College Football Recruiting 2012: Power Ranking the Top Classes of the Big 12

The Big 12 is going to look awfully different for the 2012 season, as both Missouri and Texas A&M will be moving on to the SEC, while TCU and possibly West Virginia will be joining the party.

While a lot is going to change this year, one thing’s for sure: the Big 12 will once again welcome in a ton of new talented freshmen, just as the conference does every year.

Power schools like Texas and Oklahoma are still dominating on the recruiting trail, and you’ve also got programs like TCU and Baylor making some major noise, as well.

With that in mind, here’s a look at how the top recruiting classes in the Big 12 currently stack up, as we inch closer and closer to national signing day on Feb. 1 

1. Texas Longhorns

Texas may not be producing on the field like it has in the past, but the Longhorns are still a juggernaut on the recruiting trail, as they're once again poised to bring in another top five recruiting class in 2012.

The star of the show is RB Johnathan Gray out of Aledo, Texas, who set the national high school record with 205 career total touchdowns.

Gray may be the big offensive name, but there will be plenty of highly-rated defensive prospects headed down to Austin, as well, such as defensive tackles Malcolm Brown (Brenham HS, Texas) and Paul Boyette, Jr.(Humble HS, Texas), linebackers Timothy Cole (Brenham HS, Texas) and Peter Jinkins (Skyline HS, Texas) and cornerback Bryson Echols (DeSoto HS, Texas).

Adding that type of talent to a defense that was already shaping up to be one of the best in the conference in 2012, should be a big boost for the Longhorns as they try to climb their way back to the top of the Big 12 next season.

2. Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma didn’t come close to living up to its lofty No. 1 preseason ranking this past season, but that hasn’t stopped Bob Stoops from bringing in another big crop of talent

The face of the class is five-star wide receiver Trey Metoyer (Hargrave MA, Virginia), but it’s a deep one full of potential impact players.

The Sooners added some quality depth to their receiver corps with Metoyer, Durron Neal (De Smet Jesuit HS, Missouri), Sterling Shepard (Heritage Hall HS, Oklahoma) and Derrick Woods (Inglewood HS, California), as well as to the offensive line with Ty Darlington (Apopka HS, Florida) and John Michael McGee (Texas HS, Texas).

With such an offensive-heavy class being added to an already potent offense, there’s no reason to believe that Oklahoma will slow down any time soon.

3. TCU Horned Frogs

TCU is returning a ton of talent from a team that went 11-2 and finished ranked No. 14 in the nation this past season.

Quarterback Casey Pachall, running back Ed Wesley, wide receivers Josh Boyce and Brandon Carter, defensive end Stansly Maponga and linebackers Kenny Cain and Tanner Brock are just a few of the key players who will be looking to make a name for themselves in the Big 12 next season.

Still, there are a few holes on the depth chart that Gary Patterson knows he has to fill through recruiting this year.

Patterson has done a solid job on the recruiting trail so far, especially in the state of Texas, where he managed to beat out some established BCS programs for a few high-profile players.

The biggest names he’s managed to corral for this year’s class are QB Tyler Matthews (McPherson HS, Kansas), DE Devonte Fields (Martin HS, Texas), TE Griffin Gilbert (Lake Travis HS, Texas) and athletes Daje Johnson (Hendrickson HS, Texas) and Edward Pope (Carthage, Texas), who were all rated as four-star prospects by Rivals.com.

4. Baylor Bears

Losing two dangerous and explosive weapons like QB Robert Griffin III and WR Kendall Wright is definitely a tough blow for Baylor, but there is still plenty of talent returning on offense next season, as players like RB Lache Seastrunk—an Oregon transfer who will be eligible to play in 2012—WR Terrance Williams and OT Cyril Richardson have the chance to each be one of the best players at their respective positions in the Big 12 next season.

The real key, though, will be the improvement of a defense that was far too inconsistent last year.

Adding some reinforcements on the defensive side of the ball through recruiting would definitely be a smart idea for coach Art Briles, and luckily for Baylor, Briles was able to snatch up commitments from two premier four-star defensive prospects, DE Javonte Magee (Sam Houston HS, Texas) and LB Brian Nance (Trinity HS, Texas).

Both Magee and Nance should see the field early on in their careers, and they should make an instant impact for the Bears in 2012.

On offense, WR Corey Coleman (Pearce HS, Texas) has all the makings of the next great Baylor receiver, and he should find himself right in the mix for playing time in the receiver rotation next season.

Overall, there may not be another RG3 in this class, but coach Briles has done a terrific job adding depth at key positions. He’s definitely set to bring in a few hidden gems who could develop into big-time players over the next few years.

5. Texas Tech Red Raiders

Besides stunning Oklahoma on its home field, there wasn’t exactly much to brag about for Texas Tech this past season, as the Red Raiders finished just 5-7 and snapped their 11-year bowl streak.

With the way Tommy Tuberville’s been recruiting these past few years, though, Texas Tech should be able to climb back to respectability in 2012.

Tuberville brought in one of the best classes in the Big 12 last year, and he’s likely going to repeat the feat once again in 2012.

Both Rivals and Scout recruiting services rank the Red Raiders’s 2012 class as the 25th best in the nation, and it’s easy see to see why.

Wide receivers like Reginald Davis and Dominique Wheeler were two of the top offensive recruits in the state of Texas this year, and they both have the chance to develop into key weapons in the passing game over the next few years.

Ranking the Rest

6. Oklahoma State Cowboys

7. Iowa State Cyclones

8. Kansas State Wildcats

9. Kansas Jayhawks

Since we still don’t know what the deal is with West Virginia, we’ll leave the Mountaineers out of the mix for now.