Baylor coach Art Briles looks at spring football as a time to teach and develop his players without the pressure of preparing for a game every week.

While his squad wasn’t at full strength this spring due to numerous injuries, he still believes practices were very productive.

Most importantly, the 15 scheduled practices allowed Briles to develop his depth and get a look at a lot of young players who could play important roles during the fall.

“I thought our guys held the proper mentality throughout the spring,” Briles said. “It can get a little repetitive, but you can’t get better looking out the window. You have to get out there and practice. One of our main objectives the last couple of years is to develop quality depth to play in the Big 12 South. We’ve got a bunch of guys who are capable of playing.”

The Bears ended spring workouts last Saturday as quarterback Nick Florence led the White team to a 20-14 win over the Green team in the final scrimmage at the Highers Athletics Complex.

While some players have locked down positions, many spots will still be up for grabs when the Bears open preseason drills in August. Here’s a position by position breakdown following spring drills.

Quarterback Robert Griffin throws a pass during spring drills.
Rod Aydelotte/Tribune-Herald

Quarterback

After undergoing knee surgery last fall, quarterback Robert Griffin returned to practice this spring. The Baylor coaches took no risks with Griffin as they limited him to noncontact drills, but he was ahead of schedule in his recovery.

Griffin expects to be full speed by Baylor’s season opener against Sam Houston State on Sept. 4. Griffin, who tore his anterior cruciate ligament, plans to play with a brace to protect his right knee.

“My knee is about 90 percent right now, but I expect it to be 100 percent by the start of the season,” Griffin said. “I can run and cut and change direction. I’d rather not play with a brace, but it’s the smartest thing to do.”

Briles feels confident with his depth at quarterback after Florence started seven games last season following Griffin’s injury. Behind Griffin and Florence are redshirt freshman Brody Trahan and true freshman Bryce Petty, who enrolled at Baylor this semester.

“When I look across the Big 12 South, I think we’re up there with everybody with our experience at quarterback,” Briles said. “I’m not surprised that Robert has made so much progress because he does everything in a competitive fashion. Nick also showed he was very capable last season.”

Running backs

Baylor’s running back corps wasn’t nearly at full strength during the spring since senior Jay Finley was recovering from ankle surgery and redshirt freshman Glasco Martin was out after tearing his ACL last fall.

Finley is expected to return to his starting role in the fall, while Martin could help at some point during the season. Terrance Ganaway is back after playing mostly in short yardage situations last year, while Jarred Salubi will bring versatility to the table.

Isaac Williams, a former Los Angeles prep star, brought his running and catching skills to the mix this spring after playing at El Camino (Calif.) College.

Briles is looking for much improvement in the running game after the Bears averaged just 110.6 yards and 3.5 yards per carry last season.

“One of our goals is to run the ball more effectively because it creates a mentality that you need on the offensive side of the ball,” Briles said. “We know what Jay can do and the passion he plays with. But we saw good things from some guys this spring. As Isaac Williams develops a better understanding of the total commitment that it takes to play in the Big 12 South, he’ll continue to improve.”

Receivers

Though two of Baylor’s top receivers from last season — David Gettis and Ernest Smith — are gone, Briles is encouraged by what he’s seen from his young receivers.

Junior Kendall Wright should be one of the best receivers in the Big 12 after catching 116 passes for 1,389 yards and nine touchdowns during his first two seasons. Joining Wright inside is senior Krys Buerck, redshirt freshman Darius Jones and true freshman Tevin Reese.

Baylor’s top returning wide receiver is Lanear Sampson, who made 29 catches for 297 yards and two touchdowns as a redshirt freshman. He’ll be joined by sophomores Terrance Williams and Josh Gordon, who bring size and speed to the table.

“Josh is still maturing, but the light has clicked on and I think he understands what it takes to be great on a daily basis,” Briles said. “The sky’s the limit for him.”

Joining junior Brad Taylor at tight end are sophomores Willie Jefferson and Jerod Monk. Standing 6-6, Jefferson should be an imposing presence at tight end, but could also see some time at wide receiver where he played last season.

Offensive line

Replacing all-America center J.D. Walton will be a big task, but Briles believes the Bears are getting closer to developing the offensive line depth they need to play in the Big 12 South.

Offensive tackle should be a strong point with senior Danny Watkins back on the left side and sophomore Ivory Wade moving from guard to right tackle. Meanwhile, Philip Blake has switched from right tackle to center.

“I don’t know if there will be a better offensive tackle in the Big 12 than Danny,” Briles said. “Ivory fits better at tackle because he can use his ability and length. Anytime you lose a center it’s a crucial spot to replace, but we like Philip’s ability.”

Both guard spots will likely be up for grabs heading into August workouts with sophomore Cameron Kaufhold battling redshirt freshman Cyril Richardson at left guard and junior John Jones battling junior college transfer Robert T. Griffin at right guard. Griffin had a good spring after transferring from Navarro College, but missed the spring game due to shoulder surgery.

Center Stefan Huber and tackles Troy Baker and Joe Korbel will add depth to the offensive line.

Tim Atchison (left) and Antonio Johnson tackle Kendall Wright during the spring game. Wright will have to make up for David Gettis and Ernest Smith’s departure.
Rod Aydelotte/Waco Tribune-Herald

Defensive line

Developing a pass rush will be critical after the Bears collected just 18 sacks last season, and Briles is counting on some young players to deliver.

Sophomore defensive end Gary Mason showed great promise during the spring, while junior Zac Scotton will be Baylor’s most experienced end. Tevin Elliot and Jared Edwards will also be in the mix at end.

Baylor is expecting Phil Taylor to play more consistently at defensive tackle after a disappointing junior year following his transfer from Penn State. Tracy Robertson has moved from end to tackle, while junior Nicolas Jean-Baptiste brings interior experience.

“You’ve got to have multiple people that are able to play because of the speed of the game and caliber of competition,” Briles said. “You’re better off having fresh players. We’ve got eight guys who are going to play and contribute, and some of those are situational.”

Linebackers

Despite losing four-time all-Big 12 linebacker Joe Pawelek, Baylor’s linebacking corps should still be the strength of the defense.

Senior outside linebacker Antonio Johnson has all-conference potential while Elliot Coffey and Earl Patin also have plenty of experience. The biggest battle of the spring was at middle linebacker where senior Chris Francis and redshirt freshman Chris McAllister both played at a high level.

“Antonio is as solid as anybody we’ve got on the defensive side of the ball,” Briles said. “Chris McAllister has had as impressive a spring as anyone. He’s 240 pounds, and can run and think.”

Defensive backs

No area of the team was hit harder by injuries during the spring than the secondary since safety Byron Landor was out following knee surgery, Anthony Moore broke his leg and Antareis Bryan missed time with a foot injury.

But when everybody returns in the fall, Briles believes the Bears will have good depth.

Clifton Odom and Bryan will give the Bears experience at cornerback, while Chance Casey showed a lot of promise as a freshman last season. With all-Big 12 senior Jordan Lake gone, Tim Atchison switched from cornerback to free safety.

Byron Landor should start at strong safety, while freshman Prince Kent and sophomore Mike Hicks will also make an impact.

A highly rated incoming group of defensive backs could also contribute, including Midway’s Ahmad Dixon, Lawton (Okla.) MacArthur’s Tuswani Copeland and Lancaster’s Tyler Stephenson.

“Once we get our full group of guys, we’re going to be in good shape,” Briles said.

Special teams

Redshirt freshman kicker Aaron Jones made a strong push for the starting job by nailing field goals of 53 and 43 yards during the spring scrimmage. He’ll battle junior Ben Parks in the summer.

Senior Derek Epperson is one of the best punters in the Big 12. After going down with a knee injury last year, Mikail Baker hopes to be back as a kick returner along with Terrance Williams. Krys Buerck and Williams will handle punt returns.

jwerner@wacotrib.com

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BAYLOR POST-SPRING DEPTH CHART

Returning starters are boldfaced