Big Ten Spotlight: Grading the 2024 class
The recruitment of the 2024 class has been all but wrapped, up so there's no better time to break down each conference. Here is how each team in the Big Ten Conference fared in the 2024 cycle.
MORE NSD: Gorney Awards | Recruiters of the Year | Dominic Raiola interview | Five-star David Sanders updates recruitment | Alabama signee Ryan Williams interview | UCF coach Gus Malzahn interview | Big day for the Huskers | Miami coach Mario Cristobal interview | Oregon coach Dan Lanning interview | USC coach Lincoln Riley interview | UGA wins recruiting title | Big Ten recruiting recap | ACC recruiting recap | Pac-12 recruiting recap | SEC recruiting recap | Big 12 recruiting recap | NSD Live – all the news, analysis and interviews | Bussey sticks with A&M | Complete guide to National Signing Day announcements | What to watch on NSD | Five biggest storylines for this week | Four programs in the spotlight | Rivals Roundtable looks toward NSD
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CLASS OF 2024 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals100
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ILLINOIS (No. 12 in Big Ten, No. 45 overall)
FULL LIST: ILLINOIS' 2024 RECRUITING CLASS
Recruiting is on the upswing right now for the Illini under Bret Bielema. The four prospects rated as four-stars in the 2024 class is the most in many years. Illinois native and defensive end Eddie Tuerk is the defensive headliner. Landing four-star wide receiver Tysean Griffin out of Chicago was a big win, too.
Grade: C+
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INDIANA (No. 13 in Big Ten, No. 63 overall)
FULL LIST: INDIANA'S 2024 RECRUITING CLASS
Taking over a program after the season like Curt Cignetti did makes it difficult to have a good year during your transition class. It was a small traditional class for the Hoosiers that will look better later when you add in the transfers. Getting the potential quarterback of the future with Tyler Cherry makes the class feel more stable too.
Grade: C-
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IOWA (No. 7 in Big Ten, No. 32 overall)
FULL LIST: IOWA'S 2024 RECRUITING CLASS
It will not shock you to learn that Iowa did a nice job recruiting the front seven on defense. The linebackers the Hawkeyes brought in are very solid but it’s the defensive linemen that could power this team to victories in the future.
Joseph Anderson and Chima Chineke are a couple of versatile players to watch along the front moving forward.
Grade: B-
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MARYLAND (No. 6 in Big Ten, No. 31 overall)
FULL LIST: MARYLAND'S 2024 RECRUITING CLASS
The Terps pulled off a nice flip on National Signing Day getting Dimitry Nicolas to back off his Auburn pledge. Maryland landed five players rated as four-star prospects and continues to be an under-the-radar recruiting operation. Keeping big four-star offensive lineman Ryan Howerton in-state was no small task.
Grade: B-
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MICHIGAN (No. 2 in Big Ten, No. 13 overall)
FULL LIST: MICHIGAN'S 2024 RECRUITING CLASS
It’s surprising that Michigan did not land a five-star in the 2024 class coming off all the recent success that includes a national championship. But there are 17 four-stars powering the class. It’s a well-balanced class from top-to-bottom that features what I think is the best offensive line haul in the conference.
Grade: A-
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MICHIGAN STATE (No. 11 in Big Ten, No. 43 overall)
FULL LIST: MICHIGAN STATE'S 2024 RECRUITING CLASS
Coach Jonathan Smith got a big win for this class when he held on to four-star wide receiver Nicholas Marsh. The Spartans' class also features two of my favorite sleepers in the region: linebacker Brady Pretzlaff and quarterback Alessio Milivojevic. This is a sneaky good class rated at No. 43. It’s a great for a transition class.
Grade: B
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MINNESOTA (No. 10 in Big Ten, No. 41 overall)
FULL LIST: MINNESOTA'S 2024 RECRUITING CLASS
Minnesota got off to a fast start in the class and had the group mostly wrapped up before the season even started. Coach PJ Fleck likes to take players he knows will fit his program and coach them up. It’s just not going to result in high recruiting rankings. Holding on to Koi Perich was a major win, though, for Fleck.
Grade: C
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NEBRASKA (No. 3 in Big Ten, No. 16 overall)
FULL LIST: NEBRASKA'S 2024 RECRUITING CLASS
The Huskers took an enormous class in coach Matt Rhule’s first full cycle. Thirty scholarship players are heading to Lincoln along with some quality walk-ons. Five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola gets a lot of attention as the jewel of the class. Don’t forget four-star offensive tackle Grant Brix and four-star tight end Carter Nelson as game changers for Rhule.
Grade: B+
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NORTHWESTERN (No. 14 in Big Ten, No. 79 overall)
FULL LIST: NORTHWESTERN'S 2024 RECRUITING CLASS
David Braun came into a tough situation and had a great season on the field. On the recruiting trail that didn’t turn into a blockbuster class. However, that’s par for the course at Northwestern where the pool of players is so much smaller than most. In-state tight end Patrick Schaller is a prospect that should develop nicely in Evanston.
Grade: C-
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OHIO STATE (No. 1 in Big Ten, No. 4 overall)
FULL LIST: OHIO STATE'S 2024 RECRUITING CLASS
For all the talk about the Buckeyes slipping under Ryan Day, the program still finished with the best class in the conference. Five-star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is the best prospect in the country and Day is thrilled to hang on to him. The team also landed five-star quarterback Air Noland plus five-star defensive end Eddrick Houston. It’s another star-studded group heading to the Horseshoe.
Grade: A
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PENN STATE (No. 4 in Big Ten, No. 17 overall)
FULL LIST: PENN STATE'S 2024 RECRUITING CLASS
Coach James Franklin is bringing in a rock-solid class that doesn’t have the star-power of the other top-end classes in the conference. Offensive lineman Cooper Cousins was one of the big risers late in the process so hats off to the staff for identifying him early. Another offensive lineman, Donovan Harbour, is an underrated prospect.
Grade: B
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PURDUE (No. 8 in Big Ten, No. 33 overall)
FULL LIST: PURDUE'S 2024 RECRUITING CLASS
Coach Ryan Walters has a nice mixture of players in this recruiting class. It’s encouraging that Purdue was about to dip into Florida and Texas for recruits while having the Midwest be the backbone of the class.
Tight end Tayvion Galloway is a player to watch this season. He could play a lot of snaps as a true freshman for the Boilermakers.
Grade: C+
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RUTGERS (No. 9 in Big Ten, No. 37 overall)
FULL LIST: RUTGERS' 2024 RECRUITING CLASS
Rutgers coach Greg Schiano wants tough football players that are going to buy in. Michigan linebacker Montele Johnson could end up being a steal for this program down the line. The class overall is very workmanlike which fits the program perfectly.
Grade: C
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WISCONSIN (No. 5 in Big Ten, No. 19 overall)
FULL LIST: WISCONSIN'S 2024 RECRUITING CLASS
With the 2024 recruiting class you can start to see the vision that coach Luke Fickell has for Wisconsin football. The class features a lot of versatile playmakers that are going to increase the overall team speed of the Badgers.
Chicago running back Darrion Dupree is a standout in the class. So is Texas quarterback Mabrey Mattauer, who the Badgers hope can be the quarterback of the future.
Grade: B+