The Big 12 did very well on Early National Signing Day with seven teams breaking the Top 50 in the overall rankings according to 247 Sports. Looking at overall rankings can be a good indicator of what to expect in the coming years, but it doesn’t always tell the entire story.
For example, BYU Football has consistently overperformed from where their recruiting rankings may suggest. Over the past five seasons, the Cougars have averaged the 74th-ranked recruiting classes yet have put together a 41-22 record during that same time span. One has to wonder what their record may have been had they been pulling in recruiting classes in the 50’s.
On the other hand, Texas (yes, we still claim them… at least until after the playoff is finished) consistently ranks in the top ten, yet until this year, it has struggled to meet lofty expectations. Below is a complete ranking of the new Big 12 teams. These rankings will not reflect 247 Sports’ but rather reflect where the team is versus how they did with signings. For example, a team that finished toward the bottom of the conference but has a signing class in the middle of the league will rank very high, whereas a team at the top but an average signing class will rank toward the bottom.
Big 12 Early Signing Power Rankings
1. TCU
After being blown out in the National Championship Game against Georgia and a 5-7 record this year, it looked like TCU may be on a one-way ticket to the bottom of the conference. However, Sonny Dikes and his staff have managed to pull in the 2nd ranked class in the Big 12, including a four-star combo of QB Hauss Hejny, WR Gekyle Baker, and RB Jeremy Payne.
While TCU certainly hopes not to rely heavily on this four-star talent next season, the future could be very bright if these three players stick together.
2. Texas Tech
The Red Raiders were the one team this year in the Big 12 that felt like they were just a play away here and there from having a really special season. One thing that seemed to hold them back was the health of their QB.
Going forward, that may not be an issue as the Red Raiders have gone heavy on recruiting offensive linemen, bringing in four linemen who are 3-star or better. Throw that on top of the four offensive linemen that they are bringing in from the transfer portal, and this team is looking very deep and strong upfront.
Also, jumping up 5 spots from last year’s ranking also helps.
3. UCF
If there is a sleeping giant in the Big 12, it is the UCF Knights. Despite being new to the P5 level, the Knights are already ranked second in the conference, only behind Texas Tech, and one could argue with eight 4-stars, they have the best class overall.
Perhaps the highlight of UCF’s signing day was picking up two 4-star receivers Frankie Arthur and Ric’Darious Farmer. If these two players gel, they could become a matchup nightmare for teams across the league.
4. Arizona State
Arizona State struggled this past season to do anything besides almost upset Washington. Entering a new league, many teams were probably hoping they’d become the pre-Covid Kansas of the league. While they may be that next season, they probably won’t stay there long.
The Sun Devils are bringing in the 7th ranked class in the Big 12, but more importantly, they are upgrading their offensive line, bringing in five players. There were a lot of issues with the ASU offense last year, but most of it can be credited to sloppy O-line play.
It’s also worth mentioning the Sun Devils already have 13 players from the transfer portal, including 10 from P4 teams.
5. Colorado
Colorado is a really tough team to grade. Their actual recruiting class has a 5-star and three 4-star players, however, only nine actual recruits total. In the transfer portal, they’ve already picked up 16 players, including six players grading out at a 4-star and 11 coming from other P5 schools.
This looks like a great team and an excellent recruiting class, but last year showed that loading up solely on transfers doesn’t always pan out. We’ll see how next season goes.
6. BYU
Yes, BYU is sitting 10th in the conference in actual ranking, but again, look at what they’ve done on the field despite their recruiting in the past. With the 55 overall ranking, the Cougars could very well be setting themselves up to be regularly in the postseason, something they fell short of this past year by going 5-7.
What makes BYU so interesting in these rankings isn’t necessarily the rankings of the players they brought in but rather the positions. Two seasons ago, DC Jay Hill was brought in to change up the defense after the Cougars finished with one of the worst defenses in the country. The Cougars played significantly better this past season, primarily with the old players. Of the top eight ranked recruits in this cycle, seven are on the defensive side of the ball.
7. Cincinnati
Similar to TCU, some were wondering if Cincinnati was going to hang out toward the bottom of the conference. To everyone’s surprise, they finished fourth overall in the 247 Rankings for the Big 12 with 20 3-star recruits.
Sure, they have only one 4-star and no 5-star players, but having 20 3-star players will elevate this team very quickly as a potential top-half of the conference kind of team. Sometimes, it’s better to be good everywhere than great in a few areas. That is particularly true in the transfer portal area, where an entire position group can go from great to almost non-existent (Kansas St QB’s).
8. Kansas
It doesn’t appear that the Jayhawks are going anywhere. After two consecutive bowl seasons (something I thought I’d ever see), the Jayhawks backed up their recent success with solid recruiting classes.
Although not filled with tons of 4-star talent, upon closer review, Kansas is bringing in four 3-star players who graded at an 89, or one point short of 90 (4-star). One of these players is the 31st-ranked quarterback in the nation, Isaiah Marshall. Watching his film, he looks like the perfect candidate to continue the Kansas hybrid quick offense.
9. Arizona
We are now getting into the teams that did…okay. Wildcat fans won’t like to see themselves ranked below their rivals, but here we are. Sure, Arizona finished ranked 7th in the 247 rankings, but this felt like a missed opportunity to put the foot down on Arizona State and become the dominant team for the foreseeable future. Instead, they were out-recruited by the Sun Devils and if you add the ASU’s transfers, the Wildcats clearly come out on the bottom between the two squads.
Still, having the 7th best recruiting class in the Big 12 is positive and a sign that Arizona could be a dark horse in the near future.
10. Iowa State
What is Iowa State? Are they a dark horse team that could make a run for the Big 12 Championship or a middle-of-the-pack squad that makes a bowl game every other year? Nobody gas a definite answer, and their signing day performance didn’t help with that either.
The Cyclones signed 22 3-star athletes, ranking first in the league. However, they didn’t bring in any 4 or 5-star recruits. Usually, lacking any elite players would be an issue, but with 21 3-stars, it leaves everyone questioning whether this was a really good signing day or not.
11. West Virginia
West Virginia was undoubtedly the surprise team of the year. The Mountaineers had an outside shot of making the Big 12 Championship game this past season in the second to last week. Similar to Iowa State, however, this recruiting class is full of mystery. WVU is bringing in 20 3-star players of their own but only one 4-star and no 5-stars.
12. Utah
For a team that is coming into the conference claiming to be the top dog, they sure didn’t show that with this early recruiting class. While not a bad signing class, to finish below their rival BYU stings. They also lost out on LB Ephraim Asiata, a recruit many Ute fans assumed would be a shoe-in get with many family members having been part of the Ute program in the past.
Utah will eventually likely move up this list, as they will be an attractive option to many P5 transfers looking for a team that could make a run to the NY6 game next year.
13. Kansas State
Kansas State was only a few plays away from playing in their second Big 12 Championship game in a row. Now, they are looking at playing in the Pop-Tarts Bowl without their top three QB’s who all decided to enter the transfer portal. Obviously, this meant that priority No. 1 and No.2 were getting QB’s.
They did… Sort of.
Blake Barnett signed with the Wildcats as the lone QB at the moment. Barnett is a 3-star player out of Erie, Colorado, and KSU claims he was the guy they really wanted. Whether this is true or not, time will tell. But for this particular ranking, I would have hoped to see KSU pick up a player ranked higher than 64th in the nation.
14. Oklahoma State
A few weeks ago, Oklahoma State was playing Texas in the Big 12 Championship, today they have the 11th-ranked recruiting class in the Big 12. Oklahoma State has a real opportunity to become the face of the Big 12 having played in two of the last three Big 12 Championship games.
While that certainly can still happen, it is going to be more difficult when pulling in a bottom-half of the league recruiting class, and to this point no significant transfers.
15. Baylor
Baylor feels like they are one season away from having a complete overhaul in coaching staff and players if they cannot get things right this upcoming season. Unfortunately for them, National Signing Day did them no favors.
With zero 5-star or 4-star players, Baylor will need a miracle in the transfer portal to get things turned around soon, especially if Dave Aranda hopes to stay at Baylor after this next year. If he can do that with only 13 3-star recruits from today, that may be his best coaching feat yet.
16. Houston
It should come as no surprise that Houston is last on this list. They finished last in the 247 rankings AND are the second third lowest ranked P4 team ahead of only Virginia, SMU, Boston College, and Northwestern.
With the coaching turmoil, it may also be tough to sell the program to potential transfer portal players.
Overall a Decent Day
The Big 12 did well overall during Early National Signing Day. While the SEC and Big 10 certainly dominated the top recruiting classes (19 of the top 25), the Big 12 held their ground with seven teams in the Top 50 and 15 in the Top 70. While the ACC looks stronger in recruiting upfront, the Big 12’s worst team, Houston, came in 71st, ahead of three ACC schools.
