BIG 12 RECRUITING BLITZ

By Jeremy Crabtree and John Talman

updated 1:42 a.m. ET Feb. 17, 2007

After their success last year, it is no surprise the Texas Longhorns are off to a fast start with class of 2008 players.

It started with UT’s first junior day of the year last weekend. Mack Brown and his staff already picked up 10 commitments from the event, with the possibility of more before their next junior day later this month.

Get the latest on this and much more in this week's version of the Big 12 Blitz.

Baylor
The Bears are sending scholarship offers to several class of 2008 prospects in the Waco, Texas, area. Houston Lamar tight end Eric Lair is one player that received an offer from Baylor. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Lair also has an offer from Oklahoma State. Lair says that he has interest in Baylor since they were the first to offer him a scholarship. Gilmer duo Lamar Harris and Houston Tuminello are also early recipients of Baylor offers. Harris and Tuminello were pleased to find out about the Bears’ offers. Baylor will likely offer scholarships to other top in-state prospects in the next few days.

Colorado
When searching for the top recruiters on the Colorado staff for the class of 2007, one name kept emerging from the group – coach Dan Hawkins. Hawkins was more involved in the recruiting process than almost every other head coach in the conference. His efforts were a big reason why Colorado almost cracked the national top 25. Hawkins was key in landing five-star offensive tackle Ryan Miller of Littleton (Colo.) Columbine. Almost every major recruit that signed with Colorado pointed toward Hawkins as a big reason for ending up in Boulder.

Iowa State
There is buzz that Iowa State has added one of the final pieces to its new coaching staff. The latest name to emerge is Utah tight ends and special teams coordinator Jay Boulware. Boulware went to school at Texas and has plenty of ties with BCS Conference schools. Before he was at Utah, Boulware spent time at Texas, Arizona and Stanford. He has done a nice job recruiting Texas for the Utes, and that’s something that Iowa State would like to continue if he ends up in Ames.

Kansas
When talking about the top recruiters in the Big 12, one name that has to be on the list is Clint Bowen at KU. Bowen, who has been one of Kansas’ top recruiters for some time, had another solid season. He was primarily responsible for six signees that averaged 3.0 stars. Bowen, KU's safety coach and special team's coordinator, pulled in four-star cornerback Ryan Murphy. He also went into Texas to steal away running back Carmon Boyd-Anderson and junior college safety Patrick Resby. For his efforts Bowen was recently named by Rivals.com as one of the top 10 recruiters in the conference.

Kansas State
A former two-time top 25 national recruiter while at Maryland, James Franklin quickly made his mark in Manhattan. He was recently named one of the top 10 recruiters in the Big 12 by Rivals.com. Franklin, the Wildcats' offensive coordinator, landed nine players in this year's class. He helped keep the class intact despite numerous changes on the coaching staff. Franklin did a masterful job in Kansas, but he also pulled in quality players from Florida and two top 100 junior college players in California.

Missouri
Andy Hill, considered the dean of coaches who recruit Kansas City, did another masterful job this season. He was recently named one of the top 10 recruiters in the Big 12 by Rivals.com. He landed seven players with an average of 3.14 stars. Hill was responsible for landing four-star Rivals100 defensive end Michael Keck and four-star running back Derrick Washington. He even crossed the Kansas state line to pull in three-star defensive back Trey Hobson and sleeper Andrew Gachkar. Hill is a big reason why Missouri coach Gary Pinkel has enjoyed a tremendous amount of success over the past few years in his back yard.

Nebraska
Just one week after Signing Day, junior day recruiting is in full force for the Huskers. Three commitments are already on board for Nebraska, including two in-state prospects in Collins Okafor and Baker Steinkuhler. Harlan, Iowa offensive tackle Dan Hoch is also a Cornhusker commitment. Nebraska’s upcoming junior day will go a long way in determining how the Huskers will do with the class of 2008. It will be key is a few in-state prospects decide to commit early. Elkorn, Neb., offensive guard Trevor Robinson has field several scholarship offers already, including one from the in-state school. Robinson has said that Nebraska is currently the team to beat.

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