College football recruiting: Top commits for each of the Big 12's programs

The Big 12 is not often featured atop the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings, but the conference has made its presence felt to some extent in the 2026 cycle.

As of Oct. 23, the 16 programs in the conference combine to hold 33 commitments from blue-chip prospects, per the Rivals Industry Ranking. Texas Tech now checks in atop the team rankings in the conference and has five blue-chippers in its 2026 class. BYU and Baylor each have four blue-chip commitments apiece.

Below are the top commitments for each of the 16 programs this cycle:

Arizona — QB Oscar Rios

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 178 NATL. (No. 12 QB)
School: Downey (Calif.)
About: Rios kept a lowkey recruitment upon coming back on the board with a decommitment from Purdue. He took his official visits, and while Kentucky set the bar high and UCLA made a splash, it was the Wildcats that made the best impression. As a junior for Downey, Rios hurled for more than 2,500 yards and 22 touchdowns to six interceptions. He also rushed for over 700 yards and an additional 11 scores. Rios has found the end zone 74 times across the last two seasons.

Arizona State — QB Jake Fette

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 82 NATL. (No. 7 QB)
School: Del Valle (Texas)
Elite 11 Review: “Fette was the most explosive mover among the Elite 11 Finalists. A twitched-up athlete, Fette showed eye-catching reactive quickness throughout the week. We came away from Day 1 thinking that Fette moved at a different speed than most others. We continued to see flashes of that explosive burst throughout the week. He also showed a live arm. While Fette had a bumpy 7-on-7 session on Day 3, the movement skills were evident.”

Baylor — EDGE Jamarion Carlton

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 61 NATL. (No. 11 EDGE)
School: Temple (Texas)
On the decision: “It’s family down there. They make you feel love. Everything about it is love,” he told Rivals about the Bears. “I love how they communicate. Every Monday morning I get a big text from the whole coaching staff. They have been consistent with contact a lot … I love how they practice. They’re gonna have a good year this year … they’re gonna be up there in the Big 12.”

BYU — QB Ryder Lyons

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 33 NATL. (No. 5 QB)
School: Folsom (Calif.)
Coach’s Take: “I just think he’s a phenomenal athlete. You take a look at a kid who, he has a basketball background. It’s not that he’s a superstar in the basketball court or anything, but you do see a guy that’s very athletic. So he’s able to just create. He’s one that, yes, he could use his legs to end up, having a 50 yard run out there, but he’s also going to do a real good job using his legs just to create space and buy just a little bit more time to end up making a big play down field. That’s something that is pretty common that you’d see on him. If there was a Heisman Trophy that would go out to high school football, you would imagine that Ryder would definitely be in the mix for that just with his style of play. He’s just a big-time play maker, and it comes very natural to him too. So that’s that’s the awesome part.” — Quarterback trainer Danny Hernandez

Cincinnati — DL Lance Dawson

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 530 NATL. (No. 55 DL)
School: Avon (Ohio)
About: Cincinnati jumped in the mix for the in-state prospect and landed his pledge during official visit season on June 16. Dawson is currently one of six in-state pledges for Scott Satterfield and the Bearcats. At 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, Dawson is a top-30 recruit in Ohio and plays for a top-10 high school program in the state.

Colorado — DL Emanuel Ruffin

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 197 NATL. (No. 21 DL)
School: Bessemer City (Ala.)
On the decision: “Coach Prime was really straightforward, forward, and one of the most real coaches I have met,” Ruffin told Rivals’ Chad Simmons. “Coach Sapp was the same way. He is very detail-oriented and wants the best out of his players. He has a lot of experience playing the position and coaches hard. I’m excited to be a part of the journey and eager to be coached by the Hall of Famer.”

Houston — QB Keisean Henderson

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 15 NATL. (No. 4 QB)
School: Legacy SSS (Texas)
Elite 11 Review: “Henderson owns one of the highest upsides among the Elite 11 Finalists. The Houston commit is a loose coordinated athlete with a strong arm. Henderson had highlight moments on each day of action, making some of the best throws we saw all week. His pass on a deep corner route during his pro day was the best throw we saw on Day 2. He was very aggressive during 7-on-7, finishing 14 of 25 with three touchdowns and zero interceptions. Initially considered as an athlete prospect, Henderson has blossomed into a promising quarterback and has made nice strides with his mechanics over the past year. We’re eager to see if he can carry those improvements into the fall during his senior season.”

Iowa State — WR Jeffrey Roberts

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 531 NATL. (No. 80 WR)
School: Dowling Catholic (Iowa)
About: The 6-foot pass-catcher checked in at No. 242 in the latest Rivals300 rankings. Roberts has been committed to the in-state program since Jan. 7 and remains locked in with Matt Campbell and the Cyclones. Roberts is also the lone in-state recruit committed to Iowa State this cycle. Dowling Catholic is currently the No. 1 high school program in Iowa, per the Rivals Composite Rankings.

Kansas — S James Dunnigan Jr.

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 136 NATL. (No. 14 S)
School: Manhattan (Kan.)
On the decision: “They are investing a lot into the program at Kansas,” Dunnigan told Rivals’ Chad Simmons. “They are building a new stadium, they are building a new city around the stadium and they are hungry. It is about change at Kansas and I can be a big part of that. There is a new life in the program and they are preparing to do big things.”

Kansas State — EDGE Tucker Ashford

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 440 NATL. (No. 48 EDGE)
School: Fort Worth Christian (Texas)
On the decision: “The biggest reason I chose Kansas State is because of the love within the program — between not only players, but coaches. They all showed crazy love,” Ashford told Rivals’ Sam Spiegelman. “I knew it was gonna be Kansas State after the last official visit I took. I took a lot of time and really thought about what would be best for me and I decided on Kansas State.”

Oklahoma State — EDGE Landon Bland

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 742 NATL. (No. 80 EDGE)
School: Carthage (Mo.)
About: Bland committed to Oklahoma State back in March and is one of just six commits still in the fold following the firing of longtime head coach Mike Gundy this fall. Bland has been on the road visiting other programs this fall, too. Purdue, Michigan, Wisconsin and Arkansas are among those that have been mentioned with the 6-foot-4, 215-pounder. Bland is Rivals’ No. 6 recruit in Missouri

TCU — EDGE Jesse Ford

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 214 NATL. (No. 27 EDGE)
School: Martin (Texas)
On the decision: “The coaches treat me so well and this is somewhere I would want to be for the rest of my college career,” Ford told Rivals. “We are building something no one’s ever going to expect … I just wanted to stay home and put on for my city.”

Texas Tech — EDGE LaDamion Guyton

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 7 NATL. (No. 2 EDGE)
School: Benedictine Military School (Ga.)
Scouting Summary: “Explosive, powerful pass rusher with elite bend around the edge at an early stage. Flashes high-end first-step quickness. Stays very low while running the arc, dipping his shoulder to shirk offensive tackles. Converts speed to power with ease. Also shows early signs of good hand usage, quickly disengaging on contact. Plays with a high motor and pursues plays from sideline to sideline. Productive in his first two varsity seasons at Savannah (Ga.) Savannah Christian, totaling 33 tackles for loss while playing alongside Five-Star Plus+ defensive lineman Elijah Griffin. Transferred to Savannah (Ga.) Benedictine Military for his junior season. Can improve his finishing ability in the backfield, as his ability to disrupt doesn’t always manifest in dominant stats. Length and frame are average for the position.”

UCF — EDGE Alhassan Iddrissu

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 322 NATL. (No. 32 EDGE)
School: St. Thomas More (Conn.)
About: Originally hailing from Modesto, Calif., Iddrissu plays for the premier high school program in Connecticut and is currently set to head to Orlando at the next level. His stock rose ahead of his senior campaign and he currently headlines the pledge list for returning head coach Scott Frost and the UCF staff. He committed on June 12 and also holds offers from the likes of Michigan, USC, Florida State and Washington.

Utah — OT Kelvin Obot

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 52 NATL. (No. 7 OT)
School: Fruitland (Idaho)
Scouting Summary: “A hyper-athletic offensive tackle who has one of the highest upsides at the position in the 2026 cycle. One of the top prospects from the state of Idaho in recent memory. Measured at over 6-foot-5.5, 300 pounds with arms over 34 inches before his senior season. Lines up at both offensive tackle spots for his high school team. Truly dominates the level of competition. A fantastic functional athlete who is an effortless mover. Shows outstanding reactive quickness in pass protection, quickly resetting his feet. An effortless mover to the second level. Drives undersized defensive linemen off the ball at will. Plays with strong leverage, sinking his hips and firing up through the defensive linemen. Plants the opposition in the dirt at a high rate. Also lines up at defensive line, racking up 52 tackles and six sacks. Plays for former first-rounder and All-Pro offensive tackle Jordan Gross at Fruitland High School. Also a top thrower in track and field, winning state titles in the shot put (54-3 feet) and discus (155 feet) as a junior. Unproven in a neutral setting, and plays a lower level of competition in rural Idaho. May need some time to adjust to the speed of the game at the college level, but has the upside to develop into a top college offensive tackle and eventual early-round NFL Draft pick.”

West Virginia — RB Christopher Talley

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 482 NATL. (No. 31 RB)
School: Whitehaven (Tenn.)
On the decision: “I know that Coach Rodriguez has run the ball a lot and had a lot of 1,000-yard rushers at every school he’s been at,” Talley told WV Sports’ Keenan Cummings. “And I love the spread offense and with my speed I could get into open space.”