Pokes Report Grades the Big 12 on Early Signing Day
One of the most exciting aspects of moving my laptop and my team at Pokes Report to the Sports Illustrated/Maven network is to be involved in reshaping the way recruiting is covered, at least here with this network. The folks that listen to my radio show know that I have a frustration with the way many folks cover college recruiting. Basketball is a lot easier in that the numbers are smaller and the very best prospects gather in the same place so many times outside of the their high school seasons with the AAU and club basketball events. Football is not nearly as simple. It is complex and my biggest complaint is that people that cover college football recruiting forget to use three simple words when asked questions.
The three words are: I don't know. Instead the evaluators and star decision makers just keep fudging through the endless list of players. Some folks even have a set number of players they will make five stars prospects. Really, a set number as in every year the talent breaks down the same. Let's remember that one of the considered leaders in the field of covering football recruiting has been fooled twice into rating prospects that were fictional and did not even exist. That would have been a great time for tose three words. I don't know.
Here is another comical occurence from Wednesday's early signing period for Division I college football. The Big 12 Conference and the recruiting rankings from three different entities.
| Rivals | 247Sports/CBS | USA Today |
|---|---|---|
1. Oklahoma (17th Nationally) | 1, Oklahoma (9th Nationally) | 1. Oklahoma |
2. Texas (21st) | 2. Texas (11th) | 2. Texas |
3. West Virginia (30th) | 3. 3. TCU (29th) | 3. TCU |
4. TCU (36th) | 4. West Virginia (36th) | 4. West Virginia |
5. Kansas (38th) | 5. Oklahoma State (40th) | 5. Iowa State |
6. Iowa State (39th) | 6. Iowa State (43rd) | 6. Oklahoma State |
T-7. Kansas State (42nd) | 7, Texas Tech (44th) | 7. Texas Tech |
T-7. Texas Tech (42nd) | 8. Kansas (46th) | 8. Baylor |
9. Oklahoma State (45th) | 9. Kansas State (49th) | 9. Kansas State |
10. Baylor (61st) | 10. Baylor (52nd) | 10. Kansas |
I didn't display ESPN's football recruiting class rankings but they actually have Texas number one in the Big 12 ahead of Oklahoma. The truth? Nobody really knows, but it sure looks like Rivals was looking at another set of signings with the way they ranked the Big 12.
Everybody wants rankings, so I will give you my own, but it comes withh a disclaimer. I know very little about West Virginia's class because I don't study players on the eastern seaboard or as much through the southeast from Georgia on into Florida. With all of the other Big 12 schools I am familiar with a lot of the players they signed either from Oklahoma or Texas or even surrounding states as many of them were at one time considered by Oklahoma State or attended Nike, Under Armour, or camps that I attended and covered.
I will be the first one to tell you my rankings are not full proof, but I will tell you I like them better than some of the decisions by others. Some my look like they are analystics and complex, but at some point somebody put a value on each player and it's those values and the people deciding them that I don't trust.
| Ranking and School | Number of Signees | Top Recruit Signed | Position Best Recruited | Top Sleeper in Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1. Oklahoma | 21 | Seth McGowan, RB, Mesquite (Poteet), Texas | Offensive Line with a solid group of five | D.J. Graham, athlete, Keller (Central), Texas |
2. Texas | 16 | Bijan Robinson, RB, Tucson (Salpoint Catholic), Ariz. | Quarterback and Secondary | Sawyer Goram-Welch, DT, Longview, Texas |
3. TCU | 14 | Garrett Hayes, OT, Athens, Texas | Wide Receiver with three solid prospects | Caleb Medford, WR, Henderson, Texas |
4. Oklahoma State | 18 | Shane Illingworth, QB, Norco, Calf. | Wide Receiver and Offensive Line | Rishod Owens, WR, San Antonio (Roosevelt), Texas |
5. West Virginia | 18 | David Vincent-Okoli, CB, Potomac (THe Bullis School), Md. | Defensive Line and Secondary | Jairo Faverus, CB, Bristol Academy, UK |
6. Baylor | 12 | James Sylvester, DE, Newton, Texas | Linebacker | Brooks Miller, Monroe (West Monroe), La. |
7. Iowa State | 20 | Daniel Jackson, WR, Cibolo (Steele), Texas | Quarterback and Offensive Tackle | Michal Antoine, CB, Fort Lauderdale (Cardinal Gibbons), Fla. |
8. Texas Tech | 18 | Loic Fouonji, WR, Midland (Lee), Texas | Wide Receiver and Secondary | Ryan Frank, CB, Magnolia (Magnolia West), Texas |
9. Kansas State | 23 | Jeremiah Harris, LB, Pearland (Shadow Creek), Texas | Secondary, Linebacker, Defensive Line | Malachi Mitchell, Saf., Mansfield (Legacy), Texas |
10. Kansas | 19 | Lawrence Arnold, WR, DeSoto, Texas and Duece Mayberry, Saf., Owasso, Okla. | Wide Receiver, Secondary, and Offensive Line | Daniel Hishaw Jr., Ath., Moore, Okla. |
What I really prefer to do is give out grades and I have done that for years, I factor what the team needed going into recruiting; what their situation is regarding coaching, facilities, and infrastructure; and their recruiting potential with regards to whether they are a blueblood program or if they have to get creative and out evaluate people. So here are my grades:
West Virginia - A+
Kansas - A+
TCU - A
Oklahoma State - B
Oklahoma - B
Texas - B-
Baylor - B-
Iowa State - C
Kansas State - C
Texas Tech - C
Every school with the exception of Kansas State has room to change their ranking and change their grade. Every school has some needs they need to fill and the talent pool has shrunk so January could be interesting.
Now, if you aks me how much I know about what will happen, I will tell you those three words, I don't know, but I will be paying attention.
