Big Ten breakdown: Early look at 2018

With the accelerated recruiting calendar across college football, the class of 2018 is going to take center stage very soon. Some Big Ten programs are knee-deep into 2018 recruiting already, while others are just getting started. Here is a look at where each conference program stands with recruiting the rising junior class.

Lovie Smith came in at a tough time on the recruiting calendar to build his first class for Illinois, but the former NFL head coach has made strong headway thus far, particularly in state. The 2018 class should really be considered his first, full recruiting class, though, and as such look for the Illini to focus on a program-changing dual-threat quarterback early on. Speed and athleticism are going to be hallmarks of these early Smith classes, so the Southeast and Texas are getting heavy attention, but St. Louis is also a recruiting priority in 2018 based on early offers.

With the way quarterback recruiting has transpired in 2017 for the Hoosiers, look for that position to be priority No. 1 in 2018. They likely will still grab a late addition at the position before February, but their top targets in 2017 all went elsewhere. Cornerback is a position the Hoosiers want to deal with in both 2017 and 2018, and they are always looking for playmaking wide receivers. A lot of offers have gone out in the southeast for 2018, but they are also looking to lock up the backyard with five offers out already to Indianapolis-area prospects.

An in-state prospect has been Iowa’s first commit in three of their last four classes, but the Hawkeyes do not even have an offer out in-state for the 2018 class. That could change this upcoming weekend when they host their recruiting BBQ event in Iowa City primarily for the 2018 class. Like Illinois, Iowa has focused heavily on the St. Louis area with early 2018 offers. They usually recruit that area hard, and the 2018 talent in St. Louis is very strong. While the needs have not been fully fleshed out yet, offensive line and linebacker likely are focus positions in 2018.

When we talked top position needs for Maryland back in the spring, adding bulk along the offensive and defensive lines was a top priority for new head coach D.J. Durkin. Not much has been done to address that issue in the 2017 class since, and look for that need to carry over to 2018. The in-state crop should provide some answers, with four-star Rasheed Walker being a top target at offensive tackle and DeMatha four-star defensive tackle teammates Austin Fontaine and Evan Gregory holding offers and high interest in the Terrapins.

The most productive Big Ten program early in 2018 recruiting has been Michigan, which boasts a conference-best four commitments in the class. Springfield, Ohio, linebacker Antwuan Johnson was the first to commit back in March. A couple weeks later his teammate, four-star tight end Leonard Taylor, also made the pledge. The Wolverines doubled their 2018 commitment total in June with pledges from Georgia natives Otis Reese and Jalil Irvin. One explanation for the early success could be that the Wolverines have also extended more 2018 offers than any other Big Ten team.

The Spartans' 2017 class is rolling along nicely, allowing the coaching staff to start putting the pedal down on 2018, and they are executing their offer plan aggressively already. Although they have yet to add their first 2018 commitment, the Spartans sit in a good position with several of their top targets, including four-star defensive end Malik Vann and four-star wide receiver Micah Jones, who are already listing Michigan State among their favorites. Expect defensive back to be a position of focus in 2018, and they have significant offer numbers out at the position already.

What the priorities for Minnesota will be in 2018 are still largely to be decided. Even though Tracy Claeys has been on staff for five seasons, this is his first full season as head coach and he is bringing on a new offensive coordinator, so the fall may reveal additional needs. Minnesota is also just ramping up their 2017 recruiting, landing four of their 10 total commits in the last week. That has also put them behind for 2018, where just 10 prospects in that class are currently listing offers from the Gophers.

The Cornhuskers are off to a great start in 2018 thanks to a pair of commitments from in-state prospects. Four-star athlete Cameron Jurgens got the ball rolling for Mike Riley’s crew early when he pledged before his sophomore season. Defensive tackle Masry Mapieu joined Jurgens just last month with a pledge of his own. Nebraska will recruit nationally, as always, but specifically look for their focus on California to continue. They have already offered 10 Golden State class of 2018 prospects.

The Wildcats are off to an unusually fast start in 2017, boasting 17 commitments in a class that likely will not get too far north of 20. That should give the Wildcats a chance to get a jump on 2018 recruiting, but head coach Pat Fitzgerald has apparently pumped the brakes. Just a dozen offers are out to prospects in that class. If early offers are any indication, wide receiver appears to be a position of focus for Northwestern in 2018. Four of the 12 offers are out at that position, including one to in-state four-star Micah Jones, who lists the Wildcats in his top five.

The Buckeyes had 10 commitments locked up by the end of July last year for their rising junior class. The 2018 cycle has started off decidedly slower, with Urban Meyer and company not picking up their first commitment until last week when Florida running back Brian Snead broke the ice at their Friday Night Lights camp. Ohio State’s needs are going to be shaped by how many early NFL draft entrants they lose, but look for offensive skill and defensive end to be among the positions they target heavily in 2018.

An early commitment from in-state Rivals100 defensive end Micah Parsons got Penn State off to a great start in 2018. They doubled up on in-state 2018 commitments in April when offensive tackle Chris Bleich joined Parsons on the Nittany Lions' commitment list. Going forward, wide receiver appears to be the position of greatest focus for Penn State based on the sheer number of early offers – 12 in total, if you do not count athletes Tyreke Smith and L’Christian Smith, who could project as receivers as well.

A slow start to the 2017 class looks destined to be followed by a slow start to the 2018 class for Purdue. The Boilermakers have rallied with seven commits since the start of June, but still have plenty of needs to address before 2017 is signed. That has not given them much time to attack 2018, and its list of offers for that year in comparison with their Big Ten brethren is sparse, with most going out to big-name guys who already have long lists of offers. An exception is Illinois safety Tyrik Henderson, for whom Purdue was his first Power Five offer.

It has been clear since he took the reigns at Rutgers that head coach Chris Ash is making the state of New Jersey the cornerstone of his recruiting plan. That meshes well in 2018, when the Scarlet Knights will look to add a quarterback early and have several top targets in their home-state, including three-stars Allan Walters and Shelton Applewhite, who are both getting the full-court press from Rutgers. Other top in-state 2018 targets include local wide receiver Justin Shorter and Rivals100 defensive end Tyler Friday.

The Badgers are expected to sign a very small class in 2017, but that should pave the way for a more normal-sized class in 2018. Offensive line will not be as big of a need based on how they have recruited the position over the recent classes, but look for Paul Chryst and staff to lock up their quarterback as early as possible. Four-star Jack Tuttle from California was on campus last week and they are recruiting the position aggressively early in 2018 recruiting.