Big 12 Recruiting Stock Report: Red Raiders on the rise

With the early signing period approaching and many of the teams in the Big 12 with a pretty good idea about what their respective classes will look like, the end of fall seems like a good time to take a look at the teams that have helped themselves, hurt themselves, and everywhere in between. Here is a look at how each team in the conference has looked to close out the season.

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The Wildcats had a few commitments in October, but had a big recruiting win earlier this month in keeping the commitment of Kaitori Leveston after an offer from Texas. Although Kansas State is behind the rest of the conference in the size of its class at the moment, it’s still in the mix for a couple of other notable recruits, such as Mesquite, Texas, defensive back Dayven Coleman, a recent UCLA decommitment, who scheduled an official visit to Manhattan immediately after landing an offer from K-State.

The Sooners have been on fire since the moment Lincoln Riley was named head coach. At the end of October, Oklahoma landed the commitment of St. Louis Rivals250 defensive end Ronnie Perkins to further fortify an already impressive haul on the defensive front in 2018. Oklahoma also landed two big 2019 commitments in November with four-star running back Isaiah Spiller and three-star North Carolina defensive tackle Derek Green. A Heisman Trophy win from Baker Mayfield might send Oklahoma and Riley’s stock into the stratosphere.

Texas Tech gets the biggest retention boost from keeping Kliff Kingsbury. Unsurprisingly, the Red Raiders have had no issue finding talented skill players to add to their class since the offseason, and saw many of them see positive rating changes this week with the release of the new Rivals Rankings. This class could have been completely dissolved had Tech chosen not to keep Kingsbury for next season, but the program currently has a higher class ranking than it has had in the past three seasons. The November commitments of Myller Royals and Erik Ezukanma gave the Red Raiders some positive recruiting momentum to close out the fall.

The Mountaineers find their 2018 class nearly full after the November commitments of three-star recruits Dillon Spalding and Tavis Lee. The recent commits follow a nice close to October with the commitment of 2018 four-star defensive back Kwantel Raines and 2019 four-star linebacker Lee Kpogba. Head coach Dana Holgorsen’s staff changes in the offseason have seemingly paid dividends for a program that has always produced quality players without a ton of fanfare.

Fortunately for the Bears, the staff did the majority of the heavy lifting in the offseason when it comes to recruiting. Even though there was a pretty low expectation for this season’s team, many thought Matt Rhule would likely win more than just one game in his first season in Waco. Still, the team’s final record didn’t scare off those that had been committed since the summer. Considering the circumstances, Baylor has done a nice job recruiting overall, with a top 30 class at the end of fall and still in the running for another four-star recruit in Arkansas quarterback Gerry Bohanon.

The Cowboys have also had a nice 2018 class for some time, headlined by dual-threat quarterback Spencer Sanders, who picked up his fourth star after an impressive senior season. Things could have taken a pretty severe turn at Oklahoma State had Mike Gundy taken the Tennessee job that was reportedly offered to him. The Cowboys picked up a nice 2019 commitment in November from in-state tight end Grayson Boomer and maintain a top 20 recruiting class in 2018.

TCU has also had a pretty well-rounded class since early fall. The Horned Frogs recently landed a commitment from junior college three-star tight end Pro Wells, and have a top-tier quarterback commit in Rivals100 prospect Justin Rogers. Gary Patterson has a good group of talent that has plenty of upside from player to player, and wide receiver Tevailance Hunt seems poised to make his case for a fourth star at the Under Armour All-American Game in January.

Depending on who you ask, the Longhorns might be more worthy of the ‘Stock Down’ section after seeming to strike out some targets on either side of the line to help fill things out up front. As it stands, however, the Longhorns continue to have a top five class and have been proactive about making some in-home visits with targets committed elsewhere, like Bobby Brown and DaShaun White. Even though most might have expected another win or two out of Tom Herman in his first season as Longhorns head coach, there is still plenty of optimism about this class and the near future in Austin.

Things could be dramatically different in Ames this time next year if Matt Campbell can build on the job he and the Cyclones did this season. While the big contract extension that he signed hasn’t necessarily resulted in a wave of new or more high-profile commits, it’s obviously good for the stability of those already in the class. The Cyclones did lose a commitment to Arizona in three-star DB Christian Young earlier this fall, but should the wins continue next season, those are the sort of players ISU should expect to keep in its class.

The Jayhawks appeared to be on the ropes momentarily after a lackluster season and the decommitment of quarterback Clayton Tune, who has since re-committed. However, Ole Miss recently offered Tune, and he could see a late push in his recruitment from some other teams. Meanwhile, Mississippi State seems to be gaining some traction with four-star wide receiver Devonta Jason and cornerback Corione Harris - even without Dan Mullen in Starkville. It is critical that the Jayhawks hold their two highest commits from Louisiana.