Top recruiters: Big Ten
The 2015 recruiting cycle is in the books and programs across the country are celebrating their Signing Day hauls. Rivals.com examines the top recruiters from the Big Ten Conference.
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Big Ten Recruiter of the Year
Kerry CoombsClick Here to view this Link.
Justin Hilliard
It may sound like an easy task to recruit to the defending national champions, but Coombs did most of his work in the 2015 class before the Buckeyes made their run through the postseason and hoisted the national championship trophy. Coombs, Ohio State's cornerbacks coach, did his most impressive work in the Buckeyes' archrival's backyard, landing three-star defensive lineman Joshua Alabi and Rivals100 running back Mike Weber from Detroit Cass Tech. He landed another Rivals100 prospect in linebacker Justin Hilliard from familiar territory in Cincinnati -- where he spent 16 years as a head coach at Colerain High. Of course, Coombs also had a hand in the majority of Ohio State's defensive back signings, most notably playing a part in three-star Damon Arnette flipping from South Carolina two days before National Signing Day.
Other Top Big Ten Recruiters
Thomas BrownClick Here to view this Link.
Wisconsin pulled in the Big Ten's fifth best class despite having to deal with a coaching transition in December that few saw coming. Brown, who was retained by new head coach Paul Chryst as the running backs coach, was one of the main reasons the Badgers were able to keep the bulk of their class in place and sign a strong 2015 class. Maybe his most impressive feat was getting four-star running back Jordan Stevenson to de-commit from Texas and commit to Wisconsin without a head coach in place. Brown also reeled in four-star running back Bradrick Shaw late in January and also was instrumental in getting four-star safety Arrington Farrar to announce for the Badgers on Signing Day.
Brian FerentzClick Here to view this Link.
It was not an overly impressive recruiting class for Iowa as it finished 13th in the final Big Ten team rankings. However, one of the best recruiting gets in the entire conference was the Hawkeyes out-dueling Ohio State for four-star center James Daniels, who is a Buckeye legacy and lives in their backyard. Ferentz, the offensive line coach, was responsible for that impressive win. He also went into the state of Illinois to nab an early commitment from three-star athlete Jack Hockaday, who had a number of Big Ten offers, as well as three-star tight end Nate Vejvoda.
Alex GoleshClick Here to view this Link.
Illinois signed one of the Big Ten's larger classes at 24 prospects, and Golesh was heavily involved or the lead recruiter for 11 of those players, including both four-stars. Golesh wears a lot of hats for the Fighting Illini, including being their recruiting coordinator, and in that role he orchestrated a late rally to boost Illinois to the No. 6 class in the Big Ten. One of the keys down the stretch was landing four-star running back Ke'Shawn Vaughn out of SEC territory on Signing Day. Golesh was the lead recruiter for Vaughn, as well as four-star offensive tackle Gabe Megginson who, along with high three-star Chicagoland running back Dre Brown -- another Golesh get -- formed the foundation this class was built on. Golesh also reeled in four junior college products, including one of the top JUCO tight ends in Andrew Davis.
Mike LocksleyClick Here to view this Link.
Maryland signed the Big Ten's second-smallest class, but added solid talent, including several four-stars. Locksley was in tough battles down the stretch for two four-star offensive linemen from the Beltway, and batted .500 by getting a commitment from Washington D.C. guard Quarvez Boulware during Signing Day week over strong competition from ACC and SEC programs. Locksley also went into Tampa to pull three-star wide receiver Jahrvis Davenport away from nearly 20 other offers, and he worked an early commitment from in-state defensive tackle Keiron Howard.
Brent PryClick Here to view this Link.
Penn State approaches recruiting in a unique way compared to most Power Five programs. Instead of having hard and fast territories that individual coaches recruit within, James Franklin's staff has multiple coaches recruiting every single prospect. Identifying specific coaches that are responsible for landing specific recruits, then, is difficult, but co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Pry was involved with many of Penn State's top gets in 2015, among them New Jersey four-stars Manny Bowen and Daiquan Kelly. Pry also played a big role in landing in-state linebackers Jake Cooper and Kevin Givens.
Brad SalemClick Here to view this Link.
Michigan State finished third in the Big Ten's team recruiting rankings and Top 25 nationally on the strength of a class that was half regional talent and half out-of-region talent. Salem, the Spartans quarterbacks coach and recruiting coordinator, was responsible for bringing talent from both in-region and out-of-region to East Lansing. One of his biggest accomplishments in this recruiting cycle was opening a new pipeline out of the state of Arizona. He secured four-star quarterback Brian Lewerke early, then was able to flip three-star linebacker Cassius Peat from UCLA on Signing Day. In-region he outdueled several Big Ten schools for Chicago four-star defensive lineman Raequan Williams and also worked southeast Michigan to land three-star cornerback Tyson Smith.
Zach SmithClick Here to view this Link.
Smith is the youngest member of Urban Meyer's staff at Ohio State, but he is quickly becoming a veteran of the recruiting wars and was responsible for some of the program's most impressive out-of-state grabs in the 2015 class. Smith and the Buckeyes out-fought more than 40 schools to land Rivals250 offensive lineman Matthew Burrell Jr. out of Virginia, and then convinced four-star wide receiver K.J. Hill to vacate a commitment to his home-state Arkansas Razorbacks to play in the Big Ten. Smith also showed the persistence necessary to keep quarterback Torrance Gibson in the scarlet and gray after the four-star made several late official visits to other programs.
Sean SpencerClick Here to view this Link.
The 2015 recruiting effort from Penn State turned a lot of heads in the Big Ten and beyond, with the Nittany Lions signing the conference's second-best class and a Top 15 class nationally. Within Penn State's team recruiting effort, Spencer, the defensive line coach, was involved with several of the biggest names in the class, including Rivals250 running back Saquon Barkley and four-star defensive end Ryan Buchholz. While Spencer did a lot of work in-state, he also worked on several out-of-state prospects like Maryland tight end Jonathan Holland and Wisconsin defensive lineman Robert Windsor.
Charlton WarrenClick Here to view this Link.
Like Wisconsin, Nebraska also had to deal with a somewhat surprising coaching transition -- at least from the recruits' standpoint -- following the 2014 season. Warren was retained by new head coach Mike Riley as defensive backs coach and was the key to keeping prospects like four-star cornerbacks Avery Anderson and Eric Lee from Colorado committed during the transition. Warren also helped Nebraska take advantage of a deep talent pool in Georgia for the 2015 cycle, playing an integral role in getting three-star linebacker Mohamed Barry to flip from Kansas State and getting an early commitment from Atlanta safety Aaron Williams, then keeping him committed through the coaching change.
