Big 12 Spotlight: Wrapping up the Early Signing Period
It was a busy close to the Early Signing Period in the Big 12, with schools jockeying for positioning in the team recruiting rankings. While there’s likely to be some more shuffling between now and National Signing Day, most of the teams in the conference are close to finished with the Class of 2019. Today we put a bow on the early signing period storylines in the conference and take a look ahead to what the next six weeks will hold.
STANDING OVATION: OKLAHOMA
The Sooners closed with a bang, landing California defensive back Jeremiah Criddell in an announcement on national TV and overtaking Texas for the top spot in the conference in the process. The Longhorns and Sooners have been jockeying for the top spot throughout the cycle and that will continue over the next six weeks, but for now, Oklahoma deserves applause. The Signing Period wasn’t only about adding Criddell as Rivals250 defensive end Marcus Stripling committed and signed, as did three other previously uncommitted prospects.
SURPRISE PARTY: TCU
Despite the Horned Frogs' bowl victory on Wednesday night, which in itself became better known for its nine combined interceptions than anything else, it wasn’t exactly a season to remember in terms of on-field results in Fort Worth. Luckily for Frogs fans, those results didn’t have an impact on the recruiting trail. Following the close of the early signing period, TCU ranks third in the conference and has 22 of the 24 commitments signed. The school also closed strong in December, landing seven commitments in the month of December, including priority in-state defensive back target Millard Bradford.
WORK TO DO: KANSAS
The Jayhawks finished the early signing period with nine signees, which is actually pretty impressive considering the school had just one commit when Les Miles took over. But that doesn’t mean the school doesn’t have quite a bit of work to do in order to finish off the class. With about six scholarships available and a dearth of talent on the roster, MIles and his staff will need to continue to hit the trail hard over the next month.
RANKING THE BIG 12
1. OKLAHOMA
The good: The Sooners landed commitments from Rivals250 defenders Jeremiah Criddell and Marcus Stripling and took over the No. 1 spot in the conference rankings in the process.
The bad: It’s hard to find many negatives for the Sooners but missing out on grad transfer Tommy Kennedy, who instead landed at Miami, was a disappointment.
Top remaining target: Jadon Haselwood, WR
2. TEXAS
The good: The Longhorns signed all but one of their committed players and received late commitments from Kennedy Lewis and Isaiah Hookfin. With a Top 10 class and 22 signees, there isn’t much work left for the school to do over the next month.
The bad: Missing out on a pair of elite running backs in Trey Sanders and Noah Cain was less than ideal for the Horns, who could still use help at the position.
Top remaining target: Bru McCoy, ATH
3. TCU
The good: The Horned Frogs beefed up their commitment list in the days leading up to the early signing period and walked away with 22 signed players.
The bad: The two players that elected not to sign early, running back Darwin Barlow and wide receiver Tamauzia Brown, are two of the school’s highest-ranked players in the class. Now TCU will have to fend off suitors for another month until the duo can sign in February.
Top remaining target: Steven Parker, DE
4. BAYLOR
The good: The Bears had plenty of reasons to celebrate thanks to a strong close, including landing five new players during the signing period. The most notable was four-star athlete and former Texas commit Peyton Powell, who inked his papers after announcing for the Bears.
The bad: The Bears saw priority wide receiver target Langston Anderson commit and sign with Oklahoma State, a big loss to a conference rival at a position of need.
Top remaining target: Trevius Hodges, DB
5. OKLAHOMA STATE
The good: It was a relatively quiet day for the Cowboys, but they did manage to beat a few other Big 12 programs to land priority wide receiver target Langston Anderson. The Pokes also signed all 19 of their commitments, meaning the staff can shift its focus to remaining uncommitted targets down the stretch run.
The bad: Oklahoma State fans were hoping Texas would land a running back to clear out some of the competition for four-star running back Deondrick Glass, but the Horns struck out and Glass declined to sign early, creating a battle down the stretch.
Top remaining target: Deondrick Glass, RB
6. IOWA STATE
The good: The Cyclones signed all 20 of their committed players, including late additions Ezeriah Anderson and Skylar Loving-Black.
The bad: The Cyclones had to scramble a bit after losing a commitment from Texas wide receiver DK Blaylock just before the start of the Signing Period. While contingency plans were put into action, Blaylock would have likely been dynamic in the Iowa State offense.
Top remaining target: Tre’Von Morgan, WR
7. WEST VIRGINIA
The good: The Mountaineers capped off a nice recruiting run in December by landing three-star wide receiver Ali Jennings, who had long been a priority target. His commitment came on the heels of four-star JUCO defensive back Dreshun Miller’s flip from LSU earlier in the month.
The bad: Despite signing all of their committed players, the Mountaineers have just 16 players in their 2019 class, only two of which are four-stars. It will likely be a busy month for the school’s staff as it works to fill out the rest of the available slots in the class.
Top remaining target: Tavian Mayo, DB
8. TEXAS TECH
The good: The Red Raiders lured quarterback Maverick McIvor back into the fold just prior to the early signing period and received his signed letter, a major relief after he backed off his pledge following the coaching change. Tech was also able to nab tight end Travis Koontz, a nice add at a position of need.
The bad: Texas Tech only signed 11 players during the period and even counting the four other commits that didn’t sign, there’s still a lot of work for Matt Wells and the new staff in Lubbock to do down the stretch.
Top remaining target: Tony Bradford, DE
9. KANSAS STATE
The good: The Wildcats new staff worked quickly to add new talent to the fold and it paid off with four new players pledging to the school during the early signing period. The group was highlighted by three-star Texas defensive back William Jones, who flipped from Cal.
The bad: Much like the other teams near the bottom of the conference, the Wildcats still have a lot of work to do to fill out the class and are behind the eight-ball a little bit because of the coaching change. Kansas State has just 13 players signed, meaning nearly half the class is yet to be determined.
Top remaining target: Tyrone Lewis, DB
10. KANSAS
The good: The Jayhawks closed with a flurry, landing five new commitments and signing them all during the early signing period. The group of new additions were all three-stars, highlighted by three-star defensive end Malcolm Lee.
The bad: As mentioned above, the Jayhawks still have work to do, but only have 15 available scholarships for this class. Because so many prospects signed early, the Jayhawks staff will likely have to hope to find some diamonds in the rough to add talent to the roster.
Top remaining target: Dylan Jordan, LB