Every Big 12 team’s highest ranked recruit in school history
While we are consistently told that recruiting rankings don’t matter, that will forever be a farce.
Yes, maybe NFL teams are made up of guys who were undervalued coming out of high school, but at the college level the amount of blue-chippers a team has directly ties into whether or not they have a realistic shot at winning the national title.
According to 247Sports, dating back to 2011 the team that has won it all at the college level has at least 51% of their roster rated as blue-chip recruits. These players were labeled a four-star or higher throughout their recruitment.
Every program across the country has interest in landing the top dogs, but not everyone is capable of doing so. However, just because a five-star won’t go to a certain program doesn’t mean that they have nabbed an elite recruit in their program’s history. That is why I decided to take a look at every team in the Big 12 to see who their top recruit was.
Whether they panned out or not is a different story for a different day. Let’s take a look at every Big 12 team’s highest ranked recruit in school history according to 247Sports.
Kansas: Marquel Combs, DL
Class: 2013
While he signed with Kansas, he did not play for the Jayhawks. He ended up transferring to Southeastern. He was rated as a four-star prospect and the No. 3 player in the country at the Juco level out of Los Angeles Pierce College.
Iowa State: Allen Lazard, WR
Class: 2014
Allen Lazard comes in as the highest ranked player in Iowa State’s history as a four-star, and it is safe to say he lived up to the hype. He finished his career with 241 catches and well over 3,000 yards receiving with 26 touchdowns. He is now a very good NFL receiver.
West Virginia: Noel Devine, RB
Class: 2007
Devine was a four-star recruit that played during West Virginia’s glory days of the 2000s. He was quite productive. Devine rushed for over 1,000 yards twice, and also ran for 29 touchdowns. He didn’t stick in the NFL, but did play professionally in the CFL.
Oklahoma State: Bobby Reid, QB
Class: 2004
The lone five-star that Oklahoma State has ever landed, Reid flashed a ton of potential for the Cowboys but ended up being benched in a controversial decision by Mike Gundy. He finished his career at Texas State, but saw his lone season cut short due to injury.
Kansas State: Marvin Simmons, LB
Class: 2001
The four-star out of Compton was at one point committed to UCLA, but ended up flipping to USC in what was a controversial decision at the time. However, he ended up at Compton College before playing one season at Kansas State.
Baylor: Robbie Rhodes, WR
Class: 2013
One of only three five-star players Baylor has signed, Robbie Rhodes didn’t have the impact for the Bears many had hoped for. He then transferred to Bowling Green where he would eventually be dismissed from the team.
Texas Tech: Breiden Fehoko, DL
Class: 2015
Breiden Fehoko comes in as Texas Tech’s highest ranked recruit ever with a four-star rating. Like many of the recruits on this list he didn’t finish his career where he started it, as he eventually transferred to LSU where he was a part of their 2019 championship team. He now plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
TCU: Zach Evans, RB
Class: 2020
Zach Evans had a very complicated recruiting process but eventually ended up signing with TCU. He is their lone five-star recruit in program history and showed great flashes of being a solid rusher for the Horned Frogs. However, he elected to transfer to Ole Miss, and was recently drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Oklahoma: Adrian Peterson, RB
Class: 2004
Adrian Peterson ranked as a five-star and definitely lived up to the billing at Oklahoma. He is arguably the best player to ever put on an Oklahoma uniform, and is also one of the best running backs ever at the NFL level. He rushed for over 4,000 yards and 41 touchdowns at Oklahoma.
Texas: Vince Young, QB
Class: 2002
Vince Young is one of the greatest college football players ever and led Texas to their last championship victory. Aside from being a five-star, he also held a perfect rating which has only been held by a handful of players throughout the years. Young was also a Heisman runner up during his time at Texas. However, he did not live up to the hype in the NFL.
Cincinatti: Evan Prater, QB
Class: 2020
The four-star passer has not yet done enough to emerge as the starter for the Bearcats. After sitting behind Desmond Ridder, he lost the job to Ben Bryant and is expected to sit behind Florida and Arizona State transfer Emory Jones. Prater has played in 17 games in three years.
Houston: ED Oliver, DL
Class: 2016
The lone five-star in program history, Ed Oliver was a force to be reckoned with during his first couple years at Houston. His final season was his worst statistically, but he still was selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. He was taken by the Buffalo Bills and is one of the better defensive linemen in the league.
UCF: John Walker, DL
Class: 2023
Walker is a part of the Knights’ most recent class. He ranks as a four-star and the No. 95 player in the country.
BYU: Ben Olson, QB
Class: 2002
One of two five-stars in program history, Ben Olson never played a down for BYU. After going on a two-year mission he transferred to UCLA. His career was unfortunately plagued by injury with the Bruins. Olson ended his career with a little over 1,800 yards passing, 12 touchdowns and 11 picks.
