ESPN College Football

Our RecruitingNation staff dropped the first ESPN 300 of the recruiting season on Monday, aka the list of the nation's top 300 overall prospects.

You can see the full list here, but here's a look at the guys on the list who are committed to Big 12 schools:

No. 74: Davion Hall, ATH, Baylor

No. 79: Derick Roberson, DE, Texas

No. 97: Justice Hansen, QB-DT, Oklahoma

No. 103: Kyron Watson, LB, Kansas

No. 138: Jerrod Heard, QB-DT, Texas

No. 162: Mason Rudolph, QB-PP, Oklahoma State

No. 165: Jermaine Roberts, CB, Texas

No. 172: Otaro Alaka, OLB, Texas

No. 199: Dallis Todd, WR, Oklahoma

No. 202: Devon Thomas, RB, Oklahoma State

No. 214: Gyasi Akem, OLB, Oklahoma State

No. 222: Samaje Perine, RB, Oklahoma

No. 224: Allen Lazard, WR, Iowa State

No. 231: James David, OLB, Baylor

No. 237: Lorenzo Joe, ATH, Texas

No. 247: Donald Catalon, RB, Texas

No. 282: Carson Meier, TE-Y, Oklahoma

A couple thoughts:

• More Big 12 teams are in the mix for top 300 guys than we're used to. Oklahoma and Texas are the usual suspects, but it's a new to see Kansas and Iowa State hauling in top 300 recruits. Baylor and Oklahoma State aren't a big surprise, but both of those rising programs have nice hauls among the top 300. Four different programs are represented among the top six players currently committed to Big 12 teams.
• Oklahoma State's got to love this list the most. First off, new QB commit Mason Rudolph makes a nice debut at No. 162, the highest-ranked recruit in the class. Thomas and Akem give the Pokes three players in the top rung of the recruiting ladder. OSU hasn't seen its on-field success translate a ton to the recruiting trail just yet, but this could be the start of very good things for the Cowboys on that front.
• Lots of uncommitted players still out there and plenty of those guys are from Texas with Big 12 schools in the hunt. On the flip side, these guys still have almost eight months and entire seasons of high school ball (and watching their future college teams play) to change their mind. These commitments are anything but set in stone.

Magic.

• Travis Hines of the Ames Tribune writes about Paul Rhoads' "Ride to Remember" fundraiser. Cool promotion.
• Enjoyed this column from colleague Gene Wojciechowski about how much one guy can change the face of a football team.
• Nice new painting in Kliff Kingsbury's office, but look closely for a nod to one of the greatest Tech football moments ever.
• Kansas has a new TV deal with Time Warner Cable and KC's Metro Sports. Matt Tait of the Lawrence Journal-World has more details.
• Ex-West Virginia coach Don Nehlen talks with Bob Hertzel of the Times West Virginian about the way the game has changed since he's been gone.
• Lots of Big 12 talk in Matt Hayes of Sporting News' 10 non-SEC storylines to watch for 2013.
• Oklahoma State sports hype video!
• Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman looks back with Bob Stoops on Jimmy Stevens' infamous kick against Florida State back in 2011.
• West Virginia grabbed an offensive line commit for its 2014 class.

• How will Texas Tech use its Big 12 payout? Don Williams of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal asked around.
• Good story from Jeremy Fowler on how Mike Gundy dug up Mike Yurcich as his new OC, and a few thoughts from Yurcich on the game. Gina Mizell of The Oklahoman has more on Gundy's process.
• Don Williams of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal writes about the cornerbacks at Texas Tech.
• Texas made a few additions to its 2014 recruiting class over the weekend. Oklahoma State grabbed a defensive end from Tulsa, too.
• Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram profiles TCU AD Chris Del Conte for a special Father's Day piece.
• Paul Myerberg of USA Today breaks down Iowa State in advance of the season.
• Jason Orts of the Waco Tribune-Herald introduces you to a new Baylor commit.
• Oklahoma offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh sat down for a Q&A with Jason Kersey of The Oklahoman. He also writes about the post-graduate transfer rule and its impact on the Sooner State.
• West Virginia needs an independent study of its finances, writes Bob Hertzel of the Times West Virginian.

If you've been without an internet connection since Alabama clinched the SEC's seventh consecutive national title in January, you might not have noticed a bit of saber-rattling on the part of Big 12 coaches.

Bob Stoops started the parade by trumpeting the Big 12's depth and said the SEC's mystique and reputation are attributable in part to "propaganda."

Texas coach Mack Brown later patted Stoops on the back, saying he was proud of his Oklahoma counterpart for sticking up for the conference. In an interview with ESPN.com, Kansas coach Charlie Weis, too, said that Stoops had a point.

Still, it's going to take more than talk to knock off No. 1.

Phil Steele ranked the college football conferences for his preseason magazine, and he's got the Big 12 sitting in second place, behind the SEC. The Big 12 actually finished ahead of the SEC in the computer rankings in 2011 and held a lead for much of 2012, but in tabulations by ESPN Stats & Information, the SEC was king by the end of that season.

Steele explains that without a preseason top-10 team in the Big 12, his ranking of the league might be a bit surprising, but notes that Texas and Oklahoma State were in his top 10, and could both be 9-0 when they meet Nov. 16 in Austin. The Big 12 has four more teams in Steele's top 40 and he pointed out that the conference had the best mark (26-4) in nonconference games last season.

He also notes, and I agree, that those numbers can be influenced by scheduling. This year, though, the Big 12 can settle more on the field. By the end of September, the Big 12 and SEC will have played three games and will meet in the Cotton Bowl at the end of the season. The two leagues met on the field just once in the 2012 regular season, with Texas routing Ole Miss in Oxford. Texas A&M famously rolled over Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl.

The 2013 meetings between the leagues -- including TCU/LSU and Oklahoma State/Mississippi State on neutral fields on opening weekend -- should be fun, with plenty of bragging rights up for grabs.

Still, no amount of victories will do much to change anyone's mind about the SEC's superiority -- unless they get to take home a crystal football after the game's over.

 
David Ubben is talking Big 12 recruiting success and high-profile gaffes, Texas hype and APR scores in this week's Friday Four Downs.

Finally went to Pecan Lodge on Thursday. It was magical.

• Good story from Randy Peterson of the Des Moines Register on Iowa State's Wally and Shane Burnham's ability to mix family and football.
• Clark Kent in the the new Man of Steel movie is a Kansas football fan. He watches a game in one scene.
• Texas Tech's new scoreboard is coming into shape, writes Don Williams of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.
• Athlon ranks the Big 12 football stadiums.
• Texas added a commitment to its 2014 class on Thursday.
• Former Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones officially signed his contract with the Steelers on Thursday. Former West Virginia do-everything talent Tavon Austin signed his with St. Louis, too.
• Looks like Justin Gilbert and Ra'Shaad Samples finally raced.
• Another day, another regrettable tweet from a recruit.

Phil Steele is continuing his march through the top 15 units at each position group across the country, and took a look at the nation's best wide receivers and running backs for the 2013 season .

As you might expect, the Big 12 was well represented.

Texas had the highest unit among both groups, ranking No. 3 with its talented, deep group of running backs. Johnathan Gray and Malcolm Brown were both the No. 1 running backs in their respective recruiting classes and both have been productive throughout their careers. Bruiser Joe Bergeron and speedster Daje Johnson add more depth. No surprise seeing Texas there.

I might have included Kansas on this list, actually, but Oklahoma and Baylor made appearances at No. 10 and 11, respectively.

Baylor has better overall running backs for me, but the Sooners' depth likely landed them at No. 10, led by Damien Williams, who Steele had on his All-Big 12 first-team earlier this month. Williams is showing up on plenty of NFL draft lists heading into the season, so the former juco transfer will have a lot to play for in 2013. Still, the Bears' Lache Seastrunk is the league's best overall back heading into 2013.

The departure of guys like Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey and Terrance Williams left a weak class of elite receivers in the Big 12, but there's still plenty of above average talent.

Oklahoma State's Josh Stewart is the league's leading returner in receiving yardage, and headlines the Big 12's best group according to Steele. The Pokes are at No. 4.

I'm betting by season's end, Baylor would have a case on this list, but the Bears are a no show for now.

Texas and Oklahoma are Nos. 10 and 11 on the list respectively. I'd probably case a vote for Texas Tech and Baylor ahead of Texas, and maybe even TCU, but Mike Davis and Jaxon Shipley could both break out on a national level this year.

Go check out Steele's rankings. You'll need Insider to see them all, but what do you make of the Big 12 candidates?

People always forget how icy the Zack-Slater relationship was in the beginning.

• Texas Tech is looking into recruiting violations possibly committed by alum Wes Welker.
• Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman compares the new Big 12 bowl lineup to the old one.
• Take a closer look at Iowa State. You'll learn something here.
• Baylor coach Art Briles has a biography coming out, with a foreward by Robert Griffin III.
• West Virginia is looking good in the latest APR report. Bob Hertzel of the Times West Virginian has more on what that means.

Damon Sayles and Max Olson break down recent additions for the Bears and Longhorns. Baylor added its 19th commitment overall -- and seventh this month -- in four-star ILB James David, while Texas continued its 2015 recruiting in style.

Incoming freshmen have started arriving at Big 12 campuses for the summer, taking part in offseason strength and conditioning programs as well as 7-on-7 work with teammates, an especially important exercise for spread offenses popular in the Big 12.

Wide receiver Ra'Shaad Samples signed with Oklahoma State last February as the nation's No. 19 receiver, No. 166 overall recruit and the Cowboys highest-ranked signee of the 2013 class, but just a few months later, he's already turned a few heads when he announced via Twitter that he'd run a 4.32 40-time in summer workouts. He got some corroboration on the social networking site when starting quarterback (probably) Clint Chelf congratulated him and said in addition to running the 4.32 40, he "balled out" in a scrimmage.

Now, spare me your arguments on the faulty times we constantly see on 40s. I agree with you. It's silliness. Samples did not run a 4.32, no matter what the stopwatches in Stillwater tell you. The only times I truly trust are those at the NFL combine, and Samples' 4.32 would have been faster than all but Texas' Marquise Goodwin at last Feburary's combine in Indianapolis. That means guys like Tavon Austin, Denard Robinson and others would be left in Samples' dust. I don't buy it.

Still, to quabble over tenths of seconds is even sillier. Samples is clearly fast, and he claimed the time was the fastest ever for a freshman in Oklahoma State history. I believe that, but cornerback Justin Gilbert, who'll get a shot of his own at next year's combine, chimed in on Twitter with a little smack talk that one can only assume was directed at Samples.

"Might i add...we didnt run fortys when we came in as freshmen lol," Gilbert tweeted.

Gilbert's a guy with a case as the fastest man in the Big 12, an informal title that Baylor receiver Tevin Reese and Kansas State WR/KR Tyler Lockett all have a claim to, but I'd love to see Oklahoma State settle this at some point in fall camp. Maybe a little after practice showdown?

I joked on Twitter earlier this week that if Oklahoma State set up and hyped the event, it could bring in at least 2,500 fans at a dollar a pop. The general consensus I got from OSU fans was that number was way, way low.

Either way, I'd love to see it happen. Samples vs. Gilbert. Who you got?

On Monday, Baylor welcomed linebacker James David into its 2014 recruiting class. The Rockdale, Texas, native is the nation's No. 10 inside linebacker, but he also holds another distinction: He's Baylor's eighth commitment since May 31. That's a little less than one a day, but a heck of a run for the Bears.

It's also the Bears' 15th commit since May 1.

David's commitment gives Baylor 19 commits, making the Bears' class the biggest in the nation so far by four commits. Texas, Tennessee and Louisville all had 15 players committed as of Tuesday, but Baylor could be getting its dirty work on the recruiting trail done early.

Here's what our scouts say about David:

David is an explosive, rangy linebacker prospect who can be very disruptive when set free to attack. This is a pressure linebacker who plays the game fast and flows to the football with athletic movements. He looks for contact and is extremely tough and physical. He plays bigger than his sub-220-pound frame would indicate. Lacks ideal length and flexibility on the outside and might continue to bulk-up and play inside in college. He runs really well -- shows good sideline-to-sideline range and even better closing burst.

Most interesting to me? Three of Baylor's top five commits are defenders. Art Briles' reputation for offense is obvious, but upgrading the talent defensively is a huge key to continuing to build his program at Baylor. It's been the glaring weakness for most of his time there. That changed late last season and I see it continuing this year, but the Bears added ATH Davion Hall, the second commit of the class and No. 73 on the ESPN 150.

Only five of Baylor's 19 commits are ranked by ESPN.com at their position, but the Bears are currently No. 22 in our class rankings.

Here are the eight players who have joined the Bears' fold in the past two weeks:

• James David, No. 10 ILB; Rockdale, Texas
• T'Kevian Rockwell, No. 16 S; Wylie, Texas
• Chad Adams, CB; Allen, Texas
• Blake Blackmar, OT, Houston
• Cordell Dorsey, LB; Abilene, Texas
• Jourdan Blake, QB-DT; Princeton, Texas
• Andrew Morris, DT; Mesquite, Texas
• Ira Lewis, DE, Houston

Not a bad haul. The Bears' run of pure numbers is unlike anything we've seen in awhile in the Big 12. Eight commits in 10 days, including a pair of high-ranking players like David and Rockwell, is a welcome sign for any staff.

The best.

• A lack of experience is Iowa State's biggest hurdle this time around.
• The sting of losing Louisville got worse with the baseball team booking a ticket to the College World Series, writes Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman.
• Kliff Kingsbury will turn around Texas Tech quickly, writes Matt Hayes of Sporting News.
• Plenty of intriguing nuggets here from Baylor AD Ian McCaw from his live chat on Tuesday.
• Schools in Oklahoma have raised $160,000 so far in tornado relief funds by selling T-shirts.
• The jewel of Iowa State's recruiting class paid a visit to Notre Dame. How did it go?
• Oklahoma State is bringing on a walk-on quarterback from Texas.
• Get to know Kansas better with this in-depth preview of the Jayhawks.
• West Virginia fans can point to 2005 for reasons to be optimistic about 2013.

Oklahoma State had better be careful. Look for an emphasis from Mike Gundy's staff on graduation and grades in the year to come, or it could mean a postseason ban in 2014.

The NCAA recently introduced the Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores, and for the second consecutive year, the Cowboys are flirting with danger.

Here's how the NCAA's website describes the score:

A Division I Football Bowl Subdivision team awards the full complement of 85 grants-in-aid. If 80 student-athletes remain in school and academically eligible, three remain in school but are academically ineligible and two drop out academically ineligible, the team earns 163 of 170 possible points for that term. Divide 163 by 170 and multiply by 1,000 to determine that the team’s Academic Progress Rate for that term is 959.

The number represents the past four years and rolls over each year, but in 2014-15, schools must average at least 930 over a four-year period or 940 in a two-year period to avoid a postseason ban.

Schools that average less than 925, have a player who failed academically and left school can lose scholarships, too.

Iowa State also checked in with a score of just 928 and could be in danger of missing the postseason as well. Those two scores were the seventh- and eighth-lowest APR scores among BCS schools, according to colleague Brett McMurphy.

The good news for Oklahoma State? It's trending in the right direction. From The Oklahoman:

After scoring a 903 in the 2010-11 term alone, OSU did improve dramatically with a 947 in 2011-12. That means it would need to score a 933 for the 2012-13 term to qualify using the two-year average.

So, enough to be uncomfortable but not quite enough to be very, very concerned. How heartbreaking would it be, though, for a solid Oklahoma State team in 2014 to be banned from the postseason?

Iowa State is in a similar situation to Oklahoma State. The Cyclones are trying to outrun an 889 APR from the 2008-09 school year, but haven't had a mark below 934 in the last three years.

No Big 12 teams made the national top 10 for APR, according to McMurphy.

Here's how the rest of the Big 12 measured up:

T-1. Baylor -- 962
T-1. TCU -- 962
3. Oklahoma -- 960
4. Kansas -- 958
5. West Virginia -- 950
6. Kansas State -- 948
7. Texas Tech -- 941
8. Texas -- 936
9. Iowa State -- 928
10. Oklahoma State -- 926

Dubai! ... DUBAI!

• Has Bob Stoops taken Oklahoma as far as he can? Matt Hayes of Sporting News talked to a lot of folks about that idea and Stoops' legacy at Oklahoma, and his recent efforts to get the Sooners over the top.
• Missed this over the weekend, but TCU quarterback Casey Pachall will need permission from his probation officer to leave his county for road games, TCU 360 reports.
• Oklahoma State added a pair of commits who are both defensive ends.
• Berry Tramel of The Oklahoma ranks the Big 12 nonconference schedules.
• Nice story here on an emotional weekend for Charlie Weis' family. His daughter moved into the Hannah and Friends community.
• Andy Staples of SI.com has a realignment report card and breaks down the four teams who came to or went from the Big 12.
• Iowa State's self-imposed sanctions after NCAA violations may be enough for the NCAA to not add more, writes Randy Peterson of the Des Moines Register.
• K-State AD John Currie is happy with a season full of success, but wants more for the Wildcats, writes Joshua Kinder of the Manhattan Mercury.
• Oklahoma quarterback signee Cody Thomas will be staying with the Sooners and not playing baseball after he was drafted over the weekend, reports Jason Kersey of The Oklahoman.
• Baylor RB Lache Seastrunk joined Silas Redd with this distinction after transferring.
• Can West Virginia dig up the next Tavon Austin?

You never know who will break out in their first year in the league. Last season, we saw a true freshman in TCU's Devonte Fields capture the league's Defensive Player of the Year Award, and plenty of other freshmen, redshirt freshmen and juco transfers had major impacts across the league.

Here are a few first-year players to keep an eye on this season.

Cassius Sendish, CB, Kansas: Sendish was part of the juco blitz that came to KU this spring, but had an immediate impact on and off the field. Coach Charlie Weis loves his leadership, and he provides a big boost in the secondary that badly needed one after ranking eighth in the league in pass defense. The 6-foot, 187-pounder already made an impression on everybody in the program with his wit and the way he carries himself, and he should be fun to watch this fall.

Jake Waters, QB, Kansas State: Waters hasn't officially won Kansas State's quarterback job yet, but he was the nation's No. 78 overall juco prospect and earned plenty of notoriety for breaking some guy named Cam Newton's completion percentage record on the way to a national title last season. He's still got to beat out Daniel Sams to be able to replace Collin Klein, but the 6-foot-2, 215-pounder could bring some accuracy to the table that's been missing awhile.

Robbie Rhodes, WR, Baylor: Rhodes is one of the highest-ranked recruits to ever step foot on Baylor's campus, and could have an immediate impact for a receiving corps trying to replace Lanear Sampson and Terrance Williams. He was ranked as the nation's No. 3 receiver and No. 35 overall recruit, as well as the fourth-best player in Texas. The Bears beat out TCU and Texas for his services, and the 6-foot-1, 185-pound Fort Worth, Texas native could crack the field very early. Only two players in the Big 12 were ranked higher than Rhodes in the class of 2013.

Kevin White, WR, West Virginia: White is a big body at 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds and a different kind of receiver than West Virginia is used to suiting up, but after losing Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey, a ton of targets will be available in a receiving corps that has little experience, even with the boost of Ivan McCartney's return. He already showed his ability in the spring game, turning a screen pass into a 46-yard score. He'll get plenty of opportunities to do that some more this fall.