Welcome Back! Glad to see you, and with my first outing back this season we are looking at some of the big names and names to watch in the Big 12 conference! There are some strong players in this conference, from Quinn Ewers and Dillon Gabriel to Cobee Bryant (Also a cornerback) and Kobe Savage. It’s ok if you aren’t familiar with them, we have you covered!
TOP PROSPECTS FROM THE BIG 12
Quarterbacks
| Blake Shapen | Baylor |
| Kedon Slovis | BYU |
| Emory Jones | Cincinnati |
| Evan Prater | Cincinnati |
| Donovan Smith | Houston |
| Jalon Daniels | Kansas |
| Will Howard | Kansas State |
| Dillon Gabriel | Oklahoma |
| Alan Bowman | Oklahoma State |
| Chance Nolan | TCU |
| Chandler Morris | TCU |
| Quinn Ewers | Texas |
| Behren Morton | Texas Tech |
| Tyler Shough | Texas Tech |
| Garrett Greene | West Virginia |
I know everyone’s excited about Arch Manning, and Maalik Murphy but Ewers is QB1 for the 2023 season. If you’ve checked out our mock drafts, we think Quinn Ewers has day-two NFL Draft potential. Slovis is a name everyone’s heard but after landing on his 3rd college team, can he turn things around? BYU enters its first year in the Big 12. They have recently produced NFL quarterbacks like Zach Wilson and Jarren Hall, so is the 3rd time a charm?
Dillon Gabriel is a player I think can take a big step in his draft potential this season, he played well at UCF but can take his game to the next level with a strong year at Oklahoma. The downside for Gabriel will inevitably be age-related, though if a player is good enough it won’t matter.
Tyler Shough is another guy that had higher expectations when he took over for Justin Herbert at Oregon but hasn’t seen that come to fruition. He went 8-1 for Texas Tech, with a 63% completion percentage in his time there and a solid command of the offense, he should be able to impress in his final year with the Red Raiders.
Running Backs
| Jordan Jenkins | Baylor |
| Aidan Robbins | BYU |
| Corey Kiner | Cincinnati |
| Ryan Montgomery | Cincinnati |
| Devin Neal | Kansas |
| Dylan McDuffie | Kansas |
| Sevion Morrison | Kansas |
| Treshaun Ward | Kansas State |
| Marcus Major | Oklahoma |
| Elijah Collins | Oklahoma State |
| Emani Bailey | TCU |
| Trey Sanders | TCU |
| Jonathon Brooks | Texas |
| Keilan Robinson | Texas |
| Tahj Brooks | Texas Tech |
Devin Neal and Trey Sanders are arguably the biggest names in the conference but I’d argue we haven’t seen the best out of guys like Corey Kiner and Keilan Robinson. With many Big 12 rushing leaders being drafted this spring, there’s plenty of room for some of these names to make the jump to the top. Neal was 5th in yards from scrimmage last season, and most of the other top 10 are in the NFL.
Wide Receivers
| Monaray Baldwin | Baylor |
| Dee Wiggins | Cincinnati |
| Keyshawn Helton | Cincinnati |
| Xzavier Henderson | Cincinnati |
| Devaughn Vele | Houston |
| Phillip Brooks III | Kansas State |
| Cody Jackson | Oklahoma |
| Drake Stoops | Oklahoma |
| Jalil Farooq | Oklahoma |
| LV Bunkley-Shelton | Oklahoma |
| Brennan Presley | Oklahoma State |
| De’Zhaun Stribling | Oklahoma State |
| Jaden Bray | Oklahoma State |
| Jack Bech | TCU |
| Jaylon Robinson | TCU |
| JoJo Earle | TCU |
| Savion Williams | TCU |
| Shadrach Banks | TCU |
| Adonai Mitchell | Texas |
| Isaiah Neyor | Texas |
| Jordan Whittington | Texas |
| Xavier Worthy | Texas |
| Drae McCray | Texas Tech |
| Loic Fouonji | Texas Tech |
| Devin Carter | West Virginia |
| Ja’Shaun Poke | West Virginia |
Xavier Worthy is definitely at the top of this list and already has a chance to be a round-one receiver in the 2024 NFL Draft. Another year with coach Sarkisian, he has a chance to be a mid 1st round selection. He has excellent size, plus route-running ability, breakaway speed (think a gazelle lol), and many more of the intangibles you ask from your elite WR1. I’d argue him for WR1 in the class but Marvin Harrison Jr and Emeka Egbuka are hard to catch.
Tight Ends
| Drake Dabney | Baylor |
| Isaac Rex | BYU |
| Masen Wake | BYU |
| Joey Beljan | Cincinnati |
| Mike O’Laughlin | Houston |
| Jared Casey | Kansas |
| Mason Fairchild | Kansas |
| Ben Sinnott | Kansas State |
| Austin Stogner | Oklahoma |
| Braden Cassity | Oklahoma State |
| Josiah Johnson | Oklahoma State |
| Jared Wiley | TCU |
| Ja’Tavion Sanders | Texas |
| Baylor Cupp | Texas Tech |
| Kole Taylor | West Virginia |
In their final year season in the conference, Texas has plenty of talent that will keep scouts’ eyes locked on the Big 12. Ja’Tavion Sanders is the cream of the crop but Austin Stogners a close 2nd in this group. Sanders is a receiving threat first and I’d argue there are better blockers in the conference than him.Â
Offensive Lineman
| Campbell Barrington | Baylor |
| Clark Barrington | Baylor |
| Connor Pay | BYU |
| Mike Novitsky | Kansas |
| Cooper Beebe | Kansas State |
| Andrew Raym | Oklahoma |
| McKade Mettauer | Oklahoma |
| Nate Anderson | Oklahoma |
| Brandon Coleman | TCU |
| Garrett Hayes | TCU |
| Jake Majors | Texas |
| Cole Spencer | Texas Tech |
| Rusty Staats | Texas Tech |
| Brandon Yates | West Virginia |
| Doug Nester | West Virginia |
| Zach Frazier | West Virginia |
| Gavin Byers | Baylor |
| Ian Fitzgerald | BYU |
| Kingsley Suamataia | BYU |
| Jaylen Garth | Houston |
| Patrick Paul | Houston |
| Logan Brown | Kansas |
| Christian Duffie | Kansas State |
| Tyler Guyton | Oklahoma |
| Walter Rouse | Oklahoma |
| Andrew Coker | TCU |
| Tommy Brockermeyer | TCU |
| Christian Jones | Texas |
| Wyatt Milum | West Virginia |
I typically start with scouting Oklahoma linemen, as they have a solid track record. Jones and Majors from Texas have a chance to spotlight their abilities but time will tell if they can handle what’s going to be asked of them.
Defensive Lineman
| Gabe Hall | Baylor |
| TJ Franklin | Baylor |
| Dontay Corleone | Cincinnati |
| Jowon Briggs | Cincinnati |
| Chidozie Nwankwo | Houston |
| Isaiah Coe | Oklahoma |
| Jacob Lacey | Oklahoma |
| Jordan Kelley | Oklahoma |
| Byron Murphy | Texas |
| T’Vondre Sweat | Texas |
| Vernon Broughton | Texas |
| Jaylon Hutchings | Texas Tech |
| Myles Cole | Texas Tech |
| Tony Bradford Jr. | Texas Tech |
| Garmon Randolph | Baylor |
| Tyler Batty | BYU |
| Khalid Duke | Kansas State |
| Nate Matlack | Kansas State |
| Ethan Downs | Oklahoma |
| Jonah Laulu | Oklahoma |
| Reggie Grimes | Oklahoma |
| Rondell Bothroyd | Oklahoma |
| Trace Ford | Oklahoma |
| Anthony Goodlow | Oklahoma State |
| Collin Oliver | Oklahoma State |
| Alfred Collins | Texas |
| Barryn Sorrell | Texas |
| Sean Martin | West Virginia |
TJ Franklin and Alfred Collins are currently at the top of my list from this group, though I’m intrigued to see what happens with Oklahoma’s defensive line situation as the season unfolds. I also appreciate when a player opts to come back and try to take the team to another level, Franklin didn’t like how things went for Baylor last year, and believes he can help finish his career strong, shows leadership and character.
Linebackers
| Byron Vaughns | Baylor |
| Matt Jones | Baylor |
| AJ Vongphachanh | BYU |
| Ben Bywater | BYU |
| Chaz Ah You | BYU |
| Max Tooley | BYU |
| DeShawn Pace | Cincinnati |
| David Ugwoegbu | Houston |
| Nelson Caesar | Houston |
| Craig Young | Kansas |
| Daniel Green | Kansas State |
| Danny Stutsman | Oklahoma |
| Marcus Stripling | Oklahoma |
| Shane Whitter | Oklahoma |
| Justin Wright | Oklahoma State |
| Jamoi Hodge | TCU |
| Johnny Hodges | TCU |
| Marcel Brooks | TCU |
| Jaylan Ford | Texas |
| Steve Linton | Texas Tech |
Currently, Danny Stutsman’s the top backer on my watch list, and should be a day two draft pick next year. Stutsman’s not the only solid defender in Oklahoma (also in their final Big 12 season) but the tackle machine looks like an intense day 2 NFL Draft candidate, with strong athletic ability, plus vision and he does a great job wrapping up and bringing players down.
Safeties
| Hasaan Hypolite | Houston |
| Kenny Logan Jr. | Kansas |
| Marvin Grant | Kansas |
| Kobe Savage | Kansas State |
| Billy Bowman | Oklahoma |
| Key Lawrence | Oklahoma |
| Reggie Pearson Jr. | Oklahoma |
| Kendal Daniels | Oklahoma State |
| Bud Clark | TCU |
| Mark Perry | TCU |
| Nook Bradford | TCU |
| Jalen Catalon | Texas |
| Jerrin Thompson | Texas |
| Ryan Watts | Texas |
| Dadrion Taylor-Demerson | Texas Tech |
| Aubrey Burks | West Virginia |
Jalen Catalon and Kobe Savage headline this group (so far) for me, I had thought Catalon was good enough to be a top safety if he came out last year, still have the same feeling this season. Catalon’s got great instincts and is a big hitter with ball-hawking ability that teams will fall in love with during the draft process (if they haven’t already).
Cornerbacks
| Isaiah Dunson | Baylor |
| Brian George | Houston |
| Cobee Bryant | Kansas |
| Damarius McGhee | Kansas |
| DJ Graham | Oklahoma |
| Woodi Washington | Oklahoma |
| Avery Helm | TCU |
| Josh Newton | TCU |
| Jahdae Barron | Texas |
| Kitan Crawford | Texas |
| Rayshad Williams | Texas Tech |
| Montre Miller | West Virginia |
I’m leaving this group as TBD, there have been flashes shown by some of these Big 12 prospects but I have more film to watch before I can give a strong opinion on this crop of corners.
If you’ve gotten this far, I thank you! Feel free to hit me up on Twitter, as I am always looking for new opportunities to write and join new teams, and make new friends! Check out the Mock Drafts we will be dropping throughout the year, and feel free to check out the NFL odds.
Take care!