Ranking the Top 10 most impactful Big 12 players ahead of the college football season
The 2024 season is nearly here. Rejoice! With Week 0 just around the corner, I’m unveiling my Top 10 players from each power conference and then unveiling the Top 25 players nationally.
This is a fun, but tough exercise. In these loaded conferences — especially the SEC and Big Ten — whittling down to just 10 guys is nearly an impossibility.
But that’s what makes it fun!
Real stars and All-Americans don’t even make the cut.
I unveiled my Top 10 SEC players Monday, and yesterday looked at the 10 most impactful players from the Big Ten and then the ACC/Notre Dame.
We wrap up the conference series with a look at the Big 12. Although there weren’t as many tough cuts, there’s still some All-Conference candidates who were left on the cutting room floor.
As a reminder, this is not a list of the 10 best future pros — although that does factor into my equation. But ultimately, it’s my Top 10 most impactful players in the Big Ten, right now, heading into the 2024 season.
So debate away.
Honorable Mention: DT Dontay Corleone, Cincy; OL Jonah Savaiinaea, Arizona; RB Devin Neal, Kansas; QB Jalon Daniels, Kansas; QB Cam Rising, Utah
10. CB Tacario Davis, Arizona
Along with McMillian and Fifita, keeping Davis in Tuscon was a major win for Brent Brennan’s program this offseason. The 6-4 corner flirted with transferring for months before opting to stick with Arizona. In 2023, Davis had more PBUs (15) than catches allowed (11). He has just one career pick, so maybe he turns those breakups into more game-changing plays in 2024?
9. DB Jeremiah Cooper, Iowa State
Cooper was the ball-hawking playmaker for the stingiest defense in the Big 12 last season, intercepting five passes (one a pick-six) with another 10 PBUs and a pair of forced fumbles. The Iowa State safety doesn’t have the name cache of others on this list, but there won’t be many more impactful players in Big 12 this fall than Cooper.
8. RB RJ Harvey, UCF
Harvey had had a mostly middling career before the 2023 season, and then the speedy Knight went MOON ZOOM! as a fifth-year senior. The Citronauts’ tiny tailback (5-8, 190) finished last season with 1,417 yards and was a home run threat anytime he had a little space (17 rushes over 20 yards, second behind only Gordon). The sixth-year senior might not have the same overall production sharing carries with UCF transfers KJ Jefferson and Peny Boone this fall, but he still will be a key focal point of Gus Malzahn’s offense.
7. RB Tahj Brooks, Texas Tech
If not for Gordon, Brooks would be considered the top tailback in the Big 12 this fall. Texas Tech’s bowling ball (5-9, 230) was impossible to tackle during his senior season, forcing 96 missed tackles (fourth-most nationally), and rushing for 1,000 yards after contact. Brooks opted to return to Lubbock for a fifth season and he stands a great chance at setting the school’s all-time rushing record.
6. QB Noah Fifita, Arizona
Like Gordon, Fifita didn’t become Arizona’s full-time starter until the end of September, but once he took over the QB1 job, the 5-11, 194-pound redshirt freshman never gave it back. Fifita benefits from getting to throw to best-buddy Tetairoa McMillian, but he’s a playmaker in his own right. He’s no running threat but Fifita excels at sticking in the pocket and delivering seeds downfield — oftentimes for explosive plays. He finished the year with nearly 3,000 passing yards with 25 touchdowns and six picks — numbers that should only go up in his second season as a full-time starter.
5. QB Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
While there’s plenty of other hot air around Colorado’s program, Sanders proved it wasn’t all talk about him being an instant threat as a P5 starting quarterback. He certainly struggled with pressure and pocket awareness at times (nation-high 49 sacks), but he was deadly accurate (70% completion) and took care of the football (27 touchdowns to just three picks). The Buffs don’t lack weapons on the perimeter, so if Deion Sanders has truly upgraded his son’s protection, Shedeur could be in store for a showcase season as a top 2025 NFL Draft pick.
4. OL Wyatt Milum, West Virginia
The Mountaineers lost center Zach Frazier to Pittsburg Steelers and they still return the best offensive lineman in the Big 12 this fall. Milum is WVU’s mountain man at left tackle. The senior began his career on the right side, but since switching to left tackle in 2022, Milum has graded out as an elite pass-blocking tackle. According to PFF, he had the second-highest grade of all FBS tackles in 2023.
3. WR Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona
McMillian is a 6-5, 210-pound T-Rex with octopus arms. He swallows up everything with maybe the best catch-radius and pure hands in the country. He never drops passes (lowest rate nationally) was second to only Rome Odunze for contested catches last season (17). McMillian has a mind-meld chemistry with quarterback Noah Fifita, who he’s played with since middle school. Overall, he finished with 90 catches for 1,400 yards and 10 scores, giving the Wildcats the best X-receiver in the country.
2. RB Ollie Gordon, Oklahoma State
Despite not taking over the RB1 reigns until Week 4, Gordon, the Doak Walker Award winner, led the nation in rushing with over 1,700 yards. He scored 21 touchdowns (second-most in the country), and had nine games with at least 118 yards. Gordon is a balanced, physical runner who can churn out first downs but also hit the gas and create chunk plays (21 runs over 20 yards, most in the nation).
1. CB/WR Travis Hunter, Colorado
Is he a corner, a receiver or both at the next level? It doesn’t right now. In college, Hunter is simply a DUDE. He makes plays on all three phases for the Buffs and averaged over 100 snaps in the games he was healthy in 2023. He’s a dangerous receiver, but he’s even more impressive as a corner where he has innate instincts, elite body control and a wideout’s hands.