Three-Point Stance: Big Ten grades, recruiting predictions

Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell’s thought-provoking Three-Point Stance is here with grades for the Big Ten coaches, comparing the class of 2017 to the class of 2018 and some huge recruiting predictions.

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Professor Farrell is back and it’s time to grade the job the Power Five coaches did this season. We’ve done the SEC, ACC and Big 12, so here’s a look at the Big Ten…

EAST

Penn State – A+: James Franklin’s seat was at least warm heading into the season, and the Nittany Lions were picked fourth in their own division. A Big Ten title later, he did arguably the best coaching job in America.

Ohio State – A: Picked to win the division and Big Ten overall, the loss to Penn State hurt Urban Meyer just like the loss to Michigan State the year before. However, this time he's in the playoff, so anything short of an A would be wrong.

Michigan – B+: Jim Harbaugh had his team rolling until a couple of late losses, and the Wolverines were projected to finish second in the division and fell to third. However, he still did a great job.

Maryland – B+: Did anyone expect a 6-6 season from DJ Durkin after what he was left from the previous regime? He did a very solid job in year one.

Indiana – B: Kevin Wilson lost his job but it wasn’t because of how his team played. They hung with Nebraska, Penn State, Michigan and others and had some solid wins.

Michigan State – D: Much more is expected from Michigan State, and this season was a disaster for Mark Dantonio. The Spartans were projected to finish third in the division but expected to compete for it all once again. A 3-9 season with one win in conference - against Rutgers - is awful.

Rutgers – D-: No failing grade here for Chris Ash because he’s a first-year guy who inherited some awfulness. But with losses by scores of 78-0, 58-0, 49-0 and 39-0, no better grade can be given.

WEST

Minnesota – A: Projected to finish fifth in the division with a losing record by most, Minnesota went 8-4 with a winning record in conference and gave Penn State and Iowa all they could handle. That’s a great first year for Tracy Claeys.

Wisconsin – A: Paul Chryst was expected to finish third in the division behind Iowa and Nebraska and not only took the division but beat both teams as well as LSU. A good year for Chryst and the Badgers.

Nebraska – B: Mike Riley was projected to finish second in the division and possibly win it over Iowa but fell short. That being said, he won nine games and was undefeated through seven games. The Wisconsin loss was a tough one but the blowouts to Ohio State and Iowa drop his grade down a bit.

Iowa – B: Projected to win the division, Iowa was never really in it after a rough start that included a loss to North Dakota State. However, a strong finish and wins over Michigan and Nebraska still have Kirk Ferentz grading out OK.

Northwestern – C-: An awful start hurt Pat Fitzgerald and his team and a 6-6 finish isn’t great. They looked better during a mid-season stretch but still didn’t beat any good teams aside from Iowa.

Purdue – D: Darrell Hazell, Gerad Parker – take your pick it wasn’t pretty. Yes they were picked to finish last, but 3-9 isn’t good and 1-8 in conference is awful.

Illinois – D: Lovie Smith won one more game than the coaches at Purdue in conference as his team upset Michigan State and predictably beat Rutgers, but he lost the head-to-head with the Boilermakers and that puts him tied for last here.

Let’s take a quick look comparing the top players from 2017 to 2018 now that we’ve finished both rankings releases. Today I’ll look at the offensive positions and tomorrow I will do the defense.

Pro-Style QB – Davis Mills vs. Trevor Lawrence: I’ll take Lawrence here seeing both at the same stage of development. He’s one of the most complete quarterbacks I’ve seen as a junior.

Dual-Threat QB – Kellen Mond vs. Emory Jones – A tough call here, but I’d take Mond. Both have some accuracy issues and both are excellent athletes with excellent arms, but Mond has that ability to lead his team from behind better.

All-Purpose RB – Stephen Carr vs. Jaelen Gill: Carr is the more complete and dangerous back to me.

RB – Najee Harris vs. Zamir White: I love White and think he can be special, but Harris is one of the top five running backs I’ve ever seen.

WR – Jerry Jeudy vs. Jalen Hall: Tough call here because they are so different, but I’ll go with Jeudy because he’s more polished despite giving up a few inches.

TE – Brock Wright vs. Zack Kuntz: Wright could be special at Notre Dame while Kuntz could be a star at Penn State, but I’ll go with Wright and his slight athleticism edge.

OT – Foster Sarell vs. Jackson Carman: The best battle on offense, I’ll take Carman slightly but both are elite, next-level guys.

OG – Wyatt Davis vs. Jamaree Salyer: Salyer has very good upside and could end up as a five-star down the line, but Davis just swallows people.

OC – Cesar Ruiz vs. Daniel Dawkins: The battle of New Jersey prospects isn’t close. Ruiz is a beast.

There are some huge commitments coming this week, so here’s my stab at where each player is going. Things are looking quite good for Michigan.

WR Tarik Black – Michigan

Black has been rumored to Michigan for some time now so anything else would be a surprise.

WR Donovan Peoples-Jones – Michigan

Again, not a huge surprise here as I don’t see a way Harbaugh was going to let him escape.

OT Walker Little – Texas

This could be the toughest one to call as Texas has done a great job making up ground, but Stanford was his leader for a while. I think Tom Herman flexes his muscles in Texas with this one and he stays close to home.

OT Isaiah Wilson – Michigan

A near Alabama lock in August, Michigan seems to have the momentum here and should land him.

DB Thomas Graham – Oregon

Willie Taggart’s first huge commitment? I think so.

DB Lamont Wade – Penn State

Penn State’s season pushes them over the top for the best player in state? I believe so.