The Big 12 is wasting no time getting into preseason mode, and the conference’s 2026 All-Big 12 team is already giving a clear snapshot of where the league’s buzz is headed.
BYU running back LJ Martin and Texas Tech defensive tackle A.J. Holmes headlined the honors as the conference’s offensive and defensive players of the year, respectively. The full team was unveiled less than 24 hours before Big 12 media days begin in Frisco, Texas, on July 7-8, with the selections coming from the media and the league’s 16 member institutions.
Martin’s rise has been central to BYU’s recent surge. The Cougars went 23-4 over the past two seasons, and the El Paso native has been a major reason why.
After putting up 718 rushing yards, 98 receiving yards and nine total touchdowns in 2024, he took another leap in 2025, finishing with 1,305 rushing yards, 255 receiving yards and 12 total touchdowns for the Pop-Tarts Bowl champions. He topped 100 rushing yards in six games and hit a career-best 222 in a late-November win over Cincinnati.
Holmes arrives at the top of the defensive list after making an immediate impact at Texas Tech following an intrastate, intraconference transfer from Houston. He stepped into a Red Raiders front that produced four 2026 NFL Draft selections and quickly became the veteran anchor.
Last season, the 6-foot-3, 300-pound senior recorded 40 tackles, 9.0 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, four pass breakups and two fumble recoveries on a Big 12 championship defense. He is now aiming for AP All-American honors for the second straight year.
The league also spotlighted one of the more remarkable breakout stories from 2025 in Drew Mestemaker. Once a sixth-string walk-on quarterback at North Texas who had not started a game since ninth grade, Mestemaker seized his chance and turned it into a massive season.
He led the FBS with 4,379 passing yards, threw 34 touchdown passes against nine interceptions and completed 68.9 percent of his throws. He now follows head coach Eric Morris to Oklahoma State, where he’ll try to do the same thing in Stillwater with a Big 12 logo on his jersey.
The preseason team itself is loaded with familiar names across the league.
At quarterback, Arizona’s Noah Fifita earned the nod as a redshirt senior. The backfield includes West Virginia’s Cam Cook and BYU’s LJ Martin, with West Virginia’s Kayden Luke at fullback. The wide receiver group features Arizona State’s Omarion Miller, Houston’s Amare Thomas and Oklahoma State’s Wyatt Young, while Texas Tech’s Terrance Carter Jr. was selected at tight end.
Up front, Cincinnati placed Joe Cotton and Evan Tengesdahl on the offensive line, Houston added Shadre Hurst, BYU landed Bruce Mitchell, and Kansas State’s John Pastore rounded out the unit.
Texas Tech dominated the defensive side of the list, placing A.J. Holmes Jr., Adam Trick, Ben Roberts, Austin Romaine and Brice Pollock on the team.
BYU added Keanu Tanuvasa, Cade Uluave, Evan Johnson and Faletau Satuala, while Houston’s Will James, Arizona State’s C.J. Fite, Kansas State’s Wendell Gregory and TCU’s Jamel Johnson also made the cut.
Special teams honors went to Texas Tech kicker Stone Harrington, Baylor punter Palmer Williams and Utah return specialist Mana Carvalho.
Texas Tech led all schools with seven selections, followed by BYU with six. Houston had three.
Arizona State, Cincinnati, Kansas State and West Virginia each had two. Arizona, Baylor, Oklahoma State, TCU and Utah each had one.
Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas and UCF were left off the list entirely.
In Other News...
A.J. Holmes Jr. Now Carries Texas Techs Biggest Defensive Burden
A.J. Holmes Jr. arrived at Texas Tech with some familiarity built in, having transferred from Houston in December 2024 after playing under defensive coordinator Shiel Wood. By the end of the 2025 season, the defensive tackle had moved into the starting lineup and turned himself into one of the Red Raiders most dependable front-line pieces, piling up production that brought both national attention and a clear sense that his role in Lubbock had grown far beyond a simple transfer addition.
That is why CFB HQ placing Holmes at No. 23 on its list of the top 25 most important players for the 2026 college football season feels less like a surprise than a reflection of what Texas Tech already knows. The Red Raiders are now counting on him to anchor a defense that cant afford many weak spots, and with the recognition he earned from the Associated Press and Pro Football Focus, the expectations around him are only getting heavier as fall approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech Is Getting Major 2026 Hype Despite One Lingering Doubt
Texas Tech is drawing plenty of attention heading into 2026, and not all of it is cautious. USA Today went as far as picking the Red Raiders to win the Big 12, while also stacking its preseason all-conference teams with multiple Tech names, including Terrance Carter Jr. and several others from a roster that has clearly impressed voters around the league. For a program trying to turn last seasons momentum into something bigger, that kind of recognition is a sign the national conversation has already started to shift in Lubbock.
Still, the broader preseason picture is a little less settled than the headline suggests. National publications have placed Texas Tech all over the board, with some seeing a top-10 team and others dropping the Red Raiders outside the top 20, a spread that says as much about the roster questions as the talent. The biggest reason for the hesitation is the same one that tends to follow any team with real expectations: what happens at quarterback, and whether the pieces around him are enough to justify all the hype. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech Defense Just Earned The Big 12 Respect Fans Wanted
Texas Techs defense is starting to get the kind of preseason attention that usually comes only after a unit has already forced its way into the conversation. Seven Red Raiders landed on the 2026 Preseason All-Big 12 Team, a haul that says plenty about how the league views the roster heading into the fall. The group includes familiar names like senior linebacker Ben Roberts and senior cornerback Brice Pollock, while newcomers Austin Romaine and Adam Trick are already drawing notice before taking a snap in Lubbock.
The honors also spread beyond the defensive side, with senior tight end Terrance Carter Jr earning a spot on the preseason offense team and kicker Stone Harrington recognized on special teams. For a program trying to turn respect into something more tangible, the bigger takeaway is the balance of the list: proven veterans, fresh additions and a defense that now has the leagues attention long before the first kickoff. [Read more 🡒]