Phil Steele releases 2023 preseason All-Big 12 team
The upcoming 2023 season has a chance to be one of the more special years in the history of the Big 12. It is certainly unique, since the conference will have a combination of teams they’ve never had before and won’t have again. They just added BYU , UCF, Cincinnati and Houston and are losing Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC next fall.
So for just this year, the Big 12 has 14 teams after they had 10 for a long time. Then, starting next year, the universe will be at peace as the Big 12 drops back to its fitting tally of 12 total teams. The eight remaining teams who were there before all the realignment and will still be there after: Texas Tech, TCU, West Virginia, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Baylor, Kansas State, Iowa State.
With so much talent packed into the conference for just this one season, college football guru Phil Steele decided to name four All-Big 12 teams. You can check those out right here:
First Team Offense
- QB: Dillon Gabriel | Oklahoma
- RB: Devin Neal | Kansas
- RB: Aidan Robbins | BYU
- WR: Jalil Farooq | Oklahoma
- WR: Xavier Worthy | Texas
- WR: De’Zhaun Stribling | Oklahoma State
- TE: Ja’Tavion Sanders | Texas
- C: Zach Frazier | West Virginia
- OG: Cooper Beebe | Kansas State
- OG: Jarrod Hufford | Iowa State
- OT: Kelvin Banks | Texas
- OT: Patrick Paul | Houston
In their final year with the conference, Oklahoma once again has the top passer in the conference, at least in Steele’s eyes. He clearly foresees the Dillon Gabriel-Jalil Farooq combo to work wonders in Norman this fall.
Elsewhere, there’s a surprising name up there in BYU’s Aidan Robbins. The Louisville, KY native is a hoss in the backfield at 6-foot-3 and just put up a 1,000-yard season with UNLV last season. It’s unseen if he can be as productive at the power conference level, but Phil Steele has plenty of faith in the journeyman senior.
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First Team Defense & Specialists
- DE: Gabe Hall | Baylor
- DE: Jowon Biggs | Cincinnati
- DT: Dontay Corleone | Cincinnati
- DT: Damonic Williams | TCU
- LB: Collin Oliver | Oklahoma State
- LB: Jason Johnson | UCF
- LB: Jaylan Ford | Texas
- LB: Danny Stutsman | Oklahoma
- CB: Josh Newton | TCU
- CB: Cobee Bryant | Kansas
- S: Kobe Savage | Kansas State
- S: Kenny Logan | Kansas
- K: Griffin Kell | TCU
- P: Mason Fletcher | Cincinnati
- KR: Jaden Nixon | Oklahoma State
- PR: Phillip Brooks | Kansas State
- LS: Randen Plattner | Kansas State
Some more love for a BIg 12 newcomer here by Phil Steele as he predicts a pair of Bearcat D-linemen as first-team all-conference. He also has a lot of faith in the Kansas secondary, with a cornerback and a safety from the Jayhawks both making the list, one of which is named Cobee Bryant. Surely, he’ll be a fan favorite.
Overall, the first team is pretty balanced, with no single team earning more than four nominations. The two that did were Texas and Kansas State, and one of the Wildcats’ selections is their long-snapper.
And yes, there’s three more teams worth of long snappers and All-Big 12 selections from Phil Steele. You can check out his All-Big 12 second, third and fourth team nominations below:
Second Team
Offense
- QB: Jalon Daniels | Kansas
- RB: Marcus Major | Oklahoma
- RB: CJ Donaldson | West Virginia
- WR: Brennan Presley | Oklahoma State
- WR: Javon Baker | UCF
- WR: Matthew Golden | Houston
- TE: Ben Sinnott | Kansas State
- C: Mike Novitsky | Kansas
- OG: Lokahi Pauole | UCF
- OG: Hadley Panzer | Kansas State
- OT: KT Leveston | Kansas State
- OT: Dominick Puni | Kansas
Defense
- DE: Barryn Sorrell | Texas
- DE: Rondell Bothroyd | Oklahoma
- DT: Jaylon Hutchings | Texas Tech
- DT: T’Vondre Sweat | Texas
- LB: Jamoi Hodge | TCU
- LB: Mike Smith | Baylor
- LB: Rian Davis | UCF
- NB: Kendal Daniels | Oklahoma State
- CB: TJ Tampa | Iowa State
- CB: Korie Black | Oklahoma State
- S: Billy Bowman | Oklahoma
- S: Bud Clark | TCU
Specialists
- K: Bert Auburn | Texas
- P: Ryan Rehkow | BYU
- KR: Keilan Robinson | Texas
- PR: Xavier Townsend | UCF
- LS: Jackson Knotts | Texas Tech
Third Team
Offense
- QB: Quinn Ewers | Texas
- RB: DJ Giddens | Kansas State
- RB: Dominic Richardson | Baylor
- WR: Jordan Whittington | Texas
- WR: Phillip Brooks | Kansas State
- WR: Jaylin Noel | Iowa State
- TE: Mason Fairchild | Kansas
- C: Clark Barrington | Baylor
- OG: Hayden Connor | Texas
- OG: Doug Nester | West Virginia
- OT: McKade Mettauer | Oklahoma
- OT: Christian Jones | Texas
Defense
- DE: Nelson Ceaser | Houston
- DE: Tre’Mon Morris-Brash | UCF
- DT: Justin Kirkland | Oklahoma State
- DT: Ricky Barber | UCF
- LB: Ben Bywater | BYU
- LB: Daniel Green | Kansas State
- LB: Deshawn Pace | Cincinnati
- LB: Austin Moore | Kansas State
- CB: Ryan Watts | Texas
- CB: Rayshad Williams | Texas Tech
- S: Jalen Catalon | Texas
- S: Devin Lemear | Baylor
Specialists
- K: Colton Boomer | UCF
- P: Austin McNamara | Texas Tech
- KR: Ja’Shaun Poke | West Virginia
- PR: Xavier Worthy | Texas
- LS: Luke Hosford | Kansas
Fourth Team
- QB: Will Howard | Kansas State
- RB: Tahj Brooks | Texas Tech
- RB: RJ Harvey | UCF
- WR: Savion Williams | TCU
- WR: Jerand Bradley | Texas Tech
- WR: Lawrence Arnold | Kansas
- TE: Isaac Rex | BYU
- C: Rusty Staats | Texas Tech
- OG: Jason Brooks | Oklahoma State
- OT: Wyatt Milum | West Virginia
- OT: Luke Kandra | Cincinnati
- OT: Kingsley Suamataia | BYU
Defense
- DE: Sean Martin | West Virginia
- DE: Khalid Duke | Kansas State
- DT: Devin Phillips | Kansas
- DT: Jonah Laulu | Oklahoma
- LB: Max Tooley | BYU
- LB: Craig Young | Kansas
- LB: Gerry Vaughn | Iowa State
- NB: Jahdae Barron | Texas
- CB: Eddie Heckard | BYU
- CB: Decorian Patterson | UCF
- S: Aubrey Burks | West Virginia
- S: AJ Haulcy | Houston
Specialists
- K: Seth Keller | Kansas
- P: Oliver Straw | West Virginia
- KR: Jalil Farooq | Oklahoma
- PR: Hobbs Nyberg | BYU
- LS: Lance St. Louis | Texas
Whew, that is quite a bit of names. As mentioned, it’s a pretty balanced list that doesn’t just have the obvious choices penciled in. Like we mentioned with Aidan Robbins, there’s some pretty dark horse selections from Steele. He even made sure to represent every single team in the conference numerous times throughout the list.