Baylor football will turn the page on a new season once they host their 2017 spring game. When can fans catch their first look at a new Bears team?
After Art Briles spent eight seasons as Baylor’s head coach, the Bears are now going through their third coach in as many years. In an effort to move on from their dark period, the board of regents hired Matt Rhule to oversee the 2017 Bears. Rhule is fresh off of a 10-4 season with Temple that culminated in an AAC Championship.
As soon as he came to Baylor, Rhule went to work on the recruiting trail, signing 27 new players including 23 on National Signing Day. Their class ranked No. 40 in the country, but considering they had a ton of players de-commit and asking out from their letter of Intent, that’s very impressive.
Many people are curious how that will translate on the field. That’s why the Spring Game, while just a glorified scrimmage, is the best chance for fans to see what the team looks like before the season starts. And for Baylor, now that the spring practice is done, their spring game will take place on April 22 at McLane Stadium.
The period after March Madness is the worst for college sports fans. At least after the National Championship Game, there’s college basketball to hold people over. But once that’s finished, fans have to wait four months before football season starts.
The spring game is almost never taken seriously, but it’s a good placeholder to help fill the void during the offseason. And anyone who attends it will typically be treated to an interactive experience. Lord knows if there’s any fanbase that needs a distraction, it’s Baylor’s.
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The season hasn’t started yet, but Rhule is already looking to make a good first impression with the students. He’s already attended some college basketball games and looked like he had a good time with the student section. It remains to be seen if Rhule can help Baylor get back to their glory days, but given his track record, it’s hard to bet against him.