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Coaches flock to see Arthur Brown
5-star Search: From the road
Pre-evaluation Rivals100
The spring evaluation period is almost over, which means we're about a quarter of the way through the recruiting season. With so many Big 12 programs jumping out of the gate with early commitments and with Rivals.com on the cusp of releasing its first player rankings for the class of 2008, it's never too early to check in and see how the best of the Big 12 are doing.
Rivals.com national recruiting editor Jeremy Crabtree takes a look at some of the early winners and losers in the Big 12, along with some of the most interesting storylines to keep an eye on for the next couple of months.
RAIDING THE LONE STAR STATE
Texas and Texas A&M fans probably won't want to hear this, but Oklahoma has locked three of the top four players in Texas and has a great shot at all three of those players being named to five-star status next week. At the top of the list is stud running back Jermie Calhoun out of Van, Texas, and combined with defensive end R.J. Washington and offensive lineman Stephen Good, the Sooners have the market cornered for the best of the best in the nation so far.
After going more national the past two recruiting classes, there's no question that Bob Stoops and recruiting coordinator Cale Gundy have got the Sooners more focused on kids closer to home. They won enough national battles the past few years to keep the talent stockpiled in Norman, but they finished second on quite a few kids and bypassed on some really good Texas talent that would have definitely played for Oklahoma.
That shift to focus more on the Lone Star State is definitely paying off as Oklahoma's great start is without question the top story in the conference as we hit the quarter post.
"I've covered Oklahoma recruiting for a long time, and this by far is the most excited that Sooner fans have been about a group of kids coming in, and we're not even half way through the recruiting season," SoonerScoop.com associate editor Josh McCuistion said. "This start has been nothing short of amazing."
RUNNING AWAY WITH IT?
The Big 12 North has seen several teams in the Big 12's existence rise to the top, but it looks like the Nebraska Cornhuskers are back to stay. If this year's recruiting class has anything to do with it, don't be shocked if you see Nebraska doing what everybody in the state expects – competing for national championships.
This year's start is without question the best start that Bill Callahan has had in his time at Nebraska. Coming off one of his best efforts in last year's class, he hit the ground running locking up arguably the nation's best offensive line class to date (Ohio State definitely have a claim in that argument) that included five-star offensive tackle Baker Steinkuhler, top 100 offensive lineman Trevor Robinson and potential top 100 linemen Dan Hoch and Bryce Givens.
Then on Monday night, he added a big piece to the puzzle when quarterback Blaine Gabbert pulled the trigger and told the Nebraska coaches he was going to be a Cornhusker.
"I want to reach the top level at the University of Nebraska, personally as well as our team," Gabbert said. "I strongly believe that we can go all the way. I feel Nebraska is building that right now and with this recruiting class we can and will do that."
If Nebraska can continue on this hot streak the rest of the summer and into the meat of the recruiting season, then look out Big 12 and look out the rest of the nation.
DON'T SHED A TEAR FOR UT, A&M
Even though OU and Nebraska have done a great job early on, let's not forget about the Longhorns and the Aggies. Both programs have put together very impressive early classes that will rank among the best in the Big 12 when everything is said and done. Both Mack Brown and Dennis Franchione were aggressive early on and hand-picked several players they wanted to be part of their class and have done a good job.
While OU was able to snag three of the top four players in state, Texas struck with blue-chip players like cornerback Aaron Williams, receiver Dan Buckner, cornerback D.J. Monroe and defensive tackle Jarvis Humphrey. A&M has already added high quality players like athletes Lamar Harris and Derrick Hall, plus defensive back Keon Furtch, defensive tackle Rod Davis and receiver Kendall Wright are all high quality players.
While A&M has 17 commitments and UT has 19, the good news is that there is still enough high profile talent in the Lone Star State looking at both schools for them to make a real dent in the national rankings.
Defensive end Chancey Aghayere is a high priority kid for Texas. Receiver Jeff Fuller of McKinney Boyd could also be a big boost for Texas if the Longhorns offer him. And both A&M and UT are chasing after Klein Oak receiver DeSean Hales.
HARD WORKING MAN
You're going to be hard-pressed to find a harder working head coach in recruiting than Colorado's Dan Hawkins.
At each and every NIKE Camp that college coaches could be at last year, Hawkins was there. The same can be said about this year, too. Heck, he was even in Wichita, Kan., on Wednesday to scout some of the top players in the state of Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri.
While it's often true that assistant coaches are big reasons why kids decide to commit to schools, Hawkins personally played a huge role in helping Colorado secure one of the biggest surprise classes in last year's rankings. The Buffs finished fifth in the league despite their horrible record and Hawkins personally had a hand in more than 10 of CU's signees.
His hands on approach has already paid off as CU has commitments from four high quality players, including all everything junior college receiver Corey Surrency.
LITTRELL MAKING WAVES
It was no surprise when Texas Tech coach Mike Leach assigned running backs coach Seth Littrell to recruit Oklahoma, but who would have thought it would have paid off like this. Before coming to Tech, Littrell was captain of Oklahoma's 2000 national championship team after playing high school ball at Muskogee, Okla., and since he's started to recruit his home state he's been a real thorn in the side of both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
He's still very revered with the high school coaches in his native state and it's paid off with solid efforts in Oklahoma the past few seasons. This year, Littrell has already snagged two outstanding players – running back Harrison Jeffers of Lawton Eisenhower and defensive end Joey Fowler of Oklahoma City Westmoore.
Littrell's already got a winning attitude, great playing experience, is young enough to relate to kids and knows how to close the deal. But as he gets more experienced and Tech continues to produce wins on the field, look out because it could make for some really interesting battles in Oklahoma over the new few years.
BIGGEST ONE THAT GOT AWAY
No matter how you look at it, Missouri losing Gabbert is tough to swallow for Tiger fans.
Many Mizzou fans might have been able to handle it if Gabbert, one of the nation's elite quarterbacks and the clear-cut No. 1 player in Missouri, had gone to Alabama. But Nebraska – the Tigers' Big 12 North rival – was a real punch to the gut.
But Missouri fans should know that the Tigers did everything humanly possible to get Gabbert in the black and gold.
"He liked Missouri for a long time," Gabbert's coach Mike Roth told the Columbia Tribune. "And, quite honestly, I thought it was a two-horse race with Mizzou and Nebraska. I kind of felt all along, talking to Blaine and his parents, that was the situation. Mizzou was certainly right there. I can't say enough about coach Yost, coach Ford and coach Pinkel. They did all the right things. If anything, Mizzou worked harder than anybody. They really did an outstanding job. Quite honestly, I think they're a class organization and a class program."
So where do the Tigers turn now?
That's the million dollar question.
The highest on the wish list has to be Charlotte, N.C., blue-chip passer Braden Hanson. At 6-foot-6 and 200 pounds, he's still athletic enough to run the Tigers' spread offense. He does have ties to Missouri, which might make getting a player from North Carolina to come to the Big 12 a little easier than normal.
"I grew up in Kansas City," Hanson said. "When I was 8, my mom got a job and we moved to Charlotte. But I grew up a big Chiefs fan, I have both sets of grandparents in Lee's Summit and Overland Park."
Jeremy Crabtree is the national recruiting editor for Rivals.com. He can be reached at jcrabtree@rivals.com.
Coaches flock to see Arthur Brown
5-star Search: From the road
Pre-evaluation Rivals100
The spring evaluation period is almost over, which means we're about a quarter of the way through the recruiting season. With so many Big 12 programs jumping out of the gate with early commitments and with Rivals.com on the cusp of releasing its first player rankings for the class of 2008, it's never too early to check in and see how the best of the Big 12 are doing.
Rivals.com national recruiting editor Jeremy Crabtree takes a look at some of the early winners and losers in the Big 12, along with some of the most interesting storylines to keep an eye on for the next couple of months.
RAIDING THE LONE STAR STATE
Texas and Texas A&M fans probably won't want to hear this, but Oklahoma has locked three of the top four players in Texas and has a great shot at all three of those players being named to five-star status next week. At the top of the list is stud running back Jermie Calhoun out of Van, Texas, and combined with defensive end R.J. Washington and offensive lineman Stephen Good, the Sooners have the market cornered for the best of the best in the nation so far.
After going more national the past two recruiting classes, there's no question that Bob Stoops and recruiting coordinator Cale Gundy have got the Sooners more focused on kids closer to home. They won enough national battles the past few years to keep the talent stockpiled in Norman, but they finished second on quite a few kids and bypassed on some really good Texas talent that would have definitely played for Oklahoma.
That shift to focus more on the Lone Star State is definitely paying off as Oklahoma's great start is without question the top story in the conference as we hit the quarter post.
"I've covered Oklahoma recruiting for a long time, and this by far is the most excited that Sooner fans have been about a group of kids coming in, and we're not even half way through the recruiting season," SoonerScoop.com associate editor Josh McCuistion said. "This start has been nothing short of amazing."
RUNNING AWAY WITH IT?
The Big 12 North has seen several teams in the Big 12's existence rise to the top, but it looks like the Nebraska Cornhuskers are back to stay. If this year's recruiting class has anything to do with it, don't be shocked if you see Nebraska doing what everybody in the state expects – competing for national championships.
This year's start is without question the best start that Bill Callahan has had in his time at Nebraska. Coming off one of his best efforts in last year's class, he hit the ground running locking up arguably the nation's best offensive line class to date (Ohio State definitely have a claim in that argument) that included five-star offensive tackle Baker Steinkuhler, top 100 offensive lineman Trevor Robinson and potential top 100 linemen Dan Hoch and Bryce Givens.
Then on Monday night, he added a big piece to the puzzle when quarterback Blaine Gabbert pulled the trigger and told the Nebraska coaches he was going to be a Cornhusker.
"I want to reach the top level at the University of Nebraska, personally as well as our team," Gabbert said. "I strongly believe that we can go all the way. I feel Nebraska is building that right now and with this recruiting class we can and will do that."
If Nebraska can continue on this hot streak the rest of the summer and into the meat of the recruiting season, then look out Big 12 and look out the rest of the nation.
DON'T SHED A TEAR FOR UT, A&M
Even though OU and Nebraska have done a great job early on, let's not forget about the Longhorns and the Aggies. Both programs have put together very impressive early classes that will rank among the best in the Big 12 when everything is said and done. Both Mack Brown and Dennis Franchione were aggressive early on and hand-picked several players they wanted to be part of their class and have done a good job.
While OU was able to snag three of the top four players in state, Texas struck with blue-chip players like cornerback Aaron Williams, receiver Dan Buckner, cornerback D.J. Monroe and defensive tackle Jarvis Humphrey. A&M has already added high quality players like athletes Lamar Harris and Derrick Hall, plus defensive back Keon Furtch, defensive tackle Rod Davis and receiver Kendall Wright are all high quality players.
While A&M has 17 commitments and UT has 19, the good news is that there is still enough high profile talent in the Lone Star State looking at both schools for them to make a real dent in the national rankings.
Defensive end Chancey Aghayere is a high priority kid for Texas. Receiver Jeff Fuller of McKinney Boyd could also be a big boost for Texas if the Longhorns offer him. And both A&M and UT are chasing after Klein Oak receiver DeSean Hales.
HARD WORKING MAN
You're going to be hard-pressed to find a harder working head coach in recruiting than Colorado's Dan Hawkins.
At each and every NIKE Camp that college coaches could be at last year, Hawkins was there. The same can be said about this year, too. Heck, he was even in Wichita, Kan., on Wednesday to scout some of the top players in the state of Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri.
While it's often true that assistant coaches are big reasons why kids decide to commit to schools, Hawkins personally played a huge role in helping Colorado secure one of the biggest surprise classes in last year's rankings. The Buffs finished fifth in the league despite their horrible record and Hawkins personally had a hand in more than 10 of CU's signees.
His hands on approach has already paid off as CU has commitments from four high quality players, including all everything junior college receiver Corey Surrency.
LITTRELL MAKING WAVES
It was no surprise when Texas Tech coach Mike Leach assigned running backs coach Seth Littrell to recruit Oklahoma, but who would have thought it would have paid off like this. Before coming to Tech, Littrell was captain of Oklahoma's 2000 national championship team after playing high school ball at Muskogee, Okla., and since he's started to recruit his home state he's been a real thorn in the side of both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
He's still very revered with the high school coaches in his native state and it's paid off with solid efforts in Oklahoma the past few seasons. This year, Littrell has already snagged two outstanding players – running back Harrison Jeffers of Lawton Eisenhower and defensive end Joey Fowler of Oklahoma City Westmoore.
Littrell's already got a winning attitude, great playing experience, is young enough to relate to kids and knows how to close the deal. But as he gets more experienced and Tech continues to produce wins on the field, look out because it could make for some really interesting battles in Oklahoma over the new few years.
BIGGEST ONE THAT GOT AWAY
No matter how you look at it, Missouri losing Gabbert is tough to swallow for Tiger fans.
Many Mizzou fans might have been able to handle it if Gabbert, one of the nation's elite quarterbacks and the clear-cut No. 1 player in Missouri, had gone to Alabama. But Nebraska – the Tigers' Big 12 North rival – was a real punch to the gut.
But Missouri fans should know that the Tigers did everything humanly possible to get Gabbert in the black and gold.
"He liked Missouri for a long time," Gabbert's coach Mike Roth told the Columbia Tribune. "And, quite honestly, I thought it was a two-horse race with Mizzou and Nebraska. I kind of felt all along, talking to Blaine and his parents, that was the situation. Mizzou was certainly right there. I can't say enough about coach Yost, coach Ford and coach Pinkel. They did all the right things. If anything, Mizzou worked harder than anybody. They really did an outstanding job. Quite honestly, I think they're a class organization and a class program."
So where do the Tigers turn now?
That's the million dollar question.
The highest on the wish list has to be Charlotte, N.C., blue-chip passer Braden Hanson. At 6-foot-6 and 200 pounds, he's still athletic enough to run the Tigers' spread offense. He does have ties to Missouri, which might make getting a player from North Carolina to come to the Big 12 a little easier than normal.
"I grew up in Kansas City," Hanson said. "When I was 8, my mom got a job and we moved to Charlotte. But I grew up a big Chiefs fan, I have both sets of grandparents in Lee's Summit and Overland Park."
Jeremy Crabtree is the national recruiting editor for Rivals.com. He can be reached at jcrabtree@rivals.com.
