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Big 12 Breakdown: Players exceeding recruiting ratings

The bottom has yet to fall out at Baylor this season and West Virginia has emerged as a trendy pick for the Big 12’s best hope for a College Football Playoff team. The Bears' and Mountaineers' efforts have been led by a couple players that were somewhat unheralded prospects out of high school, but have made a huge difference for them. They aren’t the only teams with such prospects. Here’s a look at players for each team in the conference that have outplayed their final ratings.

MORE LEAGUE BREAKDOWNS: ACC | Big Ten | SEC | PAC-12

BAYLOR

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Recruitment: Stewart committed to Baylor following his senior season when the Bears were his most significant offer. Stewart’s other options were Memphis and Wyoming, with FCS offers from Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin.

In college: The Baylor staff saw something in Stewart that almost nobody else did, and he has flourished this season with a favorable schedule in a pass-happy conference. His four interceptions leads the conference, and he’s broken up another four passes this season - good for second in the Big 12. Stewart has already significantly bettered his totals from last season in coverage, when he finished as an All-Big 12 honorable mention with just one interception and three passes defensed.

IOWA STATE

Recruitment: Harvey finished his high school career with a modest offer list that - outside of the Cyclones - included Marshall, Southern Mississippi, UTSA and several others. He chose Iowa State and has carved out a role for himself after taking a season to develop.

In college: Harvey is certainly out-playing his rating by being a strong contributor as new head coach Matt Campbell works to strengthen the team. Within the conference, he’s No. 12 in total tackles with 46 and tied for No. 14 in tackles for loss with 5.5. After redshirting in his first season on campus, he finished fourth on the team in tackles with 59 in 12 games played during the 2015 season.

KANSAS

Recruitment: Despite Armstrong’s place among the lower-ranked three-star prospects in Texas, he had a sizable offer list, highlighted by California, Michigan State, Purdue and Texas Tech. Armstrong finished his high school career with 13 offers total, but chose Kansas in the week preceding National Signing Day.

In college: In a season that won’t be remembered for stout defensive performances, Armstrong has been a bright spot for the Jayhawks. This season, he’s second in the conference in sacks (seven) and tackles for loss (10). He’s shown great development after totaling 3.5 sacks and 23 total tackles during all of 2015. Last season he did more than take players down, he used his length up front to bat away four passes and finished second on the team in that category.

KANSAS STATE

Recruitment: Risner finished 2014 as the fifth-ranked player in Colorado and had a number of decent offers on the table in addition to Kansas State, like Boise State, California, Colorado, Missouri and others. He chose Kansas State and hit the field after a redshirt season.

In college: Risner started his playing career for the Wildcats as the starting center in 2015, where various media outlets awarded him first- or second-team freshman All-American honors. This season at right tackle, he’s been the strongest and most consistent player up front offensively for Kansas State. Last season, Risner was the focal point of an offense that was second in the nation in red zone efficiency.

OKLAHOMA

Recruiting: Mayfield walked on at Texas Tech after only receiving offers from Florida Atlantic, Rice and Washington State in high school. He seized the opportunity to make a name for himself at Oklahoma and the rest has been history.

In college: Mayfield entered this season with Heisman aspirations after very nearly not being eligible to play until a conference vote in the offseason gave him another season with the Sooners. Despite the bumpy start to the season, Mayfield has found his groove over the past few weeks and is first in the conference in pass efficiency and third in the Big 12 in total offensive yards, with 2,471.

OKLAHOMA STATE

Recruiting: Washington has been a huge success story as the only player from his high school in the Rivals era to commit to a Power 5 program. He made his verbal pledge to Oklahoma State very late in his recruitment. At the time of his commitment in the summer following his senior year he only had one other offer, from Texas State.

In college: Washington has been a critical part of a high-powered Cowboys offense since joining the team. In his freshman season, he led the team in touchdown receptions with six. Last year, he finished the year voted in as an All-Big 12 second-team selection by coaches and the Associated Press. This season, he’s back at it again and is third in the conference in receiving yards with 740, and tied for third in touchdown receptions with six.

TCU

Recruiting: Turpin's only other Power Five offer came from Texas Tech. Louisiana Tech, Southern Mississippi and Tulane also offered Turpin, but he chose the Horned Frogs and the opportunity to make an immediate impact both on offense and special teams.

In College: Turpin has proven to be an electric player that can give TCU a shot in the arm at any moment. He opened this season with an 81-yard punt return against South Dakota State, and the next week combined for 169 kick and punt return yards against Arkansas. He got his career off to an impressive start, finishing 2015 with 45 receptions for 649 yards and 8 touchdowns. He also finished with All-Big 12 honorable mention honors as a return specialist.

TEXAS

Recruiting: Hager chose to stay close to home after receiving other in-state offers from Baylor and SMU. San Diego State also came through with an offer, but growing up in Austin made it difficult to deeply consider anyone other than the hometown team.

In college: Nobody is calling Hager a Butkus award winner just yet, but on a team that was expected to see better production from other players at the position, Hager has been a solid linebacker. Last season, he saw action in nine games as a true freshman, and this season, he’s among the conference leaders in total tackles (23), sacks (four) and tackles for loss (five).

TEXAS TECH

Recruiting: Giles was another player who didn’t slip through the cracks as far as schools taking notice of him; Colorado, Houston, Maryland and Missouri were among the schools that sent him offers. The Houston-area prospect chose a receiver-friendly offense in Texas Tech and has reaped the benefits of a pass-happy scheme.

In college: How surprised should anyone be that Texas Tech found a player that can blossom in its offense and go on to lead the conference so far this season in receptions with 53? He's also second in the Big 12 in receiving yards with 917. Last year, Giles was one of just three Red Raider true freshmen to see playing time; he grabbed 15 passes for 143 yards.

WEST VIRGINIA

Recruiting: The Ohio product saw a little attention from Big Ten schools, picking up offers from Illinois, Michigan State and Northwestern. Orlosky committed to West Virginia in the summer before his senior season, however, and didn’t look back.

In college: This season many are starting to praise the Mountaineers as the Big 12’s defensive powerhouse, but the efficiency and consistency they’ve shown on offense has played a big role in that success as well. Quarterback Skyler Howard has been sacked only twice all season - second fewest in the conference - and West Virginia is the only team with two top-10 rushers in the Big 12, all keyed by the steadiness Orlosky has shown at center.

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