Big 12 breakdown: The summer's biggest commitments

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Big 12 commitments may not come with the same frequency and notoriety that other conferences drum up in the summer months, but that’s not to say that there haven’t been a few critical announcements to close out the offseason. Here are a look at players for each program that could prove crucial heading into fall 2017.

Daniels is the easy pick here following a calamitous spring that saw all but Jalen Pitre decommit from Baylor’s 2017 class. Daniels represents the first new commitment since then, and more than what he brings to the team as a player, his commitment is now symbolic that Baylor is looking to dust itself off as a program and move forward. The Bears have a long way to go both in building goodwill and rebooting the future of the program, but Daniels is the next step in that process.

Kleinlow is representative of exactly what type of player new Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell is hoping to attract to the program: One that is tough enough to win physical battles, but versatile enough to adapt to what the offense calls for. Kleinlow is a 6-foot-6, 280-pound tackle that really likes to get in on the poor souls that line up in his blocking assignments, and only stands to add more mass to a massive frame. Iowa State may not be have the most conventionally appealing group of commits, but guys like Kleinlow make it interesting.

Lee is Kansas’ highest-ranked commit since 2014, should he stick, and would be a major feather in head coach David Beaty’s cap. After a winless season last year for a program that hasn’t exactly been relevant recently, snagging a four-star commitment is a major step in the right direction. Beaty was brought on, in part, for his ties to Texas high school football programs, but pulling a Louisiana prospect like Lee could be the start of him expanding that footprint and changing the perception of Kansas.

The Wildcats also may not have a marquee commitment at first glance, but Rivas has all the potential to be a force for K-State simply because he’s a behemoth 6-foot-6, 330-pound person. Half of K-State’s commitments are homegrown in-state prospects, but Rivas could be the player that helps tip the scales back in the Wildcats’ favor with Kansas’ emphasis on Texas. Rivas should provide quarterbacks and halfbacks alike with some room to work out of the backfield, and should his potential match his size, could end up being the crown jewel of this class.

Lamb recommitted to the Sooners after backing away from his initial commitment to Oklahoma at the end of May. Lamb is OU's top summer commitment in part because of his return to the class after upping his stock over the offseason, and also because Oklahoma has done so much of its work in this class much earlier on rather than towards the end of summer. Lamb will complement the strengths of fellow four-star receiver commits Charleston Rambo and Jalon Reagor, but has as much potential as the other two to getting on the field sooner than later.

Kerstetter offers the same sort of potential as Kleinlow brings to Iowa State. A big, lean tackle that has every intention of bringing the collision to the first person in his path, Kerstetter is the perfect blocker for a program that recruits dynamic offensive players rather than the more conventional variety. The Cowboys’ only other offensive line commit is the massive Dan Moore, who will certainly be tasked with being a physically-dominant interior lineman, but Kerstetter is athletic enough to be the cornerstone of more exotic offensive plays.

Like a few other teams in the conference, TCU hasn’t had a deluge of summer commitments, but Snell’s versatility as a playmaker go beyond his potential as a slot receiver. The Horned Frogs also received an early-June commitment from Trestan Ebner, who could also find himself creatively used, but Snell could find quicker success as a guy that could easily be utilized as an all-purpose back rather than a receiver. Snell chose TCU over offers from Big Ten powerhouses Michigan and Wisconsin, so there must be something about his potential in Gary Patterson’s offense that the others couldn’t definitively offer.

The Longhorns have been one of the more low-profile teams in the Big 12 as of late on the recruiting front, but following the Longhorns’ Under the Lights camp last Saturday, Thompson flipped from TCU to Texas and added another exciting player to the secondary from the 2017 class. Thompson impressed in 1-on-1 drills at the camp, matching receivers step-for-step and doing a great job of driving on their hands at the moment of truth. Thompson was one of the hottest names in recruiting in Texas this spring, and represents a big get for Charlie Strong.

Beck committed to Texas Tech after decommitting from Houston earlier in the spring. He is a long athlete that can fit into the mold of cornerback or safety and represents a lot of upside between his athleticism and coverage skills. Tech will be a team that offers plenty of opportunity for good defensive backs to step up and be playmakers. Beck's commitment shows that Kliff Kingsbury can win a battle for a player in a major in-state talent base on the open market.

For years now, the Mountaineers have buttered their bread with offensive players that provide more in the way of results than fanfare. Harley closes that gap after a strong offseason where he impressed at several Rivals Camp Series events and showed that he is as reliable a pass-catcher as he is speedy. While he is somewhat slight in stature, he is West Virginia’s highest-rated player in this class, and continues to give the program a top-level recruit from south Florida, where the program has a long-established pipeline to talent.