EA Sports is getting ready to release NCAA 2026. That is the iconic video game of college football, keeping dorm rooms glowing until late at night or early in the morning, depending on your perspective. In the mid-2000s, the Big 12 was kinda like a video game. Big offenses with lots of scoring, no real defense to speak of. 2025 is a different story. Let’s take a look at the evolution of Big 12 offenses before we look at the top returning Big 12 receivers in 2025.
Air Raid Gives Life to Big 12 Receivers
In the early to mid-2000s, Big 12 receivers were living the dream. The Big 12 was the epicenter of offensive innovation in college football. Driven by the rise of Mike “The Pirate” Leach’s Air Raid and Art Briles’ Veer and Shoot offenses. Programs like Texas Tech under Leach brought the purest form of the Air Raid—emphasizing tempo, wide splits, and high-volume passing, which regularly produced 30 to 45+ points per game. Oklahoma adopted similar principles, culminating in a 2008 season where Sam Bradford led the Sooners to average 51.1 points per game.
Around the same time, Briles began building his juggernaut in Waco. The Baylor offense took advantage of the 53.5 yards off a football field to use wide receiver spacing, vertical passing, and a power run game out of the spread. By the early 2010s, Baylor was regularly scoring over 45 points per game, peaking during Robert Griffin III’s Heisman season in 2011.
By 2012, nearly every Big 12 team had incorporated elements of the Air Raid or spread, resulting in weekly shootouts and record-breaking offensive stats. This offensive explosion forced defenses to adapt and changed the national conversation about what constitutes a successful football team. It also produced a coaching tree that would influence offenses across college football and the NFL, cementing the Big 12’s role as a laboratory for modern offensive football. Times have changed in 2025, and this is no longer Chip and Joanna’s Big 12.
A New Big 12
Big 12 offenses in the 2020s have evolved from their origins in the Air Raid and Veer and Shoot. Gone are the days featuring 50+ pass attempts and weekly shootouts. The Big 12 teams have adapted to now use dual-threat quarterbacks, utilize tight ends (Leach would never), incorporate motion, and run the ball more heavily.
Programs like Kansas State and Kansas have leaned into power-spread and option concepts, while defenses, especially Iowa State’s 3-3-5 “flyover” scheme, have forced offenses to become less one-dimensional. The days of every Big 12 team trying to outscore each other with 45-point games have given way to a more strategic brand of football, with a broader range of offensive philosophies across the league. Even pass-happy teams like Texas Tech have moved away from pure Air Raid systems, opting for more pro-style or hybrid approaches. The Big 12 may be evolving again; both Big 12 hires will see prodigal sons return to bring offensive-minded approaches back to the conference.
Rich Rodriguez returns to West Virginia with his zone-spread option offense. Rodriguez will look to resurrect the Mountaineer offense using dual-threat quarterbacks like Pat White and explosive backs like Steve Slaton to attack defenses with tempo and misdirection. Scott Frost returns to the Bounce House in Orlando with his high-powered offense. Frost transformed the Golden Knights into the nation’s top scoring offense in 2017, averaging 48.2 points per game during an undefeated season.
Now that we have our history, let’s look at who the top returning Big 12 Receivers are for 2025.
The Top Returning Big 12 Receivers
Since Tetairoa McMillan and Travis Hunter are off to the NFL. That leaves the door open for some new faces for 2025. Before we get to our list of top returning Big 12 receivers, here are a couple of new wide receivers, via the Transfer Portal, to keep your eye on.
- Chase Sowell, Iowa State
East Carolina’s offense was not great, but that didn’t hold back Sowell. He averaged 19.9 yards per catch as a sophomore, and at 6-foot-4, he’s poised to become Rocco Becht’s top target. - Jerand Brandley, Kansas State
Brandley returns to the Big 12 after a short stay at Boston College. The former Red Raider is big, 6’5″, and should be a favorite target for Avery Johnson. - Jordan Dwyer, TCU
Dwyer comes to DFW from Idaho, where he had a big impact. He was an impact receiver for the Vandals, recording 78 catches for 1,192 yards and 12 touchdowns. Dwyer shined when it mattered most, having more than 350 yards in two FCS Playoff games.
#5 Jayce Brown, Kansas State Wildcats
Brown led the team with 47 catches for 823 yards and scored five touchdowns. His 823 receiving yards were the most by a Wildcat since Tyler Lockett in 2014 and most in school history by a sophomore.
#4 Chase Roberts, BYU Cougars
Roberts was a team captain and finished the 2024 season with 52 catches for 854 yards and four touchdowns.
#3 Caleb Douglas, Texas Tech Red Raiders
Doublas transferred to Lubbock last year from Florida. In 2024, he started all 13 games and finished second on the team with 60 receptions for 877 yards and six touchdowns.
#2 De’Zhaun Stribling, Oklahoma State Cowboys
Spent two years at Washington State before transferring to Oklahoma State, where he started 11 of 12 games in 2024. Stribling led the Pokes with 882 receiving yards and 73.5 yards per game. He ranked second on the team with 52 catches and six touchdowns.
#1 Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State University Sun Devils
Tyson is one of the best receivers in the Big 12 and one of the top receivers in the country. Tyson and the Sun Devils had a breakout year in 2024. Arizona State won the Big 12 and made it to the College Football Playoff. Tyson was a big reason for the success. He caught 75 passes for 1,101 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Main Photo: Michael C. Johnson – Imagn Images
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