ESPN College Football

• Mack Brown did his job on the recruiting trail. Now, writes Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Stateman, it's time for his recruits to follow his lead.
• Is Malcolm Brown the guy to resurrect Texas' running game? Randy Riggs profiles the blue-chipper and tries to find out.
• Steve Sipple of the Lincoln Journal Star says Nebraska's signing day was awkward and uncomfortable, thanks to some unanswered questions.
• Oklahoma State's top recruit, Herschel Sims, shrugged off a late offer from national champion Auburn to stay with the Cowboys, reports Bill Haisten of the Tulsa World.
• Andrew Logue of the Des Moines Register checks in with Iowa State's possible immediate contributors from the 2011 class.
• What do we know about Colorado's first recruiting class under Jon Embree? Exactly nothing, writes Woody Paige of the Denver Post.
• Not excited about Missouri's 2011 class? The same was true about the Tigers' 2006 class, which ended up being full of underrated talent, writes Mike DeArmond of the Kansas City Star. DeArmond also reports that top recruit Sheldon Richardson is expected to arrive this summer.
• One of Oklahoma's top signees might already be switching positions, writes Jake Trotter of The Oklahoman.
• Embree is happy he was able to flip eight players to Colorado from other BCS-level schools, and every newcomer should compete for a job next season, reports Tom Kensler of the Denver Post.
• Nebraska lineman Ryne Reeves was finally able to realize his dream on Wednesday: Playing football for Nebraska, writes Nick Rubek of the Omaha World-Herald.
• Defensive line and quarterback are the two big spots Kansas State tried to improve this year, writes Kellis Robinett of the Kansas City Star.
• Kansas is chasing objective No. 1 with its new class: Speed, writes J.Brady McCollough of the Kansas City Star.
• Texas Tech's class was boosted by some late help up front, writes Don Williams of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.
• Baylor's recruiting class is loaded in the trenches.
• Mike Sherman explains his recruiting philosophy to Robert Cessna of the Bryan-College Station Eagle.
• Signing day was quite a bit different this year than it was last year, writes Brandon Chatmon of The Oklahoman.

Letters of intent will be coming in all day, but a few of the top commits across the Big 12 have gotten an early start. Here are a few of the top commits in the league who have officially gotten their John Hancocks on to kick off National Signing Day.

Missouri

• Shane Ray, DE
• Gerrand Johnson, DT
• Michael Boddie, OT
• Corbin Berkstresser, QB

Nebraska

• Bubba Starling, QB
• Ryne Reeves, C
• Charles Jackson, CB
• Mauro Bondi, K

Oklahoma

• Trey Metoyer, WR
• Brandon Williams, RB
• Nathan Hughes, DE

Texas

• Steve Edmond, LB

Texas A&M

• Brandon Alexander, DE
• Mike Evans, WR
• Taylor Bertolet, K
• Drew Kaser, P

Texas Tech

• Kenny Williams, RB
• Jace Amaro, TE

Nebraska doesn't produce the loads of FBS talent that Texas, Florida, California and Ohio are known for. But the state's best prospects are most often offensive linemen, writes Craig Haubert of ESPN Recruiting, offering an analysis of the talent inside Nebraska state lines.

Haubert writes:

Nebraska has never produced more than one ESPNU 150 prospect in any class, and the state usually only sees about 5-10 prospects sign with an FBS program in any given class. The pickings may be limited, but the state does produce some good offensive linemen. Since the ESPNU 150 began in 2006, the top player in the state has been an offensive lineman four times, and three of the state's four 150 prospects over that same span have resided in the trenches. When you think about the great Cornhuskers teams in the past, led by their rushing attacks and big offensive lines, it is not shocking that the state would be best at turning out big men.

That's the case again this year, and offensive lineman Ryne Reeves looks like the state's top prospect for 2011.

Nebraska obviously dominates the in-state recruiting, but a few other teams do well recruiting the state, too. Here's more from Haubert on where talent in Nebraska is seeing success.

Signing Day is approaching. Sure, it's doing it at the same speed as the other 364 days of the year, but it's approaching nonetheless. And ESPN.com's Gerry Hamilton broke down the top early recruiting classes for next season. (That link'll cost ya.) A friendly reminder: verbal commitments are non-binding, of course, and these players won't be able to sign with their respective schools until next February, 10 months from now.

Texas is sitting atop the Big 12 with 19 commits, after its most recent commit, defensive tackle Quincy Russell of San Antonio, got cold feet and de-commited from the Longhorns a day after pledging to the burnt orange. Though Russell reneged yesterday, offensive lineman Christian Westerman committed, giving the Longhorns another ESPNU 150 member.

Of those 19 commits, 14 made the ESPNU 150, a list of the top 150 recruits in the country.

Two players, defensive tackle Desmond Jackson and athlete Quandre Diggs are also Under Armour All-Americans.

Oklahoma sits in second with seven total commits, but six who belong to the ESPNU 150. Six of those commits hail from Texas, but one, quarterback Kendal Thompson, comes from just a few miles to the north of Norman, Southmoore High in Moore, Okla.

Hamilton puts Texas Tech third on his list, after the Red Raiders snatched four commits at a junior day recently. That gave Tommy Tuberville seven 2011 commits, and two are members of the ESPNU 150.

The Red Raiders, already stacked at running back, will add to their depth with ESPNU 150's Kenny Williams of Pflugerville, Texas.

Nebraska is fourth, with five total commits, and two ESPNU 150 recruits, athlete Jamal Turner and offensive lineman Ryne Reeves.

Missouri will hope to recoup 2009 commit Sheldon Richardson, who went the juco route after not qualifying academically, but left high school two seasons ago as the No. 8 defensive tackle in the country, and as No. 108 on the ESPNU 150. Missouri has seven total commits.

Veteran talent analyst JC Shurburtt of ESPN Recruiting has listed the top 11 programs with the fastest start on their 2011 recruiting classes. Both Nebraska and Oklahoma made the unranked list.

Nebraska has already received commitments from three players, including two selections on the ESPNU 150 watch list. Both of Oklahoma's early commitments made the ESPNU 150 watch list.

The Cornhuskers already have received verbal commitments from two of the nation's top linemen, continuing a tradition that is a bedrock of the Nebraska program. Tyler Moore, a 6-foot-6, 270-pounder from Countryside High School in Clearwater, Fla., is joined by Ryne Reeves, a 6-foot-3, 287-pound center from Crete, Neb. Along with those two on the ESPNU 150 watch list with quarterback Jamal Turner of Sam Houston High School in Arlington, Texas.

And the Sooners have garnered two on the 150 list, including wide receiver Kameel Jackson who is Turner's major receiving target at Sam Houston High School. He is joined by quarterback Kendal Thompson of Southmoore High School in Moore, Okla.

Here's a quick look at what other schools in the conference have gotten an early start (Note: * indicates an ESPNU 150 watch list player):

• Baylor: None.
• Colorado: C Shaun Simon (Hutchinson Community College)
• Iowa State: None.
• Kansas: None.
• Kansas State: OT Cody Whitehair (Abilene, Kan.), DT Olukayode Akinmoladun (Independence Community College), WR Marcus Kennard (Butler County Community College), QB Angelo Pease (Hutchinson Community College), DE Meshak Williams (Hutchinson, Kan.)
• Missouri: *QB Corbin Berkstresser (Lee Summit, Mo.); WR Wesley Leftwich (Hickman, Mo.); ATH Anthony Pierson (Gateway, Mo.), DT Sheldon Richardson (College of the Sequoias).
• Nebraska: *OT Tyler Moore (Clearwater, Fla.), *C Ryne Reeves (Crete, Neb.), QB Jamal Turner (Arlington, Texas).
• Oklahoma: *WR Kameel Jackson (Arlington, Texas), *QB Kendal Thompson (Moore, Okla.)
• Oklahoma State: *QB J.W. Walsh (Denton, Texas), T Travis Cross (Plano, Texas), S Isaac Maselera (Glenpool, Okla.)
• Texas: None.
• Texas A&M: *T Joseph Creek (Seguin, Texas).
• Texas Tech: *WR Javares McRoy (Lakeland, Fla.)

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

It would hard to imagine the day that Tom Osborne totally walks away from working for Nebraska.

Sure, he had that dalliance with politics for a few years earlier in this decade, but we always knew he would be back at Nebraska in some role.

So his announcement yesterday that he will remain in his job as Nebraska's athletic director wasn't that much of a surprise.

In fact, Omaha World-Herald columnist Tom Shatel expects Osborne to stay in his job for at least five more years. He said that Osborne looks refreshed being around coaches and athletes again, mentioning how robust he now appears compared with how he looked as a political candidate or U.S. congressman.

And Lincoln Journal-Star columnist Steve Sipple reports that Osborne still will be challenged by bringing several projects on his bucket list to fruition, including an expanded learning center for the athletic program, a new basketball training facility and a new downtown arena in Lincoln.

Getting them won't be easy. But Nebraska couldn't have a better man pitching for them than Osborne.

Until then, here are some links from across the conference.

• The Kansas City Star's Mike DeArmond writes that Missouri athletic director Mike Alden is getting the last laugh after nearly losing his job three years ago.
• Venerable Oklahoma play-by-play announcer Bob Barry Sr. is recovering from replacement surgery on his right hip that was performed on Wednesday. Barry, 78, had replacement surgery on the other hip performed in April, the Oklahoman's Mel Bracht reports.
• The Sporting News college football guys disagree on which Big 12 team is headed for the biggest fall. Dave Curtis predicts it will be Texas Tech and Matt Hayes has tabbed Missouri.
• Robert Cessna of the Bryan Eagle discusses the importance of the next year's Kansas-Texas A&M game.
• The Boulder Daily Camera's Neill Woelk advocates the NCAA utilizing some "frontier justice" to punish miscreants in college athletics.
• An $11.5 million renovation to concourses on the east side of Jack Trice Stadium should result in a better experience for spectators at Iowa State games this season, Randy Peterson of the Des Moines Register reports.
• The Heisman Pundit writes that Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford's accomplishments make any comparisons with former Oklahoma quarterback Jason White faulty.
• Former South Florida quarterback Grant Gregory has officially arrived at Kansas State, Austin Meek of the Topeka Capital-Journal reports. Gregory will compete with Carson Coffman for the Wildcats' starting position.  
• Former Oklahoma quarterback Steve Davis tells the Oklahoman's Berry Tramel that he's humbled by the adulation he still receives from Sooner fans, more than 30 years after his career ended.
• The Williams and Hyatt Sports Blog isn't buying TCU as a fantasy matchup for Texas Tech for a lot of reasons.
• Massive 287-pound center Ryne Reeves of Crete, Neb., has become Nebraska's first commitment of the 2011 recruiting class, Rich Kaipust of the Omaha World-Herald reports.