Big 12 media unveils preseason All

The Big 12 is heading into perhaps its most interesting season since the conference's formation, with a one-year 14-team conference logjam that includes outgoing members in Texas and Oklahoma and four incoming members who are arriving for the first season of their Big 12 tenure. And that gave media members picking the league's annual preseason All-Big 12 team extra to consider.

For the most part, league media members stuck to the familiar: Big 12 newcomers Cincinnati (two), BYU (one), UCF and Houston combined for just three preseason All-Big 12 picks. But that didn't mean the selections lacked intrigue. Conference favorite Texas led the way with five selections, just ahead of last year's Big 12 title game participants TCU and Kansas State, and Kansas, which had four apiece. Oklahoma boasted just one such selection, though Brent Venables could produce more on the postseason version as his transfer class has a chance to prove itself on the field.

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Here's a look at the media's All-Big 12 team for the 2023 season, along with the preseason awards.

Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Jalon Daniels, KansasLast year’s second-team All-Big 12 quarterback (behind Heisman candidate Max Duggan), Daniels missed time with a shoulder injury but still led the nation in Total QBR, completing 66.1% of his passes for 2,014 yards and 18 touchdowns with four interceptions, adding 425 rushing yards and seven scores at 5.5 yards per tote.

Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Jaylan Ford, TexasA first-team All-Big 12 pick a year ago, Ford put up a monster stat line for the Longhorns: 119 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, two sacks, four interceptions (remember: this is a linebacker), three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. There may be a better defensive player in the Big 12 (not sure who it would be), but there’s not a returnee with Ford’s production.

Preseason Newcomer of the Year: Treshaun Ward, Kansas StateA four-star transfer as the No. 62 overall player in the 2023 portal, few players in the entire class look like they fit their new destinations like Ward. Ward rushed 176 times for 1,143 yards and 11 touchdowns over the last two years, and he heads to an offense that thrives on getting the ball to dynamic players in space.

Jalon Daniels, KansasDaniels started the season on a high note, with Kansas ripping off five straight wins and him getting early Heisman Trophy buzz. But he injured his shoulder just before halftime against TCU and didn’t return until the regular season’s final two games, when an obviously not full speed Daniels got his sea legs back. But he ended the year by putting on a show in Kansas’ bowl game, throwing for 544 yards and accounting for six touchdowns in a three-overtime loss to Arkansas.

Richard Reese, BaylorReese came in as a three-star prospect as the No. 54 running back in the 2022 class and rose to the top of the Baylor running back crop, rushing for 972 yards and 14 touchdowns as a true freshman. What kind of sophomore leap is the Bears runner capable of?

Devin Neal, KansasThe Jayhawks had an excellent running back group a year ago, but as injuries mounted, Neal took advantage, accounting for 1,273 total yards and 10 touchdowns. That included back-to-back games where he put up a combined 414 rushing yards and 118 receiving yards.

Ben Sinnott, Kansas State (fullback)The Big 12 has some interesting players who slide from fullback to H-back to tight end, and perhaps non as much as Sinnott. He caught 31 passes for 447 yards and four touchdowns last year and enters this season as one of Will Howard’s favorite returning targets.

Brennan Presley, Oklahoma StateOne of the Big 12’s most productive receivers over the last two years, Presley caught 50 passes for 619 yards and five touchdowns in 2021, then followed that with 67 catches for 813 yards and two touchdowns despite rough quarterback play last year. Presley’s an all-purpose threat: He’s scored a rushing touchdown in each of his three seasons and ran back a kickoff in 2021.

Xavier Worthy, TexasWorthy hauled in 62 passes for 981 yards and 12 touchdowns as a freshman, then had a bit more uneven year in 2022, when he caught 60 passes for 760 yards and nine touchdowns. If that’s uneven, that shows why he’s here: Worthy is potentially the best skill position player in the Big 12 when he’s one, a dynamic player who can get behind defenses with regularity.

Jerand Bradley, Texas TechDon’t get us wrong: Bradley has the numbers from a year ago to be here with 51 catches for 744 yards and six scores. But Bradley is also a player to put a flier on, as few receivers in the conference have his potential to outstrip last year’s production. At 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, don’t be surprised if he pushes among the Big 12 receiving leaders this season.

Ja'Tavion Sanders, TexasQuinn Ewers has an embarrassment of riches in his receiving corps, and that’s only amplified by Texas suiting up one of the nation’s best receiving tight ends. Saunders caught 54 passes for 613 yards and five touchdowns last year, and his numbers might not increase this year with only so many balls to go around. But make no mistake, in key moments this season, defenses will struggle to keep Sanders from getting open and moving the sticks.

Kingsley Suamataia, BYUSuamataia started his career at Oregon, but transferred after a redshirt season. What followed was an All-Freshman Team typer performance as he didn’t allow a sack in 12 games.

Mike Novitsky, KansasSince following Lance Leipold from Buffalo to Kansas, Novitsky has been one of the leaders of an offensive line that has taken major steps forward, and returns four starters from last year’s group.

Cooper Beebe, Kansas StateOffensive linemen don’t typically get these kinds of honors, but Beebe perhaps should have been the pick for preseason Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. The Big 12’s Offensive Lineman of the Year last year, Beebe earned first-team All-America honors.

Kelvin Banks Jr., TexasA five-star prospect, Banks was thrown to the wolves as a true freshman left tackle and well, he proved to be a bigger wolf. A second-team All-Big 12 pick, Banks is surely already on NFL radars, even with (at least) two seasons left to play.

Zach Frazier, West VirginiaFrazier teams with Beebe as the only two offensive line returnees from last year’s All-Big 12 first team (Novitsky and Banks were second-team picks). He has piled up 33 starts at this point, with West Virginia pointing out that he had 11 games without a missed assignment last year.

Dontay Corleone, CincinnatiOne of two All-Big 12 picks for Cincinnati, Corleone proved to be a force on the interior last year, making 45 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks and two forced fumbles. After a big offseason, he could be among the league’s best interior linemen.

Ethan Downs, OklahomaOklahoma upgraded on the edge through the transfer portal, though the lone Sooner to make the All-Big 12 team comes via a returning player. An in-state product, Downs made 38 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks last year and could see his production boost with more around him.

Damonic Williams, TCUWilliams found a spot on the Horned Frogs’ defensive line as a true freshman, making 27 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks on a team that reached the national title game. And after making the presumed sophomore leap, he’ll become a foundational piece of the Horned Frogs’ effort to pull an encore.

Byron Murphy II, TexasAnother interior player who doesn’t rack up the counting stats but helps others do so, Murphy had 26 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss and 1.0 sacks last year. If Texas can generate more off the edge, it will be interesting to see if that opens things up for Murphy to get bigger production numbers.

Jaylon Hutchings, Texas TechHutchings is among the leaders on an underrated Texas Tech front after making 97 tackles and 12 tackles for loss over the last two seasons. Don’t be surprised if his pass-rush numbers approach what he did in 2021, when he had a career-best 3.5 sacks.

Collin Oliver, Oklahoma StateThe Cowboys are moving to a 3-3-5 scheme, meaning Oliver is more likely to play as a linebacker than a true edge player (though he’ll certainly slide up to the edge in certain alignments). He has 23 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks through two seasons, and if the Cowboys can move him around and hide him a bit, he could continue to show efficiency as a pass-rusher.

Johnny Hodges, TCUThe Big 12’s Defensive Newcomer of the Year last year, Hodges arrived from Navy and had a bigger season with the Horned Frogs than he had in his first two years with the Midshipmen: 87 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks. That earned him a spot on the Big 12 second-team a year ago, and makes him one of the league’s best returning linebackers this year.

Jaylan Ford, TexasFord initially committed to Utah before flipping to the Longhorns in the Early Signing Period. And while he showed flashes of what he could be as a sophomore (53 tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss), he truly broke out last year. His all-round statistical profile is so impressive, though the ‘Horns would particularly love it if he could replicate his turnover numbers: four picks, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries.

T.J. Tampa, Iowa StateA key part of the Big 12’s best defense a year ago, Tampa made 39 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss and defended nine passes with one pick. The league’s coaches tapped him as a second-team All-Big 12 pick after the season.

Cobee Bryant, KansasBryant is a playmaker who has picked off five passes over the last two years returning two for touchdowns, including the game-sealing interception to beat West Virginia a year ago. The next key will be finding consistency and turning into a true lock-down guy.

Kobe Savage, Kansas StateA second-team All-Big 12 pick a year ago after making 58 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, picking off three passes and forcing a fumble, Savage will be a key player in a secondary that will rely on some young players in key spots this year.

Kendal Daniels, Oklahoma StateA rangy 6-4 safety, Daniels was among the biggest positives from the Cowboys’ defense a year ago, making 71 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions and forcing a fumble. If Oklahoma State makes a jump in effectiveness on that side of the ball, expect Daniels to be a big reason why.

Josh Newton, TCUNewton and Bryant were both first-team All-Big 12 picks last year. Newton made the most of his transfer from Louisiana Monroe, picking off three passes and returning those interceptions for 114 yards and a touchdown. Counting his time at ULM, he has six picks and 25 passes defended over the last three years.

Kicker: Griffin Kell, TCULast year’s first-team All-Big 12 kicker, Kell made 62-of-64 extra points and 17-of-19 field goals, including a calm 40-yarder as time expired to beat Baylor and keep the Horned Frogs’ College Football Playoff hopes alive after TCU rushed onto the field.

Punter: Mason Fletcher, CincinnatiAAC Special Teams Player of the Year, a third-team All-American and Ray Guy Award finalist, the 6-7 Fletcher averaged 46.3 yards per punt, which led the American and ranked sixth in FBS.

Returner: Phillip Brooks, Kansas StateBrooks is more than a return man; he has 88 catches for 1,130 yards and six touchdowns as a receiver the last two years. But at a school known for producing elite special teamers, Brooks stacks up well with four punt return touchdowns, including one last year, when he averaged 12 yards per punt return.