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Big Ten Recruiting Class Rankings 9-4-11
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The latest week in recruiting sees Notre Dame pick up their highest-ranked recruit in DT Jarron Jones while Purdue and Northwestern each add some lower-ranked players to their classes. Other than that, nothing really happened. Action since last rankings:
8-28-11 Northwestern gains commitment from Jaylen Prater.
8-29-11 Notre Dame gains commitment from Jarron Jones. Purdue gains commitment from Carlos Carvajal.
8-30-11 Northwestern gains commitment from Terrance Brown.
9-3-11 Purdue gains commitment from Aloyis Gray.
9-4-11 Purdue gains commitment from Devin Smith.
Chart? Chart:
| Big Ten+ Recruiting Class Rankings | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | School | # Commits | Rivals Avg | Scout Avg | ESPN Avg | 24/7 Avg |
| 1 | Michigan | 22 | 3.50 | 3.64 | 3.41 | 3.59 |
| 2 | Notre Dame | 14 | 3.43 | 3.86 | 3.50 | 3.57 |
| 3 | Penn State | 17 | 3.18 | 3.29 | 3.29 | 3.00 |
| 4 | Ohio State | 12 | 3.25 | 3.42 | 3.17 | 3.33 |
| 5 | Michigan State | 14 | 3.14 | 3.14 | 3.07 | 3.00 |
| 6 | Wisconsin | 10 | 3.10 | 3.40 | 3.20 | 3.20 |
| 7 | Indiana | 17 | 2.65 | 2.82 | 2.63* | 2.88 |
| 8 | Northwestern | 16 | 2.5 | 2.44 | 2.31 | 1.81 |
| 9 | Iowa | 10 | 3.00 | 3.00 | 3.00 | 2.90 |
| 10 | Minnesota | 18 | 2.56 | 2.39 | 2.12* | 2.33 |
| 11 | Purdue | 15 | 2.47 | 2.13 | 2.14* | 2.40 |
| 12 | Nebraska | 6 | 3.17 | 3.33 | 3.00 | 3.33 |
| 13 | Illinois | 8 | 2.50 | 2.63 | 2.75 | 2.50 |
*ESPN doesn't rate JUCOs, so Isaac Fruechte (Minnesota), Darius Stroud (Indiana), Steffon Martin and Devin Smith (Purdue) are exluded from their respective team averages.
On to the full data, after the jump.
| #1 Michigan - 22 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 |
| 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 |
Michigan maintains their stranglehold at the top of the rankings. Sione Houma moves from two to three stars on Rivals, and he's now ranked as their #5 fullback in the country.
| #2 Notre Dame - 14 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 |
| Taylor Decker | OL | OH | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| David Perkins | LB | IN | 3 | 4 | 4 | 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 |
| John Turner | S | IN | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Scott Daly | LS | IL | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
The Irish land Jarron Jones, their highest-rated recruit across the board to date. They still have some ground to cover to catch Michigan, going by pure numbers, but in terms of quality of commits this class is right up there.
| #3 Penn State - 17 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 |
| J.J. Denman | OL | PA | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Eugene Lewis | WR | PA | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Armani Reeves | CB | MA | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Joey O'Connor | OL | CO | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| 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 | NR |
| Malik Golden | ATH | PA | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Jake Kiley | CB | NH | 2 | 3 | 2 | NR |
| Derek Dowrey | DT | VA | 2 | 2 | 3 | NR |
J.P. Holtz earns a three-star ranking from Rivals.
| #4 Ohio State - 12 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 |
| Pat Elflein | OL | OH | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Jacoby Boren | OL | 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 |
No change for the Buckeyes.
| #5 Michigan State - 14 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 |
| Evan Jones | TE | OH | 3 | 3 | NR | 3 |
| Kodi Kieler | OL | MI | 3 | 3 | 3 | NR |
Kodi Keiler is upgraded from unranked to three stars on Rivals. Interesting, but completely irrelevant, sidenote: Rivals and Scout are in complete lockstep when it comes to ranking the Spartan commits (requisite dig: because they're almost all three-stars—but, you know, national three-stars).
| #6 Wisconsin - 10 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 |
| 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 |
| Hugs Etienne | CB | CA | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Reggie Mitchell | CB | PA | 2 | 2 | 2 | NR |
| Arthur Goldberg | DT | PA | NR | 3 | 2 | NR |
No change for the Badgers.
| #7 Indiana - 17 Commits | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN | 24/7 |
| Gunner Kiel | QB | IN | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| 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 |
| 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 | NR | 2 |
| Darius Stroud | LB | KS | NR | NR | JC | NR |
Shawn Heffern gets a three-star ranking from Rivals, while Alex Todd picks up three stars from 24/7. I'm still keeping them just a hair below Wisconsin, but if the average rankings get any closer or the Hoosiers pick up another commit that'll probably change.
| #8 Northwestern - 16 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 | NR |
| Malin Jones | RB | IL | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Mike McHugh | WR | PA | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Dwight White | CB | TX | 3 | 2 | 2 | NR |
| Connor Mahoney | OL | PA | 2 | 3 | 3 | NR |
| Dan Vitale | S | IL | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Joseph Jones | S | PA | 2 | 2 | NR | NR |
| Chris Fitzpatrick | OL | KY | 2 | 2 | NR | 2 |
| Jaylen Prater | LB | OH | NR | NR | 2 | NR |
| Terrance Brown | S | CA | NR | NR | NR | NR |
The Wildcats pick up a pair of unheralded recruits in LB Jaylen Prater and S Terrance Brown. This drags down their averages considerably, but I won't punish a team for picking up commits. Iowa is hot on their heels, though.
| #9 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 | NR |
No change for the Hawkeyes.
| #10 Minnesota - 18 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 |
| 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 | NR |
| Nick Rallis | S | MN | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Maxx Williams | TE | MN | 3 | 3 | NR | NR |
| Rodrick Williams | RB | TX | 3 | NR | NR | 3 |
| Mitch Leidner | QB | MN | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Drew Davis | LB | NC | 2 | 2 | 3 | NR |
| Samad Hinds | TE | FL | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Josh Ballesteros | LB | FL | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Eric Murray | CB | WI | 2 | 2 | NR | NR |
| Scott Ekpe | DT | TX | 2 | 2 | NR | 3 |
| Isaac Fruechte | WR | MN | NR | 2 | JC | NR |
Nick Rallis, Maxx Williams, and Rodrick Williams each pick up three stars from Rivals after being unrated. 24/7 does the same for Scott Ekpe and R. Williams.
| #11 Purdue - 15 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 |
| Jonathan Curry | TE | AL | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Aloyis Gray | ATH | IN | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Andy Garcia | LB | FL | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| B.J. Knauf | WR | FL | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Jimmy Herman | S | IN | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Anthony Brown | CB | FL | 3 | NR | NR | 3 |
| Paul Griggs | K | NC | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Thomas Meadows | K | VA | 2 | NR | 2 | 2 |
| Steffon Martin | LB | AZ | NR | 2 | JC | NR |
| Devin Smith | OL | AZ | NR | 3 | JC | NR |
| Carlos Carvajal | TE | NY | NR | NR | NR | NR |
The Boilermakers land ATH Aloyis Gray, OL Devin Smith, and TE Carlos Carvajal. Jimmy Herman picks up three stars from Rivals. By the power of sheer volume, Purdue moves ahead of Nebraska. File that under: 'Things I Never Thought I'd Write About Football and/or Recruiting'.
| #12 Nebraska - 6 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 |
| Sam Cotton | TE | NE | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Deion Jones | LB | LA | 2 | 3 | NR | NR |
No change for the Huskers. Still. Bo Pelini isn't expecting some sort of Big Ten Expansion Draft, is he?
| #13 Illinois - 8 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 |
| Elliot Faerber | WR | KS | 3 | 3 | 2 | NR |
| Tyler Barton | S | FL | 3 | NR | 2 | NR |
| Joseph Spencer | OL | OH | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 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 new commits for the Illini. Joseph Spencer picks up three stars and Joey Warburg two from Rivals.
September 4th, 2011 at 5:11 PM | 
posted from iPhone
posted from iPhone
September 4th, 2011 at 5:45 PM |
Not necessarily (see
Not necessarily (see
Not necessarily (see Wisconsin ahead of Indiana), but in general it helps to have depth in the class. I very nearly stuck Iowa in front of Northwestern, but I didn't want to penalize the Wildcats for pulling in a couple recruits, and that's where they were last week. As these classes start filling up, I'm sure Iowa and Nebraska will move their way up the rankings pretty quickly.
It may look like there's a method to the madness, but right now it's mostly just madness (and trying to make sure I don't mess up the HTML for the tables). I'm more worried about making sure all the right info is in the right place than making arbitrary distinctions between incomplete recruiting classes full of players who have played one or two games in their senior seasons.
September 4th, 2011 at 8:22 PM |
posted from iPhone
posted from iPhone
Cool, thanks.
September 4th, 2011 at 8:00 PM |
adam depietro
adam depietro
FWIW, depietro has been a 4* on scout for a couple months
September 4th, 2011 at 9:29 PM |
DE and LB
DE and LB
looking at the numbers for these positions, I think of frequent substitutions and even more frequent blitzing
September 4th, 2011 at 9:54 PM |
Who do we want from Purdue?
Who do we want from Purdue?
Trying to figure out who we want from Purdue's class - cannot figure out who we are going to snake oil
"No man is more important than The Team. No coach is more important than The Team. The Team, The Team, The Team"
September 4th, 2011 at 11:07 PM |
Based solely on the names,
Based solely on the names,
Based solely on the names, I'd have to go with either Andy Gracia (NTAG) or Jimmy Herman (NTJH),
"Is There Anybody Out There?" Pink Floyd, The Wall.
September 5th, 2011 at 2:32 PM |
A few more 4 and maybe a 5 star
A few more 4 and maybe a 5 star
and they should finish in the top 5 of every site's rankings.
Is it safe to assume that you're a believer in the "bigger classes are better because they're big" idea? Just trying to understand your reasoning.
FWIW, I agree with that when you have classes of roughly the same average quality. With something like Iowa/Northwestern, though, Iowa could very easily grab a bunch of 2-star (even some 1-star) recruits who would even out the class sizes while still leaving Iowa ahead in the average star ratings.