HE’S IN IT FOR THE LONG HAUL
WITH AMPLE WARDROBE, RHULE SAYS BEARS ARE LEARNING FROM SCANDAL
M att Rhule had made the decision to take arguably the toughest coaching job in America when his wife called him.
It was time for the new Baylor football coach to go shopping.
“I tried on about 12 green blazers and five green ties because I plan on wearing green for a while,” said Rhule, who won 10 games each of the past two seasons at Temple.
Eight months later, Baylor feels like it has the perfect fit in Rhule, the son of a minister with no Texas ties who has been tasked with cleaning up a program rocked by a sexualassault scandal.
Rhule was hired in December to replace Jim Grobe, who coached the Bears last season after the firing of Art Briles. Baylor remains the subject of an NCAA investigation and still faces several lawsuits from more than a dozen women who claim the university and football program mishandled or ignored sexual assault claims against players.
“What I’ve learned in my time at Baylor and Waco is we’re not running from the past, but rather were learning from it,” Rhule said at Big 12 media days in July. “We’re truly committed to getting the wrongs of the past corrected and to a bright new future.”
The first order of business for Rhule was salvaging the Bears’ recruiting class. At the time of Rhule’s hiring, Baylor had just one commitment. They finished with a class ranked in the 30s by most recruiting services.
“There would be challenges,” Rhule recalled of why he took the job. “But I also saw tremendous opportunity.”
‘Good days are ahead’
Changes are coming on the field, too. Likely gone is the era of Baylor’s offensive juggernaut that piled up points and yards.
Rhule spent the offseason providing vague descriptions of what to expect on offense, using words like “versatile” and “multiple.” The spring gave some hints: the Bears will still run the spread while incorporating a pro-style attack.
Who will run the offense also remains a mystery. There is a quarterback competition between sophomore Zach Smith, Arizona transfer Anu Solomon and true freshman Charlie Brewer.
The Bears have huge holes to fill after losing Russell, running back Shock Linwood and wide receivers KD Cannon and Ishmael Zamora. The receiving corps, however, remains deep with Blake Lynch and Chris Platt.
One dose of bad news: running back Terence Williams, the leading rusher with 1,048 yards and 11 TDs last season, could be sidelined until Big 12 play with a “significant” shoulder injury, Rhule said.
Expect the defensiveminded Rhule to pay particular interest as he enters a Big 12 historically known for its highscoring offenses. The Bears, who will run a 4-3 scheme under coordinator Phil Snow, are anchored by All-Big 12 defensive end K.J. Smith and linebacker Taylor Young, a four-year starter.
Judging by preseason forecasts, the Bears, are picked middle-of-the-pack in the Big 12.
First, Rhule wants to help bring Baylor out of the scandal that has hovered for years.
“You hope that you can share a message that good days are ahead,” Rhule said. “I came to Baylor because I knew this was the right place for me and I believed in it.”