Big 12 Football: 2023 Media Days Preview

Football season is almost here. In just weeks, action on the gridiron returns to stadiums across the country. The Big 12 Media Days is an annual rite that marks the beginning of the football season. This year’s event will be held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington on Wednesday, July 12, and Thursday, July 13.

Your KillerFrogs team will be in attendance, talking to the coaches and players, live-tweeting, and capturing photos and video clips. Here are some storylines we will be following:

Meet the New Big 12 Teams

When the calendar changed to July last week, changes to the Big 12 landscape came with it. Four new teams – BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF – are now part of the league. For 2023 only, the Big 12 will consist of 14 teams.

This will be the first official Big 12 event featuring the four new teams. We will be watching to hear their take on being part of the new conference and what to look for with each of these four new teams.

BYU and Houston will be two of the seven teams present on Wednesday. Cincinnati and UCF will be part of the seven teams on Thursday.

Goodbye, Sooners and Longhorns

This next season will be the last for Oklahoma and Texas. Next July 1, they become members of the SEC. This will be their final Big 12 Media Days. Texas has been picked as the preseason favorite. Can they hold on to that and win one more championship on their way out the door? Can Brent Venables at Oklahoma do the same, or are they headed towards a similar path to last year? Quarterbacks Quinn Ewers (Texas) and Dillon Gabriel (Oklahoma) will be in attendance at AT&T Stadium. They will surely be hit with questions about their departure to the SEC and their goals before leaving the Big 12.

Big 12 Conference Realignment/Expansion

Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormack will be the first to address members of the media when he speaks at noon on Wednesday. There have been rumors for months that the Big 12 is looking to expand beyond the 12-member institutions the league will have in 2024. Will the so-called “Four Corners Schools” – Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and Arizona State – be brought into the fold? What about Gonzaga as a basketball-only school? Could UConn join the league to give the Big 12 footing in New England? Look for Commissioner Yormack to be hit with many questions on this topic.

Split the Teams

Big 12 Media Days is such a big event; it requires two days to meet all the teams. Each day, seven schools from the league come with their head coach and 4-5 players. Here is how this year’s event will be split:

Wednesday, July 12:

Baylor (Coach Dave Aranda)
BYU (Coach Kalani Sitake)
Houston (Coach Dana Holgorsen)
Kansas (Coach Lance Leipold)
Oklahoma State (Coach Mike Gundy)
TCU (Coach Sonny Dykes)
Texas (Coach Steve Sarkisian)

Thursday, July 13

UCF (Coach Gus Malzahn)
Cincinnati (Coach Scott Satterfield)
Iowa State (Coach Matt Campbell)
Kansas State (Coach Chris Klieman)
Oklahoma (Coach Brent Venables)
Texas Tech (Coach Joey McGuire)
West Virginia (Coach Neal Brown)

Big 12 Media DaysParticipating Players

Here are the players from each school that are scheduled to appear at Big 12 Media Days:

BAYLOR

QB Blake Shapen
TE Drake Dabney
WR Josh Cameron
DL TJ Franklin
LB Mike Smith Jr

BYU

QB Kedon Slovis
WR Kody Epps
LB Ben Bywater
DE Tyler Batty
P Ryan Rehkow

UCF

WR Javon Baker
DT Ricky Barber
QB John Rhys Plumlee
DE Josh Celiscar
OL Lokahi Pauole

CINCINNATI

QB Emory Jones
DB Deshawn Pace
DL Jowon Briggs
DL Dontay Corleone

HOUSTON

DL Nelson Ceaser
OL Jack Freeman
LB Hassaan Hypolite
OL Patrick Paul

IOWA STATE

WR Jaylin Noel
DB Beau Freyler
DB T.J. Tampa
LB Gerry Vaughn

KANSAS

QB, Jalon Daniels
RB, Devin Neal
LB Rich Miller
S, Kenny Logan Jr.

KANSAS STATE

QB, Will Howard
OL Cooper Beebe
LB, Daniel Green
S Kobe Savage

OKLAHOMA

QB, Dillon Gabriel
WR Drake Stoops
DL Jonah Laulu
LB Danny Stutsman

OKLAHOMA STATE

LB Collin Oliver
CB Korie Black
WR, Brennan Presley
OL Preston Wilson

TCU

S Bud Clark
OL Brandon Coleman
LB Jamoi Hodge
CB Josh Newton
TE Jared Wiley

TEXAS

QB Quinn Ewers
WR Jordan Whittington
LB Jaylan Ford
DB Jahdae Barron
WR Xavier Worthy

TEXAS TECH

QB Tyler Shough
RB Tahj Brooks
DL Tony Bradford Jr.
DL Jaylon Hutchings
WR Jerand Bradley

WEST VIRGINIA

OL, Zach Frazier
OL Doug Nester
DL Sean Martin
LB Lee Kpogba
DB Aubrey Burks

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