Which Big 12 Team Is Quietly Dominating the 2026 Recruiting Race? Find Out Now

As May rolls around, spring football wraps up, the frenzy of the transfer portal winds down, and summer recruiting looms on the horizon. It’s that pivotal moment when programs either lock in their 2026 recruiting classes early or scramble to catch up — and the landscape is already shaping up in fascinating ways. USC’s crushing it with 25 commitments, while Clemson, Kansas, and USF aren’t far behind, each boasting 14. Meanwhile, stalwarts like Penn State, Illinois, and North Carolina have steadied the ship with a solid 13 commitments apiece. Yet, Big 12 teams like Colorado and Utah are only just dipping their toes in, with fewer than three pledges each, and others like Kansas State and Arizona hovering around the low single digits. There’s still plenty of daylight left for these programs to make significant moves — recruiting weekends in May and June will prove critical for shaking up rankings and shifting momentum heading deeper into the cycle. With 2026 recruiting primed to dominate college football chatter soon, let’s dive into where each Big 12 team currently stands in 247Sports’ composite team rankings and what that might mean moving forward. LEARN MOREFive-star commits: 0National ranking: 34 (previous ranking No. 79)Four-star commits: 0Total commits: 5

National ranking: 44 (previous No. 65)The calendar has turned to May, which means the end of spring football, the close of the transfer portal and the start of the summer recruiting cycle.Several top programs have already solidified the core of their 2026 classes early in the process. That includes USC with 25 commitments, Clemson, Kansas, and even USF with 14. Penn State, Illinois, Iowa State, North Carolina, Louisville, and Arkansas all have 13. Other programs are just getting started. Just in the Big 12, Colorado and Utah both have under three commitments, while Kansas State has three and Arizona has five.Several top programs have already solidified the core of their 2026 classes early in the process. That includes USC with 25 commitments, Clemson, Kansas, and even USF with 14. Penn State, Illinois, Iowa State, North Carolina, Louisville, and Arkansas all have 13. Other programs are just getting started. Just in the Big 12, Colorado and Utah both have under three commitments, while Kansas State has three and Arizona has five.Several top programs have already solidified the core of their 2026 classes early in the process. That includes USC with 25 commitments, Clemson, Kansas, and even USF with 14. Penn State, Illinois, Iowa State, North Carolina, Louisville, and Arkansas all have 13. Other programs are just getting started. Just in the Big 12, Colorado and Utah both have under three commitments, while Kansas State has three and Arizona has five.Several top programs have already solidified the core of their 2026 classes early in the process. That includes USC with 25 commitments, Clemson, Kansas, and even USF with 14. Penn State, Illinois, Iowa State, North Carolina, Louisville, and Arkansas all have 13. Other programs are just getting started. Just in the Big 12, Colorado and Utah both have under three commitments, while Kansas State has three and Arizona has five.Several top programs have already solidified the core of their 2026 classes early in the process. That includes USC with 25 commitments, Clemson, Kansas, and even USF with 14. Penn State, Illinois, Iowa State, North Carolina, Louisville, and Arkansas all have 13. Other programs are just getting started. Just in the Big 12, Colorado and Utah both have under three commitments, while Kansas State has three and Arizona has five.Several top programs have already solidified the core of their 2026 classes early in the process. That includes USC with 25 commitments, Clemson, Kansas, and even USF with 14. Penn State, Illinois, Iowa State, North Carolina, Louisville, and Arkansas all have 13. Other programs are just getting started. Just in the Big 12, Colorado and Utah both have under three commitments, while Kansas State has three and Arizona has five.Several top programs have already solidified the core of their 2026 classes early in the process. That includes USC with 25 commitments, Clemson, Kansas, and even USF with 14. Penn State, Illinois, Iowa State, North Carolina, Louisville, and Arkansas all have 13. Other programs are just getting started. Just in the Big 12, Colorado and Utah both have under three commitments, while Kansas State has three and Arizona has five.Several top programs have already solidified the core of their 2026 classes early in the process. That includes USC with 25 commitments, Clemson, Kansas, and even USF with 14. Penn State, Illinois, Iowa State, North Carolina, Louisville, and Arkansas all have 13. Other programs are just getting started. Just in the Big 12, Colorado and Utah both have under three commitments, while Kansas State has three and Arizona has five.Several top programs have already solidified the core of their 2026 classes early in the process. That includes USC with 25 commitments, Clemson, Kansas, and even USF with 14. Penn State, Illinois, Iowa State, North Carolina, Louisville, and Arkansas all have 13. Other programs are just getting started. Just in the Big 12, Colorado and Utah both have under three commitments, while Kansas State has three and Arizona has five.Several top programs have already solidified the core of their 2026 classes early in the process. That includes USC with 25 commitments, Clemson, Kansas, and even USF with 14. Penn State, Illinois, Iowa State, North Carolina, Louisville, and Arkansas all have 13. Other programs are just getting started. Just in the Big 12, Colorado and Utah both have under three commitments, while Kansas State has three and Arizona has five.Several top programs have already solidified the core of their 2026 classes early in the process. That includes USC with 25 commitments, Clemson, Kansas, and even USF with 14. Penn State, Illinois, Iowa State, North Carolina, Louisville, and Arkansas all have 13. Other programs are just getting started. Just in the Big 12, Colorado and Utah both have under three commitments, while Kansas State has three and Arizona has five.Several top programs have already solidified the core of their 2026 classes early in the process. That includes USC with 25 commitments, Clemson, Kansas, and even USF with 14. Penn State, Illinois, Iowa State, North Carolina, Louisville, and Arkansas all have 13. Other programs are just getting started. Just in the Big 12, Colorado and Utah both have under three commitments, while Kansas State has three and Arizona has five.Several top programs have already solidified the core of their 2026 classes early in the process. That includes USC with 25 commitments, Clemson, Kansas, and even USF with 14. Penn State, Illinois, Iowa State, North Carolina, Louisville, and Arkansas all have 13. Other programs are just getting started. Just in the Big 12, Colorado and Utah both have under three commitments, while Kansas State has three and Arizona has five.Several top programs have already solidified the core of their 2026 classes early in the process. That includes USC with 25 commitments, Clemson, Kansas, and even USF with 14. Penn State, Illinois, Iowa State, North Carolina, Louisville, and Arkansas all have 13. Other programs are just getting started. Just in the Big 12, Colorado and Utah both have under three commitments, while Kansas State has three and Arizona has five.Several top programs have already solidified the core of their 2026 classes early in the process. That includes USC with 25 commitments, Clemson, Kansas, and even USF with 14. Penn State, Illinois, Iowa State, North Carolina, Louisville, and Arkansas all have 13. Other programs are just getting started. Just in the Big 12, Colorado and Utah both have under three commitments, while Kansas State has three and Arizona has five.Four-star commits: 2

Total commits: 13Four-star commits: 0