Walton Impressing During Senior Bowl Week
11:30 A.M., FRIDAY, JAN. 29, 2010

Baylor's All-American center J.D. Walton has spent the week in Mobile, Ala., prepping for the 2010 Senior Bowl [Sat., 3 p.m. CST, NFL Network] and by all media accounts has impressed those in attendance.

- Tuesday, Tony Pauline of TFYDraft.com published on SI.com among his Senior Bowl "RISERS":

J.D. Walton/C/Baylor: Walton really stepped up his play on Tuesday after a slow start on Monday. He blocked with great fundamentals and controlled opponents at the line of scrimmage besides displaying the ability to effectively block on the move. The top spot at center from the senior class is up for grabs, and Walton is stating his case.

- Also on Tuesday, Matt Miller of New Era Scouting wrote:

JD Walton (Baylor) is a hustler that gets the most out of himself. He is very active and sticks with his blocks exceptionally well. He stuck with the quickness and handled the power that the defensive line had to offer.

- On Wednesday, Wes Bunting of the National Football Post wrote:

10. Baylor center J.D. Walton showed well for himself, quickly getting his hands up out of his stance, anchoring at the point and sticking to blocks through contact. He looked comfortable in pass protection throughout the entire session and, paired with his ability to run block in space, looks like another starting-caliber center prospect.

- Also Wednesday, Chad Reuter of DraftScout.com posted to CBSSports.com:

Baylor center J.D. Walton distanced himself a bit Tuesday from his counterparts Ted Larsen (North Carolina State) and Jeff Byers (USC). Despite his time in a predominately zone-blocking system while with the Bears, he has held up well in the physical battles inside.

- In a Wednesday Dallas Morning News blog, Gerry Fraley wrote:

A Big 12 matchup was revisited when Baylor center J.D. Walton took on Texas defensive tackle Lamarr Houston in a blocking drill. Walton won, decisively. After being blocked by Walton, Houston jumped offsides twice before being beaten again.

- Fraley published an article today that including the following on J.D.:

During a practice leading up to the Senior Bowl, center J.D. Walton of Baylor put heralded Tennessee nose tackle Dan Williams, all 329 pounds of him, on his back during a blocking drill.

"I see this as a great opportunity," said Walton, of Allen. "I get a chance to get NFL coaching and compete against great players. It gives me a big chance to show what I can do."

Walton could figure in the most anticipated aspect of the game: the performance of Florida's Tim Tebow at quarterback. In practice, Walton was the only center who consistently had clean exchanges with Tebow, who played in the shotgun formation with the Gators.

Walton enhanced his value by also practicing at guard. The more positions Walton can play, the more appeal he has to the NFL.

Baylor Football on FOX's "Bones"
10:30 A.M., FRIDAY, JAN. 29, 2010

Fans of FOX networks television series "Bones" may have seen the Bears get a little pub during last night's episode. Check out the clip below, at roughly the 10:05 mark, and you'll see a TV with the Baylor-Texas game and it looks like Kendall Wright and Josh Gordon getting some facetime on FOX primetime:

Griffin Talks About Rehab
11:45 A.M., WEDNESDAY, JAN. 27, 2010

More than three months after successful knee surgery to repair an isolated tear in his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III is progressing positively thru rehab and expects to be at full speed this summer.

Several media members caught up with Griffin earlier in the week to see how rehab was going.

"I'm feeling good and believe I'm ahead of schedule," Griffin said Monday. "It doesn't feel like I tore anything now, and after three or four more months of rehab I'll be ready to go. I ran on it two weeks ago, and it felt great."

Griffin took time during the half of the Baylor, Kansas State game to do an interview with FOX Sports Southwest. Video of the interview is available by clicking HERE or going to www.foxsportssouthwest.com.

All-Star Games & Newcomers in Waco
3:45 P.M., TUESDAY, JAN. 26, 2010

This week All-American center J.D. Walton is taking part in practice and festivities leading up to Saturday's 2010 Senior Bowl, widely considered the top all-star game for prospective NFL players. Last week linebacker Joe Pawelek and deep-snapper Carter Brunelle represented Baylor in the East-West Shrine game.

NEWCOMERS ON CAMPUS: There are six newcomers enrolled at Baylor for the 2010 spring semester that will participate in spring drills with the Bears. The Waco Tribune-Herald recently published articles on freshman Troy Baker, a local lineman who graduated early from Connally to enroll at Baylor this spring, and 2009 signees Bryce Petty and Tevin Reese entering the program.

More All-Decade Team Talk
4:10 P.M., TUESDAY, JAN. 19, 2010

Baylor Athletics released its official All-Decade football team of the 2000s two weeks ago. The team was selected by a panel of athletic department officials and media who have worked closely with the Bears football program for years and spearheaded by Baylor Bear Insider editor Jerry Hill.

Today, Tim Griffin of ESPN.com released a second Baylor All-Decade squad that apparently replaces the group he selected in December. Not sure the differences (the original team is no longer viewable) or why this was re-released, but you can view the ESPN.com All-Decade team here.

Gettis and Walton to NFL Combine
4:00 P.M., TUESDAY, JAN. 12, 2010

Receiver David Gettis and center J.D. Walton are among the first senior invitees to the 2010 NFL Combine, to be held in Indianapolis in February. Congratulations to Gettis, an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection as a senior, and Walton, a first-team All-America honoree. Hopefully more Baylor players will be invited before the combine rolls around.

Congrats to Honor Roll Recepients
2:00 P.M., TUESDAY, JAN. 12, 2010

Congrats to the 33 student-athletes in Baylor's football program that earned Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll status for Fall 2009. The list includes (by athletic class) 12 freshmen [Steve Drain, Nick Florence, Stefan Huber, Kolton Lye, Chris McAllister, Anthony Moore, Kevin Park, Chris Smith, Brody Trahan, Ivory Wade, Chris Winkler and Erick Wolfe] eight sophomores [Terrance Ganaway, Robert Griffin, Jake Jackson, Logan Lanier, Ben Parks, Tyler Pratt, Zac Scotton, Andrew Sumpter], two juniors [Chris Buford, Derek Epperson] eight seniors [James Barnard, Trey Bryant, Andrew Judy, Jason Lamb, Joe Pawelek, Blake Syzmanski, J.D. Walton, Jeremy Williams] and three former players who exhausted eligibility [Thad Boatner, Ryan Roberts, John David Weed].

Special mention should be given to Joe Pawelek and Jason Lamb, who were honored for their ninth and eighth semester, respectively.

NFL Watch
10:40 A.M., FRIDAY, JAN. 8, 2010

Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote a nice season-ending article on rookie tackle and former Baylor All-America Jason "Smooth" Smith. Good read.

TRANSACTIONS: The San Francisco 49ers this week signed former Bear Dominique Zeigler to a future contract. He finished the 2009 season on the Niners practice squad and in 2008 was on the active roster and played in eight games.

Putting a Bow on 2009 Postseason Honors
3:30 P.M., MONDAY, JAN. 4, 2010

Time to catch up on all the postseason honors earned by Baylor players for the 2009 season:

ALL-AMERICA HONORS: Joe Pawelek earned All-America recognition from Rivals.com (second team), Phil Steele (third team) and CollegeFootballNews.com (honorable mention). J.D. Walton was named All-American by the Associated Press (first team) and Pro Football Weekly (honorable mention). Derek Epperson was tabbed an honorable mention All-American by CollegeFootballNews.com.

FRESHMAN HONORS: Here's a recap of Baylor rookies who were honored in 2009...

And finally, below is a complete listing of 2009 BAYLOR FOOTBALL HONORS: