Big Ten Recruiting Update: Sleeping Lions Awaken
bad at timeouts, still good at crootin [Fuller]
When this not-quite-monthly feature last ran at the end of June, Ohio State and Michigan occupied the top two spots, as expected, but Penn State languished in the bottom half of the conference rankings.
1. Ohio State
2. Michigan
3. Rutgers
4. Iowa
5. Northwestern
6. Nebraska
7. Michigan State
8. Maryland
9. Wisconsin
10. Penn State
11. Purdue
12. Illinois
13. Minnesota
14. Indiana
Outside of the locked-in top two, the rankings saw considerable movement as many prospects looked to end their recruitment before the beginning of fall camp. No Big Ten program made more progress than PSU, which picked up seven commits since the last update. The current standings:
The conference is also settling into more clear-cut tiers, which I'll cover after the...
[JUMP]
...jump. Hello again.
Tier One: Yes, The Two Top-Seven Teams Are In A Tier, Please Stop Arguing About This
It was a relatively quiet month for Ohio State, which means they only picked up five-star MD DE Chase Young and four-star CB Amir Riep. They remain the #1 class in the country, though Alabama has closed the gap to only a couple points (practically nothing in this system). While the only thing that'll keep OSU's top-300-or-bust class out of the top spot is a lack of quantity, that looks like it'll be an issue—working off the numbers Cleveland.com provided this week, OSU would need considerable attrition off the current roster just to reach 20 open scholarships, and they're at 16 commits right now.
Michigan is at #7 in the country right now, but they're much closer to LSU at #3 overall than the next-best Big Ten team (PSU at #19), so if you're here to complain about tiers, please don't. We've been over this in two different comment sections.
Tier Two: Solid, Indistinguishable
As mentioned, Penn State vaulted up to #19 in the rankings due to seven recent commits. The headliner among that recent group, going by composite ranking, is four-star VA S Jonathan Sunderland, who like fellow Canadian import Luiji Vilain is playing out his high school career in Virginia. (Michigan offered Sunderland but he wasn't a take come announcement time.) The real headliner, though, is three-star IN WR Mac Hippenhammer, who is named Mac Hippenhammer.
Maryland is only two spots behind PSU at #21 overall after adding four commits (and losing one to Virginia) in July, led by in-state corner Deon Jones, who sits just outside the composite top-100. DJ Durkin has done an excellent job of recruiting the DMV area: counting five-star IMG transfer Josh Kaindoh, ten of the Terps's 15 commits hail from Maryland, Virginia, or Washington DC.
A mere eyelash (.06 points) behind is Iowa, which fell back to the pack a bit, only picking up two commitments since the last update. One of those, however, was the #102 recruit in the country, Texas corner Chevin Calloway. That gives the Hawkeyes two blue-chip recruits from Texas (RB Eno Benjamin), which is two more than I would've expected.
Tier Three: I Won't Make A Joke About MSU Being Rutgers Because I Remember Certain Things All Too Well
But seriously.
Rutgers is next up due almost entirely to volume. They have four commits in the top 700 overall, and the fourth is #689. Chris Ash added a legacy commit, three-star in-state DE Mike Tverdov, in July, and that was it. WV DT Darius Stills was a RU commit for all of a day until getting yoinked away by West Virginia, the offer he really wanted.
Michigan State got a head-to-head win over Michigan for four-star TE Matt Dotson to open the month of July and grabbed three-star Cass Tech OG Jordan Reid a couple days later. Since then, though, they've only picked up low three-star CB Josiah Scott. The Spartans are going to move up sooner or later as they fill out their class after the Rutgerses of the world are mostly full, but this still has to be a disappointment coming off a playoff berth.
Nebraska gained commitments from a pair of three-star prospects, FL DE Guy Thomas and LA FB Ben Miles. The Huskers have put together a sneaky-good class—30th overall despite only 13 commits—and could move up a decent amount if they're able to close on a couple of their top targets.
One spot behind the Huskers is Northwestern, which picked up only three-star GA RB Kyric McGowan since the last update.
Tier Four: Um... Wisconsin? You There?
I'm feeling even better about being vocally skeptical of Paul Chryst and Wisconsin on WTKA this morning after checking in on their recruiting class. Since early May, the only Badger commit has been a three-star corner who's heading into a year of prep school. Three of their top five commits are offensive linemen, which is promising for that particular position group and not so much for the rest of the program.
Tier Five: Bad
The most notable thing to happen between Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, and Minnesota over the last month-plus: the Hoosiers added jumbo DT Juan Harris, he of the the umpteen Iowa commits and decommits, on July 25th. It's August 18th, and remarkably, Harris is still on the Indiana commit list.
August 19th, 2016 at 11:09 AM ^
You're not measuring ability - You're listing accomplishments.
Trent Dilfer has more Super Bowl rings than Dan Marino. Better QB?
Darko Milicic has more NBA titles than Karl Malone. Better forward?
Ray Rice more Super Bowls than Barry Sanders. Better RB?
I think you see where I'm going with that. That's a really bad way to approach things.
The situations are so vastly different. Harbaugh has NEVER coached at a blue-blood college football program before last year - when was he supposed to win National Titles? Meyer has NEVER tried to revive a Power 5 school considered the worst in FBS. Can he do what Harbaugh did at Stanford with a massive recruiting disadvantage? Harbaugh has never coached a mid-major like Utah. Meyer has never coached in the NFL.
There is very little to compare here.
If NFL is a step above college, then lets count NFL division titles:
Harbaugh 2 > Meyer 0
Let's count NFL Conference Championships
Harbaugh 1 > Meyer 0
Clearly Harbaugh is superior, right? Higher level? Unless you want to tell me that the level of coaching doesn't matter and then we have to drag in the career resumes of a hundred different 1-AA, D-II and High School coaches. Pick your poison.
They're both great coaches. You can't count beans and determine a winner.
August 19th, 2016 at 11:21 AM ^
August 19th, 2016 at 12:04 PM ^
August 19th, 2016 at 2:32 PM ^
Dilfer has 1 ring...
Rice has 1 ring...
Darko was a role player so comparing him to Malone is pointless.
Saban 5 NC rings, I don't even want to count how many SEC championship rings he has.
Meyer has 3 NC rings.
These aren't flukes it is Saban and Meyer and everyone else. Deal with it.
Your polished turd of a coach couldn't win with Andrew Luck...
August 19th, 2016 at 2:36 PM ^
Keep talking while you can but Harbaugh is coming for the B1G and he is taking all the rings!
August 19th, 2016 at 2:47 PM ^
Get a job and stop trolling another team's site, you idiot.
August 19th, 2016 at 6:08 PM ^
Harbaugh has two conference championships, not zero.
I can understand your approach, that essentially says that the long-term coaches are the best coaches, because younger coaches haven't proven themselves yet. I dont believe that you are correct, but you certainly have a good argument.
August 18th, 2016 at 5:45 PM ^
I get being concerned about OSU's recruiting class. But if recruiting is dooming us to defeat against OSU, how do you turn around and say we might not be able to beat State after this year either—when we're clearly outrecruiting them?
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
August 18th, 2016 at 7:29 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
August 18th, 2016 at 7:40 PM ^
that he can have a team playing at a championship level with mostly 3 star recruits. Harbaugh has not. Dantonio won in Columbus last year with his backup QB. We got trashed at home by the same team.
August 18th, 2016 at 9:41 PM ^
"Harbaugh has not"
August 18th, 2016 at 11:47 PM ^
Stanford doesn't count... or something...
August 19th, 2016 at 8:19 AM ^
Apparently, the pile of trash that was UCSD didn't count, either. But those kids weren't 3-stars...
August 19th, 2016 at 10:26 AM ^
He didn't coach there. He coached at USD.
August 19th, 2016 at 4:08 PM ^
August 18th, 2016 at 5:27 PM ^
but OSU's lowest rated recruit is a kicker. Kicker's usually bring down the overall average a little.
August 18th, 2016 at 5:45 PM ^
August 18th, 2016 at 7:01 PM ^
Blake Haubeil is also the #1-rated kicker on 247, and #2 on Kohl's Kicking, so he isn't a complete slouch of a 3* either.
August 18th, 2016 at 9:42 PM ^
the #1 ranked kicker but his player rating is an 82. The next lowest player that has orally committed to OSU has a rating of 88. So Haubeil might not be a slouch of a 3 star but he's definitely weighing down OSU's average per player.
August 18th, 2016 at 3:18 PM ^
While trying to debunk Ace's tier framework, I went to the google. One of the definitions is:
one of a number of successively overlapping ruffles or flounces on a garment.
Which, of course, made me think of this. If Ace persists in suggesting that we share a garment flounce with OSU, who am I to argue?
August 18th, 2016 at 3:22 PM ^
The Big Ten East has 6 of the top 7 spots. Laughable balance between the two sides.
August 18th, 2016 at 3:23 PM ^
Hippenhammer, would you play him in the morning???
August 18th, 2016 at 3:51 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
August 18th, 2016 at 5:57 PM ^
I'd Hippenhammer in the evening.
August 19th, 2016 at 6:31 PM ^
I'd Hippenhammer out the love between my brothers and my sisters*...
*( can I say that here?)
August 18th, 2016 at 3:29 PM ^
Tackle that Hippy!
August 18th, 2016 at 3:30 PM ^
August 18th, 2016 at 3:38 PM ^
August 18th, 2016 at 3:54 PM ^
OSU's recruiting is just disgusting and I feel like vomiting.
August 19th, 2016 at 12:42 PM ^
The problem is that it's not over yet. OSU is in on several more 5* guys. With that said it's only August and Jim is in on several as well. Feb 5 will be interesting to see where everything ends up.
August 19th, 2016 at 1:00 PM ^
August 19th, 2016 at 7:00 PM ^
They'll get both lindsey and grimes by wednesday (they both have scheduled announcments). Personally, I think Akers is all Ole Miss.
Another thing, OSU only has 5 seniors. Yes, FIVE. They reallt dont even have any room past 15ish commits. They are already oversigned. If they take anyone after grimes and lindsey, I expect a few pissed off "medicals" and "voluntary transfers" in the future. Urban is pushing it even moreso than Saban.
August 18th, 2016 at 3:55 PM ^
Yeah. So there's ohio sitting there with four five star recruits and we with none and man, I'm not saying that stars mean everything, because Derrick Green, but that's a talent gulf. And yes coaching/Harbaugh. But it's not like Meyer is just a great recruiter.
To make The Game a competitive clash of titans every year, that gap has to be closed up at least a bit.
August 18th, 2016 at 4:06 PM ^
I know it's 1 year and there is still time, but even if OSU has 3-4 more 5* players/ year than Michigan, that's maybe ~12 more 5* players on the roster + Urban Meyer. Harbaugh got his work cut out for him*
August 18th, 2016 at 4:16 PM ^
Really need DPJ
August 18th, 2016 at 4:51 PM ^
August 18th, 2016 at 5:03 PM ^
...a healthy D-Line and a D-Coordinator with his head not stuck in his ass. Barring the return of a not yet named DL injury god, The Game this year will be worthy of any number of Keith Jackson quotes.
August 18th, 2016 at 5:12 PM ^
And an offensive line that could block. There was that little issue too.
August 18th, 2016 at 11:10 PM ^
August 18th, 2016 at 4:07 PM ^
Yeah, it's better than the rest of the B1G combined.
August 18th, 2016 at 4:08 PM ^
your tiers are wrong
August 18th, 2016 at 4:09 PM ^
but that shouldv've happened in Ann Arbor three years ago when the talent difference was wider than a country mile and only a failed fourth down call was the difference. Hoke's teams played OSU tough every time. I will always give him that.
August 18th, 2016 at 5:22 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
August 18th, 2016 at 7:27 PM ^
You mean the 4th down call where OSU called a timeout in the middle of the play, told their players exactly what the play was, and then Michigan called and ran the exact same play again? I will always remember that.
Gardner was a gd champion that game, with a broken foot. Borges' game plan was good all day, but that staff was not elite. And it cost them that game.
August 19th, 2016 at 7:54 AM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
August 18th, 2016 at 4:42 PM ^
Our only hope is that one of those 5* Buckeye's crashes his loaner Porsche. Spotlight--->Transition ensues.
August 18th, 2016 at 5:04 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
August 18th, 2016 at 7:42 PM ^
Want to know which class of 2017 rankings M leads OSU in? Click on the link to find out:
http://247sports.com/Season/2017-Basketball/CompositeTeamRankings
#4 in the country! Best in the B1G!
August 18th, 2016 at 7:46 PM ^
I hope Mathlete's methodology for class rankings will be appropriated here someday. That would be insightful.
Otherwise quantity is the overriding consideration in 247's rankings. "Number of commits in August" has never correlated with anything meaningful AFAIK.
August 18th, 2016 at 9:45 PM ^
I only venture to bring this up because this is a Michigan blog, for Gawd's sake -- but there is some kind of statistical methodology whose name escapes me after many years, whereby you process data into clusters such that the groupings have minimal variance within the groups and maximal variance between groups.
Having last graced North Campus 30 years ago I can't do much more than state what I've stated, but this would be a more rigorous way of determining which teams share a tier and how many tiers there are.
Comments