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The recruiting trail is about to heat up with summer official visits set to begin in earnest this weekend. Heres one thought on the 2024 class of each Big 12 program before the pot gets boiling.

National rank: 45 Number of commits: 5 Average player rating: 86.32

The Bears have understandably hit the home state hard, with four of the five commitments coming from Texas thus far. But Baylor is also hoping to dip into Arizona for three-star tight end Dillon Hipp. The 6-foot-6, 240-pound prospect and top tight end in the state has a busy June with four official visits: Ole Miss, Arizona State, TCU and Baylor. Fortunately for the Bears, theyre batting cleanup, with Hipp slated to visit Waco on June 23.

National rank: 63 Number of commits: 4 Average player rating: 84.71

The Cougars are working hard to land a quarterback in the 2024 class. BYU missed out on four-star prospect Isaac Wilson to in-state rival Utah, which stung even worse considering hes the younger brother of former BYU star Zach Wilson. Regardless, Kalani Sitake and his staff have a couple more irons in the fire, including three-star Carson Suesue, who made an unofficial visit in March and will transfer to Granger High School in Salt Lake City for his senior year. The Cougars are also pursuing unrated Enoch Watson, the younger brother of incoming BYU linebacker Pierson Watson.

National rank: 21 Number of commits: 9 Average player rating: 87.13

Can the Bearcats maintain their white-hot start to the 2024 recruiting cycle? Despite being the only team in the league to undergo a coaching change this offseason, the Big 12 newcomers currently have a top-25 class that ranks second in the conference. Thats partially a result of already having nine commits, headlined by four-star, top-300 linebacker Qua Birdsong. The rankings will change drastically between now and the early signing period, but it will be interesting to see what else the Bearcats can add this summer and where they wind up in the league pecking order. One of Cincinnatis top remaining targets is four-star quarterback Samaj Jones out of Philadelphia, who has visits scheduled with West Virginia, Cincinnati and Oklahoma in June.

National rank: 90 Number of commits: 1 Average player rating: 84.52

Are we going to see a P5 recruiting bump for the Coogs? Houston currently has the 90th-ranked class nationally dead last in the new Big 12 with only one commit. The Cougars have long had to battle the Group of 5 stigma while recruiting against power-conference foes in one of the most talent-rich states in the country. It will take some time to roll back that ocean, but Houston fans were probably hoping for a quicker impact and faster start on the trail following a disappointing season in 2022. The program needs to come out of the summer visit sessions with some notable progress.

National rank: 31 Number of commits: 7 Average player rating: 85.83

Matt Campbell is getting back to his old development ways. The Cyclones arent completely shying away from bigger swings, including four-star wideout Witt Edwards, who is scheduled to visit in June, and battles with Oklahoma for tight end Cooper Alexander and running back Xavier Robinson. But they are also targeting less-heralded prospects such as in-state receiver Reece Vander Zee, Florida wideout Shamar Rigby, Illinois linebacker Cael Brezina and Brent and Wade Helton, twin offensive linemen out of California. All are expected to make official visits to Iowa State in June.

National rank: 54 Number of commits: 5 Average player rating: 86.62

A few months after Jayhawks defensive backs coach Jordan Peterson scored a commitment from cornerback Jacoby Davis out of Houston just before national signing day, Peterson is continuing to flex his recruiting muscles. He helped Kansas earn a top-four spot for three-star edge rusher Deshawn Warner out of the Phoenix area, and already got a commitment from three-star cornerback Aundre Gibson, Warners teammate and cousin. Peterson is also dipping back into Texas to pursue high-end three-star defensive back Rodney Bimage, who has a 247Sports crystal ball to Texas A&M but will visit Lawrence on June 15.

National rank: 34 Number of commits: 6 Average player rating: 87.25

The vibes are good in Manhattan. The Wildcats are fresh off a 2022 conference championship and locked up head coach Chris Klieman with an eight-year extension this offseason. So theres little sense of panic as Kansas State eases into the 2024 class, although a shuttered airport wont help matters this summer. With a handful of offensive commits in tow, the Wildcats are targeting a pair of high-end three-star edge rushers in Caleb Redd and Wyatt Gilmore, with Redd slated to visit in late June.

National rank: 28 Number of commits: 6 Average player rating: 91.01

Brent Venables caught his share of flack for a slow start to the 2023 recruiting cycle, and all he had to show for it in the end was a top-four class, according to the 247Sports Composite. The Sooners are already off to a solid start in 2024, and despite recently losing four-star, in-state defensive lineman Xadavien Sims to Oregon, they have a stacked list of defensive targets on the radar. Oklahoma appears to be in the drivers seat for five-star defensive lineman Williams Nwaneri, No. 3 overall in the 2024 class, and is pursuing a few other five-star, top-10 recruits in defensive lineman and Oklahoma native David Stone and linebacker Sammy Brown. All three are expected to be in Norman for official visits June 16-18.

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National rank: 35 Number of commits: 6 Average player rating: 87.09

After a rocky end to the 2022 season and considerable talent drain via the transfer portal this offseason, the Pokes could use a strong haul in the 2024 class. Oklahoma State is currently ranked a very respectable 35th overall, but like BYU, also missed out on Wilson, the four-star quarterback who committed to Utah. In better news, the Cowboys were in early on promising three-star offensive lineman Ory Williams, who visited in April, and appear to be in good position on three-star safety David Kabongo, who has set a commitment date for June 12 with an official visit scheduled in Stillwater a couple of days later.

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National rank: 50 Number of commits: 4 Average player rating: 88.14

Expectations are soaring for the Horned Frogs coming off a left-field run to the national title game, and TCU is hoping to capitalize on that momentum while also replenishing a ton of lost production. How soon (and significantly) will the boost in profile show up in recruiting? The Frogs made the top five for four-star safety Jordon Johnson-Rubell, a Fort Worth native playing for IMG (Fla.) Academy. The good news for TCU is that it has a hometown advantage, and Johnson-Rubell is slated for an official visit on June 8. The bad news is the Frogs are competing with Ohio State, Michigan, Texas and USC. This will be a tough one to win, but seeing TCU in more of these blue-chip battles is an encouraging step.

National rank: 64 Number of commits: 3 Average player rating: 88.40

A year removed from signing 18 total blue-chip prospects in the 2023 class which was ranked third overall and headlined by five-star quarterback Arch Manning the Longhorns have just three commits and only one four-star in the 2024 class thus far. But things are set to ratchet up in a big way, particularly June 23-25. Texas is expected to host at least a dozen priority targets that weekend, including four-star offensive lineman Daniel Calhoun; in-state cornerbacks Kobe Black (five-star) and Selman Bridges (four-star); four-star running back Jerrick Gibson; and five-star, in-state edge rusher Colin Simmons, a top-five overall recruit. The Longhorns are hovering in the mid-60s of the national rankings and toward the bottom of the conference, but thats sure to look considerably different entering July.

National rank: 19 Number of commits: 9 Average player rating: 88.21

Head coach Joey McGuire has the Red Raiders cooking again on the recruiting trail as he enters his second season, currently with a top-20 national ranking in the 2024 class. Of Techs nine commitments thus far, three are top-500 prospects, including four-star edge Cheta Ofili and three-star QB Will Hammond. The Red Raiders are also heavily in the mix for five-star, in-state receiver Micah Hudson, currently rated the seventh-best prospect in the 2024 class. He has an official visit scheduled to Lubbock on June 9, when Tech will look to make a strong impression ahead of his visit to the Longhorns later that month.

National rank: 51 Number of commits: 4 Average player rating: 88.05

Top-500 defensive lineman Sincere Edwards is currently the highest-rated commit of UCFs 2024 class. The Orlando native has been committed to his hometown school since last August, but it will be interesting to see if the Knights can hold on to him as his interest continues to grow. Edwards took an unofficial visit to Pitt in April that clearly resonated (with an assist from Aaron Donald) and announced he would be back for an official visit in late June. He remains committed to UCF and has an OV June 9, and getting him to campus wont be a problem. But the sharks are circling.

National rank: 69 Number of commits: 3 Average player rating: 85.56

The Mountaineers are bringing up the rear of the current recruiting rankings among the leagues incumbent members, but they do seem to have some things in the works. Theyre locked in a battle with old rival and new conference foe Cincinnati for Jones, the four-star quarterback out of Philadelphia. WVU might have the advantage, too: Jones is slated to visit this weekend along with high-end three-star wide receiver and high school teammate Brandon Rehmann, with whom the Mountaineers appear to be in a good spot.

(Photo of Steve Sarkisian: Scott Wachter / USA Today)

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Big 12 football recruiting: 14 thoughts on 14 teams as summer visits begin - The Athletic