Baylor has landed the program's first verbal commitment since the dismissal of head coach Art Briles in late May. Clear Creek (Texas) corner Noah Daniels announced his commitment to the Bears on Wednesday afternoon.
Nearly two months went by with very little, if any news to report from the recruiting trail. The 2017 recruiting class went from a very impressive start to only one commitment in a matter of one week.
Daniels made the trip to Waco for the Baylor Friday Night Lights Camp this past Friday and left town with an offer from the Bears - one of the first new offers made by the coaching staff over the past two months.
"I had a great time and really enjoyed getting coached by Coach (Carlon) Buckels," Daniels said. "The visit went well, I had a great time. Coach Buckels offered me after the camp. He told me that I was a great player, very coach-able.
"Coach was very hands on during the camp. He would correct me right then and there, plus he would let me know when I was doing the little things right or wrong."
Daniels actually called Coach Buckels yesterday to give him the good news and make his commitment to Baylor.
"Yes, I already committed," Daniels said. "Coach Buckels was excited and told me that he might not get any sleep tonight. We talked for a while and he was going to call the head coach and defensive coordinator. I'm supposed to be getting in touch with them sometime tomorrow or later this week.
"I just felt like I wanted to make my commitment before my senior season, then focus on the season and focus on one program. I enjoyed the visit and I'm just excited to play in the Big12. I'm really ready to play against teams like TCU, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Texas, and the competition level of the Big12 conference. I feel like it's the best fit for me."
With the recent events surrounding the Baylor program, Daniels says the coaches were open with him about the current situation.
"Coach Buckels said they are just going to keep going like nothing happened, which is good," Daniels said. "As a team, they are trying to not allow it to affect them going into the season. Our conversation was very brief, I asked him about it and we talked about how the team is handling everything.
"Long term, if the coaches were to leave and a new coaching staff comes in, then I could reopen my recruitment. But I'm very happy with my decision and my relationship with Coach Buckels."
Daniels also recognizes that he is the first prospect to commit to Baylor since Art Briles was fired this spring.
"It feels good," Daniels said. "Hopefully I can recruit other guys, I feel like I have to."
Daniels did spend some time on the Baylor campus this past weekend, but is looking to schedule an official visit this fall to learn more about the university.
"We arrived around 3:00pm last Friday, then went straight to the stadium and registered," Daniels said. "After the camp, we went to the hotel and went home in the morning. We didn't really tour the campus or get to see anything outside of the camp.
"I might go back this summer, but I will probably wait until my official visit this fall. I know Baylor has great academics, so I want to spend time looking into my options during the official visit.
"I also have an official visit scheduled to Utah, but that is my only other visit right now. I would like to take my official visits. There might be other schools, no other visits setup for now though."
Daniels chose Baylor over 20 other scholarship offers, including offers from Texas Tech, Utah, Houston, Arkansas, SMU, Indiana, and several others. He joins Jalen Pitre and becomes the No. 2 commitment for the Baylor 2017 recruiting class.
Currently rated a two-star prospect, Daniels earned District 24-6A All-District Second Team honors this past season.
