Big 12 recruiting: Breaking down QB commits

The quarterback is the most important position not just in football, but perhaps in all of sports, so college football fans are understandably obsessed with recruiting players for the position.

As fall camps begin across the country and the season draws closer, let’s take a look at where each team stands in the recruiting department at their position.

Here’s a look at all of the quarterback commits from each of the Big 12’s 16 programs.

The only program in the Big 12 with multiple players at the quarterback position, both rated as three-star prospects, are quality players. Robert McDaniel proved himself in the Elite 11 Finals as a last-minute replacement, but had a strong pro day performance. McDaniel threw for 2,839 yards and 33 touchdowns with just four interceptions in his junior season.

Haugo is 6’5″ and weighs 210 pounds, bringing extra size to the position. He is a multi-sport athlete and also plays basketball. Exact stats are not available. He holds offers from Oregon, Utah, Arizona State, and others.

Tollefson, a four-star prospect, has been enrolled at Arizona State for over a year. The California quarterback has had some up-and-down seasons, but is looking to make his senior season his best. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Tollefson wasn’t perfect as a junior, but he did pass for 1,567 yards and eight touchdowns as a sophomore. He also rushed for 644 yards and nine touchdowns.

Griffin was a bit of a late bloomer, but he found his rhythm this offseason and eventually enrolled at Baylor University. He became a first-year starter as a junior and threw for 2,920 yards, 39 touchdowns, and only three interceptions. At 6’2 and 205 pounds, he’s a good physique and has very accurate ball placement.

Baylor has assembled a very strong group of skill players in the 2025 class and Griffin has a good arm to get the ball to them, so he could be a potential addition this fall.

Keaney played in just seven games during his junior season, but threw for 2,460 yards and 28 touchdowns while completing 73% of his passes. He had a big offseason and received offers from BYU, Houston, San Diego State, Boise State and Utah State, among others.

Another potential addition this fall, Austin Carlisle, finally stepped into the spotlight this offseason, signing with his hometown Houston Cougars, where he threw for 5,187 yards and 52 touchdowns over two standout seasons.

He’s playing with a well-rounded Ridge Point roster that will allow him to spread the ball far and wide, and he’ll be hoping to help take Houston to a new level as the team continues to play in its infancy in the Big 12 Conference.

Manske is a commanding playmaker with his arm and legs. He passed for 1,787 yards and rushed for 701 yards with 29 touchdowns as a junior. At 6-foot-2 and 204 pounds, he has great size and athleticism.

Manske was one of the Elite 11 finalists. He started off strong, but his pace and effort caught up with him in the first half of his pro day. As he went on, his pace slowed and his arm began to weaken. Some of his strongest pitches that day were down the middle throws that were catchable strikes.

I had a chance to watch McComb this offseason at the Elite 11 Regional Tournament and really liked his play. At 6’3″ and 205 pounds, he has a strong build and was on target all day. He finished his junior season strong with just over 3,000 yards and 29 touchdowns.

He’s also a threat with his legs, running for 520 yards.

Duff was Kansas State’s first commit of the cycle and is somewhat similar to projected Wildcats starter Avery Johnson, whose first year as a starter came as a junior year, when he totaled 2,458 yards and 23 touchdowns.

Duff also had offers from Minnesota, Nebraska and Missouri.

Schaubell was recruited well enough to attend three different universities, first at Baylor, then he declined and transferred to Oklahoma State, and after a few months with the Cowboys, he transferred to TCU, where both his father and uncle played.

The 6-foot-5, 200-pound player threw for 2,405 yards and 30 touchdowns with just four interceptions during his junior season.

One of the top-ranked quarterbacks in the state of Texas, the Red Raiders have acquired another quarterback who is used to putting up big numbers: Jones, a 6-foot-4, 210-pound prospect, has passed for 2,735 yards and 36 touchdowns, plus an additional 655 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground.

Jones committed to Texas Tech University in November.

The star athlete from Sierra Canyon in Chatsworth, California, completed nearly 66 percent of his passes as a junior for 2,423 yards, 29 touchdowns, seven interceptions and four rushing scores.

He committed in November and chose Utah over offers from the University of Georgia, Florida State University, Miami University, University of Mississippi, University of Oregon and Penn State, among others.

Fox has had a very productive high school career, passing for 4,810 yards and 52 touchdowns, and also rushing for 271 yards and 11 touchdowns as a junior.

“This is a big year for the Ohio State quarterback, and he West Virginia“So a lot of credit should go to coach Neal Brown and his staff for acquiring Fox out of Ohio. He’s a good athlete who is dangerous playing outside the pocket,” said national recruiting analyst Greg Smith.