(CBS Sports)
The long-term survival of the Big 12 is too murky for a crystal ball to accurately predict. The annual off season expansion stories -- save for this year, of course -- have proven shallow, yet stand as a clear sign that no one in this conference is quite sure which direction to go. That's not a promising omen for the future.
In the here and now, though, the Big 12's paramount problem is more identifiable ... and fixable. It's on the recruiting front, namely with Oklahoma and Texas. And the problem is already starting to be rectified.
On Monday night, Texas received a verbal commitment from four-star wide receiver Brennan Eagles of Alief Taylor High School in the Houston area. Eagles, whom 247Sports measures at 6-foot-3 and 214 pounds, is considered the No. 3 overall player in Texas. Per Burnt Orange Nation, Eagles "ran a 4.51 40-yard dash, recorded a 3.99 shuttle time and posted a 37-inch vertical leap" at The Opening, putting him among the "freaks" category for a pass-catcher his size.
Eagles' commitment comes three days after four-star cornerback Jalen Green pledged to the Longhorns; Eagles is Texas' third verbal in the past 10 days. First-year coach Tom Herman is officially on a recruiting tear with his team capturing four of the top five in-state products. The Horns now have the top class in the Big 12 and fourth overall class in the country. Though 14 commits this time of year is huge, quality matters more than quantity until we get closer to National Signing Day.
Oklahoma has done well on the trail, too, since Lincoln Riley took over as the Sooners' coach in early June. Riley and his staff have landed seven verbal commits to give his team the No. 9 overall class. First-year coaches can have it tough on the recruiting front since they typically have to salvage or otherwise patch together a class within one to two months. Even with the "excitement bump," that first class doesn't always represent what a coach is trying to do. Riley won't have to worry about that. The players he's recruiting now and in December/January are a reflection of him.
Read more at CBS Sports
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