Alecia SuttonThe Big 12 had a terrific 2016 recruiting haul, collectively. You know it’s a good year when the top two players in the class sign in your conference.
Grading The Conference Curve
Whether it’s having more historically ranked teams or having more campuses near fertile recruiting grounds it’s easy to just add up which conference has the most ranked recruiting classes. But more telling is the progress each conference is having against its own established average. Call it the Conference curve.
| 2016 | ACC | BIG TEN | BIG XII | PAC-12 | SEC | OTHERS |
| Top 20 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| Top Class | #3 Notre Dame | #1 Maryland | #2 Texas | #6 Stanford | #9 Vanderbilt | #10 Connecticut |
| % of AVG | 76% | 154% | 154% | 167% | 31% | 50% |
| Grading Curve | C | A+ | A+ | A+ | F | F |
| 2015 | ACC | BIG TEN | BIG XII | PAC-12 | SEC | OTHERS |
| Top 20 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Top Class | #1 Louisville | #8 Nebraska | #5 Baylor | #13 Cal | #9 Kentucky | #2 Connecticut |
| % of AVG | 76% | 192% | 115% | 100% | 94% | 50% |
| Grading Curve | C | A+ | A+ | A | A | F |
| 2014 | ACC | BIG TEN | BIG XII | PAC-12 | SEC | OTHERS |
| Top 20 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 2 |
| Top Class | #5 Louisville | #2 Ohio State | #3 Texas | #1 UCLA | #10 Vanderbilt | #18 St. Johns |
| % of AVG | 121% | 77% | 38% | 67% | 156% | 100% |
| Grading Curve | A+ | C+ | F | D+ | A+ | A |
| 2013 | ACC | BIG TEN | BIG XII | PAC-12 | SEC | OTHERS |
| Top 20 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| Top Class | #1 UNC | #18 Penn State | #11 Baylor | #6 Stanford | #3 Tennessee | #19 Rutgers |
| % of AVG | 121% | 77% | 38% | 100% | 125% | 100% |
| Grading Curve | A+ | C+ | F | A | A+ | A |
| 2012 | ACC | BIG TEN | BIG XII | PAC-12 | SEC | OTHERS |
| Top 20 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Top Class | #4 Notre Dame | N/A | #2 Texas A&M | #12 UCLA | #5 Tennessee | #1 Connecticut |
| % of AVG | 106% | 0% | 154% | 67% | 94% | 200% |
| Grading Curve | A+ | F | A+ | D+ | A | A+ |
| 5-Year AVG | ACC | BIG TEN | BIG XII | PAC-12 | SEC | OTHERS |
| Top 20 | 6.6 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 3 | 3.2 | 2 |
After a down recruiting season in 2014 the Big 12 is on a two-year tear of elite classes choosing the Southwest. Grabbing four of the top 20 classes, including three in the top eight spots.
Against the five-year average, the Big 12 scores an A+, landing well above the conference average of 2.6 top 20 classes each year. Baylor, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Christian lead the charge but Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and West Virginia also landed top 50 classes.
Best Class
Texas coach Karen Aston and her staff pulled in the No. 2 recruiting class in the country for 2016. Joyner Holmes, the No. 1 overall prospect in the country, headlines Texas’ class and gives them a potential program-changing talent to build around for the next four years. In addition to Holmes, Texas is adding two talented prospects in guard Alecia Sutton and forward Jada Underwood.
Biggest Impact As A Frosh
Texas Christian guard Amber Ramirez has the ability to make an instant impact for coach Raegan Pebley and her staff. Ramirez is a talented perimeter scorer and her offensive tools should allow her to find early playing time for the Big 12 school.
The Strength of the League
The two highest rated players in the class of 2016, Holmes and Lauren Cox are headed to the Big 12. Holmes is headed to Texas while Cox will play at Baylor. While the Big12 has six of the top 50 recruiting classes in the country, no other conference can claim the top two players in the class. Baylor and Texas are certainly at the top of the recruiting world this year but there are some up and coming classes in 2016 worth taking note of. Texas Tech and TCU have made major strides in 2016 and both sets of fans should be excited about the caliber of talent headed to campus.
Keil Moore is the Director of Scouting for the JumpOffPlus.com National Scouting Report and international scouting report. He serves on the Naismith Trophy Board of Selectors and has been a member of the women's basketball community for more than eight years as a trainer and evaluator. He can be reached at keil@prospectsnation.com.
Chris Hansen is managing editor of ProspectsNation.com and serves on the McDonald’s All-American and Naismith Trophy selection committees. He was the national director of scouting for ESPN HoopGurlz from 2005 until 2012 and is the director of the Check Me Out Showcase. He can be reached at chris@prospectsnation.com.
