Ranking the 2006 Big 12 recruiting classes and trying to figure out what it all means to the college football world.
1.
Texas The
class is heavy on ... Balance.
You name a position, and Texas got
at least one recruit who'd be the
star of the class at about 100 other
places. From Jevan Snead and Sherrod
Harris at quarterback to RB Vondrell
McGee to offensive tackle J'Marcus
Webb to DE Eddie Jones to DT Lamarr
Houston to CB Ken Beasley, Texas
recruited like a national champion. The player who'll someday be a
really big deal ... OT J'Marcus
Webb The player you might care about
this year ... QB Jevan Snead What it all means to the real
world of college football ...
The cupboard is well stocked once
again. You'd expect a team with the
success Texas had to recruit well,
and this class showed that last
year's national title might not be
the last in the Mack Brown era. With
Vince Young off to the NFL, Jevan
Snead and Sherrod Harris go from
being solid quarterback prospects to
front and center in the derby to
take over the nation's number one
team.
2. Oklahoma The
class is heavy on ... Offensive
linemen. It's a splashy class with
plenty of big names and top skill
players, but the heart of the group
is on the front line where seven
offensive line prospects were
brought in including 300+ pound JUCO
transfers Brandon Walker and
Sherrone Moore to provide instant
depth. Cory Brandon should be the
best of the bunch once he fills out
his frame. The player who'll someday be a
really big deal ... DT Gerald
McCoy The player you might care about
this year ... RB DeMarco Murray What it all means to the real
world of college football ...
Last year's slip from the elite of
the elite on the field meant nothing
in the recruiting wars. Texas might
have the Big 12's number one class,
but it's close with OU getting
several NFL caliber prospects.
DeMarco Murray and Mossis Madu
should provide instant depth in the
backfield behind Adrian Peterson as
they're groomed to take over the
starting roles in 2007 when/if
Peterson leaves.
3. Oklahoma State The
class is heavy on ... Receivers
and linebackers. You can't throw the
ball like Mike Gundy wants to
without good receivers, and he got
them hauling in five prospects with
JUCO transfer Anthony Parks sure to
be a factor, and likely a number two
option behind D'Juan Woods, this
year. Linebackers is also a strength
of the class with Donnell Williams,
Adrian Hamilton, Justin Grant, Orie
Lemon and Patrick Lavine to be the
foundation of the defense by 2007. The player who'll someday be a
really big deal ... DE Ugo
Chinasa The player you might care about
this year ... QB Alex Cate What it all means to the real
world of college football ...
That was a collective "aw crap" you
heard from the rest of the Big 12.
This is a fantastic class that
showed that Oklahoma State won't be
a pushover and has the pieces in
place to turn into a major player.
It might take at least two years
before even considering challenging
for the Big 12 South, but there's a
big enough upgrade in all-around
talent to think things should start
to change right away.
4. Texas A&M The
class is heavy on ... Running
back and receiver. The Aggie
backfield might already be set for
this year with Courtney Lewis and
Jorvorskie Lane, and the future is
also bright with Michael Goodson,
Trent Hines and Latrael Cooper
coming in. The biggest impact is
made at receiver where six prospects
are coming in with JUCO transfer
Torey Degrate expected to add depth
right away and speedy E.J. Shankle
and Kenny Brown to be the stars of
the future. The player who'll someday be a
really big deal ... RB Michael
Goodson The player you might care about
this year ... LB Misi Tupe What it all means to the real
world of college football ... If
Dennis Franchione's job is in
trouble, this class didn't show it.
In the harsh recruiting world, many
had to get into the negative when it
came to the program's problems under
Coach Fran. Even so, to get a player
like Michael Goodson and defensive
help from top prospects like tackle
Leslie Ray, end Cody Williams and
linebackers Anthony Lewis and Misi
Tupe shows that the coaching staff
can sell.
5. Nebraska The
class is heavy on ... Offensive
linemen. Nowhere has the Nebraska
program slipped more than in the
running game and on the offensive
line, and Bill Callahan looked to
rectify that with six very big
recruits. Size isn't a problem for
the incoming 300 pounders, but
they'll have to learn how to pass
block in the Huskers' balanced
system. The player who'll someday be a
really big deal ... DT Seth
Jensen The player you might care about
this year ... WR Maurice Purify What it all means to the real
world of college football ...
Callahan wants to win and win now.
Yeah, all coaches do, but this
recruiting class isn't looking much
towards the future with seven JUCO
transfers to go along with all the
of last year's massive haul of
talent to try to officially become a
Big 12 player right now. If nothing
else, this class provides depth to
spare.
6. Texas Tech The
class is heavy on ... Offensive
linemen and defensive ends. All the
flash and dash of the Texas Tech
offense can't operate without a good
line up front, and head coach Mike
Leach looked to secure things with
seven recruits for the front line
led by 335-pound JUCO transfer Ofa
Mohetau. Chris Olson, Buddy Brumit
and Dimitri Lott need to be the
stars of the line by 2008. On the
other side of the ball, six
defensive ends were brought in
headlined by Dwayne Bazile, who has
room on his 6-3 frame to grow into a
250+ pound playmaker. The player who'll someday be a
really big deal ... QB Taylor
Potts The player you might care about
this year ... OL Ofa Mohetau What it all means to the real
world of college football ...
Texas Tech cares about defense, too.
Twenty defensive players were
recruited meaning this class will
make or break the 2008 season. On
offense, Taylor Potts is more than
just a consolation prize after being
in the hunt for some of the elite of
the elite big name quarterbacks. It
takes a while for a quarterback to
get the Mike Leach system, but the
big, strong Potts might turn into
the 2007 starter if he lives up to
the hype.
7. Kansas State The
class is heavy on ... Defensive
tackles. JUCO transfer Brandon
Balkcom is the only name of note,
but new head coach Ron Prince is
hoping for strength in numbers with
five tackles coming in. The strength
of the class is in the backfield
with QB Josh Freeman, who everyone
else wanted as a defensive back, and
running backs James Johnson and Leon
Patton. The player who'll someday be a
really big deal ...QB Josh
Freeman The player you might care about
this year ... RB James Johnson What it all means to the real
world of college football ...
Kansas State has never been a
monster recruiter, but this isn't a
bad class. The future is there with
Freeman for the offense, along with
a big commitment to the lines. Even
with seven JUCO transfers this
wasn't necessarily a quick fix
class, but there are enough good new
pieces to hope for a better team
this year.
8. Colorado The
class is heavy on ... Offensive
line. New head man Dan Hawkins
loaded up on the line with seven
recruits with massive 340-pound JUCO
transfer Erick Faatagi the star of
the bunch. There aren't a lot of
sure-thing prospects on the line,
but there are enough good ones to
develop over the next few years. The player who'll someday be a
really big deal ... QB Cody
Hodges The player you might care about
this year ... RB Thomas Perez What it all means to the real
world of college football ...
Considering the hiring of Hawkins
came in the last minute of the
recruiting game, this was a decent
class helped immensely by Cody
Hawkins, the son of the head coach,
switching his commitment from Boise
State to CU. Outside of RB Thomas
Perez, this isn't a class loaded
with a lot of speed; that'll have to
come next year.
9. Kansas The
class is heavy on ... Safeties.
The Jayhawks only got three, but
they're good and very, very fast.
Anthony Webb and Olaitan Oguntodu
flirt with the 4.4 range and Jeremy
Terry isn't far off. Don't expect
them to shine right away, but these
three carry the hopes for the 2008
secondary. The player who'll someday be a
really big deal ... RB Donte
Bean The player you might care about
this year ... TE Marc Jones What it all means to the real
world of college football ...
Generating more points is obviously
a big deal with special attention
paid to the skill players. Todd
Reesing and Tyler Lawrence will wage
a big battle for the starting
quarterback job over the next few
years considering how inconsistent
the position was this year. RB Donte
Bean is the most talented player in
the class, and receiver Xavier Rambo
should be the team's top target by
2008.
10. Missouri The
class is heavy on ... Receivers.
With immediate help from JUCO
transfers Tremane Vaghns and Paul
Simpson, along with talented
freshman Jeremy Maclin and two other
recruits, head coach Gary Pinkel
went after targets for his young
array of signal callers to work
with. Corner was also addressed with
five new corners with JUCO transfers
Justin Brown and Castine Bridges
big, strong and fast enough to start
right away. The player who'll someday be a
really big deal ... QB J.P.
Tillman The player you might care about
this year ... CB Justin Brown What it all means to the real
world of college football ...
Did Pinkel's somewhat shaky job
security prove to be an issue? This
isn't the type of class that'll make
Mizzou a Big 12 superpower, but
there are enough talented recruits
in key spots to add some instant
help. QB J.P. Tillman is the most
interesting recruit. The top player
in the class won't want to sit for
all that long behind Chase Daniel.
11. Baylor The
class is heavy on ... Safety.
You don't get better by losing
players like Maurice Lane and Willie
Andrews, so there'll be pressure on
the four new recruits to fill a huge
hole in the Baylor secondary that
often uses three safeties. JUCO
transfers Brandon Stiggers and Jwaun
Ward are big defenders who'll need
to play big roles right off the bat. The player who'll someday be a
really big deal ... DT Adrian
Johnson The player you might care about
this year ... S Brandon Stiggers What it all means to the real
world of college football ...
Head coach Guy Morriss brought in
his best class yet showing that the
program continues on the upswing.
Baylor will never outrecruit Texas,
Oklahoma, and the rest of the Big 12
big powers, but it did a fantastic
job of getting several good
prospects. With five top JUCO
transfers, all for the defense, the
better-than-expected D might not
slip much.
12. Iowa State The
class is heavy on ... The
defensive back seven. There aren't
any showstoppers outside of,
possibly, CB Devin McDowell and LB
Fred Garrin, but there are a lot of
prospects to work with. 11 players
were brought in for the back seven
with three corners, four safeties
and four linebackers. Running back
was also addressed with four
prospects headlined by Josh Johnson
and the speedy Mitchell Moore. The player who'll someday be a
really big deal ... WR Derron
Montgomery The player you might care about
this year ... OT Ahtyba Rubin What it all means to the real
world of college football ...
Head coach Dan McCarney has always
done more with less, but this isn't
a class that'll get anyone shaking
in their boots. With Nebraska and
Kansas getting better, the Big 12
South improving more and more, and
Missouri, Kansas State and Colorado
solid, there aren't enough
sure-things in the 2006 Cyclone
class to assure a big future.
