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Conference Breakdown: June commitment blitz in the Big Ten

June is an active month on the recruiting calendar with summer camps and prospects taking visits after school lets out. The Big Ten has seen a commitment blitz this month, with all but two of the 14 conference programs securing verbal pledges. Here is a breakdown of each Big Ten program’s June recruiting.

ILLINOIS

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Vederian Lowe
Vederian Lowe

New head coach Lovie Smith is looking to flex his in-state muscle, and Illinois has added two commitments from within its own borders in June. Both commitments came on Sunday, June 11, with three-star Rockford Auburn offensive guard Vederian Lowe announcing first and three-star Chicago St. Rita linebacker Marc Mondesir making his pledge that night. Both prospects attended the Illini’s satellite camp in the Chicagoland area earlier in the month.

INDIANA

LeShaun Minor
LeShaun Minor

The Hoosiers doubled their commitment number in the 2017 class this month, adding a pair of prospects from Florida along with an in-state defensive lineman to bring their commitment total to six. The highest rated of the trio is Indianapolis Ben Davis defensive tackle LeShaun Minor. His commitment was preceded by Clearwater, Fla., two-star defensive end Tramar Reece and two-star Tampa Plant linebacker Thomas Allen, who is the son of new Indiana defensive coordinator Tom Allen.

IOWA

Peyton Mansell
Peyton Mansell

Iowa has raced out to a strong start in the 2017 class, with a commitment list that features two prospects ranked in the top 103 players in the class. The Hawkeyes added three more skill position players in June, starting with Belton, Texas, three-star quarterback Peyton Mansell, who made the call for the Hawkeyes on June 20 over offers from 16 other schools. Kirk Ferentz and Co., then gifted Mansell with a big target in three-star Mississippi wide receiver Brandon Smith and also pick up a sleeper defensive back in Camron Harrell.

MARYLAND

MJ Jarrell
MJ Jarrell

Maryland has pulled in just one commitment thus far in the month of June. The Terrapins watched their commitment list explode in April and that momentum carried over into May with a couple more commits. They hit double-digit commitments right at the start of June when Orlando (Fla.) Timber Creek two-star wide receiver MJ Jarrell announced his pledge, becoming the third receiver in the Terrapins' 2017 class.

MICHIGAN

Aubrey Solomon
Aubrey Solomon

Michigan has landed five total commitments in June spread over the classes of 2017 and 2018. The Wolverines landed three defensive linemen for 2017 in four-stars Aubrey Solomon, Luiji Vilain and Corey Malone-Hatcher while adding safety Otis Reese and offensive guard Jalil Irvin in 2018. Surprisingly, the Peach State has been most fruitful for the Wolverines, with Solomon, Reese and Irvin all hailing from Georgia.

MICHIGAN STATE

Donovan Winter
Donovan Winter

A strong start to the month has been complemented by what is turning out to be a good finish for the Spartans. They kicked off June by getting a commitment from Illinois three-star defensive end Jacub Panasiuk, whose brother, Mike, signed with Michigan State in the 2016 class. Their Elite Camp on June 18 yielded new offers for in-state offensive tackle Mustafa Khaleefah and Florida defensive end Donovan Winter, who both committed immediately, while another Florida defensive end, Lashawn Paulino, announced his commitment the same day as Winter. Safety recruit Dominique Long finishes off the big June haul.

MINNESOTA

Dominik London
Dominik London

The camp season has allowed in-state prospects to compete and earn offers from Minnesota, yielding three more commitments for the Golden Gophers in the month of June. Two of those prospects – kicker Grant Ryerse and two-star running back Dominik London – hail from East Ridge High School in suburban Saint Paul, while the third – two-star tight end Nathan Bursch – is right down the street at Woodbury High School. The new commits bring Minnesota’s 2017 class to six prospects total, five of whom are in-state.

NEBRASKA

Broc Bando
Broc Bando

Nebraska is also locking down its home state and addressing needs in both the 2017 and 2018 classes this month. The Cornhuskers picked up their 10th commitment in 2017 on June 17 from three-star offensive tackle Broc Bando, who plays for IMG Academy in Florida but originally hails from Lincoln, Neb. The same day Bando pledged, the Cornhuskers also picked up a commitment from 2018 defensive tackle Masry Mapieu of York, Neb. He is the second 2018 commit for Nebraska, joining fellow in-state prospect Cameron Jurgens.

NORTHWESTERN

Jace James
Jace James

Northwestern’s recruiting game plan did not used to get going until the summer started early in Pat Fitzgerald’s tenure, but now the Wildcats almost have their entire class wrapped up by the start of July thanks to a four-commitment June that brings their total to 17 pledges in 2017. June additions came from Ohio kicker Charlie Kuhbander, in-state wide receiver Jace James, New York defensive end Ethan Wiederkehr and California wide receiver Berkeley Holman.

OHIO STATE

Tate Martell
Tate Martell

Ohio State had enjoyed a long run atop the class of 2017 team rankings before Alabama jumped ahead of it following the post-spring player ranking update. The Buckeyes are fighting back in June, however, with a pair of Rivals100 commits. Quarterback Tate Martell, a former Texas A&M commit, announced his pledge to head coach Urban Meyer on June 11. Offensive guard Wyatt Davis then became the third five-star commit for Ohio State in 2017 when he pledged on June 23.

PENN STATE

Matt Dotson
Matt Dotson

Penn State is one of just two programs in the Big Ten that has not landed a commitment in the month of June, but head coach James Franklin and staff still got work done on the recruiting trail this month. Among their most notable visitors was Rivals250 tight end Matt Dotson, who has the Nittany Lions atop his list and is expected to announce a decision early in July. Five-star cornerback Lamont Wade also made his way out to Happy Valley this month, and although he is farther from a decision, Penn State appears to be moving up his board.

PURDUE

Nicholas Sipe
Nicholas Sipe

The Boilermakers limped into June with just one commitment in the 2017 class – legacy prospect Griffin Alstott, son of Purdue all-time great Mike Alstott – and very little momentum on the recruiting trail. They will exit the month in much better shape, however, with four commitments in June. The headliner is California three-star quarterback Nicholas Sipe, and he was joined by Tennessee prospects Tijaun Mason and Antwuan Branch along with Illinois cornerback Mitch West.

RUTGERS

Tyshon Fogg
Tyshon Fogg

New head coach Chris Ash appears to have hit his recruiting stride in Piscataway. Since the start of the Spring Evaluation Period, Rutgers has hauled in 13 commitments, including four in June. The Scarlet Knights finished off their lengthy recruitment of in-state offensive center Owen Bowles by securing his commitment on June 11. They also added in-state linebacker CJ Onyechi and in-state athlete Tyler Hayek before securing their second four-star in the class when linebacker Tyshon Fogg committed on June 25.

WISCONSIN

Oliver Martin
Oliver Martin

Wisconsin is the second Big Ten program that has not received a June commitment, but the month is not over and the potential for a commitment still exists. It looked as if Iowa City (Iowa) West three-star receiver Oliver Martin would pop for the Badgers after they offered earlier this month, but more offers have come through and he may be holding off now. Florida cornerback Josh Turner was on campus June 23 and could be close to a decision. The class of 2017 will be a very small class for Wisconsin, though, and it is already at 10 commits.

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