The 2025 college football season is still several months from kickoff, but the race for next year’s Big 12 Championship is already well underway.
Arizona State claimed the 2024 title after being picked to finish last in the conference. This time last year, nobody outside of Tempe was giving the Sun Devils the time of day, but they were making moves in the transfer portal and getting things ironed out before making a run.
In a league where literally anyone can win the conference title in a given year, it’s vital to stay up to date with the biggest storylines throughout the year, even in the spring.
So, here are the five biggest takeaways from Big 12 spring football for the week of April 11, 2025.
Houston Heartbreak… But a Bright Future Awaits
Everything about Monday night seemed to be pointing Houston’s way about two-thirds of the way through the game. The Cougars had built a 42-30 lead early in the second half and finally appeared to have the program’s first national title in hand.
Then, in a flash, it all fell apart. Kelvin Sampson’s team seldom gives in to the pressure, but the moment was too much on Monday night. Houston failed to attempt a shot in any of its final three possessions, and, despite leading for nearly 39 minutes, found itself on the wrong side of a one-possession ball game.
It wasn’t just the loss, but the manner in which the Cougars lost that made this one sting the way that it does. Now, players like JG Cryer and J’Wan Roberts will have to move on without hoisting that trophy for Coach Sampson.
There’s a silver lining, though.
Despite the rough loss, Houston returns several key contributors from this past season and will also add three five-star players in the 2025 recruiting class. The Cougars dominated the “Way-Too-Early Top 25” lists that were released after the conclusion of the NCAA Tournament.
All six major outlets have Houston occupying the No. 1 spot in their rankings for next season.
The Coogs should return Milos Uzan, Emanuel Sharp, and JoJo Tugler from this year’s squad, plus their five-star haul of center Chris Cenac Jr. and guards Isiah Harwell and Kingston Flemings should backfill their roster very nicely.
Texas Tech’s D-Line is Going to be a Problem
I could start things off by telling you about all of the new faces along Texas Tech’s defensive front, but I’m not sure that would get the point across.
So, I’ll let some pictures tell the story since those are “worth a thousand words.”
Meet the new bookends of the Red Raiders’ defensive line: Stanford transfer edge David Bailey (left) and Georgia Tech transfer OLB Romello Height (right). The newest members of TTU’s pass rush combined for 14.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks last season, and together, should be the most imposing 1-2 punch in the Big 12—and maybe the country.
That’s not even the worst of it, though.
Texas Tech also beefed up the interior of the defensive line in a major way, adding 325-pound nose tackle Lee Hunter (UCF) and 300-pound defensive tackle Anthony Holmes Jr. (Houston). Considering the season Skyler Gill-Howard just turned in last year, the Red Raiders have a formidable trio that can cause problems for the best offensive lines.
Texas Tech ranked 15th in the Big 12 in scoring defense (34.8 ppg) last season and gave up the most rushing touchdowns (28) of any team in the Big 12. Add to that ranking 11th in the league in sacks (21) and dead last in passing defense (308.1 ypg) and it’s easy to see why they went out and invested so heavily along their defensive front.
If everything comes together, this should be the best defensive one in the Big 12. That alone, combined with the talent they’ve brought in on offense, should make them a legitimate contender next season.
Somebody Needs to Check on Cincinnati Basketball
The transfer portal hits everyone, but it’s hitting Cincinnati especially hard this week. Like everyone else in the country, the Bearcats were expecting to lose a few players in this cycle, but a quick glance at their roster and it’s evident that they’re dealing with an exodus.
Just this week, Cincinnati has watched eight players walk out the door instead of coming back for another season. It all got started with Dan Skillings Jr., who was followed shortly thereafter by junior guard Josh Reed and Rayvon Griffith after two seasons with the program.
Tyler Betsey, an elite four-star freshman forward, was the first notable entry on Tuesday. Ranked as the No. 17 small forward in the 2024 class, Betsey averaged 3.3 points and 1.3 rebounds for the Bearcats and was set to see his role expand next season.
Next, we saw big man Arrinten Page enter the portal after just one season with the Bearcats. Page transferred from USC this past offseason and made 31 appearances off the bench for Cincinnati this season, averaging 3.5 points and 2.3 rebounds a game. Like Betsey, Page was highly-recruited out of high school, ranking as the No. 6 center in the 2023 class and the No. 56 overall player in the country.
The most painful entry to this point came on Wednesday, when former five-star Texas transfer Dillon Mitchell. In his lone season with the Bearcats, the Florida native posted 9.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game on 61.4% shooting from the field.
Add to that the exit of Connor Hickman and walk-on JJ Rembert, and there are eight new spots to fill on the roster.
Yes, Cincinnati has Kentucky guard Kerr Kriisa and West Virginia forward Sencire Harris both committed, as well as incoming five-star freshman Shon Abaev. Still, replacing that much of the roster is difficult, meaning that Wes Miller has his work cut out for him.
Bedlam Softball is Alive and Well
It wasn’t what it used to be, but we got a taste of Bedlam softball between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State this week in Oklahoma City. It had become the most anticipated series of the Big 12 season in recent years, but now, the two programs will just have to settle for nonconference games, even if its a midweek tilt.
One thing is certain, though. You just name a time and a place, and Oklahomans will come from all over to watch the two programs go at it.
On Wednesday night, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State set a new NCAA softball regular-season record for single-game attendance, with 9,259 people packed into Devon Park to see the second-ranked Sooners and 18th-ranked Pokes do battle.
The game appeared to be headed for chaos, too, as Oklahoma State jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the first inning and extended it to a 3-0 game in the third.
From there on, however, it was all Sooners.
Kasidi Pickering got the rally started with a two-run shot on her 100th-career hit to make it 3-2 heading into the fourth. Then, Maya Bland, batting out of the nine-hole, blasted a three-run shot to make it 5-3 Sooners in the fourth.
OU would win the game 11-3, moving them to 35-3 on the season. The Sooners will hit the road to Tuscaloosa this weekend, where they’ll play a three-game series against No. 22 Alabama.
Out With Demin, In With Wright
BYU basketball hasn’t been known as a basketball powerhouse at any point in its history. The program has never made a Final Four appearance, has made just three Elite Eight appearances, and hasn’t been that far in the tournament since 1981.
In fact, the Cougars are coming off just their sixth Sweet 16 appearance in school history, and their first time advancing to the second weekend since 2011.
However, it might be time to start taking them into account when talking about the potential Big 12 Championship contenders.
The Cougars are losing Egor Demin to the NBA Draft, as he’ll almost certainly be a first-round pick this summer. Instead of trying to supplement the roster by strengthening the other returning pieces and AJ Dybansta, BYU went out and got the best available replacement for Demin.
On Thursday, BYU added Baylor transfer guard Rob Wright, replacing their lost five-star with a player of the same ilk.
Wright appeared in all 35 games, including 21 starts, in 2024-25, and was a Big 12 All-Freshman selection in his first year with the program after averaging 11.5 points and 4.2 assists while shooting 35.3% from three-point range.
Now, with Wright coming into the fold, BYU is set to have scoring threats all over the court. Whether it’s Richie Saunders, Rob Wright, Keba Keita, AJ Dybansta, Dawson Baker, or another player yet to be added, the Cougars are going to continue scoring at one of the highest clips in the country.
