The Big 12 conference experienced a massive shakeup this offseason, welcoming Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and Arizona State. With both Texas and Oklahoma leaving for the SEC, that means the new look conference is wide open. The hierarchy will begin to figure itself out this season.
There are several sleepers who could surprise some folks in 2024 . In the end, they could figure heavily into the top of the conference this season. It is one of the more interesting conferences to watch with a lot of parity potentially.
UCF Golden Knights
It was a tough first season for the Golden Knights in the Big 12, ending with a 6-7 overall record. When you look at that schedule in its entirety, UCF lost three games by a grand total of four points. They were a lot closer to a successful first season than the record on paper would indicate.
The offense has a chance to be surprisingly good in 2024, led by star running back RJ Harvey. In 13 games played, Harvey rushed for 1,416 yards, and 16 touchdowns, while averaging a stellar 6.3 yards per carry. That rush attack could also be buoyed by Arkansas transfer quarterback KJ Jefferson, who is an imposing runner at 6-4 and 250 pounds. The biggest question is just how good the passing game can be with Kobe Hudson returning as a big play threat.
On defense, UCF needs to take a big step forward. They do quietly return one of the best defensive tackle duos in the country with Lee Hunter and Ricky Barber. That pair totaled 87 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. That is very impressive when you consider that Barber was very banged up last season, only playing in eight games.
Iowa State Cyclones
Some will look at the Cyclones’ 7-6 record last season and assume that they are a program in stagnation. In reality, they are a program that was in the middle of a rebuild, and played a lot of young players in 2023. That brings a lot of optimism for what they could build to be this fall.
After some bumping early moments, quarterback Rocco Becht put together a very quality first season under center. That included 3,120 passing yards and 23 touchdowns. Becht also added another three touchdowns on the ground. He will be joined in the backfield by Abu Sama, who was explosive as a freshman. Wide receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel should allow the team to stay balanced.
You should always expect a quality defense under Iowa State defensive coordinator Jon Heacock. Linebacker Caleb Bacon is someone to keep an eye on, as are the safety duo of Jeremiah Cooper and Malik Verdon.
Arizona Wildcats
This one is slightly cheating, admittedly. Arizona is a new team to the conference, therefore they have to be listed as a sleeper to rise toward the top. Even with the coaching staff turnover, new head coach Brent Brennan was still able to keep the roster mostly together.
On offense, they will be led by quarterback Noah Fifita. After taking over as the starter during this past year, he threw for 2,869 yards and 25 touchdowns, while completing over 72 percent of his passes. He gets his top target returning in Tetairoa McMillan , who is one of the top pass chances in college football. They also return their best offensive lineman in Jonah Savaiinaea, who will be leading the way for star New Mexico transfer running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt.
The bigger question would be just how good this defense is. Linebacker Jacob Manu is a good player, and cornerback Tacario Davus is a star. Outside of those two, there are some major questions still left to answer.
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