Breakdown: Big Ten quarterback recruiting outlook for 2017

There should be little debate – quarterback is the most important position on the field. Ten of the 14 Big Ten programs have already locked up a quarterback commit in the 2017 class. For the remaining four, though, time and the talent pool is dwindling. Here’s a look at each Big Ten program’s current quarterback recruiting situation.

Primary Target: Cameron Thomas

Breakdown: The previous staff in Champaign had blanketed the country with quarterback offers, but with Lovie Smith’s hiring in March the question was, who would be his top target? With the spring evaluation period winding down, the answer to that question looks to be Thomas, a dual-threat in-state passer who landed his first Power Five offer from the Fighting Illini earlier this month. It appeared Thomas would jump at the offer immediately, but other Big Ten programs are showing interest and he is taking his time for now.

Primary Target: Tyler Lytle

Breakdown: One of the biggest recruiting visits of the 2017 cycle is coming up for Indiana when three-star California quarterback Tyler Lytle arrives, which could be as early as this upcoming weekend. The visit is key because Lytle is also planning on announcing his commitment in early June. More than 20 other schools have also offered the 6-foot-5, 205-pound Californian, so the Hoosiers have a battle on their hands. Head coach Kevin Wilson will have the Big Ten’s highest-scoring offense to showcase when Lytle arrives in Bloomington, though.

Primary Target: Kamron Fields

Breakdown: While Iowa has had a great start to the 2017 class in general, quarterback recruiting is one of the few areas where they have swung and missed thus far. That could be rectified if Fields – their lone remaining uncommitted offer in the class – decides to jump on board. The Texas native visited Iowa City in April, and the Hawkeyes' coaching staff reciprocated by watching him throw at his school in May. Fields named Iowa his leader following the April visit and could make a return visit to the school early in the summer.

Primary Target: Kasim Hill

Breakdown: Hill spent much of his sophomore and junior years checking out college campuses around the country and earning offers from many of those schools. At his recruitment’s conclusion, though, the four-star decided his best opportunity was in his own backyard. He announced for Maryland on April 9, marking their second four-star commitment in as many days. New head coach D.J. Durkin is a former defensive coordinator, so securing his offensive leader early in the class was key and he now has the firepower to attract other offensive skill position prospects.

Primary Target: Dylan McCaffrey

Breakdown: Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh zeroed in on McCaffrey early as his target at the quarterback position in the 2017 class, offering the son of NFL wide receiver Ed McCaffrey and brother of Stanford Heisman finalist Christian McCaffrey just days after signing the 2015 class and less than two months after taking the reigns in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines were the second school to offer McCaffrey, though his list would grow substantially over the following year before he pledged in February.

Primary Target: Rocky Lombardi

Breakdown: With their quarterback depth solid after several strong recruiting classes, Michigan State had the luxury of taking their time in identifying their quarterback target in the 2017 class. They put some early offers out to top prospects at the position, but identified the strong-armed Lombardi early in the spring and wasted little time getting him into the fold. The Iowa native committed to the Spartans over offers from both in-state Power Five programs on April 3.

Primary Target: Kamron Fields

Breakdown: Based on offers, it would appear quarterback recruiting is not a top priority for the Golden Gophers in 2017. Head coach Tracy Claeys and his staff did not put out their first offer at the position until earlier this month, when they went down to Texas to offer Fields after offensive coordinator Jay Johnson watched the three-star throw during spring evaluations. The only other quarterback Minnesota offered in the 2017 class was five-star Hunter Johnson out of Indiana, but that offer happened when Jerry Kill was still leading the Gophers.

Primary Target: Tristan Gebbia

Breakdown: The highest-ranked pro-style quarterback commit in the Big Ten’s 2017 class is headed to Nebraska. Gebbia made his commitment to the Cornhuskers in early April, not long after Nebraska had secured commitments from four-star wide receivers Jaevon McQuitty and Keyshawn Johnson Jr., the latter of whom is Gebbia’s teammate at Calabasas High. California is a staple of Mike Riley’s recruiting game plan for the Cornhuskers, and landing the state’s top-ranked quarterback prospect makes a statement.

Primary Target: Andrew Marty

Breakdown: Northwestern was in on several top quarterback prospects in the 2017 class, hosting the likes of four-stars Jack Coan and Kasim Hill, who would go on to commit to other Big Ten programs, on campus this offseason. Marty was a prospect that continued to grow on the coaching staff over the course of the spring, though, and he received an offer on the first day of the spring evaluation period. The problem was Marty had already committed to Miami (Ohio) a few weeks earlier, but playing in the Big Ten was his dream and he flipped his commitment to the Wildcats on April 26.

Primary Target: Danny Clark

Breakdown: Ohio State started this No. 1 ranked 2017 class before the 2014 class had even signed their Letters of Intent. Head coach Urban Meyer offered a then-freshman Danny Clark during a bowl game practice, and the in-state passer immediately jumped at the opportunity. Clark then sealed his commitment to the Buckeyes by getting a Block “O” tattooed on his shoulder. Ohio State may not be done with quarterbacks in 2017, however. They have become a major player for recent Texas A&M decommit and four-star Tate Martell.

Primary Target: Sean Clifford

Breakdown: Securing a quarterback early in the recruiting process is always ideal because it addresses the most important position on the field and lets other prospects know who’s going to be running the offense. Penn State accomplished that when they offered and subsequently received a commitment from Clifford last summer. Since then, Clifford has not only been solid in his pledge to the Nittany Lions, but he has also been an outstanding recruit-recruiter, encouraging other top prospects to look in the direction of Happy Valley.

Primary Target: Griffin Alstott

Breakdown: Purdue looks like it will go into the month of June with just a single commitment in their 2017 class, but that commitment is at the most important position and the player is from a family Boilermaker fans know well. Griffin Alstott is the son of Purdue great Mike Alstott, and he did not wait long to jump at the offer from his father’s alma mater, making his pledge three weeks after receiving the offer. Mike Alstott called it “a dream come true for our family” when his son decided to follow in his footsteps to West Lafayette.

Primary Target: Johnathan Lewis

Breakdown: Lewis was initially offered by the previous Rutgers coaching staff, but when Chris Ash took over the program he did not wait long to let the in-state signal-caller know he was their top target at the position. A commitment from Lewis would eventually come in late April – part of a one-month wave of commitments that accounts for all but two of the Scarlet Knight’s 10 total pledges. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Lewis has a big arm to go with his big frame, and he can also move the chains with his feet if needed.

Primary Target: Jack Coan

Breakdown: Wisconsin had to battle top programs in multiple conferences, but a March visit to Madison clinched Coan’s commitment. The No. 215 player in the 2017 class, Coan is Wisconsin’s highest-ranked quarterback commit of the Rivals era and he became their clear top target once recruiting at the position started to shake out. Coan is one of five four-star quarterbacks currently committed to Big Ten programs, and he will start his Badgers career early with a planned mid-winter enrollment.