Big 12 Football Recruiting Update: One Thought About Each Team After Official Visits in June

We’ve been evaluating the 2025 high school recruiting classes for all 16 teams in the new Big 12 ahead of a busy month of official visits in June. Let’s reevaluate that progress with one thought for each program as the summer offseason continues.

(All rankings are from the 247Sports Composite rankings updated through July 2.)

Arizona

National Rank: 46
Conference arrangement: Seventh
Number of commitments: 17
Average Player Rating: 86.15

The Wildcats had the third-lowest average player rating in the league, but the program got a much-needed influx of recruits as first-year head coach Brent Brennan added 15 commitments in June. Seven of those come from Texas — clearly a concerted effort by Big 12 newcomers — including three-star quarterback Wesley Yarborough, the top-ranked player in the class. Zona also turned to local quarterback Dajon Hinton from Arizona State.

Arizona State

National Rank: 31
Conference arrangement: Fifth
Number of commitments: 18
Average Player Rating: 86.84

First-year wide receivers coach and former NFL All-Pro Hines Ward is already paying dividends for Kenny Dillingham and the Sun Devils. After securing a commitment from four-star linebacker and top-200 prospect Adrian Wilson in April, Hines led the charge with June commitments from three-star linebackers Cameron Dyer and Corey Butler. Dyer, who plays center at La Cueva High School but will come to ASU as a receiver, was named the 2023 Gatorade Player of the Year in New Mexico after scoring 55 total touchdowns during the state tournament.

Let’s work. #committed #forexup #Activate_the_Valley 🔱🔱🔱🔱🔱 pic.twitter.com/Xi6hk6L5pV

— Cameron Dyer (@camdyer7) June 5, 2024

Baylor

National Rank: 51
Conference arrangement: Ninth
Number of commitments: 13
Average Player Rating: 86.49

Baylor is looking to make a big turnaround with coach Dave Aranda returning to lead the defense. The Bears added some much-needed speed to the secondary last month with in-state commitments from hybrid safety Bo Ono and linebacker Leo Almanza, both high school track standouts. Ono ran the 100-meter dash in 11.38 seconds as a junior, and Almanza ran 22.04 seconds in the 200-meter dash this spring.

National Rank: 58
Conference arrangement: 13
Number of commitments: 15
Average Player Rating: 85.00

BYU ranks last in average per-player rating, but the Cougars added a huge commitment to the top of the pack last month with a four-star recruit who was named to the top 400. The 6-foot-2 forward from outside Los Angeles was a top target for BYU and chose Provo over offers from a host of top-tier schools in the SEC and Big Ten.

National Rank: 55
Conference arrangement: 12
Number of commitments: 15
Average Player Rating: 86.79

Adding length was something head coach Scott Satterfield emphasized after a disappointing first year in the Big 12, and that was reflected in Cincinnati’s commitments in June. The Bearcats added three-star wideouts C.J. Crite (6-1) and Mikkel Skinner (6-3), in-state linebackers Paul Nelson (6-2) and Terrell Holcomb (6-3), cornerback Jordyn Woods (6-3), and offensive linemen Jahari Medlock (6-6) and Jeremiah Kelly (6-3 with 33.5-inch arms).

National Rank: 79
Conference arrangement: sixteen
Number of commitments: 5
Average Player Rating: 87.51

The Buffs and Deion Sanders added two commits just last month, but Colorado also has the third-highest average player rating in the Big 12. One of those commits was a senior: Chauncey Gooden, a promising four-star recruit from Nashville who is expected to be an interior offensive lineman. Gooden chose Colorado from a list of finalists that included Clemson, Georgia, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oregon and Tennessee.

National Rank: 41
Conference arrangement: VI
Number of commitments: 16
Average Player Rating: 86.58

It was a big month for head coach Willie Fritz, who added 11 commitments in June to propel the Cougs into the top half of the Big 12 recruiting rankings. The crown jewel of that hot month was Demetris Dean, a four-star offensive lineman who is in the top 400. Houston has shown an ability to win in-state recruiting battles in the past, dating back to Ed Oliver, and Fritz’s ability to attract elite Texas recruits like Dean with some degree of regularity will be crucial as the program continues to thrive in the Big 12.

Iowa

National Rank: 64
Conference arrangement: 15
Number of commitments: 12
Average Player Rating: 86.24

It was a relatively quiet month on the road for Iowa State and head coach Matt Campbell, as it added five committed players. Three-star running back River Peppers was the highest-ranked of the group, choosing the Cyclones over Big 12 rival Kansas State. Iowa also signed three-star defensive lineman B.J. Carter from Florida, a state that has produced some impactful players for the program in recent years, including quarterback Rocco Becht, receiver Jayden Higgins and recent transfer defensive lineman Kennard Schneider.

National Rank: 54
Conference arrangement: eleventh
Number of commitments: 14
Average Player Rating: 86.08

Half of the Jayhawks’ 10 commitments in June came on the same day — Father’s Day, June 16. All five recruits play defense, including three-star linebacker Kenyon Rivera from Buford High School in Georgia. Despite having the second-lowest average player rating in the league, Kansas also added a key player with the in-state commitment of JoJo Marks, a four-star offensive lineman and top-400 prospect.

Kansas State

National Rank: 63
Conference arrangement: 14
Number of commitments: 12
Average Player Rating: 87.40

After a strong run in June, the Wildcats pulled off a big win on July 1 by signing five-star quarterback Lincoln Cure, a top-30 high school player who would be the highest-ranked recruit in the state of Kansas in the 247Sports era. We wrote about the program’s pursuit of Cure last month, and Kansas State delivered on its promise during an official visit in late June. The 6-foot-6 senior from Goodland, Kan. — across the state from KSU’s Manhattan campus — is a big recruiting win for head coach Chris Klieman.

National Rank: 28
Conference arrangement: 3- The third
Number of commitments: 17
Average Player Rating: 87.11

The Buckeyes have bolstered their defense with a trio of defensive linemen Michael Riles, Jordan Covington and Alexander McPherson. Riles is the most prominent of the group, a top-350 prospect from Port Arthur, Texas, who is the second-highest commit to Oklahoma State behind four-star quarterback Adam Schobel.

National Rank: 14
Conference arrangement: 1- The first
Number of commitments: 21
Average Player Rating: 88.23

No one in the Big 12 had a better summer on the recruiting trail than the Horned Frogs, who landed four top-400 prospects in the span of a month. It started on the last day of May with a commitment from Chad Woodfork, a 6-foot-4 offensive lineman from Houston who is near the top 100 according to the 247Sports Composite. The journey ended with a commitment from four-star linebacker Micah Strickland, a 6-foot-6, top-150 player from Brownsboro, Texas.

Funky City, I’m home 🐸 https://t.co/Pveu8Acovo

— Chad Woodfork (@chad_woodfork) May 31, 2024

National Rank: 29
Conference arrangement: the fourth
Number of commitments: 17
Average Player Rating: 86.78

Let’s give some flowers to Texas Tech assistant coach Justin Johnson. The Red Raiders wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator (nicknamed “Coach Gus”) has had some big recruiting wins in his two seasons at Lubbock, most notably five-star wide receiver Micah Hudson from last year’s class. In 2025, Johnson will have his hands full with commitments from a pair of four-star, top-400 wide receivers in the state — Tristan Gentry last fall and Bryson Jones last month. Jones, a 6-foot-1 forward from Frisco, Texas, ran 11.56 seconds in the 100 meters earlier this year.

National Rank: 50
Conference arrangement: VIII
Number of commitments: 11
Average Player Rating: 88.38

The Knights currently sit eighth in the Big 12’s 2025 recruiting rankings but have the highest average player rating in the league. That rating has gotten a boost in recent weeks thanks to commitments from a pair of high-profile three-star prospects in the state: cornerback Rukeem Stroud and wideout Carl Jenkins Jr. Stroud, a promising 5-foot-11 player from Tampa, transferred from Wisconsin to UCF, where he joins high school teammate Santonyo Isaac, a fellow 2025 recruit.

Utah

National Rank: 52
Conference arrangement: The tenth
Number of commitments: 13
Average Player Rating: 86.38

Nine of the 11 2025 commits over the past month play defense. The defensive line unit got a boost with commitments from Christian Thatcher, Cyrus Polo and Max Fonoimoana. Thatcher is a promising four-star recruit from Las Vegas who chose Utah over Colorado, Kansas and Washington. Polo is an in-state pick, and Fonoimoana, who can also play offensive line, is a veteran, the younger brother of safety Brock Fonoimoana and the grandson of former Utes quarterback Bill Cravens.

National Rank: 27
Conference arrangement: 2nd
Number of commitments: 21
Average Player Rating: 86.46

The Mountaineers went to Florida to sign four players in June, with offensive coordinator Chad Scott and assistants Bilal Marshall (RBs) and Shadon Brown (DBs) making some serious progress in the Sunshine State. The first prize of that haul is running back DeAndre Desnor, a promising four-star prospect from Delray Beach, just north of Fort Lauderdale. The 5-foot-9 spark plug should fit in well with West Virginia’s run-heavy offense.

(Photo of TCU coach Sonny Dykes: Sam Hood/Getty Images)