New coaches debut with mixed results
MORE: Coaches on the hot seat
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Class Rank: No. 77 overall, No. 9 in the Big 12.
Class Overview: The Jayhawks are one of three teams (along with Oklahoma State and Iowa State) in the conference without a four-star commitment. The top prospect in Kansas' recruiting class so far is three-star linebacker Kurtis Taufa from Ephraim (Utah) Snow College.
On the Field: Kansas has lost all four games this season, including a 25-point defeat at Iowa State this past weekend. It hosts Baylor and Texas Tech over the next two weekends.
Farrell's take: I really like Beaty as a recruiter. He was one of our top recruiters when he was at Texas A&M before he got this job. This is an impossible job. He's doing a pretty good job going into Texas and he'll continue to try to do that. That being said, this team is a disaster, he inherited a disaster and it's really hard to recruit kids to a disaster.
Class Rank: No. 18 overall, No. 5 in the Big Ten.
Class Overview: The Badgers have three four-stars and 16 three-stars (most in the conference) in this recruiting class. They recently landed a pledge from Chandler (Ariz.) Hamilton four-star DT Garrett Rand. The top prospect in the class so far is four-star ATH A.J. Taylor from Kansas City (Mo.) Rockhurst. Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro 2017 four-star OL Kayden Lyles also was a recent pledge.
On the Field: Wisconsin dropped a 10-6 decision to Iowa this past weekend and the Badgers are 3-2. A trip to Nebraska followed by a home game against Purdue is coming up.
Farrell's take: They just got two big commits from the state of Arizona, which is important with one of them being a 2017 kid. Branching out is extremely important for Wisconsin since it doesn't have a great home base. The connections he has as a Wisconsin guy will help them.
Class Rank: No. 6 overall, No. 2 in the Big Ten.
Class Overview: The Wolverines already have nine four-star commitments in this class (only Ohio State and Penn State have more) and they also have 10 three-star pledges, more than the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions. Hartland (Wisc.) Arrowhead four-star OL Ben Bredeson is the top recruit in the class.
On the Field: After a season-opening loss at Utah, the Wolverines have won four straight games. Michigan will be tested with two straight home games against Northwestern and Michigan State.
Farrell's take: Harbaugh is a huge boost to recruiting. He's a Michigan guy and a well-known NFL coach and I think this is just the start of recruiting prominence for Michigan. Your first year is never your best year recruiting and he has things headed in the right direction in both areas.
Class Rank: No. 14 overall, No. 5 in the SEC.
Class Overview: The Gators have five four-star commits and 15 three-stars, more than only one other team (Kentucky) in the conference. The top prospect in the class so far is four-star defensive back Chauncey Gardner from Cocoa, Fla., and four-star RB Mark Thompson out of Dodge City (Kan.) Dodge City C.C.
On the Field: One of the bigger surprises in college football so far this season, the Gators upset Ole Miss, 38-10, this past weekend. Florida is currently undefeated and ranked No. 11 nationally.
Farrell's take: This is going to get much better. No. 14 is good, but that 3.19 average star ranking is not Florida-like. The start the Gators are on, the way he has everybody believing, the defense will attract other defensive players. Now that he has an offense that is looking very functional, if that continues to develop, you're going to see a ton of skill kids interested in Florida again.
Class Rank: No. 69 overall, tied for last with Georgia Tech in the ACC.
Class Overview: The Panthers have only 10 commitments in the class with one four-star and seven three-stars. The top recruit so far is wide receiver Ruben Flowers, a four-star from Lima (Ohio) Senior. Flowers is the No. 55 receiver in the 2016 class.
On the Field: Pitt is 3-1 this season coming off a 17-13 win at Virginia Tech. Its only loss came in mid-September, a three-point loss at Iowa. The Panthers host Virginia this weekend followed by a trip to Georgia Tech.
Farrell's take: This is interesting because there has been so much shakeup at Pitt when it comes to head coaches. I don't know if kids are waiting to see if Narduzzi will stay there, if there's a lack of trust because people seem to leave the job. You would imagine defensive recruits would gravitate there and it really hasn't happened so far. Recruiting right now for Pitt is extremely average.
Class Rank: No. 39 overall, No. 10 in the Big Ten.
Class Overview: Nebraska has three four-star commitments in the class so far with San Juan Capistrano (Calif.) San Juan Hills QB Patrick O'Brien, West Des Moines (Iowa) Valley OL John Raridon and Calabasas, Calif., DB Marquel Dismuke leading the way. Riley has utilized his West Coast contacts well to grab some top recruits in that area this recruiting cycle.
On the Field: It has been absolute heartbreak for the Huskers. Nebraska lost on a Hail Mary pass to BYU, in overtime at Miami and 14-13 to Illinois when it appeared it had the game won with a minute to play. They visit Wisconsin on Saturday.
Farrell's take: A lot of people aren't happy with the start under Riley and a want to go back in time. It's an interesting situation because when the Huskers were winning nine games under Bo Pelini, they were recruiting OK. It wasn't great and they didn't hit Ohio as many expected with his ties there. The fans all wanted more than just being a nine-win football team. Now five games into Riley's tenure, they would be happy with nine wins. Riley has never been known as a guy who recruits five-stars. He always recruits kids who fit the scheme. I'm not worried as much with recruiting rankings with Nebraska as I am player development and giving him time to develop his kids.
Adam Gorney
West Recruiting Analyst
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