The Big XII Team Recruiting Rankings
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Several Big XII teams needed to reload with talent in a big way with their 2019 class and several did just that. Four Big XII teams ranked in the top 20 nationally led by Oklahoma who signed the league’s top class.
Oklahoma (1). The Sooners top the rankings because they added five guys: a pair of top 25 junior college prospects and three top 125 level talents out of high school. The biggest name is point guard De’Vion Harmon, a top 50 level player out of Texas who has earned a 4.5 level star recruit. Harmon has the ability to step right in and run this team next year. The Sooners also helped themselves up front with four star center Victor Iwaukor as well as worker combo forward Jalen Hill (ranked 128th overall) plus dipped into the junior college ranks for 6-foot-9 Corbin Merritt out of Daytona State College, the 12th ranked juco prospect in the nation. Shooting guard Alondes Williams (21st among juco players) is the fifth member of the class.
Oklahoma State (2). The Cowboys need an influx of talented and they started that with their 2018 group. The 2019 class will help even more. The 15th ranked class in the nation has two four star top 75 players – 6-foot-5 small forward Marcus Watson out of Georgia and 6-foot-8 power forward Kalib Boone from Oklahoma – plus shooting guard Avery Anderson (a top 150 ranked guard) and Kalib’s 6-foot-7 brother Keylan Boone, a top 200 level player himself. With Anderson, Watson, and the Boones all arriving in Stillwater at the same time the Cowboy fans can feel guard about wing and forward play for several years to come.
Texas Tech (3). The Red Raider basketball program continues to take massive strides under Head Coach Chris Beard. The addition of Jahmius Ramsey gives Coach Beard one of the highest ranked players that Red Raiders basketball has ever signed. He’s a top 30 level McDonald’s All American candidate as a 6-foot-4 point guard. Then you have top 150 shooting guard Kevin McCullar at 6-foot-6 who will enroll in school after Christmas. Tech also signed the number one ranked junior college player in the nation Khalid Thomas, a 6-foot-9 forward that can put numbers up at a couple different positions. The unknown is seven-foot Cameroon center Russel Tchewa.
Texas (4). Sitting on the Texas bench waiting for your time to come? You may want to get used to those role player minutes because Shaka Smart continues to bring in talent, especially up front. The Longhorns have the nation’s 17th ranked class led by five star center Will Baker from right down the street in Austin, Texas. Baker had options to go just about anywhere but the skilled 6-foot-10 big is staying home. Playing next to him up front will be another 6-foot-10 highly ranked big Kai Jones, a four star agile big ranked 81st in the nation. Shooting guard Donovan Williams rounds out Smarts 2019 class as a 3.5-star recruit.
TCU (5). Jamie Dixon is getting things done in Fort Worth. Two top 100 4-star recruits isn’t something that’s been common for the Horned Frogs but that is what they are getting in wings PJ Fuller and Diante Smith. At 6-foot-3 Fuller is a high octane point producer out of Washington while Smith is your prototype 6-foot-6 productive wing. TCU also beat out Davidson for Argentina point guard Francisco Farabello.
West Virginia (6). Oscar Tshiebwe’s commitment to Bob Huggins brought smiles to every face in Morgantown and those grins of excited West Virginia hoop fans extended throughout the mountains to every part of the border. The 6-foot-9 big is a five star stud from Pennsylvania that could of played several places but wanted to be a tough guy in the Huggins system. West Virginia also added Miles McBride, a 6-foot-1 point guard ranked 228th in the country.
Iowa State (7). The Cyclones class of 2019 has three players ranked in the top 225 in the country and all three players are solid three start prospects. Six-foot-7 face-up four-man Luke Anderson had double figure major conference options but the Florida forward signed to play in Ames. Also traveling from the southeast to the middle of Iowa is South Carolina point guard Tre Jackson, a burner with serious battle to him. Finally 6-foot-6 Mercedus Leech out of Missouri should pair with Anderson as a starter for multiple seasons.
Kansas (8). Kansas is 8th? Yeah but understand Bill Self is still looking for the jewels of his class in five star players Matthew Hurt, Jaden McDaniels, and Precious Achiwua, plus some other top 50 level talents as well. The number one prospect in the state of Kansas Christian Braun committed to the Jayhawks as has Arkansas guard Isaiah McBride (another top 150 player). The Jayhawks are ranked low right now but the big pieces that Self has been tracking will be making their choices this winter or this spring.
Kansas State (9). Bruce Weber inked four players ranked in the Prep Hoops top 500 (all of them ranked within the top 400) led by the nation’s 110th ranked player Dajuan Gordon, a shooting guard out of Chicago. Montavious Murphy of Texas is a top 300 level player plus Weber liked what he saw in 6-foot-6 high potential guard Goodnews Kpegeol and 6-foot-8 worker Antonio Gordon out of Texas. It’s a solid group of players all around that should carry the Wildcat success into the future.
Baylor (10). The Bears only need to add two players in this class and so far they are the only team in the conference that has just one player which is why they are listed last, not because of talent. Six-foot-6 forward Jordan Turner is a top 200 ranked player that had offers from most of the league plus Florida and others. Turner signed with Baylor two weeks back.