This article previews the Big 12 conference from a Devy perspective. We will look at the top prospects in the conference, the biggest risers, the top transfers, the top freshman, and some sleepers to keep an eye on. But first, some words on the Big 12 conference outlook.
Conference Outlook
What’s happening to the Big 12 conference? What’s happening to the college football landscape in general? We are on a path to two major conferences, the SEC and the Big 10. Where does that leave a conference like the Big 12? Well, not in a great position. It’s already been confirmed that the two best teams in the conference, Texas and Oklahoma, are leaving the Big 12 for the SEC by as early as 2024.
After a decade-plus of mediocre play, Texas finally looks like it will be relevant again and a perennial contender. Oklahoma has had its moments over the last five years with Lincoln Riley at the helm. However, Riley left for USC this offseason, so Oklahoma’s current trajectory is unknown. Once Texas and Oklahoma leave the conference, it will be interesting to see how the Big 12 looks, but it most assuredly will not be considered in the same realm as the SEC or the Big 10. Not being in a powerhouse conference will change the landscape from a Devy perspective, with fewer high-profile players choosing to play in the conference.
Devy Outlook
The Big 12 is a very top-heavy conference from a Devy perspective. It has four players as a consensus top 15 ranked Devy players, with three of those guys playing at Texas. However, there is very little depth below the top.
Let’s look at some of the Big 12’s top prospects!
Top Prospects
Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas, 2023
Consensus Dynasty Nerds Devy Rank: #1 overall & RB1
Jay Stein’s Devy Rank: #1 overall & RB1
Click this LINK for a Dynasty Nerds devy spotlight profile of Bijan Robinson.
Robinson is a 247Sports composite 5-star out of Tucson, Arizona. He dominated the Texas backfield as a true freshman and had similar results his sophomore year. In the devy community, Robinson is touted as the best RB prospect since Saquon Barkley. After his freshman year, he has been consistently the #1 devy RB and usually the first non-QB devy off the board in devy drafts.
Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas, 2024
Consensus Dynasty Nerds Devy Rank: #10 overall & WR3
Jay Stein’s Devy Rank: #10 overall & WR4
Worthy is a 247Sports composite 4-star out of Fresno, California. Worthy put up ridiculous production in his freshman year in the Steve Sarkisian offense. He’s off to a fantastic start to his college career, but he still has two more seasons of college football before he can be drafted into the NFL.
Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas, 2024
Consensus Dynasty Nerds Devy Rank: #11 overall & QB4
Jay Stein’s Devy Rank: #9 overall & QB4
Quinn Ewers is a 247Sports composite 5-star out of Southlake, Texas. A 5-star ranking is an incredible achievement, but for some reason, that seems inadequate to describe how highly touted of a high school prospect Ewers was. He received a perfect (1.0000) 247 composite score and has been the talk of the devy community for a few years now.
In a surprise to many last year, Ewers re-classified into the 2021 freshman class, signed on with Ryan Day and the Buckeyes, and got an incredible NIL deal for the year. After learning what he could from Day and the Buckeyes, and given the depth chart situation in Columbus, Ewers decided to transfer to Texas to play for head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns. It’s not locked in yet, but it is primarily thought that Ewers will win the starting job at Texas and show what he can do at the collegiate level. Ewers is a class of 2024 guy, so you will have to wait two seasons before he’s eligible to move to your NFL squad.
Quentin Johnston, WR, TCU, 2023
Consensus Dynasty Nerds Devy Rank: #14 overall & WR5
Jay Stein’s Devy Rank: #7 overall & WR3
Click this LINK for a Dynasty Nerds Devy profile on Quentin Johnston.
Johnston is a 247Sports composite 4-star out of Temple, Texas. From a market share perspective, Johnston has produced well in his first two seasons at TCU. But the thing that stands out most about him is his size. He currently measures in at 6’4″ and 214lbs. If he produces for another year, I can see NFL scouts drooling over his measurable for the 2023 draft.
Marvin Mims, WR, Oklahoma, 2023
Consensus Dynasty Nerds Devy Rank: #37 overall & WR14
Jay Stein’s Devy Rank: #45 overall & WR16
Click this LINK for a Dynasty Nerds Devy profile on Marvin Mims.
Mims is a 247Sports composite 4-star out of Frisco, Texas. I’m a bit lower on Mims than my fellow Nerds, but I still think he is one of the better Devy assets in the Big 12 conference. With Lincoln Riley going to USC and all the transfers that ensued, Mims decided to stay in Oklahoma this year. Let’s see if he can establish a good connection with his new QB, transfer Dillon Gabriel, and put up another good year of production.
Devy Biggest Risers
Devin Neal, RB, Kansas, 2024
Consensus Dynasty Nerds Devy Rank: #44 overall & RB17
Jay Stein’s Devy Rank: #41 overall & RB14
Neal is a 247Sports composite 3-star out of Lawrence, Kansas. Neal is a two-sport athlete at Kansas, where he plays both football and baseball. Neal fielded offers from many high-caliber schools but wanted to be a part of turning around the Kansas football program. Last year, statistically, Neal had a pretty stellar true freshman season. And he always seems to show up for the big games. He put up 143 yards and three TDs on 24 rushing attempts combined with two receptions for 26 yards and another TD against Texas. And he also put up 100 yards and two TDs on 23 rushing attempts against Oklahoma. Texas and Oklahoma arguably are the top two opponents in the conference.
Kendre Miller, RB, TCU, 2023
Consensus Dynasty Nerds Devy Rank: #95 overall & RB35
Jay Stein’s Devy Rank: #57 overall & RB18
Miller is a 247Sports composite 3-star out of Mount Enterprise, Texas. Kendre Miller showed some flashes last year and had greater than 100-yard rushing games against Kansas, Kansas St., and Texas Tech. Miller has been sharing the backfield with Zach Evans, but Evans decided to transfer to Ole Miss this offseason. It looks likely that Miller will get the first crack at the starting RB role this season; however, he will need to be on his game early because some formidable upperclassmen will be pushing for the start and more share right away.
Kaden Prather, WR, West Virginia, 2024
Consensus Dynasty Nerds Devy Rank: #136 overall & WR47
Jay Stein’s Devy Rank: #40 overall & WR15
Prather is a 247Sports composite 4-star out of Germantown, Maryland. Prather played sparingly last year as a true freshman, only logging 12 receptions for 175 yards and zero TDs. The thing that stands out about Prather is his size; he checks in at 6’4″ and 211lbs. That size is precisely what you are looking for when you think about a prototype WR. Former 5-star QB JT Daniels, a transfer from Georgia, will be the new QB for Prather this year. Although I’m not a big fan of Daniels, it looks like the new West Virginia offense will be taking a lot more deep shots this year, which should benefit Prather and makes him a guy that can rise devy rankings in a hurry.
Big 12 Devy Top Transfers
Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas, 2024
Discussed in Top Prospects
Agiye Hall, WR, Texas, 2024
Consensus Dynasty Nerds Devy Rank: #76 overall & WR22
Jay Stein’s Devy Rank: #60 overall & WR22
Hall is a 247Sports composite 4-star out of Valrico, Florida. Hall committed to Alabama and played sparingly last year. He did end up with two catches for 52 yards in the National Championship game after the Tide lost both Jameson Williams and John Metchie to injuries. It wasn’t exactly clear why Hall didn’t play much for Alabama, other than that Bama had pretty good depth in the WR room, and Hall may have found his way to the Saban ‘dog house’ at a couple of points in the year. Hall has the size and ability to be a phenomenal WR prospect, so let’s see if he can put it all together on his new Texas team.
Dillon Gabriel, QB, Oklahoma, 2023
Consensus Dynasty Nerds Devy Rank: N/A
Gabriel is a 247Sports composite 3-star out of Mililani, Hawaii. He played three years at the University of Central Florida and transferred to Oklahoma this offseason. Jeff Lebby, Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator and QB coach, coached Gabriel at UCF. So it seems like there will be some familiarity with the system immediately. Look for Gabriel to put up another 3,000 yards passing and 30 or so passing TDs this season for Oklahoma.
Honorable mentions: Baylor Cupp, TE, Texas Tech; JT Daniels, QB, West Virginia; & Adrian Martinez, QB, Kansas St.
Big 12 Devy Top Freshman
Jaydon Blue, RB, Texas, 2025
Consensus Dynasty Nerds Devy Rank: #29 overall & RB12
Jay Stein’s Devy Rank: #30 overall & RB13
Blue is a 247Sports composite 4-star out of Houston, Texas. He is ranked as the 15th best RB in the country in the 2022 class, according to 247Sports. He measures in at 5’11” and 205lbs. He’ll join a loaded backfield at Texas, playing behind the #1 Devy player in the country in Bijan Robinson.
Talyn Shettron, WR, Oklahoma St., 2025
Consensus Dynasty Nerds Devy Rank: #111 overall & WR38
Jay Stein’s Devy Rank: #79 overall & WR25
Shettron is a 247Sports composite 4-star out of Edmond, Oklahoma. He is ranked as the 19th best WR in the country in the 2022 class, according to 247Sports. He measures in at 6’3″ and 185lbs. Look for him to work his way up the depth chart and get some playing time this year.
Gavin Sawchuk, RB, Oklahoma, 2025
Consensus Dynasty Nerds Devy Rank: #92 overall & RB34
Jay Stein’s Devy Rank: #94 overall & RB36
Sawchuk is a 247Sports composite 4-star out of Littleton, Colorado. He is ranked as the seventh best RB in the country in the 2022 class, according to 247Sports. He measures in at 5’11” and 185lbs. Look for him to compete for touches with Eric Gray early in the season.
DJ Allen, WR, TCU, 2025
Consensus Dynasty Nerds Devy Rank: #112 overall & WR39
Jay Stein’s Devy Rank: #111 overall & WR35
Allen is a 247Sports composite 4-star out of Gladewater, Texas. He is ranked as the 40th best WR in the country in the 2022 class, according to 247Sports. He measures in at 5’11” and 190lbs.
Honorable mentions: Ollie Gordon, RB, Oklahoma St.; Nick Evers, QB, Oklahoma; & Maalik Murphy, QB, Texas
Big 12 Devy Sleepers
Deuce Vaughn, RB, Kansas St., 2023
Consensus Dynasty Nerds Devy Rank: #58 overall & RB22
Jay Stein’s Devy Rank: #82 overall & RB30
Vaughn is a 247Sports composite 3-star out of Round Rock, Texas. He is electric on the field. His size is the only thing holding him back from being a genuine NFL prospect. Vaughn measures in at 5’6″ and 176 lbs. Although he has tremendous production on the field, he may be too small for that to translate to the NFL. This article is about Devy players; however, if you are playing in C2C or CFF, Vaughn would be a more highly sought-after guy given how well he has produced on the field.
Eric Gray, RB, Oklahoma, 2023
Consensus Dynasty Nerds Devy Rank: #75 overall & RB28
Jay Stein’s Devy Rank: #100 overall & RB40
Gray is a 247Sports composite 4-star out of Memphis, Tennessee. Gray transferred to Oklahoma from the University of Tennessee last year, and the hype was real. So much so that he was drafted in the second to fourth rounds in start-up Devy drafts the previous year. Unfortunately, Gray didn’t produce much on the field last year. Hopefully, with Kennedy Brooks moving on to the NFL and a new coaching staff, Gray gets an opportunity to shine as the Sooners’ lead back.
Ja’Tavion Sanders, TE, Texas, 2024
Consensus Dynasty Nerds Devy Rank: #146 overall & TE13
Jay Stein’s Devy Rank: #124 overall & TE9
Sanders is a 247Sports composite 5-star out of Denton, Texas. Sanders has the build to be an NFL TE at 6’4″ and 249 lbs. After not playing last year, it looks like Sanders is in line for the starting TE spot in what will likely be a potent Longhorn offense. Look for Sanders to rise up the Devy ranks with a promising sophomore season.
Honorable mentions: Hunter Dekkers, QB, Iowa St.; Jordan Whittington, WR, Texas; Taye McWilliams, RB, Baylor; & Jalin Farooq, WR, Oklahoma
Conclusion
Hard to know what the Big 12 conference will look like in a few years with Texas and Oklahoma moving over to the SEC. But right now, the Big 12 has some Devy stars in Bijan, Worthy, Ewers, Johnston, and Mims. We also talked about a few guys that could be risers in the Devy ranks, with some good years in Neal, Miller, and Prather. Then we looked at the top freshman entering the conference and the top transfers into the conference. And finally, we looked at some sleepers. Hopefully, this Big 12 Devy preview will help you prepare for your Devy drafts and Devy leagues.
If you are interested in learning more about Dynasty/Devy fantasy football, please follow along on Twitter @_jasonstein and let me know what questions you have and how I can help.
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