It was only a matter of time before it happened. For many, the question was why it was taking so long, but Mount Pleasant wide receiver KD Cannon finally ended in his recruitment early Saturday afternoon by committing to the Baylor Bears on an unofficial visit to Waco:
KD Cannon commits to the Baylor Bears
The elite Texas deep threat will team with 2013 signee Robbie Rhodes to threaten defenses vertically.
I just Committed To The Baylor University #Sic'Em
— KD Cannon (@IAmTheOne_9) August 10, 2013
A consensus four-star prospect and national top-50 player, Cannon is one of the top deep threats in the country and comes it at No. 4 at his position according to the 247Sports composite rankings. He held offers from at least 20 programs around the country and had narrowed his list to Baylor, Florida, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, and Texas Tech on the first of August.
The industry consensus had long held that Waco was the likely destination for the 6’0, 160-pounder, who told SB Nation Recruiting at The Opening in July that his mother fell in love with the school on her first visit. Cannon was also adamant throughout this recruitment that he wanted to play in a spread, up-tempo offense in college -- a precise fit for the one operated by Baylor head coach Art Briles. Oh yeah, and there was the fact that the Mount Pleasant product showed up at numerous events during the spring and summer conspicuously wearing Baylor gold and green, but was unwilling to officially name the Bears his leader.
Here’s an excerpt from his SB Nation Recruiting scouting report:
It can often be hard to pinpoint what exactly makes a certain receiver so capable of getting open down the field. For Cannon, a sneaky type of speed that seems to catch opponents and eat up their cushion faster than expected plays a role, as well as his ability to beat cornerbacks who try to get their hands on him. His ability to adjust to the football and throw defenders off with subtle hesitations also help, too.
But Cannon is more than just a deep threat, as he can show the ability to work his way through traffic with good vision and feet, though neither skill stands out as much as work down the field, in part because his lateral agility and short-area quickness are *merely* above average when compared to his elite skill. Getting behind his pads helps in his efforts after the catch.
Two elements of his game that are top notch are his body control and his ability to go up and get the football, which combine to make him an effective target in the redzone and capable of coming down inbounds on difficult plays.
The 23rd commit in a Baylor class that just lost fellow Texas high school recruit cornerback Chad Adams to Arizona State, Cannon's pledge vaulted the Bears into the No. 16 spot nationally and second in the Big 12 behind the Texas Longhorns. Cannon is the top-rated recruit in their class.
The Baylor offense has been dangerous with underrated recruits who had their talents maximized in Briles’ system. Now Briles is landing the superstar recruits at wide receiver and Big 12 defensive coordinators may be due for even more sleepless nights than normal in the future when facing the Bears.
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