Even though the Big 12 was home to Texas, this year's national champion, it was a conference under fire in 2005 for a lack of great competition. With Oklahoma having a down year and Texas A&M not meeting expectations, Texas ran through the Big 12 South. The Big 12 North was a battle of average teams with Colorado backing into the division title. The conference did send eight members to bowl games and walked away with a 5-3 record and the national title.
This once powerful conference is hoping that 2006 will see a rise to the level of dominance that fans are used to. Texas will be strong again and many expect the Sooners to rise back up. Texas Tech has proven to always be a dangerous team. Kansas State and Colorado will start new eras under new head coaches and many hope Nebraska's strong finish is a sign of things to come.
Many of these teams have the ability to be Top 25 programs, but it all starts with recruiting. So let's take a look at how each team is doing with its 2006 class.
Since Mack Brown arrived in Austin,
Texas has routinely put together top recruiting classes, but none of them led to Big 12 titles or national championships. Few doubted Brown's ability to land talent, but questions were starting to arise about his ability to take Texas to the next level on the field. Well, in 2005 he and his squad silenced all their critics in a big way.
They finally got past Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout and ran the table to gain their first Big 12 title since 1996. Then they matched up against mighty USC in the Rose Bowl for the national championship as underdogs and won their first national title since 1970. Now one of the best recruiters in the land can hit the trails with a national title in his pocket, and that should only help. While Texas has national prominence and the ability to land prospects from coast to coast, it rarely looks farther than its own borders. The state of Texas is huge and it is loaded with football talent, and the Longhorns staff knows it.
It is obvious how important the recruitment of the state of Texas is to the Longhorns' success when during one of the greatest moments in his coaching career on a national stage, Brown took a second to thank high school football in the state of Texas while accepting the national championship trophy. That is the sign of a great recruiter who is always looking to the future.
It was in that moment that it should have become clear how the Longhorns get such talented classes. They build their classes around the best in-state talent and supplement it with key players from around the country. Their 2006 class is a prime example of that. Heading into signing day, only two of Texas' 2006 commits are not from Texas. ESPN 150 DT
Ben Alexander (Anderson-T.L. Hanna) out of South Carolina and FB/LB
Lamar Houston (Colorado Springs-Doherty) out of Colorado are the two outsiders in this class.
Sherrod Harris is one of two incoming quarterbacks in Texas' 2006 class.
The real strength of Texas' 2006 class lies with the in-state talent it has landed. It is obvious that Vince Young (a native Texan) was a very integral part of the Longhorns' success in 2005, but they will need to move on in 2006 and are looking to do it with two other in-state signal callers. One of the biggest commitments the Longhorns received was from ESPN 150 QB
Jevan Snead (Stephensville) not only because he was one of the top prospects in the country but because he originally committed to Florida. Getting him was huge for Texas because he could very well be the guy to pick up close to where Young left off. He is a playmaker with an excellent arm and will surprise people with his ability to run.
In addition to Snead, the Longhorns also landed another athletic Texas product in ESPN 150 QB
Sherrod Harris (Arlington-Bowie). Many seem to forget about Harris, but he's a talented player. So while no one will be able to truly replace Vince Young, the program has a very good chance to start writing a new chapter with equal success.
Linebacker is another strength of this class, and they've landed a trio of excellent prospects led by
Sergio Kindle (Dallas-Woodrow Wilson), the No. 1 rated outside linebacker in the country. Kindle is an athletic marvel who could very easily play inside linebacker or be the featured running back for the Longhorns.
The additions of ESPN 150 LB
Dustin Earnest (Texarkana) and LB
Jared Norton (Rowlett), the No. 10-rated inside linebacker, make this a formidable group.
Eddie Jones is ESPN.com's 2nd-rated defensive end.
In total, the Longhorns have landed nine ESPN 150 players in their 2006 class, including DE
Eddie Jones (Kilgore) and WR
Phillip Payne (Garland-South Garland).
They also made nice additions to their offensive line with ESPN 150 players
J'Marcus Webb (Mesquite-North Mesquite) and
Buck Burnette (Wimberley). Webb has a great frame that is still filling out, and with only two years under his belt at the tackle position, he is still learning. He has all the tools to be a great tackle for the Longhorns.
In addition to Payne, the Longhorns also made three nice pickups at wide receiver, led by
Deon Beasley (Orange-West Orange). Texas also added a pair of tight ends, a few much-needed young faces in the secondary and a pair of very good running backs. It seems that 2006 will start like many of the previous years for the Longhorns, with an outstanding recruiting class. But we will have to see if all this talent can help 2006 end like 2005 did.
Due to some inexperience and injuries,
Oklahoma had a down year, though they finished strong and appear ready to get back into the national title picture. Very quietly, head coach Bob Stoops and his staff have put together an excellent class. They have followed the formula of getting top in-state talent, raiding neighboring Texas and supplementing the class with top national prospects. Some of those in-state players are QB
Sam Bradford (Oklahoma City-Putnam City North), hometown RB
Mossis Madu (Norman) and OT
Chase Beeler (Jenks), but the real strength of this year's class lies with talent from Texas. So far, the Sooners have landed 10 recruits from the Lone Star State, and many of them are the real backbone of this class.
The best may be ESPN 150 WR
Adron Tennell (Irving), who is a physical specimen with excellent speed. He should be a nice fit at a position that is losing some seniors.
The state of Texas is also supplying some defensive help. ESPN 150 CB
Jonathan Nelson (Arlington-Mansfield) is a talented corner with the size and ability to match up one-on-one. He adds to a position that needs some youth. Safety
Malcolm Williams (Grand Prairie-South) has impressive cover skills. Solid OT
Cory Brandon (Corsicana) is one of three offensive line prospects from Texas.
Another impressive aspect of this class is the in-state talent the Sooners have been able to lure back. Center
Chad Roark (Ada), who originally committed to Florida State, and linebacker
Brandon Crow (Comanche), who originally committed to Texas Tech, both ended up joining Oklahoma's 2006 class. The talent level in Oklahoma is not as deep as in some other states, so to recover two in-state prospects is a big move.
On the national scale, Sooner fans were surely upset they missed out on ESPN 150 CB
Myron Rolle, a prospect that Stoops was the first to offer, but they definitely recovered well.
DeMarco Murray is ESPN.com's top-rated running back.
The Sooners landed
DeMarco Murray (Las Vegas-Bishop Gorman, Nev.), the nation's No. 1 running back prospect. With a healthy and big year, Adrian Peterson may head for greener pastures, but the Sooners will be ready if he does leave with the addition of Murray. Murray may be the best overall athlete of the backs in this class and can be a threat as a runner and a receiver. He has the ability to be a playmaker from day one. If Peterson stays through his senior year, the Sooners could have the best one-two punch in college football in their backfield over the next two years. The Sooners also added another top running back in Louisiana native
Chris Brown (Alexandria).
The Sooners have also landed some help from the junior college ranks, landing four players, including QB
Joey Halzle out of Golden West College in California. While the Sooners have put together an excellent class so far, look for them to try and finish strong and land monster in-state DT
Gerald McCoy.
Texas A&M failed to meet the high expectations many had for them heading into 2005. Coming off of a 7-5 season, the Aggies stumbled to a 5-6 record and remain in the shadow of archrival Texas.
Dennis Franchione has a great group of running backs in the 2006 class.
One area of recruiting in which they have done better than Texas is with running backs. Three of the state's best -- ESPN 150 RB
Michael Goodson (Klein-Collins), RB
E.J. Shankle (Lufkin) and RB
Latreal Cooper (Cuero) -- have all verbally committed to Texas A&M. But with the success of Texas, the emergence of Texas Tech and even UTEP and Houston and the yearly national raid of Texas' high school talent, head coach Dennis Franchione has found the rest of the recruiting trail a tough battle.
A&M has still been able to have a big presence in its own state. In addition to the three running backs, WR
Jerrod Johnson (Humble) is a nice pickup. The Aggies have also bolstered their defense with tackle
Leslie Ray (Midland-Robert E. Lee) and linebackers
DeMaurier Thompson (Dallas-W.T. White) and
Anthony Lewis (Haltom).
A&M has also given the Oklahoma schools a taste of their own medicine by going into their state and landing WR
Kenny Brown (Oklahoma City, Putnam City North). Brown is a natural pass catcher with size and speed and is a nice addition for the Aggie class. While Franchione has proven he is not afraid of playing freshmen, he has gone and added some defensive help through the junior college ranks.
The thing that seems to be missing from this solid class in which they filled some needs is a quarterback. With Reggie McNeal moving on, the Aggies' coaching staff must feel comfortable with what they have and will wait until next year.
Two years into the Bill Callahan era at
Nebraska, the jury is still out. The Cornhuskers showed some positive signs at the end of the 2005 season and have given hope to their loyal legion of fans. People knew it would take some time since the Huskers were taking a totally new direction on offense and would need to bring in different personnel then that was already there. While Callahan and his staff made a big splash with last year's highly touted class, things have been much quieter this year.
Nebraska is a program that recruits nationally, and while they have landed some solid talent in its 2006 class, it lacks the ESPN 150-type players it had in the past. In addition, the Cornhuskers have lost out on some close battles for players that it seems in the past they would have won.
Right now, they are relying heavily on the junior college ranks to help them buy some time while they can get the high school players that they feel they need to run their offensive and defensive schemes. While they have landed some very talented JUCO prospects like running back
Kenny Wilson (Butler CC) and corner
Andre Jones (Fresno City CC) you are always rolling the dice when you rely heavily on them to come in make a difference in large numbers.
On the prep front, Nebraska still owns its home state and has landed many of the top players it has to offer. The Huskers have also had a lot of success in the state of California, landing several players like ESPN 150 safety
Ricky Thenarse (Los Angeles-Jordan) and WR
Menelik Holt (San Diego-Saint Augustine).
A big key to the West Coast offense is the tight end, and they pursued many and landed one from Missouri.
Mike McNeill (Kirkwood) is a receiving tight end who could be a nice fit. It does not look like they will finish with as strong a class as they did in 2005, but we will see if they have what they need to help them rise back to the top of the Big 12.
Texas Tech has one of the most prolific offenses in college football and has become a program that no one takes lightly. Like most Texas schools, Tech builds its recruiting classes on in-state talent. Head coach Mike Leach's offensive system is one kids want to play in, and that has helped recruiting.
They have landed a pair of quarterbacks, a running back, and a pair of receivers so far this year, which may not be what you would expect from a Texas Tech recruiting class. It seems the 2006 class is heavy on defense and offensive lineman.
The Red Raiders just lured away active and versatile in-state defensive lineman
Sean Estelle (Missouri City-Thurgood Marshall) from Colorado. Earlier on, they lured away in-state defensive tackle
Dan'Tay Ward (Waco) from Baylor.
Leonard Hewitt (Lufkin) a player with the instincts and toughness you look for in a safety, and he will help their secondary.
They also landed several talented in-state offensive linemen because Leach knows you can't throw the ball if your quarterback is lying on the ground. Guard
Buddy Brumit (Garland) is a nice fit because he moves real well for a big man.
Chris Olson (Dallas-Highland Park) and
Dimitri Lott (Missouri City-Thurgood Marshall) are nice additions at the tackle spots, where the Red Raiders need some youth.
While Tech has two good quarterbacks in this class led by
Taylor Potts (Abilene), they did just lose a good one in
Greg McElroy to Alabama. While many would assume Tech's class to be loaded with offensive skill players, it looks like 2006 was a year to strengthen the offensive line and get a little younger on defense.
