Big Ten breakdown: Surprise non-offers

June and July allow college coaches a chance to make some final evaluations on rising senior prospects in their region, and several players landed specific offers they wanted. Others, however, have some glaring holes in their offer lists. Here are five who leave us scratching our heads as to why certain schools have not offered.

Surprise non-offer(s): Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State

Comments: Johnson has an impressive offer list, but with every Nebraska, Penn State or Wisconsin tender those fan bases ask, why have Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State not offered? That is a good question, and not one that has been sufficiently answered. The suggestion is that his lack of height is a snag, but cornerback height is vastly overrated as an evaluation point and we have measured Johnson at 5-foot-10 – not overly short, especially when average NFL cornerback height is only 5-11. His state champion 4x100-meter relay performance in early June and a 4.35 40-yard dash at The Opening this month attest to his speed, and his instincts for the position are among the best in this class.

Surprise non-offer(s): Ohio State, Michigan

Comments: There is certainly no lack of wide receiver talent in the Midwest or the class of 2017 as a whole. That being said, Davis is still is a player who should have his pick of schools, yet lacks a couple notable offers. His home-state school, Ohio State, is certainly one, but so is Michigan, where two of Davis’ 2018 teammates have already committed. At certain times during his recruitment the four-star wide receiver has expressed a desire to have offers from each of those programs. As a junior Davis had to play running back, and he is not particularly active on the camp scene, so those are a couple explanations for those missing offers.

Surprise non-offer(s): Iowa

Comments: Few players in the 2017 class have made as meteoric a rise over the last couple months as Hayes, with two strong performances on big stages at the Rivals Camp Series stop in Kansas City and the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge Presented by Under Armour. His offer list has expanded as well, with several Power Five programs jumping into the mix. One surprising omission from that list, however, is Iowa. The Hawkeyes usually recruit the St. Louis area pretty hard, but with the offensive line they have hardly extended offers to out-of-state linemen in the last few classes. Kirk Ferentz and Co., are putting together a nice 2017 class, but Hayes could be a huge addition if they successfully pursued.

Surprise non-offer(s): Indiana

Comments: This Indiana class started off with a big addition last winter when four-star Ohio athlete Lynn Bowden pledged to Kevin Wilson. In April, though, Bowden rescinded that commitment, and the Hoosiers' class of 2017 recruiting efforts have been lackluster since. Like Bowden, White is an athlete prospect who is best known for his abilities at running back. Overall White has not received the level of recruiting interest we believe he deserves, but the lack of an Indiana offer is particularly curious because it appears a very natural fit and could alleviate the sting of losing Bowden’s commitment.

Surprise non-offer(s): Minnesota

Comments: It is not a deep year for talent in the state of Minnesota, with just four players having earned a three-star rating and no four- or five-stars in the state. Minnesota has recruited its backyard as well as any Big Ten program over the last few classes, and has two of those four three-stars committed in 2017. Bolden, the second-highest rated prospect in our rankings for the state, does not even hold an offer from the home-state school, though. The Gophers do not have a defensive back committed in 2017 yet and Bolden is on record saying he wants that Minnesota offer.