National Signing Day: Big 12 Recruiting, Transfers, Team Rankings
National Signing Day 2022 is in the books. Recruiting classes have been finalized, and– except for a few remaining transfers– the rosters for next season are set. How did the Big 12's current members fare on the recruiting trail?
Below, we'll look at the biggest signees to land in the conference, Big 12 team rankings, and a brief look at future Big 12 teams.
Biggest Signings
Note: These are some of the biggest signings from National Signing Day (Feb. 2, 2022). For the rundown of Early Signing Day, read up on our piece here.
OL Devon Campbell, Texas
Campbell was one of the prized recruits still left on the board come National Signing Day. He chose Texas over arch-rival Oklahoma on national TV. You can read up more on Campbell in our National Signing Day recap piece, but know he's a bad man. Big, explosive, violent in all the best ways. There's a reason Campbell was the nation's ninth-ranked overall recruit.
ATH Jaren Kanak, Oklahoma
Kanak was originally a Clemson commit and had offers from Michigan and Alabama. However, he signed his NLI with Oklahoma on National Signing Day. He has blazing speed, pacing a 10.37 100-meter in track. The ridiculous part is that Kanak weighs in at 210 pounds. He's expected to play some form of defensive back at Oklahoma, be it in a sub package or a box safety.
ATH Jamarrien Burt, Oklahoma
The Sooners landed a good one out of Ocala, a Florida recruiting hotbed. Burt played both ways and bounced between receiver and running back, making him a true "athlete" positionless player. He chose Oklahoma over Utah, Florida, Arkansas, and others. How he fits in with the Sooners remains to be seen, but he's a highly-rated three star.
WR DJ Allen, TCU
Allen announced his commitment to the Horned Frogs just hours before National Signing Day. He chose TCU over Arkansas, Florida, USC, and others. Allen becomes TCU's third-highest ranked recruit in the 2022 cycle thanks to his playmaking ability. Expect him to be slotted into the offense from Day 1.
Dave Aranda's Baylor Bears secured the 36th best-recruiting class, but next year's could be even better.
Big 12 Team Rankings
1. Texas Longhorns
It's not surprising to see Texas top the Big 12 ranks. They've been in the top two for several years running, backed by the most valuable athletic department in the nation.
The Horns add two five stars, headlined by offensive lineman Devon Campbell. He announced his decision on National Signing Day and is the nation's ninth-ranked recruit. Texas also adds former No. 1 recruit Quinn Ewers, who transferred in from Ohio State.
2. Oklahoma Sooners
We're still not shocked with Oklahoma coming in at two. History and money win the recruiting trail and the Sooners have both. They fall to two after leading the Big 12 last season, due to a sudden and major coaching change.
Oklahoma signed 15 four-stars and rank eighth in the nation in recruiting. Corner Gentry Williams and a pair of highly-touted running backs– Gavin Sawchuk and Jovantae Barnes– headline this class.
3. Oklahoma State Cowboys
There's a large dropoff between Oklahoma (8) and Oklahoma State (29) in the national rankings. Four four-stars lead this class, including receiver Talyn Shettron, the Pokes' top-ranked player.
Oklahoma State maintains their third ranking in the Big 12, where they were last year. They improved slightly nationally, climbing from 36 (2021) to 29 (2022).
4. West Virginia Mountaineers
It may come as a surprise to some, but West Virginia is typically a good recruiting school. They're up to four in the Big 12 from five last season, but they've always sat in the top five.
Quarterback Nicco Marchiol out of Arizona is the Mountaineers' top recruit and lone four star. However, they also landed a bunch of highly-ranked three stars, particularly on defense. They added several players to an already robust group led by four star corner Jacolby Spells.
5. Baylor Bears
The Big 12 Champions are about a year away from returning to national prowess in recruiting. This year's class comes in at 36 nationally, but next year's class is currently 13th (granted, there's a long way to go). Receiver Armani Winfield and pass rusher Kaian Roberts-Day are two four stars that lead this class.
Baylor has a ton of returning talent on their roster, including quarterback Blake Shapen, so this class will mostly round out depth. To no one's surprise, the defensive pieces stand out in this class.
6. Iowa State Cyclones
Iowa State's approach to recruiting has never been landing the splash player. Rather, the Cyclones develop good players and cast a wide net. They signed the second-largest class in the Big 12 with 22 players (Texas led with 28). Two of those players are four stars.
They signees come from a diverse range of states– Texas, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Arizona, among others. Receiver Greg Gaines is the Cyclones' third-highest signed receiver in program history (12th overall).
7. Texas Tech Red Raiders
This year's recruiting class is a major improvement over last year. The Red Raiders landed just the 74th-ranked class nationally in 2021, up to 43 this season. New coach Joey McGuire comes with decades of experience in Texas high school football. The culture hire paid off, with all but four of the total 18 signees coming from in-state.
The biggest land, though, comes from just north in Oklahoma. Four-star Maurion Horn is the highest-ranked player of the 2022 class and their 14th-highest ever. A shift to defensive focus this coming season is highlighted by five of the top six signees coming on defense.
8. TCU Horned Frogs
The start to the Sonny Dykes era in Fort Worth is off to a slow start. The Horned Frogs landed three four-stars– including two that flipped from SMU with Dykes– but just 14 total players. In the Big 12, only Kansas has fewer. In the top 70 classes, only three teams have a smaller incoming crop.
Receiver Jordan Hudson and safety Chace Briddle are the four-star teammates that moved with Dykes from SMU to TCU. Receiver DJ Allen is the other four-star, who signed his NLI on National Signing Day.
9. Kansas State Wildcats
Like Iowa State, Kansas State's approach to recruiting isn't built on five-star recruits. The Wildcats have one of the best development staffs in the nation. They rank 61st nationally, slightly down from 56th in 2021, but K-State continues to produce winning teams.
They're one of two teams in the Big 12 to not sign a four-star recruit (Kansas). They've signed just one four-star since 2010– quarterback currently on the roster from last cycle.
10. Kansas Jayhawks
It's hard to sign classes when you've won a maximum of one conference game since 2008. The Jayhawks signed just seven players this year, tied for the second-fewest in the FBS (Texas State, 5).
Barring a miracle turnaround, Kansas is looking at more of the same production. Without a better recruiting class or hitting the transfer jackpot, there doesn't seem to be an end in sight. Kansas finished 119th in the nation– worst among Power Five teams.
Isaiah Neyor transfered from Wyoming to Texas.
Biggest Transfers
The biggest two transfers in the conference are clearly UCF quarterback Dillion Gabriel (to Oklahoma) and Ohio State quarterback Quinn Ewers (to Texas). They were two of the biggest names nationally to enter the transfer portal. Plenty has been said about them, so let's take a look at some of the other big landings.
TE Jahleel Billingsley, Texas
Billingsley was a highly-touted recruit that began his career at Alabama. He played significant time in three years and hauled in 35 passes for 543 yards and six touchdowns. He's a big guy, standing 6' 4" tall and weighing in at 230 pounds, but he's a capable pass catcher. Expect him to be a featured player on the Longhorns offense starting this year.
OL Alan Ali, TCU
Ali was the biggest land for TCU this offseason yet. He moved over from SMU, following Coach Dykes to Fort Worth. TCU has a desperate need for offensive linemen after having one of the worst units in the conference last season. Ali is a four-star transfer, an increase from his high school rating, per 247Sports.
WR Isaiah Neyor, Texas
Wyoming's biggest playmaker decided to move to a bigger stage. Neyor scored 12 touchdowns on just 44 receptions with a 20 yard-per-catch average. He slots into a young but immensely talented receiving corps in Austin led by rising sophomore Xavier Worthy. The combination of Worthy, Neyor, and transfer Ewers could make Texas one of the most dangerous and explosive offenses in the Big 12.
LB Branden Jennings, Kansas State
Jennings may be the biggest transfer to ever land in Manhattan; his 0.9000 247Sports rating slots Jennings as a top-20 player at Kansas State ever. He previously played at Maryland, where he played a limited role. In 2021, Jennings recorded 23 tackles and forced a fumble.
OL McKade Mettauer, Oklahoma
Mettauer was a three-year starter at Cal at right guard. He played in all 29 games the Golden Bears played since 2019 and earned All Pac-12 Honorable Mention in 2019. Mettauer comes to Norman as a presumed Day-1 starter. He's a veteran, experienced, and talented. The perfect guy to land in the transfer portal.
DL Jaxon Player, Baylor
Player was outstanding at his previous stop at Tulsa. In 2021, he recorded 50 tackles, five sacks (second on the team), forced a fumble, and recovered a fumble. Player returns to his hometown of Waco as a grad transfer. In 2020, he was named All-AAC as a first-team selection.
Brigham Young Cougars head coach Kalani Sitake
Future Big 12 Members
Cincinnati Bearcats
In the American Athletic Conference, Cincinnati signed the 42nd-ranked class nationally. The class is led by a pair of four-star defensive players: pass rusher Mario Eugenio and safety JQ Hardaway. Their recruiting class led the AAC in 2022.
Houston Cougars
Just behind Cincinnati in the AAC, Houston signed the second-ranked class (49th nationally). They also signed a pair of four stars: receiver Matthew Golden and offensive lineman Demetrius Hunter. While many signees are from outside Texas, head coach Dana Holgerson dominated recruiting in his backyard; many players are from the Houston area.
UCF Knights
There's a reason these teams are making the jump from the AAC to the Big 12– UCF rounds out the top three classes in the conference. The crop is led by four star corner Nikai Martinez out of Aopoka, Florida. The new class is headlines by Ole Miss transfer John Rhys-Plumlee, who is expected to start at quarterback immediately.
BYU Cougars
BYU signed the 56th-ranked class nationally in this recruiting cycle. The class of 24 is headlined by two four-stars, receiver Cody Hagen and defensive lineman Aisea Moa. BYU relies on development, recruiting mostly local kids. Their national footprint is nonexistent, making them a good fit in the Big 12; they won't compete for the same athletes as the other teams.
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