FootballScoop is proud to announce that Tate Wallis is the 2015 FootballScoop Wide Receivers Coach of the Year presented by ProGrass.
No team boasted a deeper or more explosive wide receiving corps in 2015 than Baylor.
Let's start with Corey Coleman. That's where the Baylor passing attack started, after all.
Coleman finished the year with 74 grabs for 1,363 yards with 20 touchdowns -- good enough to earn a spot on every All-America team and win the Biletnikoff Award as college football's top wideout. He went on an impressive run of seven consecutive games with multiple touchdown grabs and became the first player in two seasons to catch at least 20 touchdowns.
Elsewhere on the flanks of Baylor's offense, K.D. Cannon and Jay Lee flashed No. 1 receiver ability throughout the season. Cannon snared 50 receptions for 868 yards and six touchdowns, and Lee grabbed 38 grabs for 758 yards and eight scores.
Lee's 19.95 yards per reception average was eighth nationally for all players with at least 35 receptions, and Coleman's 18.42 average ranked second for all players with at least 70 grabs.
And Baylor accomplished all despite a torrential downpour washing out any hope of throwing the ball on Nov. 27 at TCU and injuries to starting quarterback Seth Russell and backup Jarrett Stidham essentially forced the Bears to abandon the passing game for their final two outings. Consider that Baylor still finished 22nd nationally in passing despite completing only 30 passes for 257 yards and one touchdown in their final three games.
Wallis is in his sixth year on Baylor's staff and first as wide receivers coach. He previously spent three years in offensive quality control and assisting in football operations, and two years prior to that as a graduate assistant. A graduate of Tarleton State, Wallis spent two years as the wide receivers coach at Red Oak High School in Texas before arriving in Waco.
The FootballScoop Coaches of the Year awards presented by ProGrass are the only set of awards that recognize the most outstanding position coaches in college football. The finalists (Calvin Lowry [Tulsa], Matt Simon [Western Michigan] and Wallis) were selected based off of nominations by coaches, athletic directors, and athletic department personnel. The prior winners selected this year's winner.
Wallis will receive his award and be recognized at an event at the AFCA Convention in January.
Previous winners of the Wide Receivers Coach of the Year award are Bobby Kennedy (Texas, 2008), Zach Azzanni (Central Michigan, 2009), Brent Pease (Boise State, 2010), Ted Gilmore (USC, 2011), Matt Lubick (Duke, 2012), Lawrence Dawsey (Florida State, 2013) and Rusty Burns/Doug Meacham (TCU, 2014).
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