Mid-Summer Report Card: Grading Big Ten recruiting
The 2024 recruiting cycle has reached the mid-point, which means that many recruiting classes across the country are filling up fast. Here's how each team in the Big Ten has fared up to this point.
THIS SERIES: Grading Big 12 recruiting at the mid-point of the 2024 cycle | SEC
MORE BIG TEN: Team recruiting rankings | Winners and losers from a busy June | Northwestern, Nebraska and Michigan State in Fact or Fiction | Northwestern recruits react to Fitzgerald's dismissal
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CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2024 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
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ILLINOIS
Bret Bielema and his staff made a splash by overachieving in year two of their tenure in Champaign and that early success is beginning to pay dividends on the recruiting trail. After entering June with only three commitments the Illini caught their stride, and following a string of summer pledges the class now sits with 17 total commits.
The in-state recruiting efforts continue to pay off, with two of the Illini’s three four-star commits calling The Land of Lincoln home in Eddie Turek and Tysean Griffin. The newest commit, four-star running back Ca’Lil Valentine, was a huge recruiting victory as the staff went all of the way to Arizona and fought off a host of Pac-12 schools for his services. They will have to add some additional difference-makers to make this class special, but Illinois fans have to be pleased with the early returns on the recruiting trail.
Grade: B
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INDIANA
With 13 commitments and a class currently ranked dead last in the conference recruiting rankings, there is plenty to be desired at this point in the 2024 recruiting cycle for Hoosier fans. That being said, this recruiting class is leaps and bounds ahead of where the program was at this point last year, when it only had a handful of commits in the boat. The renewed emphasis on recruiting the Midwest appears to be paying off and is something to follow as we get closer to signing day.
High three-star defensive back Judah Jenkins headlines the class and was a big June win for the Hoosiers. Tight end Brody Kosin could very well outplay his current rating, and he has NFL upside. A trio of in-state recruits in offensive lineman Adedamola Ajani, athlete Javier Etheridge and defensive back Christian Peterson all have a chance to be really good.
Grade: C-
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IOWA
The Hawkeyes currently sit in the Big Ten’s No. 9 spot, but the class ranks No. 32 overall and there is some sneaky good talent in the current group of commits. The physical profiles, skill sets and geographical makeup of this class scream Iowa football as it is loaded with future NFL body types, raw players with upside along with homegrown talent as seven of its 19 commits are from inside the Iowa borders.
The class may seem to lack star power right now with Cody Fox currently sitting as the lone four-star recruit, but there are a number of players who will be in the four-star conversation, including Cam Buffington, Derek Weisskopf, Will Nolan, Joseph Anderson should they have strong senior showings. A couple of big additions combined with potential ratings bumps could see this class making some big moves prior to signing day.
Grade: B+
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MARYLAND
The Terrapins came on strong in June with 11 of their 14 commits coming since June 9. While the class currently ranks 12th in the Big Ten, that can be attributed to lack of commits rather than lack of talent. Their 3.14 star rating ranks sixth in the Big Ten, largely in part to a pair of four-star recruits in Larry Tarver and DeJuan Williams.
This class is just getting started and if the early returns are any indication of what the class can be when all is said and done, don’t be surprised if Mike Locksley and staff dwarf their 2023 class ranking of No. 48 overall.
Grade: B-
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MICHIGAN
Jim Harbaugh has sent numerous players to the NFL and he has signed multiple top-five recruiting classes during his tenure as Michigan’s head coach. But he has yet to take home the national recruiting crown. While a recruiting title this cycle may be an uphill battle, the Wolverines are recruiting at an incredible clip and trail only Ohio State and Georgia in the national rankings. The 25 commits are led by five-star quarterback Jadyn Davis and followed by an additional 15 four-star recruits and numerous high upside three-stars.
This class is solid if not spectacular from top to bottom and riddled with difference-makers at nearly every position. Running back Jordan Marshall may be the nation’s best at his position, and the Wolverines have elite players at other positions in OL Blake Frazier, TE Brady Prieskorn, WR I’Marion Stewart and a host of others. Should Michigan keep this class intact and land a couple of big fish prior to signing day it will likely go down as the Wolverines' best recruiting efforts in over a decade.
Grade: A
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MICHIGAN STATE
The Mel Tucker era started out with a bang, largely supported by the transfer portal, and perhaps when you start your tenure living in the portal it forces you to stay in the portal. The Spartans are likely to be active in the portal again in 2024 and with a Big Ten-low 12 commitments, it is hard to assess and project what this class will end up looking like.
All of that being said, what this class lacks in numbers it makes up for in talent. The Spartans currently rank 11th in the conference recruiting rankings, but their 3.25 star average puts them at fifth-best in the conference. Much remains to be seen as to how this class shapes up, but Sparty received a major boost when Rivals100 WR Nicholas Marsh joined fellow four-star commits Anthony Carrie and Jaylen Thompson when he re-committed on July 7, becoming the fifth Spartan pledge over the past two weeks. This class could be catching fire at the right time.
Grade: B-
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MINNESOTA
The Gophers have largely been a developmental program under PJ Fleck, and outside of a few big recruiting wins they have had much of their success by identifying and coaching up the right players for their program. This year seems to have a little bit of a different ring to it, however, as Minnesota came out hot by securing 24 early commitments (second to Michigan in the Big Ten) and currently sit with the nation’s No. 23 class.
This aggressive approach could pay off big time as the Gophers have finished first or second in the Big Ten West two out of the past three years, and that has been with their typical class sitting in the 30 to 50 range. Landing four-star offensive lineman Nathan Roy out of Wisconsin was huge and it could be argued that he is one of the best in the nation at his position. There is a little bit of everything in this Minnesota class, and I wouldn’t expect the boat to stop rowing anytime soon as the Gophers are likely to continue their aggressive approach on the recruiting trail.
Grade: B+
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NEBRASKA
The Matt Rhule effect has proven to be real early in the 2024 cycle and Nebraska is recruiting at a level that Husker fans haven’t seen in years. There has been a heavy emphasis on skill players and offensive lineman for the nation’s 17th-ranked class, and that should be music to Husker fans' ears as Nebraska has been lacking in both areas as of late.
Four of the Huskers' 23 commits are four-star players, and while all of them have a chance to be special players at the next level, keeping Rivals250 tight end Carter Nelson home when he could have gone anywhere in the country was as big of a recruiting win as we have seen from Nebraska in recent years - outside of landing Malachi Coleman in the 2023 cycle. The future looks bright in Lincoln, and if Rhule can coach the Huskers as well as he has recruited for them, Nebraska may not be as far out from competing for conference titles as we may have once assumed.
Grade: B+
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NORTHWESTERN
With Pat Fitzgerald’s dismissal on Monday this is a very hard class to grade at this point. While the early recruiting efforts looked promising with headliners like offensive lineman Idrys Cotton and defensive back Jamir Benjamin, there is really no telling what the future holds for the Wildcats during the 2024 recruiting cycle. Many of the commits we have spoken with claim to be solid with their commitments for now, but there are rumblings about a number of potential decommitments coming in the near future. I’ll reserve judgement for now and wait to see how the Fitzgerald dismissal affects this class moving forward.
Grade: Incomplete
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OHIO STATE
The Buckeyes have won the Big Ten recruiting crown for the better part of a decade and it looks like the 2024 cycle isn’t shaping up to be too much different. Ohio State continues to be downright dominant with its recruiting efforts and currently has a slight lead over Michigan for the top class in the conference, sitting No. 2 overall behind Georgia.
There is star power from top to bottom, with five-star recruits Jeremiah Smith and Justin Scott headlining the class and both coming in as the top player in the nation at their respective positions. They are followed by a plethora of players who have future first-round draft pick potential in Ian Moore, Mylan Graham, Bryce West and others. Ohio State’s current average star rating of 3.94 is tops in the nation and the Buckeyes are far from finished. This has a chance to be another epic showing on the recruiting trail for the Buckeyes.
Grade: A+
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PENN STATE
The Nittany Lions are always going to be contenders for top talent with James Franklin at the helm, and the 2024 class doesn’t appear to be straying from that norm. With 22 commits and an average star rating of 3.5, Penn State has come out firing once again. The class currently ranks third in the Big Ten, seventh nationally and that all comes with a number of elite players still in play.
An impressive 11 of the 22 commits are rated as four-star players, with homegrown running back commit Quinton Martin leading the way. He has the ability to be a true feature back in the Big Ten for years to come. While Pennsylvania and the DMV will always be Penn State’s bread and butter, I’ve been especially impressed with the staff’s ability to go far and wide to land the nation’s best, with four of their four-star commits coming from Wisconsin, Michigan and Connecticut.
Grade: A-
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PURDUE
There is a new energy surrounding the Purdue program under rookie head coach Ryan Walters, and with that has come a presence on the recruiting trail that we haven’t seen from the program in years. With 20 commits, including a trio of four-stars, the Boilermakers currently have the No. 19 overall recruiting class in the country - a far cry from last year’s class that finished No. 67.
A renewed emphasis on recruiting the state of Texas has paid early dividends, with four-star commits Marcos Davila and Keonde Henry coming from The Lone Star State. They have also done a great job in making their presence felt in Indiana and the Midwest as a whole, with a number of players possessing future star potential. Koy Beasley, Jo'Ziah Edmond, Luke Williams and Tra'Mar Harris are all from the region. This staff can obviously recruit and should it be able to put a competitive product on the field this fall, Purdue could end up making some major waves in the coming years.
Grade B+
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RUTGERS
There is a sense of urgency in Piscataway: Look no further than Rutgers’ early returns on the recruiting trail this cycle. Greg Schiano’s team has 21 players committed already, besting last year’s class that had a total of 20. Not only are the Scarlet Knights landing more bodies, they currently have a top 25 class with legit players who have the potential to take the program to new heights.
Something had to change after last year’s class that ranked a lowly No. 61 overall, and one apparent change is the wide net that Rutgers is casting. The 21 commits come from nine different states, and to me that is a testament to the program’s renewed emphasis on recruiting. After not signing a player rated higher than three-stars during the 2023 cycle the Knights have already garnered commitments from a duo of talented four-stars in Kaj Sanders and Korey Duff Jr. There is still some recruiting to be desired here, but I love the direction Schiano and his staff are going.
Grade: B-
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WISCONSIN
We knew Luke Fickell’s first full recruiting cycle at Wisconsin had a chance to be action packed after what he accomplished on the road at Cincinnati, and so far the early returns have been lucrative. With seven of the Badgers’ 18 commits rated four-stars or higher (led by DB Omillio Agard), it is evident that Wisconsin is targeting and landing players that the program may have not chased in the past. These early returns have Wisconsin sitting fourth in the Big Ten and No. 15 nationally – a far cry from the previous staff’s last full recruiting class in 2022 that had one four-star player and ranked No. 46 nationally.
Wisconsin has always been a developmental program that won despite its recruiting rankings, so one can only imagine what can be accomplished in Madison with a new caliber of player in town. Much has been made about Fickell and staff losing some of the top homegrown talent this recruiting cycle, but that will likely be remedied with time. A renewed emphasis in Chicagoland, a national footprint and an internal attitude that Wisconsin can recruit with the blueblood programs leaves one to wonder how good Wisconsin can be under Fickell.
Grade: A-