Big 12 Football: Each team’s best recruiting class since realignment

There has been no shortage of underrated recruits that have established themselves in the Big 12.

Big 12 football teams don’t always finish with the highest-ranked recruiting classes. However, the league has greatly enhanced the conference, when facing opposing conferences, especially in bowl games.

2019 was an outlier for the Big 12 conference as Texas was the lone team to win a bowl game. However, 2020 was back to the norm with a 5-0 record, including two New Year Six bowl wins for Oklahoma and Iowa State.

Bowl wins and postseason success starts and continues through recruiting. Each team has had its fair share of recruiting success, with seven of the 10 schools having at least one class ranked in the top 30.

This post is looking back at each Big 12 football team’s best recruiting class since realignment, diving into the players that made up the class and how successful they were together within their program.

All of the class and player rankings come from 247 and their national rankings. The grading is a combination of individual success, team success, and team needs that were met.

Baylor

Grade: B+ (No.25, 2014 class)

Notable commits: WR KD Cannon (#4 WR, #30 overall), ATH Davion Hall (No.5 ATH, No.49 overall), Terrance Williams (No.18 RB, No.240 overall)

Baylor’s 2013 season was among the most successful in program history at the time. With the on-field success, became the recruiting success as well. The Bears landed two of the most highly-touted skill position players in Cannon and Hall.

Cannon was considered by many to be a five-star and was the second straight season the Bears signed a five-star wide receiver (Robbie Rhodes in 2013).

Many of the players in the class would go on to be consistent starters, with WR Ishmael Zamora and Chris Platt being impact players in 2016. Low-rated three-star DB’s Verkedric Vaughns and Chance Waz were multi-year starters, OL Patrick Lawrence and Blake Blackmar anchored the offensive line for a few seasons.

In the latter half of the class’s career, it took a turn as the scandal arose in the spring of 2016 and the program was heading in the wrong direction. The majority of the class stayed with the program and were playmakers through the 2017 and 2018 seasons.

Overall, the class had very high hopes at the wide receiver position, and the class showed the depth the program had. Defensively, the bears didn’t sign any big-name players as the highest-ranked eight players started on offense. Through the dark ages, the 2014 class will be remembered as the ones that were leaders, when adversity hit them.

Iowa State

Grade: ? On the upward trajectory (No.44, 2019 class)

Notable commits: RB Jirehl Brock (#17 WR, #273 overall), RB Breece Hall (#22 RB, #339 overall), DE Blake Peterson (#38 DE, #619 overall)

The Cyclones were expected to have one of the best one-two punches in the backfield of the past decade with Brock and Hall. Hall has become an All-Big 12 running back and is garnering serious attention for the Doak Walker Award in 2021.

S Isheem Young played in all 12 games last year as a freshman and ranked second in the Big 12 in forced fumbles with three.

However, this is the rare case within the conference that the team’s best recruiting class has happened within the past few seasons.

Many players from this class have not been able to see the field, because of how much success the program is having. Defensive end Blake Peterson got minimal playing time. However, it was not due to his talent, but the depth the Cyclones had in 2020.

Offensive tackle Jake Remsubrg is expected to be the starter as a redshirt sophomore, after being graded the second-lowest offensive lineman in the class.

The only glaring weak spot has been the lack of carries and availability from Jirehl Brock over the first two seasons. Many would argue the reason why is because Hall is playing so well and Kene Nwangwu is filling in nicely as a breath of air for Hall.

It is too early to put a formal rating on a class that has spent just two seasons with the program. However, the trajectory this class is going for is in the right direction.