Breaking Down Recruiting Classes Across the Big Ten

By Vico on February 6, 2015 at 10:10 am
PennLive.com (Joe Hermitt / AP Photo)
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Ohio State secured the consensus best recruiting class in the Big Ten for yet another year, a recurring feature of Ohio State recruiting since Urban Meyer's arrival to the position in November 2011. A strong finish, and perfect sweep of signing day decisions was also good enough to secure a no. 6 finish nationally for Ohio State's recruiting class.

Eleven Warriors has already published in considerable detail about this year's recruiting class. More will be said in the forthcoming Better Know a Buckeye series through the offseason as Ohio State fans look forward to a 2015 football campaign in pursuit of another national championship. This feature will look across the rest of the Big Ten to see how the league's 13 other members fared on the recruiting trail, going by descending order of its collective rankings (as determined by 247Sports Composite rankings).

Penn State (National Rank: 14, Average Rating: .8905)

Three Best Signees
Name Hometown Position HT/WT Rating National Position State
Saquon Barkley Whitehall, PA RB 5-11/190 **** (.9420) 123 14 2
Garrett Taylor Richmond, VA CB 6-1/195 **** (.9418) 125 16 6
John Reid Philadelphia, PA CB 5-10/180 **** (.9416) 126 17 3

Penn State was the second biggest winner in the league on National Signing Day. The 2015 recruiting cycle was always going to be kind to the Nittany Lions Once the NCAA rescinded the bowl ban and the scholarship reductions, James Franklin was given more ammunition to restock Penn State's roster with scholarship-caliber players. Franklin made good in not just quality (14 four-stars), but quantity. Penn State needed bodies and got 27 of them.

The offensive line position will benefit the most from this year's recruiting class. Penn State's offensive line was woeful in 2014, putting Christian Hackenberg in positions in which he was bound to fail. This was largely a scholarship issue made worse by attrition of a veteran unit after 2013. Penn State compensated by signing four offensive linemen in its 2015 class and added a graduate transfer from Stanford (Kevin Reihner). Paris Palmer, a 6-8, 305-pound offensive tackle from the JUCO ranks, should make an immediate contribution to Herb Hand's unit. Steven Gonzalez, a 6-3, 300-pound guard prospect, held an Ohio State offer and could be quite a gem.

Regionally, Penn State did well in its usual footprint: the Eastern Seaboard. Outside the Pennsylvania prospects, a couple of whom Penn State flipped from Pitt late in the game, recruits are almost all from Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia. The furthest Penn State went for a recruit was Wisconsin (Robert Windsor, a defensive tackle-prospect). Tommy Stevens, the lone quarterback signee in the class, flipped from his in-state Hoosiers to Penn State. Penn State does not have to travel far to have a loaded roster.

There's considerable excitement among the Penn State fans regarding the wide receiver haul. Juwan Johnson, who excites Penn State fans the most, is listed at 6-4 and 216 pounds. Irvin Charles is listed at 6-4 and 212 pounds. Both are solid four-star prospects and top-ten prospects from the Garden State. The diminutive (5-9, 163-pound) Brandon Polk was added from Virginia as well.

Michigan State (National Rank: 22, Average Rating: .8766)

Three Best Signees
Name Hometown Position HT/WT Rating National Position State
Larry Scott Hubbard, OH RB 6-2/228 **** (.9710) 59 6 2
Kyonta Stallworth Detroit, MI OG 6-4/275 **** (.9199) 185 9 3
Raequan Williams Chicago, IL DT 6-4/280 **** (.9146) 208 18 4

I've been bullish on Michigan State's recruiting momentum for the past two years. It's the perfect time for Michigan State too. Dantonio had just hired Curtis Blackwell (of the Sound Mind Sound Body camp) to help Michigan State's in-state recruiting and in-state rival Michigan hemorrhaged on the recruiting trail through much of the fall. Add in another big bowl win and Michigan State parlayed its recent run to a top-25 recruiting class. 

Further, Michigan State finally resolved its position within the Big Ten's broader "Kentucky problem" I referenced last year. Michigan State flipped the Dowell twins from Kentucky late in the process. It also added Drake Martinez (a former Nebraska signee and younger brother of Taylor Martinez) late in the game.

The most optimism might be for LJ Scott, who Michigan State recruited from Hubbard at Ohio State's expense. Scott is a big, powerful runner who hopes to duplicate the success that Le'veon Bell had for Michigan State a few years ago.

One question about this class concerns skill players. Michigan State is losing Tony Lippett to graduation and the rest of the supporting cast that comes back will be seniors in 2015. Felton Davis III is a big body at 6-3 and 175 pounds and should add physicality to the position. Kaleel Gaines and David Dowell could be wide receivers, but are tentatively scheduled to be defensive backs for Dantonio. It's not clear where the down-field threats are in this recruiting class.

Nebraska (National Rank: 31, Average Rating: .8589)

Three Best Signees
Name Hometown Position HT/WT Rating National Position State
Eric Lee Littleton, CO CB 6-0/175 **** (.9414) 127 18 1
Jalin Barnett Lawton, OK OG 6-4/315 **** (.9207) 180 8 3
Avery Anderson Pine Creek, CO ATH 6-0/170 **** (.8935) 321 22 2

Nebraska locked down the Big Ten West's best recruiting class in signing 20 players to become the next wave of Cornhuskers. 11 of those signees were verbal pledges after Mike Riley took over the program at the beginning of December. Given Nebraska's relative remoteness in the college football landscape, and how adverse Riley's predecessor was to recruiting, this is a minor miracle for Nebraska.

Nebraska's recruiting class comes from far and wide, mostly because Nebraska has no other option. It lacks the fertile recruiting grounds of Ohio State or Penn State. Since Nebraska moved to the Big Ten, and Texas A&M moved to the SEC, Nebraska has found it more difficult to tap into Texas. To compensate, Nebraska boasts signees from Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, Oklahoma, and Texas. No state is represented more than twice in Nebraska's recruiting class.

Nebraska did well in tapping into Colorado, grabbing the two best players from the state. Elsewhere, Nebraska may be reaching. Alex Davis, a weakside defensive end prospect from Palm Beach Gardens, was flipped from Georgia Southern. Antonio Reed, a safety prospect from Southaven, Mississippi, was flipped from Memphis.

For Mike Riley's purposes, they are useful additions to the roster. It also followed a concerted effort to extend Nebraska's recruiting reach. If Nebraska is to return to greater heights enjoyed in the 1990s, though, it would want more on the recruiting trail. Mike Riley's 2016 recruiting class will be worth watching.

Wisconsin (National Rank: 34, Average Rating: .8562)

Three Best Signees
Name Hometown Position HT/WT Rating National Position State
Jordan Stevenson Dallas, TX RB 5-8/165 **** (.9160) 204 17 30
Arrington Farrar Atlanta, GA S 6-2/195 **** (.8994) 287 15 29
Jon Dietzen Seymour, WI OT 6-5/345 *** (.8898) 344 36 1

Perhaps only Michigan was rocked harder on the recruiting trail down the stretch and with the coaching change. Wisconsin suffered 11 decommitments after Gary Andersen left for Oregon State, but rebounded well enough to finish with the Big Ten's fifth best recruiting class. The last second addition of Arrington Farrar was great for Wisconsin's recruiting class. He will likely play immediately for the Badgers.

Wisconsin's recruiting class is surprisingly diverse. The best overall prospect is from Dallas. The second best overall prospect is from Atlanta. The next best prospects, Kyle Penniston and Kevin Estes, come from California. The addition of Bradrick Shaw near the end of the recruiting cycle is intriguing as well. Shaw hails from the Hoover program in Alabama. Thomas Brown, the former Georgia running back great who now serves as Wisconsin's running backs coach, left a unique mark on this recruiting class.

Decommitments prevented Wisconsin from having arguably its best ever offensive line recruiting haul. Knowing Wisconsin's lore, that's saying something. All the same, Jon Dietzen, Kevin Estes, and David Moorman are a great trio of offensive line prospects.

Most of the departures from Wisconsin's recruiting class were on defense. How Wisconsin corrects this in 2016 will be worth watching.

Michigan (National Rank: 38, Average Rating: .8782)

Three Best Signees
Name Hometown Position HT/WT Rating National Position State
Brian Cole Saginaw, MI ATH 6-2/190 **** (.9613) 73 5 1
Zach Gentry Albuquerque, NM QB 6-7/230 **** (.9228) 175 8 1
Tyree Kinnel Dayton, OH S 6-0/205 **** (.9180) 195 11 7

Entering signing day, Michigan was dead last in the Big Ten in the recruiting rankings. Four big signing day additions of Shelton Johnson, Karan Higdon, Keith Washington, and Tyrone Wheatley, Jr. catapulted Michigan to a no. 6 ranking in the Big Ten.

Michigan has just 14 signees in its recruiting class and it's a surprise it took that long before Jim Harbaugh started to get some recruits into this class. The silver lining for Michigan fans is the recruiting class has much more quality than quantity. Six of the 14 signees are four-star prospects. Michigan will hope almost all of these recruits play to billing. Should a small class like this experience a normal boom/bust rate, Michigan fans will bemoan this recruiting cycle for the near future.

While Michigan has a high average rating, one of the recruits is a kicker and another is a low three-star prospect who selected Michigan over Connecticut. Zach Gentry, the big quarterback prospect from New Mexico, is the player to watch in this recruiting class.

Illinois (National Rank: 45, Average Rating: .8350)

Three Best Signees
Name Hometown Position HT/WT Rating National Position State
Gabe Megginson Jacksonville, IL OT 6-5/285 **** (.9182) 193 15 2
Ke'Shawn Vaughn Nashville, TN RB 5-10/210 **** (.8953) 314 27 11
Dre Brown Dekalb, IL RB 6-0/195 *** (.8744) 452 37 7

If Illinois fans are willing to play the long game with Tim Beckman, he might get them results. Illinois is steadily improving in all facets in the three years that Tim Beckman has been there. He also had a great signing day with the last minute additions of Jamal Milan and high school teammates Ke'Shawn Vaughn and Cameron Watkins from Nashville. Ke'Shawn Vaughn chose Illinois over Louisville and Notre Dame.

Beckman has been doing something lower-tier programs in the Big Ten should have been doing for years: duplicate Kansas State's model and hit the JUCO trail. Seven of Illinois' signees in 2015 are JUCO prospects. JUCO prospects can and will go anywhere. They are also more likely to make immediate contributions to the football team.

Illinois signed 24 overall players in 2015. Some, like Gabe Megginson, have intriguing potential. Ohio State offered Megginson early on the recruiting trail before looking elsewhere. Sam Mays is a big wide receiver prospect from Texas. He should fit well into Bill Cubit's offense.

In an era where fans demand an immediate turnaround, Tim Beckman may be playing a longer game. If he can improve on last year's six-win campaign (i.e. not get fired), he might be able to assemble an even better recruiting class in 2016.

Maryland (National Rank: 48, Average Rating: .8436)

Three Best Signees
Name Hometown Position HT/WT Rating National Position State
Adam McLean Gaithersburg, MD DT 6-2/290 **** (.9419) 124 14 2
Quarvez Boulware Washington, DC OG 6-2.5/283 **** (.9039) 256 18 3
D.J. Moore Philadelphia, PA WR 6-0/180 *** (.8872) 362 46 10

Maryland signed 18 players in its recruiting class. If not for the big-name additions of Adam McLean (a Penn State flip) and Quarvez Boulware (a signing day commitment), this class would likely be quite disappointing for Maryland fans. Maryland's past two recruiting classes had a few big names, complemented by a lot of marginal prospects, at best.

Maryland's main issue right now is that it's under siege in the DMV. Maryland got only the no. 2, no. 8, and no. 18 players among the top 20 in Maryland. It only got the no. 3 player (Quarvez Boulware) among the top 15 prospects in Washington, DC. It got rocked in Virginia. The best player Maryland got from Virginia was the no. 40 player in the state.

Maryland will need to do much better in the DMV if it's going to compete in the Big Ten East with Ohio State, Penn State, and the two Michigans. That Ohio State signed Maryland's best player in 2015 (Isaiah Prince) only compounds Maryland's recruiting issue.

Indiana (National Rank: 51, Average Rating: .8419)

Three Best Signees
Name Hometown Position HT/WT Rating National Position State
Tyler Green Hyattsville, MD S 6-3/195 *** (.8668) 533 31 13
Camion Patrick Scooba, MS [JUCO] WR 6-2/215 *** (.8644) 43 8 21
Leon Thornton Lombard, IL WR 6-2/190 *** (.8622) 602 72 11

Indiana signed 22 prospects in its 2015 recruiting class. Tyler Green, a one-time Ohio State commitment, is the highest-rated prospect in Indiana's recruiting class. He could be a solid safety for Indiana or grow into being an even better linebacker. Ohio State fans who know the Hoosiers know Indiana doesn't lack for creative ways to be a handful on offense. Indiana's football woes under Kevin Wilson follow because the Hoosiers defense couldn't stop a nosebleed.

That said, a lot of the intrigue in the Hoosiers' class is on offense. Camion Patrick, a one-time Tennessee Volunteer commit, landed at East Mississippi Community College to get his academic house in order. Once he did, Patrick opted to attend Indiana rather than return to Tennessee. He should be a good one for the Hoosiers, who need some wide receiver help.

Northwestern (National Rank: 52, Average Rating: .8403)

Three Best Signees
Name Hometown Position HT/WT Rating National Position State
Jordan Thompson Cincinnati, OH DT 6-3/250 *** (.8776) 415 25 20
Joe Gaziano Westwood, MA SDE 6-4/242 *** (.8664) 562 31 1
Flynn Nagel Lemont, IL WR 5-11/190 *** (.8640) 567 64 10

Northwestern's 20-member recruiting class is solid, if unremarkable. It's tough to find a particular superlative about Northwestern's recruiting class, other than to preen at Illinois about how much better Northwestern did in-state against its in-state rival.

The top-rated prospect in this class, Jordan Thompson, had a Notre Dame offer before committing to Northwestern. Running back recruit John Moten was a high school teammate of Ezekiel Elliott at John Burroughs School. Trae Williams, an athlete prospect, hails from the same high school as Joe Burrow.

Northwestern fans will probably follow Tommy Vitale's career trajectory the most. His older brother, Dan, is a well-regarded "superback" on the Wildcats team and will be a senior in 2015.

Rutgers (National Rank: 54, Average Rating: .8295)

Three Best Signees
Name Hometown Position HT/WT Rating National Position State
Marques Ford Gibstonton, FL SDE 6-4/230 **** (.9008) 275 18 38
Sidney Gopre New Berlin, NY [JUCO] OLB 6-0/210 *** (.8666) 10 1 3
Najee Clayton Paramus, NJ S 6-3/215 *** (.8610) 620 41 14

Rutgers signed 24 players in its recruiting class, though the quality of the class peters out near the tail end of the rankings.

Like fellow Big Ten rookie Maryland, Rutgers is getting rocked in its own state. Penn State is doing most of the damage, signing five of the top ten players in the Garden State. Alabama, as it does, is cherry-picking the best player from various states across the country and signed New Jersey's best player in 2015.

It's tough-sledding for Rutgers right now in its own home state. Rutgers will need to address this if it's going to thrive in the Big Ten East.

Iowa (National Rank: 59, Average Rating: .8261)

Three Best Signees
Name Hometown Position HT/WT Rating National Position State
James Daniels Warren, OH OC 6-4/304 **** (.8909) 336 6 16
Landan Paulsen Moville, IA OG 6-5/285 *** (.8755) 443 30 1
Levi Paulsen Moville, IA OT 6-5/285 *** (.8745) 451 50 2

Few things have been going great for Iowa on the recruiting trail. Karan Higdon flipped from Iowa to Michigan, though Iowa compensated with a late addition of Eric Graham from Prattvile, Alabama. If not for James Daniels (son of former Ohio State offensive lineman LeShun Daniels), Iowa's recruiting class might be the worst in the Big Ten.

James Daniels will be a great center for Kirk Ferentz and will enjoy playing with his older brother, who is currently a running back on the team. The Paulsen twins will be great developmental prospects as well. However, there's something to be said about most of the potential in this recruiting class being at offensive line. Iowa does fine coaching offensive line play, but Iowa football does little to lend confidence to fans hoping that skill players emerge in Iowa City.

Iowa fans are hoping Ryan Boyle, a dual-threat quarterback from West Des Moines, could be a playmaker under center. The situation at running back is less than hopeful. Iowa's running back situation is a mess and was made worse in this year's recruiting class.

Minnesota (National Rank: 60, Average Rating: .8294)

Three Best Signees
Name Hometown Position HT/WT Rating National Position State
Dior Johnson Southfield, MI S 6-1.5/195 *** (.8574) 707 49 10
Quinn Oseland Springfield, IL OT 6-6/310 *** (.8553) 754 81 15
Tyler Moore Houston, TX OC 6-4/310 *** (.8539) 789 13 103

Minnesota's 24-member recruiting class is next to last in the Big Ten. Given Jerry Kill's past and coaching ability, I'm not sure it's that much of a problem for the Gophers. Minnesota has been recruiting measurably better with the more time Kill has been in his position. Dior Johnson is apparently the best recruit Minnesota has signed since Jerry Kill arrived.

If anything, Minnesota's meager recruiting rankings say more about their ability to win January bowl games against the likes of Missouri, less about Minnesota's ability to win seven or eight games a season.

The intrigue in Minnesota's recruiting class is at wide receiver. Minnesota signed two guys who are both listed at 6-5 and 200 pounds. Hunter Register and Rashad Still have size and decent hands to boot.

Purdue (National Rank: 64, Average Rating: .8155)

Three Best Signees
Name Hometown Position HT/WT Rating National Position State
Elijah Sindelar Princeton, KY QB 6-4/200 *** (.8733) 459 18 3
Matt McCann Indianapolis, IN OT 6-6/305 *** (.8563) 734 78 13
Anthony Mahoungou Coalinga, CA [JUCO] WR 6-4/200 *** (.8556) 73 12 20

Last, and naturally least, there's Purdue. It's fitting that the one school in the Big Ten that's openly not trying is last in the recruiting rankings.

The best superlative I can afford to Purdue's class is that it's 26-people strong. Programs should obviously want both quality and quantity, but quantity is sometimes leverage for coaches who are stuck recruiting prospects with lower than average probabilities at becoming good players.

Despite his subpar resources, Purdue head coach Darrell Hazell has demonstrated a knack for finding solid quarterback prospects to come play for him in West Lafayette. Last year, it was The Opening star David Blough. This year, it's Elijah Sindelar, who held other offers from Illinois and Kentucky.

The tailback commitments should also generate some interest from Purdue fans. Evyn Cooper is a big tailback (6-2, 185 pounnds) from Buford, Georgia. That Buford program is one of the best programs in the Peach State. In December, he chose Purdue over another offer from Louisville. Markell Jones, currently enrolled at Purdue, is another stout running back prospect.

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