ESPN College Football

ESPN the Magazine had a fascinating feature looking back at the past 25 No. 1 high school recruits, where they are now and what the ranking meant to them. With apologies to Vince Young, there aren't a ton of Big 12 talents on the list, but there have been plenty of great recruits to come through the Big 12. We took a look on Thursday at how the All-Big 12 team stacked up as recruits, and you saw quite a mixed bag.

Well, it's the same for the recruits who came to campus with high rankings and high profiles. Going back to 2006, here's how every Big 12 commit from the ESPNU 150 turned out. We'll look at 2006 in this post before eventually reaching 2010 and the current class, 2011, by signing day.

2006

No. 6: DeMarco Murray, RB, Oklahoma. Murray set the school records for touchdowns (64) and all-purpose yards (6,498) as a Sooner. He's projected to be drafted on the first day of this year's NFL Draft.

No. 7: Sergio Kindle, OLB, Texas. Kindle was a finalist for the Butkus and Hendricks Awards and was a two-time All-Big 12 performer with 176 career tackles. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the second round last year's NFL Draft, but missed his rookie season after fracturing his skull in a fall on the stairs at his home.

No. 13: Jevan Snead, QB, Texas. Lost a quarterback battle to Colt McCoy following the 2005 season. Played sparingly as a freshman before transferring to Ole Miss. Went undrafted in 2010. Now plays for Arena League's Tampa Bay Storm.

No. 21: Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma. McCoy was a Lombardi finalist, a three-time All-Big 12 performer, a two-time All-American who left Oklahoma after his junior season and was selected No. 3 overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2010 NFL Draft.

No. 22: Eddie Jones, DE, Texas. Jones just finished his career at Texas with an All-Big 12 honorable mention year in 2010. Finished his career with 111 tackles and 13.5 sacks.

No. 34: J'Marcus Webb, OT, Texas. Webb played one year at Texas before transferring to Navarro College and eventually West Texas A&M. He was drafted in the seventh round of the 2010 draft and spent the season with the Chicago Bears.

No. 36: Adron Tennell, WR, Oklahoma. Tennell finished his four-year career at Oklahoma with 40 catches, 505 yards and five touchdowns.

No. 42: Dustin Earnest, LB, Texas. Earnest finished his career in 2010 with 84 tackles and a sack for the Longhorns.

No. 45: Mike Goodson, RB, Texas A&M. Goodson was the Big 12 Freshman of the Year in 2006 with his career high 847 yards. He finished with 1,966 yards and 13 TDs in three seasons before being drafted in the fourth round by the Carolina Panthers.

No. 67: Phillip Payne, WR, Texas. Caught his first career pass in 2009, his third year at UT, before transferring after the season.

No. 75: Derek Burton, DE, Oklahoma State. Started 15 games in four years for the Cowboys, recording 67 career tackles.

No. 82: Ben Alexander, DT, Texas. Made four career starts, with 51 tackles and half a sack in 38 career appearances.

No. 104: Terrance Anderson, CB, Oklahoma State. Made 96 tackles in four years with the Cowboys. Had four career interceptions.

No. 110: Jonathan Nelson, CB, Oklahoma. Started all 14 games in 2010 for the Sooners after earning All-Big 12 honorable mention as a junior in 2009. Finished career with 155 tackles and five interceptions.

No. 111: Jermaine Gresham, TE, Oklahoma. Caught 111 passes for 1,629 yards and 26 touchdowns in three seasons, including an All-American season in 2008. Missed all of 2009 with knee injury. Drafted No. 21 overall in the 2010 draft by Cincinnati Bengals.

No. 137: Jeremy Beal, DE, Oklahoma. Had 224 tackles, 58.5 tackles for loss, and 29 sacks in four seasons, including three All-Big 12 seasons, an All-American season and was a Hendricks Award finalist in 2009. Projects as middle-round pick in 2011 NFL Draft.

No. 141: Josh Freeman, QB, Kansas State. Threw for 8,078 yards and 44 touchdowns and 34 interceptions in 35 career games. Also ran for 404 yards and 14 touchdowns as a junior. Drafted No. 17 overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2010 NFL Draft.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

Sometimes the spring provides a chance for personnel holes to be filled. Sometimes it doesn't.

Here are some of the notable positions around the Big 12 that picked up some assistance during the spring.

Baylor: The quick development of defensive tackle Phil Taylor, a heralded transfer from Penn State, should turn a traditional position of weakness for the Bears into a strength. Joining him at the position will be Jason Lamb, who showed some promise after moving over from defensive end before spring practice.

Colorado: The emergence of hulking 260-pound middle linebacker Marcus Burton and B.J. Beatty at outside linebacker have helped transform the Buffaloes' defense. Burton led the team in tackles and was a prime playmaker in the spring game with eight tackles, two sacks and a fumble recovery. He had eight tackles in 10 games last season.

Iowa State: Redshirt freshman quarterback Jerome Tiller outplayed starter Austen Arnaud in the spring game, passing for 210 yards and getting free for a 65-yard touchdown run. I'm not sure that Tiller will be starting come September, but he'll make Arnaud work harder to earn his job.

Kansas: The Jayhawks had questions in the defensive line before the spring, even with the return of all-Big 12 honorable mention selections Caleb Blakesley and Jake Laptad and late season starting defensive tackles Richard Johnson and Jamal Greene. The development of tackle Darius Parish and end Max Onyegbule should add to the depth. And that doesn't even account for the arrival of heralded junior college transfer Quintin Woods, who originally signed with Michigan out of high school before heading to Bakersfield (Cal.) Community College to get his grades in order.

Kansas State: The emergence of linebackers like Alex Hrebec, Ulla Pomele and John Houlik has helped turn the position into the strength of the defense, even as the Wildcats are transforming to a 4-2-5 alignment. Hrebec, a former walk-on, contributed 19 tackles in the spring game and Houlik is a huge hitter despite his 5-foot-11, 219-pound size.

Missouri: Redshirt freshman Aldon Smith has only added to the Tigers' depth at defensive end, which already featured Brian Coulter and Jacquies Smith in front of him. Smith was voted as the team's most improved player in the spring. Throw in converted offensive tackle Brad Madison and redshirt freshman Marcus Marlbrough and you'll see why Gary Pinkel considers it his best collection of defensive ends at Missouri.

Nebraska: The Cornhuskers had serious questions at quarterback, particularly after the departure of projected starting challenger Patrick Witt before spring practice and Kody Spano's knee injury. But the strong spring by Zac Lee and the surprising development of converted linebacker LaTravis Washington eased some of offensive coordinator Shawn Watson's concerns. Their strong spring work also should mean that heralded freshman Cody Green likely won't be thrown into action perhaps as quickly as Watson might have feared before the spring.

Oklahoma: After losing starters Nic Harris and Lendy Holmes, safety was the only position without returning starters for the Sooners on defense. Quinton Carter nailed down one starting position and Sam Proctor and Joseph Ibiloye are poised to fight for the other job beside him. Emmanuel Jones and Desmond Jackson also had strong spring efforts to challenge for playing time.

Oklahoma State: Defensive tackle was enough of a question that new coordinator Bill Young moved Derek Burton inside from defensive end to help bolster depth at the position. Burton and Swanson Miller appear to have won starting jobs with redshirt freshman Nigel Nicholas and junior Chris Donaldson providing strong depth. Their strong play helped the Cowboys rack up seven sacks in the spring game - more than half of their 2008 season total of 13.

Texas: The Longhorns were concerned about defensive end after the departure of NFL draft picks Brian Orakpo and Henry Melton from last season. Those fears appear to be assuaged after the seamless transition of Sergio Kindle to the position from linebacker and the quick assimilation by freshman Alex Okafor. Toss in Sam Acho and Russell Carter and the return injured pass-rushing threat Eddie Jones and the Longhorns appear stacked at the position.

Texas A&M: Safety was a question mark before spring camp after the loss of Devin Gregg and Alton Dixon and the move of 2008 starting free safety Jordan Peterson to cornerback. But the strong return to safety by converted cornerback Jordan Pugh and the noticeable development by Trent Hunter helped solidify the position during the spring. And the Aggies' depth at the position was improved after the move of wide receiver Chris Caflisch to the position along with strong play from DeMaurier Thompson.

Texas Tech: The departure of two-time Biletnikoff Award winner Michael Crabtree and underrated Eric Morris was supposed to cripple the Red Raiders' receiving corps. Mike Leach appears to have found several serviceable replacements after Tramain Swindall, Lyle Leong, Detron Lewis and walk-on flanker Adam Torres all emerged during the spring. And that doesn't include Edward Britton, who was in Leach's doghouse much of the spring after falling behind in the classroom but still is perhaps their most athletic force on the field.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

Heading into spring practice, several players across the Big 12 appear they might ready to blossom and become key contributors for their teams. Here are some of the most notable as spring practice approaches.

Missouri DE Brian Coulter -- After arriving from Florida State last summer, Coulter brashly predicted he would develop into an All-Big 12 player. He didn't do it last season, but might be ready this season as new Missouri defensive coordinator Dave Steckel rebuilds the defensive front after losing three starters.

Colorado WR Markques Simas -- After redshirting as a true freshman in 2007, Simas was academically ineligible last season. During that period, he tore it up on the Buffaloes' scout team. That performance has provided coach Dan Hawkins with hope that Simas can develop into a consistent producer with regular playing time.

Texas Tech WR Edward Britton -- Despite the presence of receivers like Michael Crabtree and Eric Morris in the Red Raiders' rotation last season, Britton produced a team-best average of 16.5 yards per catch on his 35 receptions and produced six TD grabs. With new quarterback Taylor Potts throwing, Britton might have a chance to emerge as his featured receiver without Crabtree and Morris returning.

Texas A&M DE Von Miller -- He's been known primarily for a late hit on Graham Harrell two seasons ago and his controversial horse-collar tackle that caused a broken leg for Colorado's Rodney Stewart last season. But Miller may be ready to become one of the conference's top pass-rushing threats for the Aggies after producing 3.5 sacks last season.

Oklahoma State DT Derek Burton -- A prime contributor as a starter last season at defensive end, Burton could blossom after moving inside. Developing his run-stuffing abilities will be critical as the Cowboys compensate after the loss of starters Tonga Tea and Jeray Chatham from last season.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

Here's what we learned in the Big 12 on Saturday:

1. Impressive victories by Texas over Missouri and Oklahoma over Kansas indicate that the South has shot past the North in terms of relative strength this season. The South has already claimed a 7-1 lead, buoyed by the two victories on Saturday over the two top North contenders by an average of 19.5 points per game. And the only North win this season remains Kansas State's triumph over lowly Texas A&M last week.

2. The best sign in Texas' victory over Missouri for Longhorn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp was the ease that the Longhorns were able to generate pressure with a three- or four-man rush -- just like in the second half against Oklahoma last week. That should bode well for the Longhorns in the next two weeks when Texas' young secondary will be tested by Dez Bryant and Michael Crabtree, the Big 12's best two receivers.

3. Pulling freshman quarterback Tyler Hansen's redshirt with six games left in the season was a dicey move by Colorado coach Dan Hawkins. Putting Hansen into the lineup ahead of his son, quarterback Cody Hawkins, could have been a tough one around his kitchen table. But the move was correct, as evidenced by Colorado's comeback victory over Kansas State. The Colorado coach knew his sputtering team needed an offensive boost and realized that Hansen's running abilities would give the Buffaloes the best chance to be successful against Kansas State's leaky defense. The result was a victory Saturday that resuscitated the Buffs' bowl hopes.

4. Chase Daniel's Heisman hopes are likely dead after he struggled through a difficult performance against Texas. With the national attention focused on Austin, Missouri fell into an early 35-0 deficit that will resonate with voters. And this statistic best indicates how bad a night it was for Daniel, whose offense didn't have a three-and-out during the first five games of the season. Texas forced three-and-outs the first four times that Missouri had the ball Saturday night.

5. The best reason for Oklahoma State's confidence heading into next week's showdown against Texas is their increased defensive pass rush after some early struggles. OSU defensive coordinator Tim Beckman has cooked up a new formation that has helped generate half of the Cowboys' sacks in the last two weeks. Beckman has inserted defensive end Derek Burton at nose guard, flanked by two other defensive ends around him. And backup middle linebacker Donald Booker has alternated as a stand-up end or a blitzing middle linebacker for increased pass-rushing traction. The unit's work will be vital in trying to keep Texas QB Colt McCoy from feeling comfortable in the pocket in next week's South Division showdown of BCS challengers. And Oklahoma State might need something special, considering the Cowboys have lost 10 straight games in Austin with their most recent victory coming in 1944.