While five members of the Big 12 Conference earned preseason top 25 honors from On3Sports, their placements do not come without question marks.
In a recent list from On3’s Nick Kosko, each team’s biggest question was highlighted, including Utah, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Arizona, and Kansas.
UTAH – QB/OL
It should go without saying that Kosko is weary of the Utes’ quarterback room due to the injury history of Cam Rising. The California native appears to be healthy and ready to go for the upcoming season, but in the event he has any type of setbacks, Utah added some depth behind him with former five-star quarterback prospect Sam Huard.
KANSAS STATE – LB DEPTH
Chris Klieman and the Kansas State Wildcats were decimated by injuries at linebacker last season, so much so that the team had to start a true freshman at middle linebacker during the final weeks of the season. After losing Daniel Green, Asa Newsom, Jake Clifton, and Beau Palmer all to injury, the depth at the positon should be a position to watch in 2024.
OKLAHOMA STATE – QB
While Oklahoma State is entering the 2024 season with a healthy signal caller under center, many have scoffed at the idea of Alan Bowman leading his team to a Big 12 Championship and the CFP. Bowman is heading into his final year of eligibility in the fall and is fresh off of a career year throwing for more than 3400 yards and a touchdown to interception ratio of 15-14. Can he do it again?
ARIZONA – DL
While Brent Brennan did a solid job of maintaining the roster after Jedd Fisch departed for Washington, the team did take some losses on the defensive line. The Wildcats lost veteran starter Bill Norton to Texas, and will have to promote from within to fill his void. If the Wildcats can find success in the trenches, they should be written in pen as a top-25 team.
KANSAS – BACKUP QB
Similar to that of Cam Rising at Utah, Kansas has had some unfortunate setbacks with Jalon Daniels at the helm. The main difference between this year and last season, however, is not having Jason Bean as a safety net. Should Daniels miss time in the fall, Kansas will have to decide who is capable of stepping into the starting lineup after seeing a successful college quarterback move on with his professional career. The likely suspect is Cole Ballard, who started a handful of games as a freshman, but only time will tell what the future holds in Lawrence.
