Briles' firing cripples Baylor for 2017 and beyond

The sexual assault scandal that rocked Baylor certainly is a black eye on the sport, and it's one that the university won't be able to shed anytime soon.

Baylor certainly did the right thing in dismissing Art Briles last week, but it's a decision that could cripple the program for years to come.

The prolific coach was 65-37 (.637 winning %) in the eight years he spent with the program. In the previous 104 years of the Bears existence, their combined record was 504-505 (.499 winning %).

Say what you will about the turmoil surrounding the program Briles ran, the man was a damn good football coach. Baylor has posted five seasons of 10-plus wins, and the 60-year-old coach was at the helm for four of them.

With next year's roster essentially set, and defensive coordinator Phil Bennett poised to take over, the coaching staff that will be brought aboard would be wise to stay the course and keep the Bears' systems the same.

It's in the year's following next season that Baylor's program will struggle to avoid reverting back to pre-Briles type futility. Since the dismissal was announced, most of the school's 2017 recruiting class has had a change of heart, and decommitted.

First to go was 6-foot-6, 279-pound defensive tackle Jayden Peevy, who immediately changed his mind on Friday.

Shortly after Peevy's decision, 6-foot-5 Waco native Kedrick James followed suit, as ESPN's ninth-ranked tight end announced his decommitment.

The news didn't get any better on the weekend, as 6-foot-1, 175-pound safety Donovan Stiner re-opened his recruiting as well.

Explosive wide receiver Hezekiah Jones, ESPN's 109th-overall prospect, became the fourth member of the 2017 class to decide to look elsewhere for his future home.

Of the six members from Baylor's 2017 class that were committed prior to Briles' firing, only two remain, and that number looks likely to dwindle to one shortly. The nation's No. 2 dual-threat quarterback Kellen Mond, a Bears commit since June of 2015, tweeted out a picture Saturday of himself with an Auburn background.

As previously stated, Baylor had no choice but to dismiss Briles for the horrific charges that happened under his watch. The school's decision will hopefully set a standard going forward that helps improve campus activity nationwide.

Whether Phil Bennett eventually is named the head coach, or the program brings someone in from the outside, the successor faces a monumental task in keeping the Bears from slipping back into the struggles of previous times.