"He's a hard worker, and he watched me and Tim (Hardaway Jr.) and Nik (Stauksas) put work in to become (first-round picks), and I'm just happy he's getting better," Burke said. "It's great for the program, too. It shows what type of program the University of Michigan is and the direction it continues to go in."
cumong man
"please don't get tackled from behind this t--dawwww"
so we've got that going for us
help i've been transported back in time to Jim Tressel's hiring help
oh my god the blinking goes up
See! It could be worse.
noon Wednesday if you're interested
M alum was Mr. Irrelevant of last year's MLS draft.
standard stuff
well, yeah
vague
here's one vote for "John Beilein's head in a Futurama jar"
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No team movement this week as there was very little in the way of commitments across the board. That will obviously change in the couple weeks leading up to signing day, but for now the standings remain the same. Action since last rankings:
1-9-12: Indiana picks up Tevin Coleman.
1-12-12: Iowa picks up Eric Simmons. Indiana picks up Cameron Coffman.
1-14-12: Darrius Stroud decommits from Indiana.
1-15-12: Cody Quinn switches commitment from Illinois to Kentucky. Minnesota picks up Duke Anyanwu.
Chart? Chart:
| Big Ten+ Recruiting Class Rankings | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | School | # Commits | Rivals Avg | Scout Avg | ESPN Avg | 24/7 Avg | Avg Avg^ |
| 1 | Michigan | 24 | 3.50 | 3.63 | 3.33 | 3.54 | 3.50 |
| 2 | Ohio State | 19 | 3.52 | 3.74 | 3.42 | 3.63 | 3.58 |
| 3 | Notre Dame | 17 | 3.47 | 3.71 | 3.47 | 3.53 | 3.54 |
| 4 | Wisconsin | 12 | 3.42 | 3.33 | 3.17 | 3.50 | 3.35 |
| 5 | Penn State | 14 | 3.14 | 3.21 | 3.14 | 3.29 | 3.20 |
| 6 | Michigan State | 14 | 3.14 | 3.14 | 2.86 | 3.07 | 3.05 |
| 7 | Iowa | 18 | 3.00 | 2.78 | 2.83* | 2.83 | 2.86 |
| 8 | Nebraska | 11 | 3.45 | 3.09 | 3.10* | 3.55 | 3.30 |
| 9 | Purdue | 25 | 2.92 | 2.48 | 2.72* | 2.76 | 2.72 |
| 10 | Northwestern | 20 | 2.75 | 2.65 | 2.55 | 2.65 | 2.65 |
| 11 | Indiana | 24 | 2.67 | 2.46 | 2.32* | 2.46 | 2.48 |
| 12 | Illinois | 13 | 2.62 | 2.62 | 2.46 | 2.77 | 2.62 |
| 13 | Minnesota | 27 | 2.26 | 2.19 | 2.00* | 2.30 | 2.19 |
*ESPN doesn't rate JuCos, so they are counted as unranked recruits for the sake of consistency (trust me, it makes sense when you look at the spreadsheet).
^The average of the average rankings of the four recruiting services (aka the previous four columns). The figure is calculated based on the raw numbers and then rounded, so the numbers above may not average out exactly.
On to the full data, after the jump.
| #1 Michigan - 24 Commits | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN | 24/7 |
| Kyle Kalis | OL | OH | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Royce Jenkins-Stone | LB | MI | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| James Ross | LB | MI | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Joe Bolden | LB | OH | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Terry Richardson | CB | MI | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Erik Magnuson | OL | CA | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Jarrod Wilson | S | OH | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Amara Darboh | WR | IA | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Tom Strobel | DE | OH | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Ondre Pipkins | DT | MO | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Blake Bars | OL | TN | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Devin Funchess | TE | MI | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Chris Wormley | DE | OH | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Mario Ojemudia | DE | MI | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| A.J. Williams | TE | OH | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Matt Godin | DE | MI | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Kaleb Ringer | LB | OH | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Ben Braden | OL | MI | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Jehu Chesson | WR | MO | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Jeremy Clark | S | KY | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Caleb Stacey | OL | OH | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Allen Gant | S | OH | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Sione Houma | FB | UT | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Drake Johnson | RB | MI | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
No change for the Wolverines.
| #2 Ohio State - 19 Commits | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN | 24/7 |
| Noah Spence | DE | PA | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Adolphus Washington | DE | OH | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| Bri'onte Dunn | RB | OH | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Tommy Schutt | DT | IL | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Joshua Perry | LB | OH | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Se'Von Pittman | DE | OH | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Warren Ball | RB | OH | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| De'Van Bogard | S | OH | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Michael Thomas | WR | VA | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Najee Murray | CB | OH | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Pat Elflein | OL | OH | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Ricquan Southward | WR | FL | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Jacoby Boren | OL | OH | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Cardale Jones | QB | OH | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Frank Epitropoulos | WR | OH | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Blake Thomas | TE | OH | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Roger Lewis | WR | OH | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Luke Roberts | LB | OH | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Tyvis Powell | S | OH | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
No change for the Buckeyes.
| #3 Notre Dame - 17 Commits | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN | 24/7 |
| Jarron Jones | DT | NY | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Tee Shepard | CB | CA | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Sheldon Day | DT | IN | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Deontay Greenberry | WR | CA | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Elijah Shumate | S | NJ | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Ronnie Stanley | OL | NV | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| William Mahone | RB | OH | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Taylor Decker | OL | OH | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| KeiVarae Russell | RB | WA | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Nick Baratti | S | TX | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| C.J. Prosise | S | VA | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Justin Ferguson | WR | FL | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Mark Harrell | OL | NC | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Romeo Okwara | DE | NC | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Chris Brown | WR | SC | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| John Turner | S | IN | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Scott Daly | LS | IL | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
No change for the Irish.
| #4 Wisconsin - 12 Commits | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN | 24/7 |
| Dan Voltz | OL | IL | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Vince Biegel | LB | WI | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| J.J. Denman | OL | PA | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Kyle Dodson | OL | OH | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Vonte Jackson | RB | WI | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Bart Houston | QB | CA | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| D.J. Singleton | S | NJ | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Walker Williams | OL | WA | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Arthur Goldberg | DT | PA | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Hugs Etienne | CB | CA | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Reggie Love | WR | FL | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Reggie Mitchell | CB | PA | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
No change for the Badgers.
| #5 Penn State - 14 Commits | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN | 24/7 |
| Camren Williams | LB | MA | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Eugene Lewis | WR | PA | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Armani Reeves | CB | MA | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Jamil Pollard | DT | NJ | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Brent Wilkerson | DE | MD | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Brian Gaia | OL | MD | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Skyler Mornhinweg | QB | PA | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Anthony Stanko | OL | OH | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Nyeem Wartman | LB | PA | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Jesse James | TE | PA | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Austin Johnson | OL | NJ | 3 | 3 | NR | 3 |
| Malik Golden | ATH | PA | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Jake Kiley | CB | NH | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Derek Dowrey | DT | VA | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
No change for the Nittany Lions.
| #6 Michigan State - 14 Commits | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN | 24/7 |
| Aaron Burbridge | WR | MI | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Jamal Lyles | LB | MI | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Benny McGowan | OL | OH | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Tyler O'Connor | QB | OH | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Riley Bullough | LB | MI | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Zach Higgins | OL | OH | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Josiah Price | TE | IN | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Nick Tompkins | RB | GA | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Kyle Kerrick | WR | PA | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| MacGarrett Kings | WR | FL | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Jermaine Edmondson | S | OH | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Kodi Kieler | OL | MI | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Evan Jones | TE | OH | 3 | 3 | NR | 3 |
| Ezra Robinson | CB | FL | 3 | 3 | NR | 3 |
No change for the Spartans.
| #7 Iowa - 18 Commits | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN | 24/7 |
| Faith Ekakitie | DE | IL | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Greg Garmon | RB | PA | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Jaleel Johnson | DT | IL | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Ryan Ward | OL | IL | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Maurice Fleming | CB | IL | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Ruben Lile | ATH | MI | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Cameron Wilson | WR | OH | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Anthony Morgan | S | TX | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Mitch Keppy | OL | IL | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Michael Malloy | RB | IA | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Drew Ott | DE | NE | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Daumantas Venckus | DE | FL | 3 | NR | 3 | 2 |
| Greg Mabin | WR | FL | 3 | NR | 2 | 3 |
| Eric Simmons | OL | IA | 3 | NR | JC | NR |
| Laron Taylor | LB | MI | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Kevin Buford | CB | MI | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Connor Kornbrath | K | WV | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Tevaun Smith | WR | CT | 2 | 3 | JC | NR |
Iowa adds JuCo offensive lineman Eric Simmons.
| #8 Nebraska - 11 Commits | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN | 24/7 |
| Paul Thurston | OL | CO | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Greg McMullen | DE | OH | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Jordan Westerkamp | WR | IL | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Mohammed Seisay | CB | AZ | 4 | 3 | JC | 4 |
| Zaire Anderson | LB | CA | 4 | 2 | JC | 3 |
| Michael Rose | LB | MO | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Tommy Armstrong | QB | TX | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Jared Afalava | LB | UT | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Thomas Brown | LB | CA | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Avery Moss | DE | AZ | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Sam Cotton | TE | NE | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
No change for the Cornhuskers.
| #9 Purdue - 25 Commits | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN | 24/7 |
| Ryan Watson | DE | MD | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Jordan Shine | S | IN | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Ryan Morris | TE | NJ | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Austin Appleby | QB | OH | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Jordan Roos | OL | TX | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Bilal Marshall | QB | FL | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Kingsley Ike | DE | TX | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Dion Witty | CB | FL | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Jonathan Curry | TE | AL | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Paul Griggs | K | NC | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Aloyis Gray | ATH | IN | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Andy Garcia | LB | FL | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Cameron Cermin | OL | TX | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| B.J. Knauf | WR | FL | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Jimmy Herman | S | IN | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Devin Smith | OL | AZ | 3 | 3 | JC | 3 |
| Carlos Carvajal | TE | NY | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Anthony Brown | CB | FL | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Danny Anthrop | WR | IN | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Greg Latta | DE | CA | 3 | 2 | JC | 2 |
| Cameron Posey | WR | FL | 3 | NR | 2 | 3 |
| James Prince | OL | TX | 3 | NR | NR | NR |
| Jordan Woods | WR | MI | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Thomas Meadows | K | VA | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Jason King | OL | AK | 2 | NR | 3 | NR |
No change for the Boilermakers.
| #10 Northwestern - 20 Commits | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN | 24/7 |
| Ifeadi Odenigbo | DE | OH | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Greg Kuhar | DT | OH | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Adam DePietro | OL | PA | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Dean Lowry | DE | IL | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Kenton Playko | OL | OH | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Eric Olson | OL | MA | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Jack Schwaba | TE | PA | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Ian Park | OL | PA | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Eric Wilson | WR | MI | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Malin Jones | RB | IL | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Traveon Henry | RB | FL | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Terrance Brown | S | CA | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Mike McHugh | WR | PA | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Dwight White | CB | TX | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Connor Mahoney | OL | PA | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Dan Vitale | S | IL | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Joseph Jones | S | PA | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Chris Fitzpatrick | OL | KY | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Jaylen Prater | LB | OH | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Andrew Scanlan | WR | PA | NR | NR | 2 | NR |
No change for the Wildcats.
| #11 Indiana - 24 Commits | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN | 24/7 |
| Nick Mangieri | DE | IL | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Dan Feeney | OL | IL | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Jordan Wallace | LB | IN | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Kevin Davis | WR | IN | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Adam Kranda | TE | IN | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Wes Rogers | OL | IN | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Mike Cotton | LB | IL | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Shawn Heffern | DE | IN | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Jason Spriggs | TE | IN | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Tevin Coleman | RB | IL | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Jacarri Alexander | LB | IA | 3 | 3 | JC | 2 |
| Shaine Boyle | CB | CA | 3 | 2 | JC | 3 |
| David Cooper | LB | KS | 3 | 2 | JC | 3 |
| Antonio Marshall | CB | GA | 3 | NR | JC | 2 |
| Ryan Thompson | S | MS | 3 | NR | JC | NR |
| Caleb Cornett | WR | IN | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Ralphael Green | OL | TX | 3 | 2 | 2 | NR |
| Tanner Kearns | TE | OH | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Alex Todd | OL | OH | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Jacob Bailey | OL | IN | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Dawson Fletcher | S | OH | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Tregg Waters | S | AZ | 2 | 2 | JC | 2 |
| Justin Rayside | DE | CA | 2 | 2 | JC | NR |
| Cameron Coffman | QB | AZ | NR | NR | JC | NR |
JuCo linebacker Darrius Stroud re-opened his recruitment, but the Hoosiers managed to pick up three-star RB Tevin Coleman and JuCo QB Cameron Coffman.
| #12 Illinois - 13 Commits | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN | 24/7 |
| Dami Ayoola | RB | FL | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Tajarvis Fuller | LB | FL | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Joseph Spencer | OL | OH | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Vontrell Williams | DT | IL | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Zach Jackson | S | FL | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Elliot Faerber | WR | KS | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Robert Bain | OL | IL | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Tyler Barton | S | FL | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Teko Powell | DT | FL | 3 | 2 | NR | 2 |
| Jason Robertson | WR | IL | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Joey Warburg | OL | KY | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Ryan Frain | K | IN | 2 | NR | 2 | 2 |
| Mason Monheim | LB | OH | NR | 3 | 2 | 3 |
The Illini lose cornerback Cody Quinn, who flipped his commitment from Illinois to Kentucky.
| #13 Minnesota - 26 Commits | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN | 24/7 |
| Jonah Pirsig | OL | MN | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Isaac Hayes | OL | MN | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Jamel Harbison | WR | NC | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Philip Nelson | QB | MN | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Jack Lynn | LB | IL | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Dinero Moss | S | FL | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Brian Nicholson | LB | FL | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Jordan Hinojosa | DT | FL | 3 | 2 | NR | 3 |
| Martez Shabazz | CB | TX | 3 | 2 | JC | 3 |
| Nick Rallis | S | MN | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Maxx Williams | TE | MN | 3 | 3 | NR | 3 |
| Rodrick Williams | RB | TX | 3 | 2 | NR | 3 |
| James Gillum | RB | MS | 3 | 2 | JC | NR |
| Mitch Leidner | QB | MN | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Drew Davis | LB | NC | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Samad Hinds | TE | FL | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Josh Ballesteros | LB | FL | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Eric Murray | CB | WI | 2 | 2 | NR | 2 |
| Scott Ekpe | DT | TX | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Isaac Fruechte | WR | MN | 2 | 2 | JC | 2 |
| Jeremy Baltazar | CB | TX | 2 | NR | JC | NR |
| Duke Anyanwu | WR | MN | NR | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Alex Keith | DE | MO | NR | NR | 2 | NR |
| Antonio Johnson | S | OH | NR | NR | 2 | NR |
| Damarius Travis | S | FL | NR | NR | NR | NR |
| Lincoln Plsek | DE | TX | NR | NR | NR | NR |
| Briean Boddy | CB | KS | NR | NR | JC | NR |
The Gophers pick up WR/ATH Duke Anyanwu.
but didn't the rankings for some of the prospects change this week? I swore I saw somewhere that Pipkins picked up a 5th star on one of the sites.
Rivals rerank is this week...from the sounds of it Pipkins should get a 5th and Bolden should be a high 4. Mags might slip a little and other than that I dont think much will change regarding our guys to much.
Keep up the good work, Ace! Lots of drama during Kevin Wilson's first full recruiting cycle.
I think that Iowa's class should be ranked higher than MSU's. Iowa has 4 more commits and 2 more consensus 4*'s. I know that MSU's averages are higher and they have the advantage with better recruits in the bottom half of the class, but I'd still rather take Iowa's.
Not that it matters, just a thought.
certainly now that Decker has flipped to Notre Dame.
Quality should matter more than quantity.
So a team that hasn't been able to fill its scholarships should be rewarded? Sorry but Mich has five more than tsio. Unless Michigan had all 3* or lower, more is better. If the difference was two or less, then maybe. But 5?? That's 25%!
If Michigan had higher rated recruits (by all 3 recruiting sites), I'd be saying the same thing. Especially for a pre-signing-day ranking, the number of guys is less important than the quality of those guys. IMO, if you're only a handful of recruits off, quality is more important and OSU has higher ranked recruits.
This rankings isn't a reward, it's just a ranking. Supposedly, an objective one.
I don't like it any more than any other Michigan fan, but OSU is going to weather these punishments without any real problem, and their current recruiting class reflects that. The bigger issue for them is how effective Meyer is.
Depends on how you look at it, I guess. If you're just looking for how many guys have 5 stars by a service, then yes - osu has a "better" class than Michigan. You look at overall depth and quality? It's clearly Michigan.
players rated 5 stars by at least 1 service:
osu 4, Michigan 1
Players rated 4 stars or better by at least 3 services:
osu 8, Michigan 12
Players rated 4 stars or better by at least 2 services:
osu 9, Michigan 13
Players rated 4 stars or better by at least 1 service:
osu 14, Michigan 16
Michigan also has more guys rated 'just' 3-stars. Michigan has more guys in EVERY category (except 5 star), because they have more guys period.
The gap in quantity shouldn't matter a great deal when you consider that it could/probably will disappear by signing day. The gap in 4 star or better guys (Michigan leads by 2 to 4) is likely to disappear as OSU fills out it's class to the same numbers, give or take, that Michigan does.
I say this from the perspective of a Michigan fan who has many times thought our class was underrated because we had less quantity, but more quality (based on averages stars). In other words, we were punished for roster stability and low attrition. The shoe is on the other foot now. We have to get numbers to fill depth and so are taking a number of marginal recruits (according to their rankings). I know I know, our guys are underrated sleepers...
You could make a case that Notre Dame should also be ahead of Michigan, but with Decker's defection, I don't think it'd be a very strong one.
Not that any of this matters, when we're talking about parsing 3.54 vs 3.63 average stars... I just think a team ranking should appear objective and the numbers say OSU's class is stronger than Michigan's. If you hid the school names, would the results change?
I don't think it's being subjective at all to say that the fact that UM has more commits is a good enough factor to have them slightly above OSU. If you look at Rivals, Scout, and ESPN, all three have UM as slightly above OSU and they really have no reason to be partial to one over the other.
This is a more detailed (regional) look than the national sites are making.
Like I said, this is a gripe (quality vs quantity) that I've had before. But it's especially true when it's temporary. Decker's flip (which isn't included in the national rankings yet) may change the balance in some of those list.
I wouldn't trade OSU's class for ours (because of positional needs, character, etc.) but going by the ranking numbers they deserve to be ranked higher.
With five more recruits the overall difference is less than 0.1. Yes their average is higher, but only slightly. At what point does quantity become important? A difference of five recruits is a good chunk. So until 19 becomes 21 or 22, I still say ours is better. If they get to 22 and still have higher rated recruits overall then I will put them ahead. Quality is more important, yes, but only to a certain point.
Look at the top 5 programs (UM, OSU, ND, Wisc, Neb - excluding PSU b/c duh) and they're all within .1 according to rivals. Other sites say it's .2 or .3, but regardless, this narrow range is what we're parsing. That's what will seperate the top 2 classes from the 4th and 5th best classes.
With Decker added, the difference (in quantity) is down to 4 players. But it shouldn't matter. Quantity is driven more by team needs and is also somewhat of a strategy thing (do you accept sub-elite players earlier or risk waiting till signing day.) OSU could have paniced (and maybe with a few guys they did), but mostly they kept their options open and now Meyer's bringing in elite guys and flipping people from other schools.
ESPN has Camren Williams (current psu, likely future osu commit) at 3 stars.
Now that Pipkens has a 5th star, i was wondering has anyone ever been a 3 star to one site and a 5 star to another?
Junior Hemingway comes to mind -
Rivals 3* - 38th best reciever
Scout 4* - 26th best reciever
ESPN 5* - 4th best reciever
*edit - I can't find where ESPN had him at 5 stars, but he graded out one point lower than Ryan Mallett who was.
Thanks, did not know that.
just committed to Ohio State.
That's 21.
I think with the O'Connor flip the OSU class should be, unfortunately, ranked higher than ours. Still like our class better based on our need but, removing my blue and gold goggles, they seem more top heavy with stars than us. Our last 4 recruits will be interesting. If we net 4 4 stars, I could care less what OSU gets.
MAIZE AND BLUE NOT BLUE AND GOLD.
THIS IS MICHIGAN!
I totally agree that quality is always better than quantity, except in the case where your sample size is so small it does not make sense to compare (e.g. Nebraska when they had like 5 recruits).
In regards to Ohio, I am interested if they continue to go this fantasy football route in getting best available with the remainder of their slots or they are going to compromise on some guys to fill out their class. Looks like they may not need to compromise and are getting the best available from all of their competition (except us) at the moment. Tells me the NCAA sanctions (aleit predictably) did not have the deterrent effect they were looking for...
