Preseason College Football 2023 All-Big 12 Team: Texas tops the conference
Today, we’ll examine the Big 12's best players by building three 2023 preseason All-Conference teams
The Big 12 is one of college football’s quickest expanding conferences. It welcomes four new members this season and will absorb several Pac-12 programs in the near future. However, the Big 12’s current talent pool is still lagging behind the other Power Five conferences. Today, we’ll take a look at its top talents by assembling three preseason All-Big 12 Teams.
Please note that these teams don’t reflect how I view players as NFL prospects. Talent plays a role in these evaluations, but projected on-field performance and production are more meaningful.
This is the final part of an offseason series where I cover all Power Five conferences. Subscribe for free with your email to receive updates on my latest posts and follow along as we cover the college football landscape. I will post my preseason All-American Teams soon.
All-ACC l All-Pac-12 l All-Big Ten l All-SEC
*Indicates new transfer
^Indicates Sam Teets 2022 preseason All-Conference selection
First Team Offense
Quarterback: Quinn Ewers, QB Texas
Running Back: Devin Neal, RB Kansas
Running Back: Richard Reese, RB Baylor
Wide Receiver: Xavier Worthy, WR Texas
Wide Receiver: Brennan Presley, WR Oklahoma State
Wide Receiver: Matthew Golden, WR Houston
Tight End: Ja'Tavion Sanders, TE Texas
All-Purpose: Aidan Robbins, BYU (RB)*
Offensive Tackle: Brandon Coleman, OT TCU
Offensive Tackle: Kelvin Banks Jr., OT Texas
Guard: Cooper Beebe, G Kansas State
Guard: Doug Nester, OT/G West Virginia
Center: Zach Frazier, C West Virginia
First Team Defense
Defensive End/Edge: Ethan Downs, Edge Oklahoma
Defensive End/Edge: Nelson Ceaser, Edge Houston
Defensive Tackle: Dontay Corleone, IDL Cincinnati
Defensive Tackle: Byron Murphy II, IDL Texas
Linebacker: Jaylan Ford, LB Texas
Linebacker: Jason Johnson, LB UCF
Linebacker: Danny Stutsman, LB Oklahoma
Cornerback: Josh Newton, CB TCU
Cornerback: T.J. Tampa, CB Iowa State
Safety: Kenny Logan Jr., S Kansas
Safety: Jerrin Thompson, S Texas
Every team except for Texas Tech is represented on the All-Big 12 First Team. However, Texas (seven) is the only program with three or more players on the squad. Houston, Kansas, Oklahoma, TCU, and West Virginia all had two players selected each.
Despite only having one season with more than eight wins (2018) in the past decade, the Longhorns still draw a significant amount of talent. Offensive cornerstones Kelvin Banks Jr., Ja'Tavion Sanders, and Xavier Worthy are All-American candidates, which made placing them on the First Team an easy decision. Likewise, linebacker Jaylan Ford is receiving significant national media attention entering the season.
The most controversial inclusion on the First Team is quarterback Quinn Ewers. Simply put, Ewers wasn’t a good quarterback during the second half of the 2022 season. I selected him based purely on upside and talent. Oklahoma’s Dillon Gabriel offers a much higher floor, and Kansas’ Jalon Daniels is a more explosive playmaker.
BYU running back Aidan Robbins is the only player on the First Team who transferred to his current school this summer. Cooper Beebe, Kenny Logan Jr., and Worthy also earned preseason First Team All-Big 12 honors last summer. Doug Nester and Zach Frazier were 2022 preseason Second Team selections, and Brandon Coleman, Devin Neal, and Brennan Presley were Third Team selections.
Banks Jr., Matthew Golden, and Richard Reese are the only members of the First Team who aren’t eligible for the 2024 NFL Draft.
Second Team Offense
Quarterback: Jalon Daniels, QB Kansas
Running Back: CJ Donaldson, RB West Virginia
Running Back: Treshaun Ward, RB Kansas State*
Wide Receiver: Adonai Mitchell, WR Texas*
Wide Receiver: Jerand Bradley, WR Texas Tech
Wide Receiver: Javon Baker, WR UCF
Tight End: Ben Sinnott, TE Kansas State
All-Purpose: Jaylin Noel, Iowa State (WR)
Offensive Tackle: Kingsley Suamataia, OT BYU
Offensive Tackle: Tyler Guyton, OT Oklahoma
Guard: Lokahi Pauole, G UCF
Guard: Connor Pay, G/C BYU
Center: Jack Freeman, C Houston
Second Team Defense
Defensive End/Edge: Collin Oliver, Edge Oklahoma State
Defensive End/Edge: Rondell Bothroyd, Edge Oklahoma*
Defensive Tackle: Damonic Williams, IDL TCU
Defensive Tackle: Jaylon Hutchings, IDL Texas Tech
Linebacker: Johnny Hodges, LB TCU
Linebacker: Gerry Vaughn, LB Iowa State
Linebacker: Ben Bywater, LB BYU
Cornerback: Cobee Bryant, CB Kansas
Cornerback: Ryan Watts, CB Texas
Safety: Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, S Texas Tech
Safety: Kendal Daniels, S Oklahoma State
Baylor and Cincinnati are the only teams without representatives on the Second Team. BYU and Texas Tech lead the way with three selections each, followed by a logjam of eight programs with two selections. Houston and West Virginia were the only schools with one player on the Second Team.
The Second Team includes three game-changing transfers. Former Florida State running back Treshaun Ward steps into Deuce Vaughn’s shoes at Kansas State. Ward won’t completely replace the All-American candidate, but he will benefit from a heavy workload. Georgia transfer Adonai Mitchell might deal with the opposite issue at Texas.
Mitchell is the latest gifted Georgia receiver to battle injuries and a lack of targets. Because of his build and physical tools, he could become a superstar and even surpass Worthy. However, there are a lot of mouths to feed in that Longhorns offense, including 2022 transfer Isaiah Neyor, former top 50 recruit Jordan Whittington, and Sanders at tight end.
Bothroyd was a leading force on Wake Forest’s defense over the past two seasons. He and Ethan Downs will arguably be the best edge rushing duo in the conference.
The Big 12’s offensive tackle class is deep. Tyler Guyton and Kingsley Suamataia both had strong cases for inclusion on the First Team. They project as top 100 selections in next spring’s draft.
CJ Donaldson and Damonic Williams are the only members of the Second Team who aren’t draft-eligible.
Third Team Offense
Quarterback: Dillon Gabriel, QB Oklahoma
Running Back: Jovantae Barnes, RB Oklahoma
Running Back: Trey Sanders, RB TCU*
Wide Receiver: Jordan Whittington, WR Texas
Wide Receiver: Jayden Higgins, WR Iowa State*
Wide Receiver: Lawrence Arnold, WR Kansas
Tight End: Mason Fairchild, TE Kansas
All-Purpose: Kobe Hudson, UCF (WR)
Offensive Tackle: Patrick Paul, OT Houston
Offensive Tackle: Andrew Coker, OT TCU
Guard: Clark Barrington, G/C Baylor*
Guard: Amari Kight, G UCF*
Center: Mike Novitsky, C Kansas
Third Team Defense
Defensive End/Edge: Tre'Mon Morris-Brash, Edge UCF
Defensive End/Edge: Daniel Grzesiak, Edge Cincinnati*
Defensive Tackle: Jowon Briggs, DL Cincinnati
Defensive Tackle: Gabe Hall, IDL Baylor
Linebacker: Deshawn Pace, LB Cincinnati
Linebacker: Jamoi Hodge, LB TCU
Linebacker: Krishon Merriweather, LB Texas Tech
Cornerback: Decorian Patterson, CB UCF*
Cornerback: Eddie Heckard, CB BYU*
Safety: A.J. Haulcy, S Houston*
Safety: Jalen Catalon, S Texas
The Third Teams is another fairly even split. Kansas State, Oklahoma State, and West Virginia came up empty, but eight programs had between two and four players selected. UCF led the way with four players, followed closely by Cincinnati, Kansas, and TCU with three.
Arkansas transfer Jalen Catalon, Gabe Hall, and Patrick Paul are three of the most notable selections on the Third Team. Catalon is a former All-SEC safety who received some glowing prospect reviews heading into 2022, but an injury shut down his season. When healthy, Catalon is one of the best safeties in college football.
Hall and Paul are unique athletes. Hall has an excellent build that weight room coaches love, but his physique hasn’t translated into eye-popping production. Paul has some of the longest arms for an offensive lineman in college football. He has received summer draft reports grading him everywhere from the first to fifth round.
Jowon Briggs and Deshawn Pace are holdovers from Cincinnati’s dominant defense that elevated the program to the College Football Playoffs a few years ago. Expect both to see their roles expand this year, especially Pace now that his brother (Ivan Pace Jr.) is off to the NFL.
Jovantae Barnes and A.J. Haulcy are the only members of the Third Team who aren’t draft-eligible. Nine of the 24 players, including all of the defensive backs, are transfers.
Final Outcome and Recap
Texas was the only program with more than seven players across the three All-Conference teams. Kansas, TCU, and UCF tied for second place with seven selections, which is the same number of players the Longhorns had on the First Team alone. Head coach Steve Sarkisian’s team is loaded with talent. If they don’t win the Big 12, it will be one of the biggest letdowns in all of college football.
For reference, Texas’ 11 selections are the fewest among teams to lead Power Five conferences. Georgia led the SEC with 15 players on the preseason All-Conference teams. The Big Ten and ACC leaders had 14 selections, while the top Pac-12 teams had 12.
Oklahoma (six), BYU (five), Houston (five), Cincinnati (four), Iowa State (four), and Texas Tech (four) were the other programs with four or more selections. Baylor, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, and West Virginia tied for the fewest selections with three each.
The Horned Frogs said goodbye to a lot of their top talent after their improbable run to the National Championship last season, but the program still has a handful of impact players. A repeat run seems highly unlikely, but TCU should avoid completely dropping off the map.
Meanwhile, Kansas has a chance to win six or more games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2008-09 thanks to the team’s returning talent. Lance Leipold’s program will rely heavily on Jalon Daniels, but his skill position players are deep and some of the best in the conference.
Speaking of dropping off the map, the Bearcats and new head coach Scott Satterfield will be heavily reliant on transfers this year as the program attempts to rebound from the effects of its success in 2021. UCF is on the other side of the coin.
Among the four new programs joining the Big 12 in 2023 (three from the American Athletic Conference and former independent BYU), UCF and third-year head coach Gus Malzahn are best positioned to make an immediate splash. The Knights have a talented program and proven producer in quarterback John Rhys Plumlee.
The other three programs joining the Big 12 are all in compromised positions. BYU hopes USC and Pittsburgh flop Kedon Slovis can replace star Jaren Hall. Similarly, Cincinnati is putting its faith in Florida and Arizona State transfer Emory Jones (or Evan Prater) after Ben Bryant transferred for the third time in his journeyman career. Houston sent career 11,000-yard passer Clayton Tune to the 2023 NFL Draft and will now rely on unproven Texas Tech transfer Donovan Smith.
Thirteen of the 72 players on the three preseason All-Big 12 Teams are transfers. That’s more than the Big Ten (12) and SEC (ten). The Pac-12 had the most transfers with 18, followed by the ACC’s 16.
Five Additional Breakout Candidates
1. Jared Wiley, TE TCU
2. Steve Linton, Edge Texas Tech*
3. Jalil Farooq, WR Oklahoma
4. Isaiah Neyor, WR Texas
5. KT Leveston, OT Kansas State
Honorable Mentions Offense
Will Howard, QB Kansas State
Emory Jones, QB Cincinnati*
Maalik Murphy, QB Texas
Blake Shapen, QB Baylor
Tyler Shough, QB Texas Tech
Kedon Slovis, QB BYU*
John Rhys Plumlee, QB UCF
Emani Bailey, RB TCU
Jonathon Brooks, RB Texas
Tahj Brooks, RB Texas Tech
R.J. Harvey, RB UCF
Corey Kiner, RB Cincinnati
Isaac Rex, TE BYU
Jake Roberts, TE Baylor*
Austin Stogner, TE Oklahoma*
Jared Wiley, TE TCU
Monaray Baldwin, WR Baylor
Phillip Brooks, WR Kansas State
Devin Carter, WR West Virginia*
Jalil Farooq, WR Oklahoma
Corey Gammage, WR UCF*
Luke Grimm, WR Kansas
Xzavier Henderson, WR Cincinnati*
Keanu Hill, WR BYU
Keagan Johnson, WR Kansas State*
Drae McCray, WR Texas Tech*
Isaiah Neyor, WR Texas
Donovan Ollie, WR Cincinnati*
JP Richardson, WR TCU*
De'Zhaun Stribling, WR Oklahoma State*
Aaron Turner, WR Cincinnati*
Savion Williams, WR TCU
Campbell Barrington, OT Baylor*
Logan Brown, OT Kansas*
Dalton Cooper, OT Oklahoma State*
Christian Duffie, OT Kansas State
Tylan Grable, OT UCF
Christian Jones, OT Texas
KT Leveston, OT Kansas State
Wyatt Milum, OT West Virginia
Walter Rouse, OT Oklahoma*
Jake Springfield, OT Oklahoma State
Gavin Byers, G Baylor
Jarrod Hufford, G Iowa State
Tyler Johnson, G Houston
Luke Kandra, G Cincinnati*
McKade Mettauer, G Oklahoma
Dominick Puni, G Kansas
Trevor Radosevich, G/C Cincinnati*
Darrell Simmons Jr., G Iowa State
Paul Maile, C BYU*
Jake Majors, C Texas
Andrew Raym, C Oklahoma
Rusty Staats, C Texas Tech*
Honorable Mentions Defense
Ricky Barber, IDL UCF
Tony Bradford Jr., IDL Texas Tech
Alfred Collins, IDL Texas
Jordan Kelley, IDL Oklahoma
Chidozie Nwankwo, IDL Houston
Devin Phillips, IDL Kansas*
T'Vondre Sweat, IDL Texas
Isaiah Bagnah, Edge BYU*
Tyler Batty, Edge BYU
Tyrin Bradley, Edge West Virginia*
Josh Celiscar, Edge UCF
Khalid Duke, Edge Kansas State
TJ Franklin, Edge Baylor
Anthony Goodlow, Edge Oklahoma State
Patrick Joyner, Edge Kansas
Steve Linton, Edge Texas Tech*
Sean Martin, Edge West Virginia
Brendan Mott, Edge Kansas State
Shaun Peterson Jr., Edge UCF*
Garmon Randolph, Edge Baylor
Jereme Robinson, Edge Kansas
Barryn Sorrell, Edge Texas
Malik Vann, Edge Cincinnati
Byron Vaughns, Edge Baylor*
Xavier Benson, LB Oklahoma State
Rian Davis, LB UCF*
Daniel Green, LB Kansas State
Dorian Jones, LB Cincinnati*
Matt Jones, LB Baylor
Lee Kpogba, LB West Virginia
Dasan McCullough, LB/Edge Oklahoma*
Rich Miller, LB Kansas
Austin Moore, LB Kansas State
Mike Smith Jr., LB Baylor*
Max Tooley, LB BYU
David Ugwoegbu, LB Houston*
AJ Vongphachanh, LB BYU*
Justin Wright, LB Oklahoma State*
Fred Davis II, CB UCF*
Isaiah Hamilton, CB Houston*
Alex Hogan, CB Houston
Montre Miller, CB West Virginia*
Ja'Maric Morris, CB UCF*
Jakob Robinson, CB BYU
Corey Thornton, CB UCF
Woodi Washington, CB Oklahoma
Billy Bowman, S Oklahoma
Quadric Bullard, S UCF
Aubrey Burks, S West Virginia
Bud Clark, S TCU
Keyshawn Cobb, S West Virginia*
Micah Harper, S BYU
Devin Lemear, S Baylor
DeJordan Mask, S UCF*
Kobe Savage, S Kansas State
Marques Sigle, DB Kansas State*
Marquis Waters, S Texas Tech
Anthony Wilson, S West Virginia*
Jireh Wilson, S UCF*
Craig Young, S Kansas