Big 12 winners in the 2025 recruiting cycle
National Signing Day has come and gone for the class of 2025 and as per usual, there is plenty of talent headed to the Big 12. Rivals highlights a few teams here that especially stood out:
ARIZONA STATE
The Sun Devils went from back-to-back 3-9 seasons (one under coach Kenny Dillingham) to 11-3 this year with a berth in the College Football Playoff. While that might not show all the dividends in the 2025 recruiting class, it certainly will in 2026 and Arizona State is already off to a hot start there.
Back to 2025, it wasn’t bad, either.
Four-star tight end Aaron Ia is a big-bodied prospect who can move, block, stretch the field and he has great hands. Arizona State might have found a gem in four-star Cameron Dyer out of lightly-recruited New Mexico.
Loading up along the offensive line was also a massive focus in this recruiting class as the Sun Devils added seven there.
BAYLOR
At one point this season it looked like coach Dave Aranda was on some shaky ground especially after the Bears fell to 2-4 heading into their bye week. But something special was found after that as Baylor railed off six-straight conference wins before losing to LSU in the bowl game.
With that momentum, and with Aranda saving his job, the Bears found some success late in the recruiting class and nothing was bigger than keeping four-star linebacker Kaleb Burns as Oklahoma and Oregon were working hard to flip him. More help on the defensive side of the ball was added in long four-star edge rusher Kamauryn Morgan.
There were also some key additions on offense led by four-star running back Michael Turner Jr. and four-star receiver Taz Williams Jr. The Bears actually loaded up at receiver with former four-star Jacorey Watson another name that could have a big impact in Waco.
COLORADO
Being tied for fifth in the Big 12 and No. 42 nationally in the team rankings is not necessarily an enviable position for Colorado but again this is a class of quality and not necessarily quantity.
The Buffaloes landed the conference’s only five-star in quarterback Julian Lewis, who flipped to Colorado from USC and has superstar potential.
High four-star receiver Adrian Wilson flipped to Colorado from Arizona State. Four-star defensive end London Merritt flipped from Ohio State. Four-star offensive lineman Carde Smith flipped from USC. The Buffaloes went to Texas and landed four-star receivers Quanell X. Farrakhan Jr. and Quentin Gibson.
There are only 14 signees because coach Deion Sanders leans so heavily on the transfer portal but this is a very solid recruiting class.
TCU
TCU is one of only two Big 12 teams along with Colorado to have five four-star signees and the Horned Frogs are definitely upgrading on both sides of the ball.
On offense, four-star quarterback Adam Schobel ended up with TCU after a wild recruitment that saw multiple commitments to other programs within the conference and four-star receiver Dane Jones is an elite playmaker who had nearly 1,000 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns in his senior season.
The Horned Frogs’ defense was significantly upgraded as well. No. 1 junior college prospect Kelten Mickell picked TCU over Kansas State, South Carolina, Tennessee and many others.
Mickell was a big JUCO addition and then TCU also beat out other in-state programs for four-star defensive end Chad Woodfork and also added four-star defensive back Micah Strickland.
With Texas and Oklahoma off to the SEC, TCU has finished third numerous times recently in the Big 12 rankings and now had the top recruiting class in the conference.
