Big Ten Recruiting Class Rankings 11-13-11

Submitted by Ace on

After a one-week hiatus, the Big Ten Recruiting Rankings are back. There's even a new Michigan commit, so I might actually front-page this sucker for the first time this season. The past couple weeks saw a fair amount of movement among teams at the top of the rankings, while the bottom half remained static. Action since last rankings:

10-30-11: Ohio State picks up Michael Thomas.

10-31-11: David Perkins decommits from Notre Dame.

11-3-11: Michigan State picks up Ezra Robinson.

11-5-11: Wisconsin picks up Reggie Love.

11-8-11: Michigan picks up Drake Johnson.

11-11-11: Joey O'Connor decommits from Penn State.

Chart? Chart:

Big Ten+ Recruiting Class Rankings
Rank School # Commits Rivals Avg Scout Avg ESPN Avg 24/7 Avg Avg Avg^
1 Michigan 24 3.38 3.54 3.33 3.54 3.45
2 Notre Dame 15 3.40 3.80 3.47 3.47 3.53
3 Ohio State 14 3.29 3.43 3.14 3.36 3.30
4 Penn State 15 3.20 3.40 3.13 3.27 3.25
5 Wisconsin 12 3.25 3.25 3.17 3.50 3.29
6 Michigan State 15 3.13 3.13 2.93 3.13 3.08
7 Purdue 21 2.71 2.48 2.67* 2.81 2.67
8 Northwestern 17 2.53 2.65 2.47 2.64 2.57
9 Indiana 18 2.39 2.44 2.41* 2.67 2.48
10 Minnesota 22 2.50 2.45 2.10* 2.64 2.42
11 Iowa 10 3.00 3.00 3.00 3.00 3.00
12 Nebraska 8 2.88 3.13 3.43* 3.50 3.23
13 Illinois 9 2.50 2.63 2.75 2.50 2.72

*ESPN doesn't rate JuCos, so Isaac Fruechte and James Gillum (Minnesota), Darius Stroud and Jacarri Alexander (Indiana), Steffon Martin, Devin Smith, and Greg Latta (Purdue), and Zaire Anderson (Nebraska) 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 4 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
Tom Strobel DE OH 4 4 3 4
Ondre Pipkins DT MO 4 4 3 4
Pharaoh Brown DE OH 4 3 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
Kaleb Ringer LB OH 3 4 3 3
Matt Godin DE MI 3 3 3 4
Ben Braden OL MI 3 3 3 3
Jeremy Clark S KY 3 3 3 3
Anthony Standifer CB IL 3 3 3 3
Caleb Stacey OL OH 3 3 3 3
Allen Gant S OH 3 3 3 3
A.J. Williams TE OH 3 3 3 3
Sione Houma FB UT 3 3 2 3
Drake Johnson RB MI NR 2 2 3

Michigan picks up Ann Arbor Pioneer running back Drake Johnson—he's currently unranked on Rivals and has just two stars each from Scout and ESPN, but since he committed he's already picked up a three-star rating from 24/7 (who previously had him unranked). Expect his rankings to pick up in the aftermath of his commitment. Thanks to decommits from both Notre Dame and Penn State, the Wolverines widen their lead on the field.

#2 Notre Dame - 15 Commits
Name Position State Rivals Scout ESPN 24/7
Jarron Jones DT NY 4 5 4 5
Ronald Darby CB MD 4 5 4 4
Tee Shepard CB CA 4 5 4 4
Sheldon Day DT IN 4 5 4 4
Deontay Greenberry WR CA 4 4 4 4
William Mahone RB OH 4 4 4 3
Taylor Decker OL OH 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

Consensus four-star linebacker David Perkins decommits from the Irish. I blame the helmets.

#3 Ohio State - 14 Commits
Name Position State Rivals Scout ESPN 24/7
Bri'onte Dunn RB OH 4 5 4 4
Joshua Perry LB 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
Pat Elflein OL OH 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 2
Tyvis Powell S OH 3 3 2 3
Najee Murray CB OH 2 3 3 3

The Buckeyes land wideout Michael Thomas, who's currently taking a prep school year at Fork Union Academy in Virginia. His commitment vaults Ohio State above Penn State and Wisconsin in the rankings.

#3 Penn State - 15 Commits
Name Position State Rivals Scout ESPN 24/7
Tommy Schutt DT IL 4 5 4 4
Camren Williams LB MA 4 4 4 4
Eugene Lewis WR PA 4 4 4 4
Armani Reeves CB MA 4 4 4 4
Brent Wilkerson DE MD 4 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
J.P. Holtz 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

Four-star offensive lineman Joey O'Connor decommits in the initial fallout from the Sandusky scandal.

#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 Mitchell CB PA 2 2 2 3
Reggie Love WR FL NR NR 2 3

The Badgers pick up wide receiver Reggie Love.

#6 Michigan State - 15 Commits
Name Position State Rivals Scout ESPN 24/7
Se'Von Pittman DE OH 4 4 4 4
Aaron Burbridge WR MI 4 4 4 4
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
Jamal Lyles LB MI 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

The Spartans gain a commitment from cornerback Ezra Robinson. MSU is right on Wisconsin's heels, but the quality at the top of the class just isn't quite there, so for now they stay at #6.

#7 Purdue - 21 Commits
Name Position State Rivals Scout ESPN 24/7
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
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
Steffon Martin LB AZ 3 2 JC 3
Carlos Carvajal TE NY 3 3 3 3
Anthony Brown CB FL 3 2 2 3
Cameron Posey WR FL 3 NR 2 3
Thomas Meadows K VA 2 2 2 2
Jordan Woods WR MI 2 3 2 3
Danny Anthrop WR IN NR 2 2 2
Greg Latta DE CA NR 2 JC NR

The Boilermakers don't pick up any new commits. Carlos Carvajal picks up three stars and Thomas Meadows two stars from Scout.

#8 Northwestern - 17 Commits
Name Position State Rivals Scout ESPN 24/7
Adam DePietro OL PA 3 4 3 3
Greg Kuhar DT OH 3 3 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
Malin Jones RB IL 3 3 2 3
Traveon Henry RB FL 3 3 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 NR 2 2 3
Terrance Brown S CA NR 2 2 3

No change for the Wildcats.

#9 Indiana - 18 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
Sebastian Smith S OH 3 2 NR 3
Darius Stroud LB KS 3 NR JC 3
Jason Spriggs TE IN 2 3 3 3
Tanner Kearns TE OH 2 3 2 3
Caleb Cornett WR IN 2 3 2 2
Alex Todd OL OH 2 3 2 3
Jacob Bailey OL IN 2 2 3 3
Dawson Fletcher S OH 2 2 2 2
Dante Blackmon CB GA NR NR 3 2
Jacarri Alexander LB IA NR NR JC NR

No change for the Hoosiers.

#10 Minnesota - 22 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
Dominic Twitty DT NJ 3 2 3 3
Brian Nicholson LB FL 3 2 2 2
Jordan Hinojosa DT FL 3 2 NR 3
Nick Rallis S MN 3 3 2 3
Maxx Williams TE MN 3 3 NR 3
Rodrick Williams RB TX 3 NR 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 NR 3
Isaac Fruechte WR MN 2 2 JC 2
Barrington Morris LB FL NR 2 NR 2
Tyren Hills CB LA NR 2 NR 2

No change for the Gophers.

#11 Iowa - 10 Commits
Name Position State Rivals Scout ESPN 24/7
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
Mitch Keppy OL IL 3 3 2 3
Michael Malloy RB IA 3 3 2 3
Drew Ott DE NE 3 2 3 3
Laron Taylor LB MI 2 3 3 3
Connor Kornbrath K WV 2 3 2 2

No change for the Hawkeyes.

#12 Nebraska - 8 Commits
Name Position State Rivals Scout ESPN 24/7
Paul Thurston OL CO 4 4 4 4
Greg McMullen DE OH 4 4 3 4
Michael Rose LB MO 3 3 4 4
Jordan Westerkamp WR IL 3 4 3 4
Tommy Armstrong QB TX 3 3 3 3
Sam Cotton TE NE 3 2 3 3
Deion Jones LB LA 2 3 3 3
Zaire Anderson LB CA NR NR JC 3

No change for the Huskers.

#13 Illinois - 9 Commits
Name Position State Rivals Scout ESPN 24/7
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
Elliot Faerber WR KS 3 3 2 2
Tyler Barton S FL 3 2 2 2
Jason Robertson WR IL 2 3 3 3
Joey Warburg OL KY 2 2 3 3
Zach Jackson S FL NR 3 3 3

No change for the Illini.

Comments

bronxblue

November 13th, 2011 at 3:34 PM ^

I've heard rumblings of Gunnar Kiel going to ND - has that been made official yet?  Kelly needs a new highly-rated QB to blame for losing after Crist leaves this year.

kyeblue

November 13th, 2011 at 6:32 PM ^

Can anyone explain to me the rational of taking Drake Johnson. Seems to be there are plenty of higher calibre recruits on the board. Is he considerred a sleeper?

turtleboy

November 13th, 2011 at 7:28 PM ^

State was ahead of Michigans 2012 classes in both basketball and football. I tried to correct him and confused the issue with facts but he told me I had better look again. Looks like we're still doing pretty damned ok.

 

turtleboy

November 13th, 2011 at 7:27 PM ^

who of our 5.7 rated kids on rivals do you imagine will get the last 1/10th bump to a 4 star?

I'm guessing Kaleb Ringer (who made the Butkus Award watchlist), Caleb Stacey (whos bulked up from 270-ish to over 300lbs), Ben Braden (who's playing in the Div 1 Finals soon I believe), Devin Funchess (team had a 24 game win streak going), Matt Godin (team advancing to the playoff Quarterfinals), Mario Ojemudia (Butkus Award Finalist playing both DL and OL this year), and maybe Allen Gant who's had a pretty awesome season at both SS and WR. 

Any thoughts?

Farnn

November 13th, 2011 at 8:19 PM ^

From what I've heard Braden is definitely a different player from last year and has really impressed since the start of the summer.  But he's been committed so long I don't know if he gets the bump.  I doubt Stacey goes up since he's playing center and there are usually only a couple 4 star centers.  Funchess I could see possibly moving up, doubt Godin does.  Ojemudia is probably still considered too small by Rivals since they include NFL potential which may keep him at 3 stars, and that will probably hold Gant out because he is on the slower side.  Ringer probably doesn't get his fourth star either due to size.

Rosey09

November 14th, 2011 at 4:22 AM ^

I'm having a hard time seeing why Minnesota should be ranked below a Gunner Kiel-less Indiana due to the extra commits and 3 recruits that earned a 4th star (compared to Indiana's 0).

 

ScruffyTheJanitor

November 14th, 2011 at 8:01 AM ^

I don't think we'll be getting another Running Back OR defensive back. I have a feeling our last spots will go WR-WR-DT- OL. I am really hoping that the WR includes Diggs and that the DT is someone that we're not associated with yet. 

has Anyone heard something about Joey O'Connor? Any interest by him in Mich?

Lionsfan

November 14th, 2011 at 11:15 AM ^

Man Nebraska sucks in this. Do you think it's because they jumped away from Texas and lost all those recruits? Or does anyone know if they are normally a slow recruiter?

Jeff

November 14th, 2011 at 12:11 PM ^

I have a formatting suggestion.  How about putting the average ranking at the top of each school's chart? Sometimes I am near the bottom of the page and can't really figure out why one school is ranked ahead of the other. Having their averages easily visible would help.

E.g. Michigan would look like:

 

#1 Michigan - 24 Commits
Name Position State Rivals Scout ESPN 24/7
Average - - 3.38 3.54 3.33 3.54
Kyle Kalis OL OH 4 5 4 4
Royce Jenkins-Stone LB MI 4 4 4 4