College Football Fish: 10 Big 12 Newcomers to Watch in Freshman Class

Despite the shrinkage in the Big 12 with Nebraska and Colorado heading out the door, recruiting remains a constant in college football. 

Although talks of realignment dominated the off-season newsrooms, highly touted recruits will still fulfill their letters of intent and enroll in their respective universities.

Some are more hyped than others, but the Big 12 will bring in a slew of noteworthy freshmen who will make headlines for the next four or five years.

Eric Humphrey—DT, Oklahoma

The Sooners lost Gerald McCoy to the NFL last year, but have more than capable replacements like Jamarkus McFarland to take over the interior defensive line.

In comes Eric Humphrey, a talented defensive tackle who will look to factor into the defensive schemes. If not this year, then very soon.

Oklahoma appears thin on the interior, which could mean better chances for Humphrey to work his way into the rotation.

Scotty Young—QB, Texas Tech

It seems once any Red Raider quarterback arrives in Lubbock, good things await. 

Perhaps it was a product of Mike Leach's system, but those days are gone.

Scotty Young comes to Texas Tech ranked as a top 10 quarterback nationally by Rivals.com and marks the final class that Leach put together.

Will young achieve success similar to his predecessors like Kliff Kingsbury, B.J. Symons, Sonny Cumbie, Cody Hodges and Graham Herrell?

One thing is for certain—he's got the arm to do some damage in the spread offense. Surely Tommy Tuberville knows that.

Reggie Wilson—DE, Texas

Already nicknamed "the Freak," Reggie Wilson plays with speed, strength and a non-stop motor.

Although he sits firmly behind a wealth of talent at defensive end, his career at Texas will be one to watch closely.

He is not likely to supplant either starter on the ends, but look for defensive coordinator Will Muschamp to get Wilson some snaps here and there this season in Austin.

Blake Bell—QB, Oklahoma

Sam Bradford is gone. Landry Jones looks the part, but questions surround his big game potential.

Blake Bell was the only quarterback taken in OU's 2010 class, but one has to wonder what the plans are for the 6'6" signal caller. 

He doesn't figure to be in the offensive plans for at least two years, but his frame and skill set translate well at the college level.

Tyler Gabbert—QB, Missouri

Tyler Gabbert, younger brother and teammate of starting quarterback Blaine Gabbert, is far down on Missouri's QB depth chart.

But if the older Gabbert is any indication of the type of production that can be expected out of his kid brother, the Tigers aren't in bad shape down the road on the quarterback front.

Offensive Line, Texas A&M

The Aggies rounded up a solid offensive line class in 2010—getting commitments from Luke Joeckel, Shep Klinke, Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Matthews (the son of Hall of Fame OL Bruce Matthews).

All four are top 150 players nationally ranked by Rivals.com and the development of this group will be crucial if A&M is to rebound from its recent funk.

Junior quarterback Jerrod Johnson may end up getting some help out of these four this year.

Mike Davis—WR, Texas

A late commit to Texas, Mike Davis figures to be a front-runner for playing time as a freshman in Austin.

His senior year in high school was littered with spectacular plays and catches. If sophomore quarterback Garrett Gilbert fills out as most expect him to, Davis will get ample opportunities to showcase his talent.

With two senior wide receivers gone after this year (John Chiles, James Kirkendoll), Davis can push the envelope for serious action in the coming years.

Jordan Hicks—LB, Texas

Jordan Hicks was deemed the top linebacker in the country by Rivals.com last year.

He comes to Austin with a chance to compete for playing time at linebacker despite the seniors who currently dominate the two deep.

A sideline to sideline beast, Hicks will likely factor immediately into Texas' defensive plans this season and for years to come.

Corey Nelson—LB, Oklahoma

Corey Nelson's recruitment wasn't quiet, with Texas and Oklahoma pushing for his commitment late in the season.

Eventually the Sooners landed a special linebacker at the expense of Texas A&M (Nelson de-committed from the Aggies before switching his commitment to Oklahoma).

Nelson's development will be one to watch as the Sooner's linebacker unit isn't spectacular. There is room for improvement after play-maker Ryan Reynolds graduated from the program.

This freshman could be making some noise in Norman for years to come.

Jackson Jeffcoat—DE, Texas

It is hard to ignore bloodlines.

Jackson Jeffcoat, the son of former Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Jim Jeffcoat, took his recruitment all the way to National Signing Day and settled on Texas.

As the top ranked high school player in the state (according to Rivals.com), he will have to wait his turn playing behind Sam Acho, Alex Okafor and Eddie Jones.

Jeffcoat comes to Austin along with fellow freshmen ends Wilson and Greg Daniels, so competition is hefty and well deserved.