On Friday, ESPN released an interesting story ranking the top 100 players in college football.
12 different Big 12 athletes were mentioned on the list, representing seven different teams from the league.
Working in reverse order, the first player from the Big 12 to enter the Top 100 was Arizona defensive back Tacario Davis, who earned the No. 94 spot.
“A possible first-round NFL pick in 2025, Davis had a breakout 2023 season as Arizona finished ranked No. 11 in the country,” the article states. “He was an honorable-mention All-Pac-12 selection but given second-team honors by The Associated Press.”
Davis was followed by another league member on the list, Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson, who earned the 93rd spot and contributed to back-to-back Big 12 selections.
“A top-100 national recruit, Johnson was a huge get for the Wildcats, ranked as the top player in Kansas and the top dual-threat QB in the country,” the article says. “Johnson has legitimate 4.3 speed and is a dangerous runner who played in eight games as a true freshman. He was named the MVP of the first game he started in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. With last season’s starter, Will Howard, transferring to Ohio State, the job is Johnson’s full-time.”
The next Big 12 athlete to earn praise among the nation’s best was Arizona OL Jonah Savaiinaea, who allowed just two sacks in 889 total snaps in 2023. Savaiinaea checked in at No. 85, with the article mentioning, “Savaiinaea was one of the better offensive linemen in the Pac-12 the day he walked onto campus at Arizona in 2022 following a standout career at famed St. Louis High in Hawaii. He has started all 25 games since arriving and has developed into a dominant force in both run and pass blocking. He has played a major role in Arizona’s rise from a one-win team in 2021 to a 10-win team in 2023.”
Kansas’ Cobee Bryant became the second defensive back to earn a spot on the list, checking in at No. 77.
“A lockdown corner who doesn’t get a lot of passes thrown in his direction, Bryant is a two-time first-team All-Big 12 selection who returned for his senior season,” the author wrote. “He is eighth in school history with nine career INTs, and his two pick-sixes are tied for the most at KU all-time.”
Following Bryant is the start of a span of three Big 12 quarterbacks, including Utah’s Cam Rising, Arizona’s Noah Fifita, and Kansas’ Jalon Daniels. Rising earned the No. 53 spot on the list and was highlighted by saying, “A major knee injury sidelined Rising for all of 2023. Before that, he guided the Utes to back-to-back Pac-12 titles, delivering an MVP performance in the 2022 Pac-12 title game. In 2021, he was the first-team All-Pac-12 selection before settling for an honorable mention nod the following season.”
Two spots above Rising, Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita checked in at No. 51 after leading the Wildcats to an impressive 2023 campaign.
“Despite beginning the 2023 season as Arizona’s No. 2, Fifita turned in one of the best seasons by a Wildcats quarterback in school history and guided the Wildcats to seven straight wins to end the season,” the article said. “Had Fifita been the starter from the opener, it’s likely he would have received Heisman votes.”
Just missing the top five Big 12 athletes section on the list, Kansas’ Jalon Daniels earned the No. 40 spot despite missing some key games in 2023. When Daniels is healthy, his game speaks for itself, but as the article’s author noted, the Jayhawks have had some trouble keeping him on the field.
“Last year’s Big 12 Preseason Offensive Player of the Year was sidelined with back problems after just three games,” the story reads. “When healthy, Daniels is one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the country, and he is currently the career leader for completion percentage in Kansas history (63.6%). In 2022, he led Kansas to its first bowl game since 2008, then threw for 544 yards and five TDs and ran for another in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.”
Texas Tech running back Tahj Brooks was listed as the Big 12’s fifth-highest-ranked player, checking in at No. 37.
“Brooks opted to return for his senior year with an eye on becoming the Red Raiders’ all-time leading rusher,” the author wrote. “Though he’s seventh on the school rushing list with 3,052 yards, he’s only 1,167 yards behind No. 1, Byron Hanspard. Last year, Texas Tech leaned on Brooks in conference play, where he averaged 25.7 carries and 130.6 yards per game in the Big 12.”
Earning the No. 24 spot on ESPN’s Top 100 was the fifth and final Big 12 quarterback to be mentioned, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders.
The article discussed Sanders’ lofty upside in the 2025 NFL Draft, saying, “Sanders boasted a remarkable 27-to-3 TD-INT ratio last season playing behind one of the worst offensive lines in college football. If his protection is better, Sanders should rank among the national leaders in every statistical category and is widely considered to be in the running for first quarterback selected in the 2025 NFL draft.”
One of the top receiving threats in all of college football, Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan, earned the 13th spot on the list and cracked the top three among Big 12 athletes.
“A likely first-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft, McMillan is a strong candidate to win the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s best receiver following an incredible sophomore season.,” the article says. “With the departure of Jacob Cowing (90 catches in 2023) for the NFL, T-Mac will become an even more essential piece in Arizona’s offense, and it’s reasonable to expect he’ll face more double-teams than in the past.”
Five spots ahead of McMillan, the reigning Doak Walker Award-winning running back, Oklahoma’s Ollie Gordon earned the No. 8 spot. Gordon was highlighted by the article, which reads, “Gordon was a breakout star in 2023 after rushing for 308 yards in 2022, garnering the most Heisman votes among running backs after leading the country in rushing (1,732) and yards from scrimmage (2,062) in 2023. He was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, a unanimous All-American, and just the fourth sophomore to win the Doak Walker Award. He’s now a Heisman front-runner this season.”
The 12th and final name to appear on the list was none other than Colorado’s Travis Hunter who has been sensational on both sides of the ball for the Buffaloes. Hunter is widely revered as one of the best athletes in all of college football and should be an early draft choice in the 2025 NFL Draft.
“The most talented two-way player of his generation, Hunter has the ability to be an All-American on either side of the ball,” the article says. “For the Buffs to improve off their four-win season a year ago, it will likely require a monster season from Hunter, who is all but guaranteed to leave for the NFL after the season.”
