The month of April and the first few days of May have been extra busy across the Big Ten with teams loading up on commitments even with the coronavirus travel ban in full effect.
Prospects cannot visit schools. College coaches cannot see players at high schools.
It has not mattered, though, as 63 total commits have come across the conference over the last few weeks alone.
Every program in the Big Ten has added pledges during this timeframe with Michigan State landing 10 pledges over the last few weeks, including four-star defensive back Charles Brantley from Venice, Fla. Indiana also landed all five of its commits in April.
At the top of the team recruiting rankings, Ohio State leads not only in the Big Ten but also nationally even with April being a relatively quiet month. The Buckeyes have 17 total commits but only two last month in three-star athlete Jantzen Dunn and four-star defensive end Tunmise Adeleye.
MORE ASK FARRELL: Which ACC program had the best April?
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Iowa has shot up the Big Ten rankings to second overall with 14 total commits, six coming in April or in the first few days of May. Three-star receiver Brody Brecht recently picked the Hawkeyes over Iowa State and four-star offensive lineman David Davidkov was the highest-ranked Iowa pledge to commit.
Michigan has been busy with seven commits in this timeframe, led by Detroit (Mich.) Cass Tech four-star offensive lineman Raheem Anderson; Minnesota has landed nine pledges in this stretch with four-star defensive back commitments Avante Dickerson and Steven Ortiz leading the way; and Penn State has totaled eight pledges with four-star quarterback Christian Veilleux and four-star defensive backs Kalen King and Zakee Wheatley as the biggest standouts.
These are unique times but certain programs have definitely navigated through April and early May with a lot of success on the recruiting trail.
FARRELL'S TAKE
We ask Rivals National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell to pick just one team in the Big Ten who he thinks has done the best job over the last month or so.
"Ohio State is clearly recruiting at an amazing level and are No. 1 in the country but I’ve been impressed a lot with what Iowa has done over the last several weeks. The Hawkeyes have added some impressive offensive linemen and a big wide receiver in Brecht who could develop into the next great tight end in Iowa City.
"Penn State and Michigan have also done a nice job, but Iowa has a tougher road with fewer in-state prospects, so I’ve been most impressed with them recently."
