best wishes
Big Ten Recruiting Class Rankings 1-8-12
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The recruiting rankings return after the dead period and a New Year's Day siesta. Despite the dead period, there were a fair amount of commitments since the last rankings, including the Wolverines picking up Jehu Chesson (yes, it's been a while since I did one of these). Action since last rankings:
12-18-11: Ohio State picks up Noah Spence. Steffon Martin decommits from Purdue.
12-19-11: Indiana picks up Ryan Thompson. Illinois picks up Mason Monheim.
12-20-11: Nebraska picks up Mohammed Seisay.
12-21-11: Michigan picks up Jehu Chesson. Indiana picks up David Cooper. Ryan Frain re-committed to Illinois.
12-22-11: Indiana picks up Antonio Marshall.
12-26-11: Purdue picks up James Prince and Jason King.
12-29-11: Notre Dame picks up KeiVarae Russell. Penn State picks up Jamil Pollard. Purdue picks up Ryan Watson.
1-3-12: Iowa picks up Greg Garmon. Keith Brown decommits from Illinois. Nebraska picks up Jared Afalava and Avery Moss.
1-4-12: Sebastian Smith decommits from Indiana.
1-5-12: Illinois picks up Teko Powell.
1-7-12: Notre Dame picks up Elijah Shumate.
UPDATE 1-8-12: Ronald Darby decommits from Notre Dame (to answer your question: no, he is not considering Michigan, or at least they're not among his planned visits—Clemson, Florida State, and possibly LSU).
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 | 17 | 3.00 | 2.88 | 2.94* | 2.94 | 2.94 |
| 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 | 23 | 2.74 | 2.43 | 2.29* | 2.52 | 2.50 |
| 12 | Illinois | 14 | 2.64 | 2.64 | 2.50 | 2.79 | 2.64 |
| 13 | Minnesota | 26 | 2.31 | 2.19 | 2.04* | 2.31 | 2.21 |
*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 |
The Wolverines add Jehu Chesson.
| #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 |
The Buckeyes get another huge pickup from another Big Ten school after flipping consensus five-star DE Noah Spence from Penn State in consensus five-star DE Noah Spence (who was not a Penn State commit—that's an error on my part).
| #3 Notre Dame - 18 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 |
The Irish pick up a pair of commits in Elijah Shumate and KeiVarae Russell. They're dead-even with Ohio State in terms of average ranking, but are in third due to having one two fewer commits.
UPDATE: And now they lose cornerback Ronald Darby, a five-star to Scout and a four-star to the other three services.
| #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 |
The Nittany Lions manage to stem the tide of recruits heading for less-tumultuous situations and even pick up DT Jamil Pollard. We'll see how Penn State can finish out the class with Bill O'Brien—who plans to continue as the offensive coordinator of New England through the NFL playoffs, which could conceivably last through signing day—at the helm.
| #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 - 17 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 |
| 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 |
The Hawkeyes snag four-star running back Greg Garmon, leaping Purdue and Indiana in the process.
| #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 |
Nebraska gets off the schneid and picks up three recruits: Mohammed Seisay, Jared Afalava, and Avery Moss. With only 11 commits but a very nice average, I really have no idea what to do with the Huskers, so for now I'm slotting them behind Iowa.
| #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 |
The Boilermakers lose Steffon Martin but pick up a trio of commits in Ryan Watson, James Prince, and Jason King.
| #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 |
The Wildcats get a big pickup in four-star DE Ifeadi Odenigbo and vault above Indiana and Illinois in the rankings.
| #11 Indiana - 21 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 |
| Jacarri Alexander | LB | IA | 3 | 3 | JC | 2 |
| Shaine Boyle | CB | CA | 3 | 2 | JC | 3 |
| Darius Stroud | LB | KS | 3 | NR | 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 |
The Hoosiers lose Sebastian Smith but gain a trio of JuCos in David Cooper, Antonio Marshall, and Ryan Thompson.
| #12 Illinois - 14 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 |
| Cody Quinn | CB | OH | 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 |
Illinois loses their top recruit in linebacker Keith Brown, who ended up at Louisville. The Illini do regain kicker Ryan Frain, who had decommitted in December, and add DT Teko Powell and LB Mason Monheim.
| #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 |
| 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 |
No change for the Gophers.
January 8th, 2012 at 6:35 PM | 
It may be a photo
It may be a photo
January 8th, 2012 at 6:39 PM |
Whoops, Spence wasn't. There
Whoops, Spence wasn't. There
January 8th, 2012 at 7:32 PM |
I just assumed I missed something
I just assumed I missed something
Smart money was on him going to State College.
January 8th, 2012 at 7:00 PM |
Not that I am complaining, but
Not that I am complaining, but
what is happening to MSU? They are not picking up anyone. You have to give MD credit for finding some diamonds in the rough, but this is not good for their future.
January 8th, 2012 at 7:21 PM |
Recruiting nationally takes more time
Recruiting nationally takes more time
That's my best guess for Sparty.
"I'm not a vegetarian b/c I love animals. I'm a vegetarian b/c I hate plants"
January 8th, 2012 at 7:24 PM |
honestly a bit disappointed
honestly a bit disappointed
we're going to have a very good class, but ND and OSU are going to end up with better prospects on average across the board. Ours will only be better because of volume. Oh well.
Tremendous!
January 8th, 2012 at 7:34 PM |
Highly disagree. Ohio's
Highly disagree. Ohio's
Highly disagree. Ohio's class is very top-heavy. I like just about every one of our commits.
January 8th, 2012 at 7:47 PM |
Umm
Umm
14 of osu's 19 commits are rated 4 stars by at least one service. Compare to Michigan with 16/24 ranked 4 stars by at least one service. Seems like a very good class top to bottom in c'bus.
For my privacy, my new username is "non-Oriental non-Andrew"
January 8th, 2012 at 7:51 PM |
Don't forget Ringer was a 4
Don't forget Ringer was a 4
Don't forget Ringer was a 4 star before getting injured and Braden is supposedly underrated big time. Ohio could have underrated guys too obviously, but just sayin.
"Michigan Defense" is dominating everything, in every aspect of life. That's a rough definition.
-Craig Roh 10/29/2011
January 8th, 2012 at 7:50 PM |
like our class
like our class
To clarfy, I like our class, but i was hoping to get more separation between our class and OSU's given our momentum and the chaos there. How ND continues to pull in top classes is beyond me.
Tremendous!
January 8th, 2012 at 8:35 PM |
I feel the same way.
I feel the same way.
I'm really surprised that we have closed strong given our on field success. We could still pull Garnett and some others but I frankly would not be surprised if we don't pick up anyone else. Oh well still a great class and maybe our success this year bears fruit in next years class.
January 8th, 2012 at 10:53 PM |
chaos
chaos
They brought in Meyer early enough to stop the bleeding and start snagging other teams' recruits. It doesn't surprise me at all to see them recruiting well.
January 9th, 2012 at 6:27 PM |
ND FAN HERE
ND FAN HERE
1. ND preaches great academics. IK UofM has great academics, but ND really preaches this being a 40 year decision. ND boasts the #1 business school in the nation, and that brings a lot of positive attention.
2. Tradition. You can hate ND, but its tradition is remarkable and only UofM has a better one (and it could be debateably tied)
3. Great Facitilities
4. Faith. Those of the Catholic denomination love the fact that ND is THE Catholic University. (and manti teo who is mormon, thought it improved his faith)
5. Campus is beautiful. One of the best in the nation.
6. BK preaches a good future, and kids are buying it.
7. ND is just for some kids. For most it is not. But there a select few every year that love ND and what it represents.
January 9th, 2012 at 11:48 AM |
For the people concerned with the average
For the people concerned with the average
Recruiting rankings are a good predictor of how good a player you will be, but the difference between 3.50 and 3.52 is really comfortably in the "too small to matter" category. If you go off the rates given here by Hinton, then Michigan's class (using Rivals), projects to have 0.34 All Americans in this class. Ohio State's number is 0.29.
As far as the pure average issue goes, "only better because of volume" isn't really something to be totally ignored. Put another way - if you remove Wormley and Ojemudia from this class then the average Rivals ranking is 3.54, and now Michigan has both a better average class, and better total class.
Paying attention to the average, and ignoring the value of volume leads to a conclusion that the Michigan class without Wormley and Ojemudia is stronger than the class they actually have. That class would still rate above Ohio State overall on this list, but also have a better average star rating. To me, that seems like a crazy conclusion. There's a reason you can't do these ratings purely by average, and that people care about volume. It matters.
January 8th, 2012 at 8:47 PM |
ND's class
ND's class
2 CBs and 4 safeties and they are still going after Yuri Wright?
I guess they will press a couple into action next year and redshirt the rest?
January 9th, 2012 at 6:31 PM |
ND CLASS
ND CLASS
ND graduates 3/4 of the D backfield. Needs to replace a lot. We lose another next year, and lose a couple back ups this year. Last year We pulled for DLine (Lynch, Tuitt, Williams, Springman, Hounshell, Niklas) this year its D backfield. On the redshirting, that is unknown. Tee Shepard wil play. If Darby stays with us (prolly wont) hell play. Then some of the safties will play.
January 8th, 2012 at 9:26 PM |
Spence
Spence
Spence looked great in the Under Armor All-Star game. That's a huge pickup for Ohio. It will be fun watching him match up against our terrific O-line recruiting class for the next four-five years.
January 8th, 2012 at 9:43 PM |
Arnett
Arnett
Didnt MSU pick up Arnett or is that considered a transfer.
Defense wins championships
January 8th, 2012 at 9:47 PM |
Wright
Wright
Ace, why do you think coaches have cooled on Yuri? Maybe it is just a rumor but I keep reading that thats the case. We cooled on him before the AA game so it was before we saw him in action.
Defense wins championships
January 8th, 2012 at 10:09 PM |
The reason I've seen put
The reason I've seen put
The reason I've seen put forward the most—and this makes sense if you watched him in the Army AA Game—is that he's pretty raw as a corner and quite possibly projects better as a safety. Michigan is in the market for a true corner, not a safety, so it would make sense that they would be more interested in a guy like Armani Reeves, who's a lot more polished at corner at this point.
January 8th, 2012 at 10:56 PM |
Thank you
Thank you
Thanks for your work Ace.
Defense wins championships
January 8th, 2012 at 10:46 PM |
Darby decommitted from ND
Darby decommitted from ND
Auburn, Clemson, Florida, USC, Maryland, Florida State mentioned.
http://notredame.247sports.com/Board/87/CB-Ronald-Darby-Updated-with-dir...
Darby got back to me on his decision.
"I did (decommit from Notre Dame)," he said via text.
January 8th, 2012 at 10:52 PM |
Simple solution
Simple solution
Ace, you need to start doing hourly Recruiting Class Ranking updates. I don't see any way around it.
January 9th, 2012 at 1:28 AM |
It's still crazy to me that
It's still crazy to me that
It's still crazy to me that ESPN has Ondre Pipkins as a three-star recruit and the #46 DT in the country. Tom, please get on that.
January 9th, 2012 at 1:39 PM |
Don't look now but...Big 2 Little 9 anyone?
Don't look now but...Big 2 Little 9 anyone?
Based on Scout recruiting points, Northwestern is pulling in 3rd place right now (38th) just ahead of Wisconsin (39th).
In second place Ohio State's class in now ranked 8th.
That's a huge gap this year between 2 have's (Michigan and Ohio State) and have not's (everybody else)
Also, is anyone else in complete shock by Nebraska's abyssmal showing thus far on the recruiting front?
January 9th, 2012 at 3:43 PM |
I don't buy the low ranking
I don't buy the low ranking
I don't buy the low ranking for Nebraska. The way I see it, the major powers can get an entire class of 3 star talent if they wanted to (minus long snapper, kickers and maybe fullbacks). I like to look at "Stars above replacement level".
Nebraska has more 4 star recruits than Iowa, MSU or PSU. Can you really say UN's 3.3 average with 11 recruits is that much worse than Wisconsin's 3.35 with 12 recruits?
January 10th, 2012 at 11:34 AM |
You always take the time to
You always take the time to
You always take the time to provide us with some of the best information we could ask for. I hope that you will continue and I hope that more information will come your way to share.
Football, basketball, or any other sport has a ton of stats that should really be held to a standard like the one that is provided here, since it is not impossible.
January 10th, 2012 at 11:51 AM |
Welcome
Welcome
to MGoBlog...
"A flute with no holes is not a flute. And a donut with no hole...is a Dainish."
finish to keep the top spot from Ohio. Urban is a solid recruiter. I also didn't realize Noah Spence was a PSU commit.
http://semichigansports.com