By Michael Haag | Sports Editor
When Baylor football assistant coach and quarterbacks coach Shawn Bell wore green and gold as a player, he knew exactly what it was like to compete for a starting role on a yearly basis.
Bell, a quarterback at Baylor from 2003-06, was named the QBs coach for head coach Dave Aranda in January 2021. As the Bears get into their 2023 spring quarterback battle between redshirt junior Blake Shapen and redshirt sophomore Sawyer Robertson, Bell hopes his expertise can provide guidance.
“I think [that competition] made me who I am,” Bell said. “I wouldn’t sit here and say that I’m the best X’s and O’s quarterback coach … but I would say that I pride myself on the mental side of the position. I went through a lot of valleys as well as I went through highs, and I’m more thankful now in my life for the tough times, because they made me the quarterback, the person, the dad, the husband that I am.”
Bell’s outlook on this particularly applies to Shapen, who is now defending the starting role he earned last spring.
“Through those experiences, Blake and I have had those conversations, and I think it’s hopefully made a huge difference in him,” Bell said. “And that’s what I take a lot of pride in.”
Baylor wrapped up its second day of spring practice on Thursday, and the Bears are fully embracing a position battle between Shapen and Robertson. Shapen won the job over 2021 starter Gerry Bohanon a year ago, and now he welcomes a challenge from Robertson, a Mississippi State University transfer.
In 2022, Shapen completed 63.3% of his passes for 2,709 yards, 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also rushed 76 times for 96 yards and two TDs. The team went 6-7 with Shapen under center, capped off by a 30-15 loss to the United States Air Force Academy in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth on Dec. 22, 2022.
Shapen said he felt like he “failed at being a better leader” last season and that he “should have been a little bit more vocal.”
“Now I’m trying to take that step forward to be a more vocal leader and to just inspire everyone around me too [and] to come out every single day with my head up, going as hard as I can and hopefully get some people to fall in line with that,” Shapen said.
Aranda saw growth from Shapen on Tuesday, and Bell added that “Blake is eager and excited.”
“He has a mindset that’s been unbelievable through the offseason and through the first couple days of spring,” Bell said. “I think it starts with consistency. Nobody’s going to be harder on Blake than Blake, and I think that’s what drives him. That’s what’s going to make him great.
“You never want to go through what you went through last year, but it’s a great learning opportunity and a chance for growth. And as a quarterback, that’s what makes you. You go through those tough times and you bounce back and you respond. I think that’s what Blake’s done.”
While Bell said Shapen has the advantage of being more familiar with the team and the expectations at Baylor given his time here, Bell also said “Sawyer has come in and given everything he’s got.”
Robertson transferred to Baylor from Mississippi State after two seasons as a Bulldog. He was coached by the late head coach Mike Leach, a legendary coach who specialized in the air raid offense.
Robertson lacks game experience, though, as he only played in five games as a redshirt freshman. In that season, he threw for 23 yards on 6-of-11 accuracy, tossing one interception. A Lubbock native, Robertson said “competition breeds excellence” and he’s ready to compete for the starting job with Shapen.
He said Shapen has been helping him learn the offense in the transition between schools.
“Blake’s been really helpful throughout the whole process,” Robertson said. “I mean, when I first got here, he was one of the first guys that talked to me. He’s been helping me with the offense the entire time. And I’m thankful that he’s been there, kind of helping me throughout the whole thing [and] learning a new offense.”
With two high-profile throwers battling it out all spring, Bell said the staff is taking it “day by day right now.” He said the decision on naming the starter for the fall is not in the cards just yet.
“We had a long conversation before the spring and then even today in the quarterback room and with those guys about how we’re handling this competition and the unity in that room and the connectedness in that room,” Bell said.
Bell said he hopes to continue seeing Robertson and Shapen work in tandem, similar to how Bohanon and Shapen did in 2021.
“It’s unique, Sawyer has been here a short amount of time, and he’s doing a drill [in offseason], and Blake’s cheering for him,” Bell said. “And today, Sawyer made a great throw, the first person to give him a high-five was Blake Shapen, and vice versa. Blake makes a great throw, Sawyer’s in the back yelling, ‘Great job, Blake!’ I think that’ll carry over into the fall.”
