Hit or Miss: Highest-ranked QBs ever at each Big 12 school
With some recent big quarterback commitments such as Quinn Ewers to Texas and Gunner Stockton to South Carolina, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at each team’s highest-ranked QB in Rivals history and give a take on whether we HIT or MISSED on the ranking.
We finish the weeklong series today with the Big 12.
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HIT OR MISS: Highest-ranked QB signees/commits for Big Ten teams | SEC | ACC | Pac-12
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
COVERAGE: Rivals Transfer Tracker | Rivals Camp Series
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Baylor — Jarrett Stidham, 2015, No. 97 nationally, No. 6 dual threat
The skinny: Jarrett Stidham was originally a Texas Tech commit but flipped to Baylor and then transferred out to Auburn after the sexual assault scandal rocked the Baylor program. He threw for 48 touchdowns and only 13 picks in his college career and he’s in the NFL.
The judgement: HIT. Stidham was supposed to be better at Auburn than he was, but he still did very well.
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Iowa State — Austin Flynn, 2002, No. 14 pro style
The skinny: Austin Flynn was a talented QB out of high school and very athletic and that paid off for him as he switched from quarterback to wide receiver at Iowa State. He had 56 receptions in his final season but as a QB he was lacking and never emerged.
The judgement: MISS. Flynn never had any real success as a quarterback and has to be a MISS despite some success at WR.
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Kansas — Brock Berglund, 2011, No. 15 dual threat
The skinny: Brock Berglund had a whirlwind ride from recruiting to his college career which amounted to nothing. He flipped from Colorado to Kansas, redshirted mainly due to legal issues and then was dismissed from the team. Three schools later he had a career resume of one tackle at North Texas and went the FCS route.
The judgement: MISS. When a QB has more tackles than passes and never changed positions, that’s a bad sign.
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Kansas State — Josh Freeman, 2006, No. 92 nationally, No. 4 pro style
The skinny: Josh Freeman famously de-committed from Nebraska at the last second for K-State and went on to a solid career and a first-round selection. The first-round grade makes him a HIT.
The judgement: HIT. Freeman only had 10 more touchdowns than interceptions but again based on that first-round selection, he certainly panned out.
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Oklahoma — Caleb Williams, 2021, No. 3 nationally, No. 1 dual threat
The skinny: Caleb Williams is just ahead of Rhett Bomar in this list if he stays ranked where he is and has tremendous promise. He’s an elite dual threat who will bring a ton of offensive talent with him.
The judgement: TBD. Williams is already paying dividends as a recruit and should have a great career under Lincoln Riley.
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Oklahoma State — JW Walsh, 2011, No. 86 nationally, No. 4 dual threat
The skinny: JW Walsh was successful in college and just as polished as he was out of high school, but he could never lock down the starting job early. When he did, he got injured. His 36 touchdowns and 10 picks is a solid stat line, but Mason Rudolph took over and he didn’t play like a Rivals100 prospect.
The judgement: MISS. A solid career splitting time or as a backup doesn’t make you a HIT.
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TCU — Justin Rogers, 2018, No. 74 nationally, No. 4 dual threat
The skinny: Justin Rogers suffered a knee injury in high school and never fully recovered to become the elite dual threat we saw with the live arm. He transferred to UNLV and will try to show he’s recovered.
The judgement: MISS. His knee injury was so serious we probably should have dropped him further in the rankings and he has a long road ahead to live up to Rivals100 status.
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Texas — Vince Young, 2002, No. 1 nationally, No. 1 dual threat
The skinny: Not much to be said here as Ewers could only match this ranking if he moves up from his current No. 6 overall ranking in 2022. VInce Young was an amazing athlete coming out of high school, had a great career at Texas and won a national title and became a first-rounder.
The judgement: HIT. This is a no-brainer.
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Texas Tech — Scotty Young, 2010, No. 228 overall, No. 10 pro style
The skinny: No it’s not Patrick Mahomes sadly. Scotty Young was a very talented QB with excellent accuracy who never panned out at Texas Tech. He went on to Louisiana Tech, where he had one very average season.
The judgement: MISS. This was a big get for Texas Tech at the time but he never developed as expected.
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West Virginia — Barry Brunetti, 2010, No. 142 nationally, No. 3 dual threat
The skinny: Barry Brunetti was a thick and powerful quarterback who was as dangerous a runner as he was a passer. Things didn’t work out at West Virginia and he went on to Ole Miss where he served as a backup mainly used as a runner.
The judgement: MISS. We thought he’d do much more, especially in a wide-open offense made for him at WVU.