Who has the Big 12's top football recruiting class for 2023? OU, Texas take familiar perch
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There might be some new teams to consider in the Big 12, but the story was the same on signing day as it has been for more than 15 years now — Texas and Oklahoma dominating recruiting rankings.
The Longhorns signed 11 players in the latest Rivals250 rankings of the top players in the 2023 class, headed by quarterback Arch Manning, who is atop the Rivals list.
The Sooners signed 10 players in the top 250, bolstered by Thursday’s addition of five-star safety Peyton Bowen.
The rest of the Big 12?
Eight, combined.
Only conference newcomer UCF signed two players on the list.
The four newcomers — the Golden Knights plus BYU, Cincinnati, and Houston — all had classes outside the top 50.
Here’s a look at each team’s class, ranked from top to bottom:
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1. Texas Longhorns
Team ranking: 3
Signees: 22
Top player: QB Arch Manning. The top overall player in the class, the grandson of legendary quarterback Archie Manning and nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning. He committed to the Longhorns in June, choosing them over Alabama.
Recruiting rivalry: Texas didn’t stop at beating OU in the October showdown in the Cotton Bowl. The Longhorns flipped defensive end Colton Vasek, an Austin product, from the Sooners in November, then beat them out for big-time edge rusher Tausili Akana on signing day.
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2. Oklahoma Sooners
Team ranking: 7
Signees: 25
Top player: S Peyton Bowen. The Sooners turned their biggest signing day disappointment into the biggest victory of the day after. Bowen, the No. 10 player and No. 2 safety in the class, was widely expected to flip from Notre Dame to OU on signing day. Instead, he switched to Oregon. But he never signed with the Ducks, and the Sooners ultimately got Bowen’s signature.
Sleeper: RB Daylan Smothers. Smothers isn’t criminally underrated or anything, checking in at No. 189 overall and No. 11 at his position. But the 2021 Mr. North Carolina Football didn’t play in 2022 after transferring, so he didn’t have an opportunity to rise up the list.
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3. TCU Horned Frogs
Team ranking: 19
Signees: 23
Top player: DT Markis Deal. The 6-foot-6, 290-pounder from Garland, Texas, is the No. 13 defensive tackle in the country. He was in attendance for the Horned Frogs’ rout of Oklahoma in early October.
Historic class: It’s no surprise given their appearance in the College Football Playoff, but the Horned Frogs landed their top-rated recruiting class ever. While they didn’t sign any players in the Rivals250, the class was deep and diverse. Wide receiver Cordale Russell, from Mesquite, Texas, was another major addition for TCU.
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4. Texas Tech Red Raiders
Team ranking: 23
Signees: 27
Top player: DE Isaiah Crawford. The 6-foot-4, 240-pounder from Post, Texas, flipped from Baylor shortly after Joey McGuire was hired away by the Red Raiders. Crawford helped set the tone for a strong class.
Big flip: Defensive end Dylan Spencer had been committed to Texas since March, but cracks started to form earlier this month when he took a visit to Houston. In the days before signing day, the Orange, Texas, product visited the Red Raiders, who ultimately landed the No. 48 strongside defensive end. He had 20 tackles for loss, nine sacks, and 33 quarterback hurries as a senior.
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5. Baylor Bears
Team ranking: 26
Signees: 20
Top player: CB Tay’Shawn Wilson. The No. 239 overall played and No. 31 cornerback in the class, Wilson had 19 tackles (12 solo), a forced fumble, and had an interception as a senior. Wilson, who is also a track standout, blocked an eye-popping four field goals as a junior, also scoring two defensive touchdowns.
Disappointment: The Bears were one of the casualties of Oregon’s late push, losing quarterback Austin Novosad to Dan Lanning and Co. Novosad had been committed to the Bears for more than a year, and he was expected to be Blake Shapen’s successor. The need for a quarterback in Waco is immediate, though, as Shapen is the only scholarship quarterback on the roster.
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6. Kansas State Wildcats
Team ranking: 29
Signees: 26
Top player: QB Avery Johnson. The star from Maize, Kansas, just outside of Wichita, is the top-ranked dual-threat quarterback in the class. He is the Wildcats’ first Elite 11 quarterback since Josh Freeman in 2005. Johnson threw for 2,768 yards and 29 touchdowns with just three interceptions and ran for 817 yards and 15 scores as a senior, earning Wichita Eagle Offensive Player of the Year honors.
Family tradition: The Wildcats signed Camden Beebe, the younger brother of current Kansas State standout offensive lineman Cooper Beebe, who was named first-team All-America by several outlets this season. The younger Beebe (6-foot-3, 330 pounds) isn’t highly ranked, but neither was his brother coming out of high school. That turned out pretty good for the Wildcats.
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7. West Virginia Mountaineers
Team ranking: 34
Signees: 18
Top player: DE James Heard. The 6-foot-2, 224-pounder had 18 sacks in nine games as a senior at Camden (New Jersey) High. He chose the Mountaineers over Rutgers, Penn State, and Virginia among others.
Signing day disappointment: It was an uphill battle to try to convince four-star cornerback Amare Snowden to come to Morgantown, after Snowden had been committed to Cincinnati for more than five months and had Wisconsin as one of his top teams after Bearcats coach Luke Fickell left to take over as the Badgers’ head coach. But Snowden would’ve added a crowning piece to Neal Brown’s signing class. Instead, he committed to Fickell and Wisconsin on signing day.
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8. Iowa State Cyclones
Team ranking: 38
Signees: 21
Top player: QB J.J. Kohl. The Ankenny, Iowa, product is the highest-ranked player to sign with the Cyclones under Matt Campbell. The son of kicking guru Jamie Kohl is the No. 88 player in the class and No. 9 pro-style quarterback, and stuck with Iowa State despite late pushes from Michigan and Auburn.
Signing day victory: It wasn’t just Kohl the Cyclones had to protect from a late flip. Lincoln, Nebraska, wide receiver Beni Ngoyi didn’t get much attention from Nebraska under Scott Frost, but Matt Rhule used his first recruiting visit as the Cornhuskers head coach to visit Ngoyi. Ultimately, though, Ngoyi stuck with his original commitment and gave the Cyclones a playmaking wide receiver to pair with Kohl.
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9. Houston Cougars
Team ranking: 52
Signees: 16
Top player: RB Parker Jenkins. The 5-foot-11, 190-pounder highlights the Cougars’ initial Big 12 signing class. He played just 19 games in high school, rushing for 820 yards. As a junior in 2021, he had 427 rushing yards and 282 receiving yards.
Late flip: The Cougars’ class was small, but closed strong, with three signing day additions, including Covington, Georgia, defensive tackle Justin Benton. The 6-foot-2, 275-pounder had been committed to West Virginia since mid-June.
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10. Central Florida Golden Knights
Team ranking: 57
Signees: 14
Top player: DT John Walker. The 6-foot-4, 300-pounder from Kissimmee, Florida, played alongside OU defensive end signee Derrick LeBlanc at Osceola High. The No. 185 overall player and No. 8 defensive tackle committed to the Knights in July but made several visits to Florida since, though ultimately signed with UCF. Walker teams with defensive end signee Isaiah Nixon to give Gus Malzahn’s team a strong defensive line class.
Sleeper: Dylan Rizk isn’t ranked among the nation’s top quarterbacks, checking in as the No. 19 pro-style quarterback in the class. But the 6-foot-2, 205-pounder from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has plenty of arm strength, has improved his accuracy, has a measure of mobility, and has the durability to excel in Gus Malzahn’s system. Malzahn has a strong history with quarterbacks, and Rizk has a chance to fall in line with that group.
11. Oklahoma State Cowboys
Team ranking: 60
Signees: 17
Top player: QB Zane Flores. There’s several candidates here but when there’s a question, it’s hard not to go with the quarterback. Flores put up massive numbers at Gretna, Nebraska. The MaxPreps Nebraska High School Football Player of the Year threw for 3,117 yards and 31 touchdowns with seven interceptions and ran for 262 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior.
Familiar ground: Punter Hudson Kaak might’ve been the earliest signee in the Big 12, thanks to Australia’s time zone. The Cowboys have had success recruiting kickers from Australia before (Like Kaak, punter Tom Hutton came from ProKick Australia).
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12. Cincinnati Bearcats
Team ranking: 72
Signees: 11
Top player: WR Barry Jackson. Jackson gave new Bearcats coach Scott Satterfield a major win on signing day, as Jackson flipped from Nebraska. Jackson is the No. 48 receiver in the class.
Recruiting victory: Jackson was a big one, but holding onto quarterback Brady Drogosh was a major victory for Satterfield as well. He’d been committed to the Bearcats under Luke Fickell but keeping the 2022 Michigan Mr. Football in the fold was an important one for Cincinnati’s small signing class.
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13. BYU Cougars
Team ranking: 77
Signees: 15
Top player: LB Siale Esera. The 6-foot-3, 260-pounder from Provo, Utah, withstood a late push from UCLA. The Cougars haven’t been able to draw big-time pass rushers in recent years, but Esera is a hometown product who could make a quick impact.
Quick impact: Tight end Jackson Bowers’ offers list included many of college football’s biggest names — Alabama, Florida State, LSU and Oregon among them. But the 6-foot-5, 230-pounder from Mesa, Arizona, opted to go to BYU, where he figures to have a chance to see the field in the Cougars’ first season of Big 12 competition.
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14. Kansas Jayhawks
Team ranking: 80
Signees: 12
Top player: TE Jaden Hamm. Hamm was committed to Arkansas for well more than a year, but ultimately, the Eudora, Kansas, product decided to stick closer to home and sign with the resurgent Jayhawks.
Signing day disappointment: Though the Jayhawks — for now — held onto Lance Leipold as head coach, they couldn’t hold on to their quarterback commit. Kasen Weisman had been committed to Kansas since August, but the Douglasville, Georgia, product announced Wednesday morning that he was decommitting. Weisman hasn’t signed yet, but he recently visited Colorado, where new coach Deion Sanders is making plenty of waves.
*All rankings are via Rivals.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Ranking Big 12 football 2023 recruiting classes after Signing Day
