We’re continuing our countdown of the Big 12's top 25 players from the 2012 season. Here's more on my criteria for the list. You can take a peek at how the preseason list looked here.
The official list is locked away in a vault in an undisclosed location, but we'll be revealing one player a day moving forward.
On with the show ...
No. 15: Cyril Richardson, OL, Baylor
2012 numbers: Helped Baylor lead the nation in total yardage as a third-year starter.
Most recent ranking: Richardson was ranked No. 21 in our preseason list of the Big 12's top 25 players.
Making the case for Richardson: Baylor's been churning out top-tier offensive linemen since Art Briles arrived, and Richardson was the best of the bunch all season long this season. He's moved all over the place during his career--played some guard as a redshirt freshman in 2010, then moved to right tackle as a sophomore in 2011--and elected to return for his fourth season on campus and spent this year back at guard. He can do it all, but he definitely was a huge part of Lache Seastrunk's late-season run when he bullied opposing defensive lines. He's quick enough to be a really effective pass blocker, but aggressive enough to make a name as a powerful force in the running game and rack up knockdowns, too. At 6-foot-5, 335 pounds, that's no big surprise.
The rest of the list:
No. 17: Tony Jefferson, S, Oklahoma
No. 18: Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma
No. 19: Lache Seastrunk, RB, Baylor
No. 20: Jake Knott, LB, Iowa State
No. 21: James Sims, RB, Kansas
No. 22: Aaron Colvin, CB, Oklahoma
No. 23: Josh Stewart, WR, Oklahoma State
No. 24: Nick Florence, QB, Baylor