Conference Breakdown: Big Ten
The 0 national champion Ohio State Buckeyes are, unsurprisingly, atop the Big
Ten's class of 0 team recruiting rankings. Here is a look at how the
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-member conference stacks up after National Signing Day.
BIG TEN
Ohio StateClick 1Here to view this Link.Click 1Here to view this Link.
Running back Mike Weber could eventually take over for Ezekiel Elliott.
Headliner: Mike Weber has the talent to step right into the void at running back once Ezekiel Elliott leaves for the NFL.
Sleeper: Rashod Berry has a very high ceiling either on defense or at tight end and could prove to be a steal if he develops quickly.
Overview: The Buckeyes started strong and finished strong, the latter wave being aided by their national championship. They added four commits in the final two weeks of the process and were able to hold onto four-stars Weber and Torrance Gibson, who were far from sure things heading into Signing Day. Head coach Urban Meyer said he wanted to add length at the offensive line position, and he certainly did that with a group of six linemen headed to Columbus with an average height of greater than -foot-. The headliner of the group is Rivals0 tackle Isaiah Prince, who was one of two four-stars the Buckeyes landed on Signing Day. In-state recruiting is always important, and they come away with the state of Ohio's top two ranked prospects in linebackers Jerome Baker and Justin Hilliard.
Penn StateClick 2Here to view this Link.Click 2Here to view this Link.
Headliner: Garrett Taylor is one of the most talented defensive back prospects in the entire 201 class but has battled health issues.
Sleeper: Robert Windsor emerged as a Power Five-caliber recruit after a breakout senior season and at -foot- has good length for the defensive tackle spot.
Overview: Head coach James Franklin is known as one of college football's best recruiters, and that was evident in 201 with a Top 1-ranked class headed to State College despite a dismal 2- record in the Big Ten last fall. The Nittany Lions signed their full allotment of 2 prospects in this class, of whom are rated four-stars. A lot of that four-star talent will come in on defense, with athlete prospects Kamonte Carter and Daiquan Kelly expected to start out at defensive end and linebacker, respectively. Taylor will be joined by four-star cornerback John Reid and a trio of three-stars in that defensive backfield. The offensive skill positions will also get a boost in talent from four-star running back Saquon Barkley and four-star receivers Irvin Charles and Juwan Johnson.
Michigan StateClick 3Here to view this Link.Click 3Here to view this Link.
Headliner: Larry Scott is a Rivals0 talent and the type of punishing back who succeeds in the Spartans' offense.
Sleeper: Kaleel Gaines is a play-making defensive back prospect who can be physical at the line of scrimmage and has the athleticism to play in space.
Overview: Head coach Mark Dantonio and his staff executed their recruiting game plan to perfection in 201 and are rewarded with a top 2 nationally-ranked class. The Spartans built this class on the foundation of in-state and in-region talent, with half the class coming from Michigan or surrounding states Illinois and Ohio. They then were able to cherry-pick prospects they targeted from big talent-producing states such as Florida and Texas. The Spartans closed strong on National Signing Day, landing their two remaining targets in Utah defensive end Mufi Hunt and Arizona linebacker Cassius Peat, the latter of whom flipped his commitment from UCLA. They finished with 20 total commits in this cycle, which is a strong class size for a team that features a lot of fifth-year seniors and little attrition.
NebraskaClick 4Here to view this Link.Click 4Here to view this Link.
Headliner: Rivals20 cornerback Eric Lee has the skillset to lock down half of the field and be an early contributor in the secondary.
Sleeper: At -foot- and 24 pounds, DaiShon Neal has an NFL-type defensive end frame and the ceiling to one day play on Sundays.
Overview: Mike Riley and his staff have to be commended for coming in and not only maintaining the Cornhuskers' recruiting after a coaching change but signing the Big Ten West's top class. They did lose a handful of recruits in the transition, but were able to retain the majority, including four-stars Lee, Avery Anderson, Khalil Davis and Stanley Morgan. Riley added to that group by adding more commits after taking the reigns, including four-star offensive lineman Jalin Barnett from Oklahoma. The class finishes with 20 total signees and adds depth throughout the roster. The one position they were unable to sign in 201 is quarterback, which will make that a focus of the 201 class.
WisconsinClick 5Here to view this Link.Click 5Here to view this Link.
Headliner: Alabama native Bradrick Shaw had offers from nearly half of the SEC but decided to take his talents to the Big Ten.
Sleeper: Linebacker Jake Whalen was initially offered a grayshirt opportunity by Wisconsin, but the offer was upgraded the weekend before Signing Day.
Overview: With Melvin Gordon setting a FBS single-game rushing record and being a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, it was no surprise running backs from around the country wanted to come play for the Badgers. They landed Shaw, the No. prospect at the position, as well as four-star Dallas running back Jordan Stevenson. In fact, the Badgers were so stacked at running back in this class they plan to play three-star Titus Booker, who rushed for nearly 2,000 yards as a senior, at defensive back. Like Nebraska, Wisconsin also went through an unexpected coaching change, but by bringing in Wisconsin native and former assistant Paul Chryst as head coach the Badgers were able to keep recruiting momentum going forward and finish in the top half of the Big Ten conference rankings with a class of 20 signees.
IllinoisClick 6Here to view this Link.Click 6Here to view this Link.
Headliner: Four-star running back Ke'Shawn Vaughn has 4.4 speed and is a threat to take it to the house in the run and pass game.
Sleeper: At 6-foot-4 and 25 pounds, Zeke Martin could play the right tackle or guard positions at Illinois.
Overview: Uncertainty is a killer to recruiting momentum, so when it was announced that head coach Tim Beckman would return for the 2015 season, the Illini were free of that handicap and started to build momentum. Ten of the Illini's 24 total signees committed after Beckman's extension was announced, the biggest of which came on National Signing Day when Vaughn chose Illinois over more than a dozen other Power Five offers. The class already had a solid base of in-state talent on-board, which included Rivals250 offensive tackle Gabe Megginson and high three-stars Dre Brown and Patrick Nelson. The Illini were also looking for an immediate infusion of depth and talent and found that with seven junior college transfers.
IndianaClick 7Here to view this Link.Click 7Here to view this Link.
Headliner: Safety Tyler Green was committed to Big Ten rival Ohio State earlier in the process, but signed with the Hoosiers.
Sleeper: Austin Dorris has good size at 6-foot-5 and 226 pounds and should be an asset in the passing game from the tight end position.
Overview: A once perennial basement dweller in the Big Ten's recruiting rankings, Indiana has consistently recruited at a much higher level under head coach Kevin Wilson. If there was a knock against this class, it is that they did not take advantage of a strong year in-state, signing just four prospects from Indiana. At No. 7, offensive tackle Brandon Knight is the highest-ranked in-state commit and he really came on as a senior after transforming his physique in the off-season. Although they signed just two Chicagoland prospects, both wide receiver Leon Thornton and linebacker Omari Stringer rank among the top players in this class. The Hoosiers had to go to nine different states to sign a class of 22.
MichiganClick 8Here to view this Link.Click 8Here to view this Link.
Headliner: Michigan was able to flip four-star quarterback Zach Gentry from Texas less than three weeks before National Signing Day.
Sleeper: The father of John Runyan Jr. was one of the Wolverines' all-time great offensive linemen.
Overview: The Wolverines had eventual five-stars Damien Harris and George Campbell committed at one point early in the 2015 class, but it all fell apart as the product on the field deteriorated. By the time Jim Harbaugh was brought into succeed Brady Hoke, the Wolverines had just six commits left in the class. Harbaugh was able to retain all six and add eight more, including Gentry and fellow four-star Tyrone Wheatley, whose father is now the running backs coach under Harbaugh. Among the players retained on the commitment list were four-stars Tyree Kinnel, Grant Newsome, Alex Malzone and Brian Cole. Malzone and Gentry will team to push Michigan's returning scholarship quarterbacks in what should be a close competition this off-season.
MinnesotaClick 9Here to view this Link.Click 9Here to view this Link.
Headliner: Four-star safety Dior Johnson should provide an instant athleticism upgrade to the defensive backfield.
Sleeper: Nick Connelly is a converted defensive end who could be the answer at the all-important left tackle position.
Overview: The Gophers went to states and one Canadian province to sign their 24 recruits in the 2015 class. Without a deep talent pool in-state, they need to do that year-in and year-out to bring in the best talent. Not only do they bring in Johnson, but also his defensive backfield-mate from Southfield (Mich.) High, Ray Buford, and bring in a total of six new bodies in the secondary. The depth has also been addressed, with four prospects who are listed at running back headed to Minneapolis, headlined by Canadian big back Jonathan Femi-Cole and Georgia speedster Shannon Brooks. The quarterback position was also addressed with Chicagoland native Demry Croft, a tall and athletic dual-threat.
RutgersClick 10Here to view this Link.Click 10Here to view this Link.
Headliner: Defensive end Marques Ford showed off his technical proficiency and motor at the Under Armour All-American Game.
Sleeper: Jon Bateky is already on campus, and expectations are that he will eventually grow into a three-technique defensive tackle.
Overview: Rutgers was delivered an early Signing Day gift when Tennessee informed Ford, a four-star prospect and the No. 186 player in the 2015 class, that they no longer had room for him. He committed to Rutgers a few days later after taking an official visit to the school on the last weekend in January. Ford headlines a defensive line group that will bring five new bodies to the Scarlet Knights and also includes Bateky. In quarterback Michael Dare, Rutgers has a big, strong-armed passer who is ranked as the No. 18 pro-style quarterback in this class. He will have a trio of new wide receivers to target, two of whom hail from Florida.
MarylandClick 11Here to view this Link.Click 11Here to view this Link.
Headliner: Four-star defensive end Adam McLean switched his commitment to Maryland from Big Ten rival Penn State two months before Signing Day.
Sleeper: Mason Zimmerman gives Maryland a true center prospect and another in with the deep talent pool in Ohio.
Overview: A small class size hurt the Terrapins in the 2015 class, but they were able to land three four-star prospects in McLean, offensive guard Quarvez Boulware and wide receiver D.J. Moore. Boulware, a Washington D.C. native, announced he was staying local the day before National Signing Day. Moore is a playmaking wide receiver with ridiculous ball skills. The class of 2015 was feast or famine for the Terps, though. While they were able to sign three four-stars, six of their remaining 15 commits are rated as two-stars. They focused heavily on in-state and East Coast talent, but were also able to pull a few from big talent-producing states Florida and Texas.
NorthwesternClick 12Here to view this Link.Click 12Here to view this Link.
Headliner: Defensive end Joe Gaziano has the nastiness to compete in the trenches and plays bigger than his listed 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds.
Sleeper: Charles Fessler is a good-sized wide receiver at 6-foot-4 and proved himself going against Division-I talent at off-season camps.
Overview: For the first time in the last four classes, Northwestern failed to secure a four-star prospect. A down year for talent in their home-state of Illinois is one of the culprits, though. As a result Pat Fitzgerald's staff had to go out to 11 states to secure their 20 commitments in the 2015 class. They did find one of their highest-ranked commits in the class in their own backyard. A late flip from a wide receiver commit opened a spot for Lemont, Ill., three-star Flynn Nagel to join the class and he voided a previous commitment to Duke to take advantage of the opportunity. Gaziano highlights what is the most talented position group headed to Evanston. All three are listed as strongside defensive ends and rank in the Top 35 at the position nationally.
IowaClick 13Here to view this Link.Click 13Here to view this Link.
Headliner: James Daniels is a true center prospect. His older brother is currently at Iowa, and his father starred at Ohio State.
Sleeper: Defensive end Brady Reiff is the younger brother of a former first-round draft pick out of the University of Iowa.
Overview: The state of Iowa did not have a national recruit in the 2015 class, but the Hawkeyes still cleaned up in their own backyard, landing 7 of the top 10 ranked players in-state, including the top four - brothers Landan Paulsen and Levi Paulsen and defensive linemen Jacob Newborg and Anthony Nelson. They had to go out-of-state to secure their headliner, beating out Ohio State for Daniels, a four-star ranked as the No. 4 center in the class. The Hawkeyes finished out their class of 21 signees by landing commitments from five players -- Angelo Garbutt, Eric Graham, Garret Jansen, Michael Ojemudia and Nick Wilson -- during the final week before Signing Day.
PurdueClick 14Here to view this Link.Click 14Here to view this Link.
Headliner: Quarterback Elijah Sindelar chose Purdue over offers from the in-state Kentucky Wildcats and fellow Big Ten program Illinois.
Sleeper: Defensive tackle Eddy Wilson has the size and athleticism teams covet along the defensive line.
Overview: For the second straight year, Purdue finds itself at the back of the pack in the Big Ten team recruiting rankings. One of the issues has been late identification of prospects, but the Boilermakers recruiting staff has started to address that issue with the current class of juniors, and there's a good chance they rank higher in 2016. What the class coming to West Lafayette next fall brings, though, is depth. They signed 23 prospects in this class, including five offensive linemen, headlined by three-star in-state guard Matt McCann. They also added depth in the backfield, where record-setting in-state tailback Markell Jones leads a trio of backs signed in 2015.
