The Early Signing Period is six weeks away and the pressure is building. Highly ranked prospects around the country are closing in on their final decisions and the all-important final visits are coming.
Here is a look at the top remaining storylines in the Midwest as the Early Signing Period looms large.
RELATED: Biggest remaining 2023 storylines on the East Coast | Southeast
CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2024 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals100
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Where will Malik Elzy land?
As things stand today Elzy is the only uncommitted Rivals250 prospect remaining in the region. The one-time Cincinnati commit also happens to be the nation’s highest-ranked receiver remaining on the board which is likely to create plenty of competition for his services.
Cincinnati, while not likely at this point, could still be a contender as the Bearcats do a great job of recruiting Illinois and have continued to impress on the field after losing a number of players to the NFL. Other programs that could be potential candidates are Oregon, Tennessee and a resurgent Illinois. There was plenty of speculation that Illinois could be in the driver's seat after Elzy re-opened his recruitment, but this is a recruitment that could go down to signing day.
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Midwest flip candidates
Flip candidates can be hard to predict, but this cycle could see an unprecedented amount when you consider the amount of mid-season coaching changes in the region and how early the top prospects in this class committed. Add in a number of prospects whose recruitment blew up late and you have the perfect recipe for flips.
In the Big Ten, Wisconsin and Nebraska could be primed for flips as they figure out their coaching situation. Then you also have prospects such as Arion Carter, who is currently committed to Memphis, that are likely flip targets along with a handful of recruits such as Chance Fitzgerald and Taylor Wein, who have blown up late and could take spots of current commits elsewhere.
Buckle up for this recruiting cycle’s flips because it could get very interesting.
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Big Ten programs in the Top 25 recruiting rankings
Will this be the third-straight year of Big Ten recruiting rankings regression, or will there be a number of programs that make a late push and secure a top-25 class ranking? The conference had seven programs finish in the top 25 during the 2021 recruiting cycle, five during the 2022 recruiting cycle and it currently has three in the top 25.
Ohio State at No. 2 and Penn State at No. 14 are likely to keep their place in the top 25. Iowa currently sits at No. 23 and the Hawkeyes could retain their spot with a strong finish. Then you have Northwestern at No. 27 and Michigan at No. 32, well within striking distance, along with Nebraska, Purdue and Maryland at Nos. 33, 25 and 38.
There are a number of variables that will factor into how the conference and national rankings play out, but with flip season and coaching changes coming into play, anything could happen here. Michigan will likely secure a spot in the top 25. Illinois, Michigan State, Minnesota and Wisconsin could also make a late push for a spot in the top group.
I have long predicted things to get wild in the coming month and with 12 teams from the conference having a chance at finishing in the top group come signing day, there are no guarantees that the conference will see their third-straight year of decline.
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Teams that have to win in the transfer portal
The Big Ten has two programs that have finished within the top 25 team rankings recently in Michigan State with 11 commitments and Indiana with eight commitments. The only other program in the conference that has fewer than 15 commits is Wisconsin - which isn’t known for majoring in the transfer portal and is yet to name a head coach for next season - with 13 commits.
This leads me to believe that we’ll see Indiana and Michigan State as the two givens when it comes to going after transfers hard this recruiting cycle. Michigan State has had a ton of success in the transfer portal, but at the same time the Spartans won’t be able to live in it year in and year out as we have seen this season. They have recently been ramping up their high school offers so that could eventually change, but as things stand right now they will need to win again in the portal. Indiana almost seems like a forgone conclusion when it comes to the portal as eight high school commits is incredibly low for this time of the year.
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Ohio State remains the class of the Big Ten
Ohio State continues to be the class of the Big Ten when it comes to recruiting. Yes, the product on the field is special every year and they are considered one of college football’s blueblood programs, but credit needs to be given where credit is due. I understand the argument that anyone can recruit when they are coaching at Ohio State, but at the same time the Buckeyes have some big-time recruiters who are going to win their fair share of recruiting battles regardless of the school they are at.
Brian Hartline, Larry Johnson, Perry Eliano, Tony Alford and Greg Studrawa are names that you consistently hear out of recruits' mouths. The entire staff makes recruiting a priority and when you pair that with their on-field success you can see why the Buckeyes continue to rule on the road and on the field.
