dallas Lincoln’s Desmine Hilliard, Kilgore’s Pat Colbert and Navarro College’s Nick Johnson, who previously played at Waco High. The Bears have 14 overall verbal commitments in the 2011 class.

jwerner@wacotrib.com

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