Big 12 freshmen to watch in the 2019 season

Every year there’s a freshman quarterback that comes in and takes the Big 12 by storm. Last year it was Iowa State’s Brock Purdy. With so much talent coming into the conference this year, there are bound to be a few players who will make a big impact for their teams. I put together a list below of one player from every school who is likely to make a big impact on the field next season. Come check out the future of the Big 12 conference! Let’s start from the top of the recruiting rankings according to 247sports and work our way down.

1. Texas Longhorns: Jordan Whittington- ATH (Cuero, TX)

Whittington is the second best player Texas landed behind buzzer beater Bru McCoy, who actually signed with USC and then transferred to Texas. Whittington rushed for 1,409 yards and 23 touchdowns and caught another 3,202 yards and 41 touchdowns for the Cuero Gobblers in high school. He led his team to a state championship his senior year and won both offensive and defense MVP.

I got the chance to watch his performance up close covering the game, and it was one of the best individual performances I have ever seen. He had 6 touchdowns and over 330 yards rushing in the game.

Also, if you have any interest in Texas high school sports, Ibifiri is one of the best in the game. You can check out his edits from the Texas state championships (a lot of recent OSU offers played in these games) on Youtube.

Whittington has the potential of a Lil’ Jordan Humphrey. Watching him play football feels like watching basketball on grass because of his speed and athleticism. Tom Herman would be smart to find reps for Whittington early and often next season. Whittington enrolled early and is already on the 40 acres with Herman’s squad.

Oklahoma Sooners: Jadon Haselwood- WR (Ellenwood, GA)

Haselwood is the third highest ranked recruit to ever commit to the Sooners. He’s that talented. Oklahoma is losing Marquise Brown to the NFL, making CeeDee Lamb the only returning Sooner to have caught more than 25 passes last season.

Haselwood caught 85 passes for 1776 yards and 26 touchdowns at Cedar Grove High School, according to 247sports. He should get plenty of opportunities to catch passes from Alabama transfer Jalen Hurts next season.

Although OU might not be returning much talent outside of CeeDee Lamb, Haselwood will have competition from two receivers from the DFW area. Allen’s Theo Wease and Hebron’s Trejan Bridges figure to get their shot at some reps as well.

Haselwood has already made the transition from high school to college, as he made the move from Ellenwood to Norman to enroll early at OU.

TCU Horned Frogs: Dylan Jordan- LB (Pittsburg, KS)

Jordan didn’t see his recruitment heat up until after he was done playing high school football. Eventually, he would see offers from the Kansas schools, as well as Nebraska, Auburn, Utah and TCU. He took visits to Utah, Nebraska and TCU, and decided Fort Worth would be his new home.

This is good news for Gary Patterson and his defense. Jordan saw his name shoot up into the top 200 rankings, and he earned himself a fourth star. For Patterson, Jordan will be coming in at a position of need.

Jordan isn’t the highest ranked recruit of this class, but he might get the most opportunities early. Early enrollee Max Duggan might get his shot as well, but the quarterback spot is already crowded, though Duggan should get plenty of chances to win the starting job after he likely redshirts this season.

Baylor Bears: Peyton Powell- ATH (Odessa, TX)

Powell originally committed to play his college ball for Tom Herman in Austin, before decommitting and eventually signing with the Baylor Bears. The bottom line for Matt Rhule is that he has to get his best playmakers and athletes on the field. That means finding a spot for Peyton Powell.

Powell played at quarterback during his high school career, but was just as prolific a runner as he was a passer. He would be great for the Bears to use in trick plays because of his ability to throw the ball. Powell won’t see much time at quarterback early in his career, but Baylor could use him out of the backfield. It will be interesting to see how much the Bears are able to work him in next season, if they don’t decide to go the redshirt route.

Oklahoma State Cowboys: Deondrick Glass- RB (Katy, TX)

This one was a hard decision between Glass and tight end Grayson Boomer. While Boomer should get some run in at tight end, Glass is a strong candidate to get the most reps at running back behind Chuba Hubbard.

It might be easy for Mike Gundy to redshirt Glass and use L.D. Brown and Dezmon Jackson behind Hubbard. If he doesn’t redshirt Glass, he should get more carries than Brown and Jackson.

Running back has been a deep position for the Cowboys the last two years, but the position has thinned out due to Justice Hill leaving for the NFL Draft and J.D. King transferring out of the program.

Glass ran for 6,184 yards and 100 (!!) touchdowns at Katy High School and is the second highest rated recruit in OSU’s class.

You can check out the interview I did with Deondrick Glass earlier this week here.

Iowa State: Breece Hall- RB (Wichita, KS)

One of Iowa State coach Matt Campbell’s main recruiting pitches to Breece Hall was that he would be able to come in and make an immediate impact. With David Montgomery leaving for the NFL Draft, it looks like that promise will come to fruition.

Hall is the highest rated recruit in Iowa State’s class and was a participant in the Army All-American Bowl. He rushed for 4,209 yards and 61 touchdowns in high school, while adding another 718 yards and 11 touchdowns as a receiver.

Hall is already taking classes at Iowa State, and will be able to get reps in spring ball while learning a new playbook with the Cyclones.

West Virginia Mountaineers: Jordan Jefferson- DT (Navarre, FL)

I can’t say West Virginia really landed a guy who will make a big impact next year. The most talented players they landed are all safeties, which just so happens to be one position the Mountaineers are actually deep at. I almost chose wide receiver Winston Wright, but he might end up better off redshirting because of the guys already ahead of him on the depth chart.

Jefferson didn’t see his recruitment pick up until late, much like TCU’s Dylan Jordan. West Virginia needs help on their defensive line, and Jefferson should be able to provide that right away. For more on the situation, check out The Smoking Musket.

Kansas State Wildcats: Chris Herron- ATH (Houston, TX)

Herron might not see the field next year, but here’s why he should. Herron tossed 30 touchdowns and 16 interceptions for his career at Langham Creek. He won’t be a quarterback at Kansas State. Herron showed off his running ability often, rushing for 2,306 yards and 36 touchdowns in high school.

Herron is a playmaker and a prototypical Kansas State recruit. He’s their highest rated recruit, and though he needs time to develop, nothing helps with that more than in game reps. The Wildcats should be looking to develop Herron as early as they can.

Kansas Jayhawks: Steven Parker DE (Dallas, TX)

Les Miles may have taken over the program but Kansas doesn’t quite have the depth it needs to compete in the Big 12 yet. Steven Parker is their highest rated recruit, and he needs to see the field as much as possible.

Parker was originally committed to Texas Tech before he signed with the Jayhawks. The South Oak Cliff product recorded 191 tackles and 33 sacks during his high school career. Parker was named the 5A defensive player of the year in the state of Texas.

Texas Tech Red Raiders: Alex Hogan- CB (Houston, TX)

Tech may not have landed a player that will see the field next year. If any of them have a chance, it’s Alex Hogan. The Red Raiders could use some help at cornerback, and Hogan is the best defensive back they landed.

Hogan broke up 12 passes and snagged three interceptions in at Houston Lamar High School. Texas Tech really worked the defensive side of the ball with this recruiting class, and they have several defensive lineman that could make a big impact in a few years.