BIG 12 RECRUITING ROUNDUP
Texas
Taking over at Texas after three straight losing seasons, new coach Tom
Herman signed his first class of recruits Wednesday, a group that will register far below the lofty rankings the program usually gets.
Among the top players Herman signed to his rebuilding project were a pair of four-star recruits, quarterback Sam Ehlinger from Austin, Texas, and defensive end Taquon Graham of Temple, Texas.
Herman struggled to pull in a top-flight class as he cobbled together his coaching staff after taking over for the fired Charlie Strong. Like many of its Big 12 rivals, Texas had to watch as much of the state’s best talent went elsewhere. Top signees
1. Gary Johnson, LB, 6-2, 225, Dodge City, Kan. (Dodge City C.C.), four stars. 2. Sam Ehlinger, QB, 6-1, 207, Austin, Texas (Westlake), four stars. 3. Damion Miller, WR, 6-2, 170, Tyler, Texas (John Tyler), four stars.
Texas Tech
Since so much of the Texas Tech program revolves around the quarterback,
McLane Carter and Xavier Martin were among the most notable signing day names Wednesday even though it’s possible neither will lead the pass-happy offense next season.
The Red Raiders lost FBS passing yards leader Patrick
Mahomes early to the NFL draft, creating an opening for
Nic Shimonek to start but leaving questions about depth at the position for coach Kliff
Kingsbury, a former Texas Tech quarterback.
Carter, a lefty, threw 30 touchdown passes last season at Tyler Junior College and figures to be the leading candidate to take Shimonek’s old role as the backup if he doesn’t supplant the senior. Martin, a dual-threat quarterback from Cibolo (Texas) Steele, enrolled early so he could join Carter but might end up at another position. Top signees
1. Jack Anderson, OL, 6-5, 300, Frisco, Texas (Frisco), four stars. 2. Adrian Frye, DB, 6-0, 165, Aldine, Texas (Eisenhower), three stars. 3. Riko Jeffers, LB, 6-2, 230, Sachse, Texas (Sachse), three stars.
TCU
TCU coach Gary Patterson often expressed frustration last season about his receivers, with their inconsistent performances and quite a few dropped passes.
On signing day Wednesday, the Horned Frogs added some potential help with a pair of four-star receivers who played their senior seasons not too far from the TCU campus: Jalen Reagor from Waxahachie and Omar
Manning from Lancaster. The Frogs had 21 players in their signing class, including four with four-star ratings.
Patterson was able to put together another solid recruiting class even after the Frogs’ second losing season in four years — they were 6-7 with only eight scholarship seniors last fall. Top signees
1. Omar Manning, WR, 6-3, 200, Lancaster, Texas (Lancaster), four stars. 2. Wes Harris, OL, 6-3, 285, Aledo, Texas (Aledo), four stars. 3. Jalen Reagor, WR, 6-1, 189, Waxahachie, Texas (Waxahachie), four stars.
Baylor
Baylor had only one committed recruit when Matt
Rhule became head coach nearly two months ago.
And the program is still dealing with the fallout from a sexual assault scandal that cost two-time Big 12 championship coach Art Briles his job last May.
Even with that lingering cloud, the Bears signed 27 players Wednesday, a balanced signing class that will rank in the upper half of the Big 12 Conference.
While there were no five-star recruits, some tremendous strides were made in recruiting by Rhule in his short time in Waco with the Bears and their completely new coaching staff. Top signees
1. Harrison Hand, DB, 5-11, 180, Cherry Hill, N.J. (Cherry Hill West), four stars. 2. Xavier Newman, OL, 6-4, 300, DeSoto, Texas. (DeSoto), four stars. 3. Jalen Pitre, ATH, 6-0, 200, Stafford, Texas (Stafford), three stars.
Kansas State Kansas State coach Bill
Snyder began his signing day news conference by running through the sheer volume of returning starters next season, an odd tact on a day that celebrates newcomers.
The reason: Many of those newcomers are expected to fill what few holes remain.
The Wildcats landed fourstar linebacker Daniel Green, top JUCO linebacker Daquan Patton and safety Gervarrius Owens late in the process, plugging up three of their biggest holes on defense.
Kansas State also filled up on offensive lineman and dominated in-state recruiting. Top signees
1. Daniel Green, LB, 6-3, 228, Portland, Ore. (Madison), four stars. 2. Wyatt Hubert, DE, 6-3, 240, Tecumseh, Kan. (Shawnee Heights), three stars 3. Chabastin Taylor, WR, 6-3, 210, Giddings, Texas (Giddings), three stars.
Kansas
Kansas coach David Beaty may have landed his quarterback of the future out of a Mississippi junior college. He might have landed his running back from there, too.
The Jayhawks unveiled a 27-member class on national signing day Wednesday, highlighted by former Washington State quarterback
Peyton Bender and running back Octavius Matthews. Both of them spent last season at Itawamba Community College, where they emerged as high-level recruits. Bender will compete with
Carter Stanley for the starting job this spring. But Matthews was a major surprise, considering the nation’s top JUCO running back decommitted from Auburn just last week and was also considering Louisville and Tennessee. Top signees
1. Dominic Williams, RB, 5-9, Frisco, Texas (Independence), four stars. 2. Travis Jordan, ATH, 6-1, 185, Marrero, La. (John Ehret), three stars. 3. Robert Toops, DB, 6-2, 182, Chicago (Marist), three stars.
Iowa State
Iowa State will bring back a veteran team in 2017 that, with a few breaks, could finally push for relevance in the Big 12. Second-year coach Matt
Campbell could afford to bring in a recruiting class filled largely with high school players who can take time to develop, and that’s exactly what he did Wednesday.
The Cyclones did address areas of need, bringing in a pair of promising junior college defensive linemen. But for the most part, Campbell signed players who were evaluated as much on mindset as skill set. Top signees
1. O’rien Vance, LB, 6-1, 230, Cedar Rapids, Iowa (Washington), three stars. 2. Richard Bowens III, DB, 6-1, 175, Orchard Lake, Mich. (St. Mary’s), three stars. 3. Ray Lima, DT, 6-3, 310, Torrance, Calif. (El Camino C.C.), three stars.
West Virginia West Virginia coach Dana
Holgorsen has been his own play-caller on offense. He is handing those duties over to offensive coordinator Jake
Spavital, who returned to WVU last month.
The Mountaineers also have to find someone else to run the offense on the field after the graduation of Skyler
Howard. They didn’t sign any quarterbacks Wednesday, but Holgorsen said it’s possible another could be added in the coming months.
In the high-scoring Big 12, West Virginia has gone hard after junior college transfers to get immediate help, especially on defense. The Mountaineers must replace the entire defensive line, a pair of starting linebackers and most of the secondary. Some of the 10 early signees could see significant playing time in 2017. Top signees
1. Derrek Pitts, S, 6-1, 180, Charleston, W. Va. (South Charleston), four stars. 2. David Sills, ATH, 6-3, 200, Torrance, Calif. (El Camino C.C.), three stars. 3. Maverick Wolfley, ILB, 6-3, 230, Morgantown, W. Va. (Morgantown), three stars.