logo
Big 12 Spotlight: Committed prospects on flip watch

Big 12 Spotlight: Committed prospects on flip watch

Yahoo12-03-2025
Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney takes a look at four Big 12 commitments that could be at risk to flip their pledges before the end of the year.
THIS SERIES: Four Big Ten commits on flip watch | SEC commits on flip watch
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
TRANSFER PORTAL: Full coverage | Player ranking | Team ranking | Transfer search | Transfer Tracker
Kansas landed a massive commitment from Dunnigan on Jan. 2 as the Jayhawks had to overcome some obstacles to get it done. Dunnigan is from Manhattan, Kan., so Kansas State was clearly a contender in his recruitment.
But Dunnigan picked the Jayhawks and was back in Lawrence over the weekend developing a stronger bond with the coaches and players. The good news is that he's working with the coaching staff to target specific recruits to keep building out the class.
While Dunnigan doesn't have any other visits scheduled, a Who's Who of top teams are now coming after him with Miami, Tennessee, Oregon, Ole Miss and others dialing in on the long and rangy four-star safety. If Kansas can keep Dunnigan locked in, that would be a huge win for the Jayhawks.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH KANSAS FANS AT JAYHAWKSLANT.COM
To be clear, Fette has shown no signs of cracking with his Arizona State commitment even after SEC offers have come in. The four-star quarterback from El Paso (Texas) Del Valle even said this following his Ole Miss offer.
'It's really sick to get an SEC offer especially one from Ole Miss where they just had Jaxson Dart who's a really good QB but overall I'm pretty locked in on ASU,' Fette said.
That's great news for the Sun Devils. But Auburn, LSU, Mississippi State and Ole Miss have offered in recent months. If Fette hits the road for some visits or gets curious about playing in the SEC or Arizona State comes back to Earth a little bit after its College Football Playoff run, it could be one to watch.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH ARIZONA STATE FANS AT DEVILSDIGEST.COM
Henderson's recruitment will be one of the most closely watched ones in the entire 2026 class because he committed to Houston early and continues to show a ton of love to the Cougars (he recently took a pic with the city's mayor at a basketball game) but other top programs are not going to back off.
The Spring (Texas) Legacy five-star has the talent right now to step in and make an impact on a struggling Houston offense that averaged just 14 points per game last season. The Cougars are coming off back-to-back four-win seasons.
That provides a massive opportunity for Henderson to step right in and contribute. But it also provides an opening for all the power programs from across the country – and many of them are working on flipping Henderson – to offer something more solid.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH HOUSTON FANS AT COUGARSDEN.COM
Arizona State scored a big recruiting win in Dallas when the high three-star offensive lineman chose the Sun Devils in late November as they were making an improbable run to the College Football Playoff.
A lot of credit goes to a very active coaching staff in Tempe as they went to Dallas (Texas) South Oak Cliff to land Tisaby's recruitment and they've held onto his pledge through the offseason so far. But there will be a lot of competition for Arizona State to keep him.
The 6-foot-7, 305-pound prospect has some SEC pull with Missouri and Mississippi State getting involved. Oklahoma and Oregon offered earlier in his recruitment. And if SMU or another in-state program comes even harder then that would be something to watch, especially since the Mustangs are playing so well, too.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Oklahoma Sooners rank highly in Josh Pate's preseason JP Poll
Oklahoma Sooners rank highly in Josh Pate's preseason JP Poll

USA Today

time3 hours ago

  • USA Today

Oklahoma Sooners rank highly in Josh Pate's preseason JP Poll

The 2025 college football season kicks off with week zero just a week and a half away. Oklahoma won't play its first game of the season for another 18 days, but those two and a half weeks are going to fly by. We have the US LBM Coaches Poll and the AP Poll for the preseason, and there are mixed opinions on the Sooners heading into the season. Oklahoma was unranked in the US LBM Coaches Poll but was the highest ranking team among the others receiving votes category. In the AP Poll that was released on Monday, the Sooners came in at No. 18 in the nation. But there's one poll, from a prominent college football analyst, that is even higher on the Sooners than the Associated Press. Josh Pate, of the Josh Pate College Football Show, released his preseason JP Poll, which is a power rating that compares how teams might fare if they were to face off on a neutral field. He's been high on Oklahoma all offseason, in large part due to the additions the Sooners made on the offensive side of the ball, bringing in offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and quarterback John Mateer. So where do the Sooners rank in the preseason JP Poll? Let's take a look. 20. SMU Mustangs SMU and quarterback Kevin Jennings took the ACC by storm in 2024 but lost to the deeper and more experienced Clemson team in the ACC title game before getting blown out by Penn State on the road in Happy Valley in the College Football Playoff. Jennings is back, and if he can shake off what happened to end the season, he'll be must-see television again. 19. Kansas State Wildcats Avery Johnson is back at the helm for the Kansas State Wildcats, who open the season vs. Iowa State in Ireland. Chris Klieman is a good coach, but the Wildcats haven't been able to win the biggest games consistently to win a conference title. Is this the year they finally break through? 18. Tennessee Volunteers Josh Heupel has recruited well but they lost a lot of significant pieces from their playoff run a year ago led by running back Dylan Sampson and defensive end James Pierce. 17. South Carolina Gamecocks Pate might be underrating the Gamecocks a little bit but South Carolina did lose a lot from a really good defense. LaNorris Sellers was really good in his first year at the helm for the Gamecocks but how will he respond if he's having to carry the load? 16. Michigan Wolverines The Michigan defense will be good. The offensive line usually is too. What will the passing game look like? That's a lot of what held the Wolverines back last year. If they've improved, Michigan could be back in the Big Ten title hunt. 15. USC Trojans For USC, it all comes down to how they hold up in the trenches. We know Lincoln Riley can scheme explosive plays but if those plays don't get time to develop, it's going to be tough sledding for the Trojans. 14. Ole Miss Rebels Ole Miss had one of the best rosters in the nation last year and fell short of a College Football Playoff berth due to a loss to Kentucky. They lost a lot of talent and experience from last year's squad led by quarterback Jaxson Dart and wide receiver Tre Harris. Austin Simmons has a chance to be really good, but how quickly will he settle in as the starting quarterback? 13. Texas A&M Aggies Texas A&M will have a good defense. The offensive line and running game will be really good. If Marcel Reed has improved as a passer, the Aggies will be a problem in the SEC and on the national scene. 12. LSU Tigers Most places consider the LSU Tigers a top 10 team in 2025. But questions around an offensive line that lost both tackles and a defense that hasn't held up their end of the bargain have some skeptical about LSU's title chances this season. 11. Miami Hurrianes Miami underachieved relative to expectations in 2024 with Cam Ward at quarterback. It could be argued they downgraded when Ward went No. 1 in the 2025 NFL draft and they brought in former Georgia quarterback Carson Beck to replace him. 10. Oklahoma Sooners Josh Pate has been bullish on the Oklahoma Sooners, mentioning they're a top 10 team regardless of their schedule. But there are only two teams on the schedule ahead of the Sooners in the JP Poll: Texas and Alabama. It could be a big year for the Sooners. 9. Florida Gators Like Oklahoma, many point to the schedule the Florida Gators face in 2025. But this is a talented team. If D.J. Lagway can overcome the nagging injuries that have plagued him this offseason, the Gators will be a fun team to watch. 8. Clemson Tigers Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik is one of the frontrunners for the Heisman Trophy this year after a big 2024 season. Clemson is hoping for significant improvement from the defense. If they get that the Tigers are a legit contender this season. 7. Oregon Ducks Dan Lanning has recruited well for Oregon and they've done a good job in the transfer portal. But like so many teams in 2025, how will they fare with a first-year starter at quarterback? 6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish The Notre Dame Fighting Irish came up short in the national championship game with Riley Leonard at quarterback but are still trying to figure out who will be replacing him. 5. Alabama Crimson Tide Kalen DeBoer officially named Ty Simpson as the Crimson Tide's starting quarterback. With Ryan Williams to throw to, Simpson will have a shot to make his first season as a starter a memorable one. 4. Penn State Nittany Lions Penn State is the only team in the top seven of the JP Poll that is returning their starting quarterback from 2024. The problem is head coach James Franklin and quarterback Drew Allar haven't found a way to come through in big games. They're a talented bunch and added defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. Can they get over the hump? 3. Georgia Bulldogs The model of consistency, Kirby Smart, is widely considered the best coach in college football. Also entering 2025 with a new starting quarterback. Smart played up Georgia's youth entering the season, but don't be fooled, they'll be a contender in the SEC. 2. Ohio State Buckeyes The defending national champion Ohio State Buckeyes will have a new starting quarterback as well, but Ryan Day has never hurt for talent in Columbus. QB Julian Sayin will have an elite group of receivers to throw to. The bigger question is if the Buckeyes will suffer a drop off with the departure of defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. 1. Texas Longhorns Texas may end up with one of the best defenses in college football in 2025 and that may be enough for the Longhorns to be a title contender given everything they've turned over on the offensive side of the ball. They have a talented receiver corps and Arch Manning has big upside. If the offensive line is ready to step into the lofty shoes vacated by last year's experienced group, Texas could finish the season like they started, the No. 1 team in the nation. Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.

Ohio State ranking in AP poll not as high as Coaches
Ohio State ranking in AP poll not as high as Coaches

USA Today

time4 hours ago

  • USA Today

Ohio State ranking in AP poll not as high as Coaches

Just a week after the US LBM preseason Coaches Poll was released, the Associated Press has followed suit. And while Ohio State was behind just one team in the Coaches Poll at No. 2, it appears below another team in the AP. The Texas Longhorns are the No. 1 team in both polls, but instead of OSU at No. 2, it slipped below Penn State to No. 3 in the AP Preseason poll. The Buckeyes did receive 11 first-place votes, but it wasn't quite enough to surpass the Nittany Lions. While Ohio State is the defending College Football Playoff national champion, there are a lot of question marks. OSU will be breaking in a new quarterback, will have to replace two 1,000-yard rushers in the backfield, and must find answers for multiple spots on the defense. Still, the thought is that there is enough talent to reload and absorb the 15 starters now off to the NFL, namely because OSU still has perhaps the two best players in college football with the return of safety Caleb Downs and superstar receiver Jeremiah Smith. But ... time will tell. Behind Ohio State and rounding out the top ten in the preseason AP Poll are Clemson (4), Georgia (5), Notre Dame (6), Oregon (7), Alabama (8), LSU (9), and Miami (FL) (10). Texas, Penn State, OSU, Georgia, Notre Dame, and Oregon received at least one first-place vote. As always, preseason rankings mean very little, but it's still interesting to see where the media believes the pecking order is, with Ohio State still thought of very highly. OSU begins the defense of its national championship on Saturday, Aug. 30 vs. Texas in the 'Shoe. Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.

Paul Finebaum criticizes Ohio State ranking in preseason poll
Paul Finebaum criticizes Ohio State ranking in preseason poll

USA Today

time5 hours ago

  • USA Today

Paul Finebaum criticizes Ohio State ranking in preseason poll

During an appearance on ESPN's "Get Up" Tuesday morning, college football analyst Paul Finebaum shared his biggest takeaway from the season's first AP Top 25 poll. His opinion was clear. Alabama is being underrated, and Ohio State is getting far too much credit. 'Don't be too shocked by this, Greeny, but Ohio State is too high. And, Heather, calm down, Alabama is too low,' Finebaum said. Ranked No. 8, Alabama sits lower than many expected, a placement Finebaum finds puzzling. He believes the Crimson Tide are legitimate College Football Playoff national championship contenders, especially following the announcement that Ty Simpson will be the starting quarterback this season. Simpson, now in his fourth year with the program, has served as the backup the past two seasons but has yet to start a game. That will change this fall. 'I really think Alabama is a serious national championship contender,' Finebaum emphasized. In contrast, Finebaum believes Ohio State, ranked No. 3, is being overhyped. He argued the Buckeyes are benefiting too much from last season's national championship and not being judged based on the current roster. 'I don't get Ohio State at all, Greeny. I know they won the national championship last year, but that has nothing to do with it,' Finebaum said. 'They don't have the same team, and that national championship hangover is going to catch up with them.' Finebaum went a step further and predicted that Ohio State's high ranking would be short-lived. He expects an early-season loss to top-ranked Texas. 'We'll see that in about two and a half weeks when Texas goes up there and walks out of that stadium a winner,' he added. ESPN's Heather Dinich agreed with Finebaum's assessment. 'He's right that Ohio State has a lot of questions and they're too high,' Dinich said. With the college football season just around the corner, Finebaum believes the AP Poll is already missing the mark on two of the sport's biggest programs.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store