Big 12 Early Signing Period: Baylor, Texas earn top grades
With the Early Signing Period coming to a close this week, most commitments have put pen to paper and made things official. It’s a perfect time to evaluate the week that was with a conference-by-conference look at the work being done on the recruiting trail. Rivals.com discusses some of the more notable developments in the Big 12.
MORE: Reviewing the Early Signing Period in Big Ten | ACC
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2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2022 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team
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TOP CLASS: Baylor
The headliner of Baylor’s Big 12-leading class is five-star Kendall Brown. We will dive deeper into Brown below, but the group as a whole is every bit as impressive as its most important piece. The three-member class is constructed entirely of four- and five-star players. Joining Brown are No. 56 overall prospect Langston Love and four-star forward Jeremy Sochan, a British international player now competing in Germany.
A four-star guard, Love is a three-level scorer that can knock down mid-range and perimeter shots with regularity. And while his calling card is definitely his scoring, he plays solid defense as well. Sochan spent time playing in the United States before international travel bans forced him to stay overseas earlier this year. Nevertheless, his length and versatility made him a priority for a number of major programs down the stretch. Nobody stateside has seen him play live since the pandemic began, but his trajectory before the shutdown was incredibly encouraging.
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SECOND-BEST CLASS: Texas
The Longhorns’ incredibly deep four-man class includes three Rivals100 prospects in guards Tamar Bates (No. 69) and Emarion Ellis (No. 95) as well as forward David Joplin (No. 97). The class is rounded out by three-star center Keeyan Itejere.
Bates plays for a loaded IMG Academy squad and still managed to look like one of the best players on the floor during an exhibition game at the Hoops Exchange Fall Festival last month. The Longhorns need a wing scorer on next year’s roster and have found just that in the hyper-athletic Bates. He’ll work well with Ellis, who didn’t emerge as a national recruit until this spring. Ellis handles the ball incredibly well and comes equipped with nice length in addition to the necessary strength to finish through contact.
Joplin, who averaged 21 points and 10 rebounds as a junior, gives the class an inside presence with a strong frame and defensive presence.
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TOP-RANKED SIGNEE: Kendall Brown
The No. 14 player in the class, Brown signed with Baylor over Kansas, Ohio State, Minnesota, Arizona and Marquette. The five-star forward is one of the highest-ranked recruits in school history, and he will bring elite athleticism and an ability to get to the rim to Waco. Brown’s upside is off the charts should he continue to develop an outside shot, but he’ll contribute from day one regardless of the strides he takes on that front. The five-star prospect has an NBA ceiling should his game - specifically his jumper - become more refined under Scott Drew.
One of the most celebrated gets in this class, landing Brown despite serious interest from a long list of traditional powers is a testament to how far the Bears have come under Drew’s leadership in the last decade.
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SLEEPER SIGNEE: Jaylon Tyson
Tyson had the feel of a player about to break out this summer before a global pandemic nixed the AAU circuit. So, while he’s not exactly an unknown commodity, Texas Tech could have seen more competition from other major programs had Tyson played in front of college coaches this offseason.
A year ago, Tyson led his high school team to a 40-1 record and its first state title. He has incredible length and a smooth jumper. And while he’s maybe not the most bouncy or athletic prospect in this class, his motor, length and jumper all allow him to impact the game in multiple ways. It seems pretty likely that the Red Raiders are getting a player that will outperform his offer list on the college level.