Big 12 Spotlight: Arizona leads the way with 15 June pledges
Other than the weeks leading up to National Signing Day in December, there is no busier time in the recruiting calendar now than the month of June.
The Big 12 had 129 commitments in the month. Today, we look at which programs won June and which ones didn’t with the 2025 class.
RELATED: Big 12 Team Recruiting Rankings | Who won ACC recruiting in June? | Who won SEC recruiting in June? | Who won Big Ten recruiting in June?
MORE GORNEY: Recruiting Rumor Mill | Biggest decommitments of June
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ARIZONA - 15
RELATED: Arizona commit list
The Wildcats entered June with just two commitments, a surprisingly low amount heading into the busy month, and then Arizona completely loaded up in its recruiting class in 30 days.
Four-star running back Wesley Yarbrough was under-recruited in Texas and so he’s a star in the making for the Wildcats. The Crosby, Texas, standout leads the way but Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei offensive lineman Sione Tohi is a big get – literally – and three-star quarterback Robert McDaniel shined at Elite 11.
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WEST VIRGINIA - 14
RELATED: West Virginia commit list
The Mountaineers only have the final pieces to add to their recruiting class after a very active June, adding 14 players led by productive running back Deandre Desinor and defensive tackle Amir Leonard-Jean Charles.
Neal Brown and his staff could have found some serious sleepers as well as defensive end Romando Johnson is really talented and others could be big-time playmakers.
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HOUSTON - 11
RELATED: Houston commit list
Houston entered the month of June with just four commitments but then loaded up during that stretch with 11 pledges as first-year coach Willie Fritz and his staff got really busy putting together the recruiting class.
There were no four-stars among the June commitments but DE Sheldon Rice, DB Jacob Bradford and OL Demetris Dean II are all high three-stars.
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KANSAS - 10
RELATED: Kansas commit list
After landing no commitments in May, Kansas had a strong showing in June with double-digit pledges led by four-star offensive lineman Julian Marks from Olathe (Kan.) South. Marks is talented enough to be a mainstay along the Jayhawks’ offensive line for years to come.
Kansas also brought in at least three future defensive ends during the month of June so it should be loaded up there for the future.
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UTAH - 10
RELATED: Utah commit list
Kyle Whittingham and his staff do such a phenomenal job with evaluations and then development once players get in the system that rankings don’t accurately reflect how the Utes will look in the coming years. And Utah thrives on doing things its own way because it’s worked for so long.
Still, June was a really productive month for the Utes with 10 pledges led by four-star LB Christian Thatcher. WR JJ Buchanan, LB Cyrus Polu and DE Karson Kaufusi are three-star sleepers to watch.
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OKLAHOMA STATE - 9
RELATED: Oklahoma State commit list
Mike Gundy is going to go through recruiting his own way and so completely loading up in June, which has become more than a trend for some college programs, might not be his way. However, the Cowboys had a lot of success in the month.
Four-star defensive end Michael Riles was definitely the biggest get for Oklahoma State but RB DJ Dugar and ATH Kobi Foreman were two major recruiting victories as well.
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TCU - 9
RELATED: TCU commit list
The Horned Frogs had a big month with nine commitments led by four-stars in OL Logan Schram, WR Dane Jones and DB Micah Strickland. That’s a phenomenal haul for TCU but the Horned Frogs took a big hit on Wednesday when four-star quarterback Ty Hawkins flipped from TCU to SMU, long rumored after four-star QB Keelon Russell went from the Mustangs to Alabama.
TCU could now be in the hunt for another quarterback in this class or the coaches could wait for the portal.
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CINCINNATI - 8
RELATED: Cincinnati commit list
Just more than half of Cincinnati’s recruiting class was added in June as Scott Satterfield loaded up in a big way. High three-star linebacker Jahmari Deloatch was the biggest win as the Bearcats won a lot of important recruiting battles both in Ohio and Georgia, two of the best states for talent in the country.
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KANSAS STATE - 8
RELATED: Kansas State commit list
Again, coach Chris Kleiman and Kansas State are going to recruit their way and it’s hard to argue with the results as he’s coming off 19 wins over the last two seasons. Coming into the month with only three pledges, K-State then landed eight in June, all of them were three-stars (exactly how Kansas State likes it).
The champagne is still being popped after elite tight end Linkon Cure, who was being pursued by Oregon, Texas A&M and others, picked Kansas State on July 1.
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BYU - 7
RELATED: BYU commit list
A commitment from four-star Lamason Waller was definitely important – and somewhat unexpected even a few weeks ago as the Cougars weren’t mentioned much in his recruitment until recently.
That was a big win for BYU, though, and then it also loaded up at defensive end with pledges from Kendal Wall, Cole Cogshell and Ulavai Fetuli as it’s almost guaranteed one of those three will outplay their ranking in the coming years.
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TEXAS TECH - 7
RELATED: Texas Tech commit list
The Red Raiders did so much recruiting work through the fall and into the early spring for their 2025 recruiting class that they could be patient and picky when it came to June as they added just seven commitments.
Four-star receiver Bryson Jones leads the way by far in terms of rankings but Texas Tech also did a great job loading up on the offensive line with four pledges there.
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ARIZONA STATE - 6
RELATED: Arizona State commit list
The Sun Devils loaded up with commitments earlier in the spring so they had to be careful with how many they took in June although some important prospects were added to the list as well.
There have been no five-stars added since the big April pickups of WR Adrian Wilson and Aaron Ia but in June, getting Albuquerque (N.M.) La Cueva high three-star ATH Cameron Dyer on board was big.
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BAYLOR - 5
RELATED: Baylor commit list
After winning 12 games in 2021, Baylor has won only nine games the last two seasons and the Bears didn’t necessarily have a momentum-filled June although there were some wins on the recruiting trail.
Defensive back Bo Onu was the biggest commitment for sure and then Baylor landed three-star DT Jackson Blackwell in recent days with possibly more major commitments to come.
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IOWA STATE - 5
RELATED: Iowa State commit list
Iowa State had a rather nondescript June but Matt Campbell is slowly building this recruiting class with prospects they feel fit the system and could make an impact with how they do things in Ames.
RB Ryver Peppers is a three-star but one cannot argue with his production of more than 1,600 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns last season. Middleburg, Fla., defensive tackle Bernard Carter is also a good-looking prospect.
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UCF - 3
RELATED: UCF commit list
After back-to-back nine-win seasons under Gus Malzahn, the Knights slipped to 6-7 last season and this recruiting class has been decidedly slow. UCF has just 11 commitments and it’s ranked No. 49 nationally with just three pledges in June although two were four-stars.
St. Augustine, Fla., four-star WR Carl Jenkins committed in recent days and UCF flipped four-star DB Rukeem Stroud from Wisconsin late in the month.
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COLORADO - 2
RELATED: Colorado commit list
Under Deion Sanders, Colorado is just going to do things differently. The transfer portal is absolutely going to be a major focus in rebuilding the roster in Boulder and so high school recruiting is not going to be as big of a focus.
The Buffaloes landed just two prospects in June with one being four-star interior offensive lineman Chauncey Gooden.
Sanders and his staff are still working on the biggest fish of all – five-star QB Julian Lewis, the No. 1 player in the class.