Big 12 Spotlight: Three-stars to watch
Five- and four-stars are written about all the time, but there are plenty of three-star prospects that have committed to programs across the country that could make an early impact. Here is a look at some across the Big 12.
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RELATED: Three-stars to watch in the Big Ten | ACC | SEC | Pac-12
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022: Top 100
MORE: Rivals Transfer Tracker
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QB TRENT BATTLE, TCU
Recruiting: Battle committed to TCU in early April over Nebraska, Tennessee, Kentucky and others. Listed as a dual-threat quarterback, there’s a chance Battle could switch positions in college. He’s the only TCU commit from the state of Alabama.
Farrell’s take: I’m not saying TCU will start hitting Alabama hard, but Battle is a nice get from the state and athletic enough to make an impact at a few positions. TCU must spot recruit some states, and this is great value.
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CB OMAR BURROUGHS, Kansas
Recruiting: Originally from Savannah, Ga., Burroughs is now at Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy and about a week ago he committed to Kansas over Appalachian State, Georgia Tech, Georgia State and Coastal Carolina. The Jayhawks have gone to Florida, Georgia, Texas and California among other states for commitments in this class.
Farrell’s take: This is a nice Southeast commitment for Kansas and perhaps an in with Georgia and maybe even IMG in Florida. He’s a smooth cornerback who isn’t the biggest kid, but he is very good in solo coverage.
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WR CASEY CAIN, Texas
Recruiting: Without visiting campus, Cain committed to Texas over Virginia, Vanderbilt, Houston, Memphis and others in mid-May a few weeks after the Longhorns offered. Eleven of Texas’ 13 commits are in-state recruits, with Cain being the only one from Louisiana.
Farrell’s take: LSU comes into Texas to pull kids so Texas has to have a presence in Louisiana as well. Cain is a solid get from the state, even though LSU didn’t offer.
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QB KYRON DRONES, Baylor
Recruiting: Drones named Auburn his leader early in the spring and he had offers already from TCU, Missouri, Northwestern and others, but once Baylor offered the Bears emerged as the favorite for the in-state quarterback. Twelve of Baylor’s 15 commits are from the state of Texas.
Farrell’s take: Dave Aranda needs to recruit the state of Texas. We all know that. Landing kids like Drones - who are coveted by others in state as well as SEC programs - is big. He could be a sleeper in this class and have a big year.
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WR BLAINE GREEN, Oklahoma State
Recruiting: Originally from Minnesota, the Green Bros. - Blaine and Bryson - committed to Oklahoma State earlier this month. It was a major win for the Cowboys, who beat out Minnesota, Texas, Baylor, Texas Tech, North Carolina and Auburn.
Farrell’s take: Blaine’s twin brother, Bryson, is higher rated but Blaine stepped in last year when Bryson was hurt and became the go-to receiver. He has as much upside as Bryson down the line and will likely show that this season.
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QB BEHREN MORTON, Texas Tech
Recruiting: Morton has long been connected to Texas Tech and he’s visited campus numerous times, finally committing to the Red Raiders in December of his junior year. Baylor, TCU and Oklahoma State were also in the running. He was the first pledge in Texas Tech’s class.
Farrell’s take: Morton is a quarterback with a lot of upside who could put up big numbers at Texas Tech, and he was coveted by some other elite offenses. Landing out-of-state quarterbacks is OK, but an in-state and local kid is even better.
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DT TYLER ONYEDIM, Iowa State
Recruiting: In late May, Onyedim committed to Iowa State over Boston College, Hawaii and some smaller schools in Texas. Out of 14 commitments, Onyedim is one of only two from the state of Texas.
Farrell’s take: Iowa State needs to hit Texas like every Big 12 school does, so Onyedim is an important recruit in this class for many reasons but mainly because of the continued Texas connection.
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WR KADEN PRATHER, West Virginia
Recruiting: In early June, Prather committed to West Virginia over Maryland, Oklahoma, Penn State and South Carolina. The three-star receiver had nearly 40 offers. He’s the only Mountaineers’ commit from the state of Maryland.
Farrell’s take: Maryland is an important area for West Virginia and elite receivers are always key in the Big 12, so Prather checks both boxes.
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DE NATHAN RAWLINS-KIBONGE, Oklahoma
Recruiting: An early basketball commit to Washington State, Rawlins-Kibonge committed to Oklahoma earlier this month over Stanford, Washington, UCLA, USC and many others. The Sooners have had tremendous success recruiting the West with Joe Mixon, Demarco Murray and others, and they are back in the region this cycle.
Farrell’s take: Rawlins-Kibonge keeps the West Coast recruiting going for Oklahoma, and he’s also a high-ceiling kid who is a very good athlete. He’s raw, but his upside is excellent.
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DE BRAYDEN WOOD, Kansas State
Recruiting: Earlier this month, Wood committed to Kansas State over the others on his final list: Boise State, Hawaii, Washington State, Louisville and Colorado State. Wood is one of two Colorado natives in Kansas State’s recruiting class, along with four-star QB Jake Rubley.
Farrell’s take: Colorado has been good to Kansas State in recent years, so it’s important to keep that connection going and landing a solid player like Wood certainly helps.