MAILBAG: The New Big 12, Why No Softball + Recruits to Watch For
From @NickYore:
Do you see the new Big 12 as a viable Power 5 conference moving forward? Basketball definitely, but football I think is a question mark unless Baylor and Cincinnati keep up the recent success.
Answer: I do. Basketball is going to be even tougher and more challenging. Cincinnati, BYU, and Houston have successful programs and Central Florida has a good year every now and then. As far as basketball is concerned, the league will only improve with Texas and Oklahoma leaving. For football, I think it will be more competitive but it will lack that true power. Can any of the schools that make up the new Big 12 evolve into a national power like Oklahoma? Probably not. I don't see one school running the conference like OU has over the last decade or so. It will hurt the Big 12 when it comes to teams vying for a spot in the College Football Playoff, but only in certain situations. From top to bottom it will be one of the most competitive of the Power Five leagues. I'd still it above the ACC and PAC-12.
From @wvafan3:
Not recruiting question, but why does WVU not have a woman’s softball team? I think that would be a very good sport to pick up.
Shane Lyons has mentioned in an interview with Bob Hertzel that he doesn't believe the athletic department could commit to it financially to be able to compete at the highest level in the Big 12. Instead, they are focused on pouring as much money and effort into building the current 18 programs that they have. They're not planning on adding any additional sports anytime soon. I understand where Lyons is coming from with this because it's not just as easy as wanting to add another sport. It's building a stadium, a practice facility, hiring a coaching staff, trainers, money for recruiting, more money towards scholarships and housing, and so on. It's a big ask, but it sure would be fun to see softball eventually come to WVU. There's a lot of talent in the state.
From @kspring22:
Do you think WVU has a chance to land any more 247 composite 4-star recruits in the 2023 class? If so who?
I'm not sure who is ranked what on their site because quite frankly, I don't read much into star rankings. For the most part, they're fairly accurate but a lot of times these kids just get stars based on who offers them. They aren't seeing these kids live as much as people think.
Some of those recruits that might be of interest to you are DL Justin Benton (check out my latest article on him here), OT Naquil Betrand, DE Dylan Gooden, and WR Justin Brown.
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