BYU's 2023 Recruiting Class Ranks in the Middle of the Pack in the Big 12

BYU's success in the transfer portal elevated its recruiting ranking

Author:
Casey Lundquist
Publish date:
Mar 20, 2023 12:49 PM EDT

With the exception of a few more transfer additions, BYU's 2023 recruiting class is in the books. BYU's overall recruiting class ranked in the middle of the pack of the new Big 12. Today, we look at where BYU's recruiting class finished and where the Cougars need to rank in the future to compete for Big 12 titles.

Traditional Recruiting Rankings

In the new era of college football, college football programs can turnover their rosters at an unprecedented level thanks to the transfer portal. The long-term health of college football programs, however, still relies on successful high school recruiting. BYU's traditional recruiting class ranked 65th in the country and 10th in the new Big 12.

TCU (20th nationally)
Texas Tech (27th)
Kansas State (32nd)
Baylor (34th)
Iowa State (42nd)
West Virginia (48th)
UCF (50th)
Oklahoma State (54th)
Houston (56th)
BYU (65th)
Kansas (73rd)
Cincinnati (80th)

If BYU is going to consistently compete for Big 12 titles, its high school recruiting will need to improve. Recent history suggest BYU will need to crack the top 40 or get very close to it on an annual basis to compete for Big 12 titles. What's the difference between BYU's 65th ranked class and the 40th ranked recruiting class? On paper, not much. Two or three more high-profile recruits would put BYU's class in the low 40's. The goal of recruiting in the top 40 nationally is an attainable goal for BYU.

Frankly, the offensive staff has been much closer to recruiting at top 40 levels than the defensive staff. For example, five of BYU's six highest-rated commits in the 2023 class were offensive players. The defensive staff has not recruited at the same level, at least not over the last several years. BYU's new defensive staff is highly respected on the recruiting trail and has all the ability to turn that around. BYU fans should feel very excited about the recruiting potential of the new defensive staff. With a new staff in place, it wouldn't be surprising to see BYU climb the recruiting rankings in the class of 2024.

Transfer Portal Rankings

For a school like BYU who is poised to join the Big 12, the transfer portal is the easiest and most effective way to add immediate talent to the roster. BYU has recruited one of the best transfer classes in the Big 12.

Oklahoma State (14th nationally)
Baylor (22nd)
TCU (24th)
BYU (28th)
West Virginia (35th)
Kansas (40th)
Kansas State (51st)
Texas Tech (58th)
Cincinnati (59th)
Houston (65th)
UCF (68th)
Iowa State (83rd)

BYU's 2023 transfer class addressed multiple roster needs. None greater than the need for a starting quarterback which the Cougars got in Pitt transfer Kedon Slovis. The transfer rankings suggest that BYU is bringing in more transfer talent than most Big 12 schools. Time will tell if a transfer-heavy class can help BYU compete right away in the Big 12.

Overall Recruiting Rankings

The overall recruiting rankings combine the traditional recruiting rankings and the transfer portal rankings. BYU ranks in the middle of the pack in the overall recruiting rankings.

TCU (23rd nationally)
Baylor (33rd)
Texas Tech (36th)
Kansas State (38th)
Oklahoma State (42nd)
West Virginia (43rd)
BYU (51st)
Iowa State (54th)
UCF (55th)
Houston (57th)
Kansas (65th)
Cincinnati (69th)

BYU's 51st ranked class is a step in the right direction. It's the best class of the four newcomers and it's BYU's best class since 2016. Moving forward, high school recruiting will be an emphasis for the class of 2024, and the 2024 class is off to a solid start. The next few months will be critical as BYU hosts visitors this month before it hits the road for the Spring evaluation period.

Stay tuned in the coming months for more recruiting updates.

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