Big Ten Recruiting Rankings: 9-9-12

Submitted by Ace on

Very little action in the rankings this week—the lone new commit goes to Notre Dame, which is slowly closing the gap on Michigan at the top of the big board. Changes since the last rankings:

9-7-12: Notre Dame picks up Doug Randolph.

Chart? Chart:

Big Ten+ Recruiting Class Rankings
Rank School # Commits Rivals Avg Scout Avg 24/7 Avg ESPN Avg Avg Avg^
1 Michigan 23 3.61 3.87 3.74 3.70 3.73
2 Notre Dame 20 3.60 3.85 3.80 3.80 3.76
3 Ohio State 16 3.63 3.69 3.63 3.81 3.69
4 Illinois 18 2.89 2.78 2.56 3.06 2.82
5 Iowa 16 3.06 2.75 3.13 3.06 3.00
6 Northwestern 17 2.88 2.71 2.88 3.06 2.88
7 Nebraska 14 3.14 3.36 3.36 3.21 3.27
8 Wisconsin 13 3.23 3.08 3.08 3.23 3.15
9 Michigan State 13 3.00 3.00 3.00 3.23 3.06
10 Penn State 9 3.33 3.22 3.33 3.56 3.36
11 Purdue 11 2.91 2.45 2.55 2.82 2.68
12 Indiana 9 2.88 2.67 2.67 2.67 2.74
13 Minnesota 6 2.50 2.33 2.67 2.83 2.58

^The average of the average rankings of the four recruiting services (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.

NOTE: Unranked recruits are counted as two-star players.

To eliminate any confusion about how the rankings are determined (to be honest, they used to be arbitrary), team order is determined by multiplying the number of commits by star average.

On to the full data after the jump.

 

#1 Michigan - 23 Commits
Name Position State Rivals Scout 24/7 ESPN
Shane Morris QB MI 5 5 5 4
Patrick Kugler OL PA 4 5 4 4
Dymonte Thomas S OH 4 5 4 4
Kyle Bosch OL IL 4 4 4 4
Taco Charlton DE OH 4 4 4 4
David Dawson OL MI 4 4 4 4
Chris Fox OL CO 4 4 4 4
Ben Gedeon LB OH 4 4 4 4
Jourdan Lewis CB MI 4 4 4 4
Mike McCray LB OH 4 4 4 4
Henry Poggi DT MD 4 4 4 4
Logan Tuley-Tillman OL IL 4 4 4 4
Wyatt Shallman ATH MI 4 4 4 3
Jake Butt TE OH 4 4 3 4
Ross Douglas CB OH 4 3 4 4
Gareon Conley CB OH 3 4 4 4
DeVeon Smith RB OH 3 4 4 4
Maurice Hurst Jr. DT MA 3 4 4 3
Jaron Dukes WR OH 3 4 3 4
Khalid Hill TE MI 3 3 3 3
Csont'e York WR MI 3 3 3 3
Channing Stribling CB NC 2 3 3 3
Scott Sypniewski LS IL 2 2 2 2

No change for the Wolverines.

#2 Notre Dame - 20 Commits
Name Position State Rivals Scout 24/7 ESPN
Jaylon Smith LB IN 5 5 5 4
Alex Anzalone LB PA 4 4 4 4
Hunter Bivin OL KY 4 4 4 4
Steven Elmer OL MI 4 4 4 4
Mike Heuerman TE FL 4 4 4 4
Mike McGlinchey OL PA 4 4 4 4
John Montelus OL MA 4 4 4 4
Isaac Rochell DE GA 4 4 4 4
Malik Zaire QB OH 4 4 4 4
William Fuller WR PA 4 4 3 3
Doug Randolph LB VA 4 3 4 4
Jamel James RB TX 3 4 4 4
Colin McGovern OL IL 3 4 4 4
Jacob Matuska DE OH 3 4 4 3
James Onwualu WR MN 3 4 3 4
Danny Mattingly TE WA 3 4 3 3
Corey Robinson WR TX 3 4 3 3
Rashad Kinlaw ATH NJ 3 3 4 4
Devin Butler CB DC 3 3 4 4
Michael Deeb LB FL 3 3 3 4

The Irish inch closer to Michigan with the addition of VA LB Doug Randolph.

#3 Ohio State - 16 Commits
Name Position State Rivals Scout 24/7 ESPN
Jalin Marshall ATH OH 4 5 4 4
Joey Bosa DE FL 4 5 4 4
Eli Woodard CB NJ 4 4 4 5
J.T. Barrett QB TX 4 4 4 4
Marcus Baugh TE CA 4 4 4 4
Cameron Burrows CB OH 4 4 4 4
Michael Hill DT SC 4 4 4 4
Evan Lisle OL OH 4 4 4 4
Billy Price DT OH 4 4 4 4
Ezekiel Elliott RB MO 4 4 4 4
Jayme Thompson S OH 4 3 4 4
Taivon Jacobs WR MD 3 3 3 4
Darron Lee ATH OH 3 3 3 3
Tracy Sprinkle DE OH 3 3 3 3
Tim Gardner OL IN 3 2 3 3
Johnny Townsend P FL 2 3 2 3

No change for the Buckeyes.

#4 Illinois - 18 Commits
Name Position State Rivals Scout 24/7 ESPN
Aaron Bailey QB IL 4 4 4 4
Caleb Day CB OH 4 3 3 3
Darius Mosely CB IL 3 3 3 4
Jarrod Clements DE OH 3 3 3 3
Reon Dawson CB OH 3 3 3 3
Christian DiLauro TE OH 3 3 3 3
Merrick Jackson DT IL 3 3 3 3
Reggie Spearman LB IL 3 3 3 3
Dillan Cazley CB IL 3 3 2 3
Bryce Douglas DT IL 3 3 2 3
Kendrick Foster RB IL 3 3 2 3
Joshua Jones S MI 3 3 2 3
Darwyn Kelly S DC 3 2 NR 3
Dawuane Smoot DE OH 3 2 2 3
Jesse Chadwell OL MI 2 3 3 3
Austin Schmidt OL OH 2 2 2 3
Martize Barr WR IA 2 NR 2 JC
Miguel Hermosillo ATH IL NR 2 NR 3

No change for the Illini.

#5 Iowa - 16 Commits
Name Position State Rivals Scout 24/7 ESPN
David Kenney DE IN 4 4 3 4
Delano Hill S MI 4 3 4 3
Jon Wisnieski TE IA 3 3 3 4
Colin Goebel OL IL 3 3 3 3
Brant Gressel DT OH 3 3 3 3
John Kenny LB IN 3 3 3 3
Derrick Mitchell Jr. S MO 3 3 3 3
Malik Rucker S MN 3 3 3 3
Solomon Warfield S OH 3 3 3 3
Sean Welsh OL OH 3 3 3 3
Derrick Willies WR IL 3 3 3 3
Nathan Bazata DT NE 3 2 3 3
Nic Shimonek QB TX 3 2 3 3
Trevon Young LB IA 3 2 4 3
Ike Boettger TE IA 2 2 3 2
Andre Harris ATH MO 3 2 3 3

Andre Harris picks up three stars from 247.

#6 Northwestern - 17 Commits
Name Position State Rivals Scout 24/7 ESPN
Matt Alviti QB IL 4 4 4 4
Tyler Lancaster OL IL 3 3 4 3
Godwin Igwebuike ATH OH 3 3 3 4
Sam Coverdale OL OH 3 3 3 3
Blake King OL IL 3 3 3 3
Brad North OL TX 3 3 3 3
Kyle Queiro ATH NJ 3 3 3 3
Anthony Walker Jr. LB FL 3 3 3 3
Keith Watkins RB OH 3 3 3 3
Eric Joraskie DE PA 3 3 2 3
Warren Miles-Long RB CA 3 3 2 3
Matt Harris WR IL 3 2 3 3
Brett Walsh LB CA 3 2 3 3
Macan Wilson WR TX 3 2 2 3
Jayme Taylor TE TX 2 2 3 3
Xavier Menifield RB CA 2 2 3 3
Hunter Miswander K OH 2 2 2 2

Tyler Lancaster is upgraded to three stars on Scout and four on 247.

#7 Nebraska - 14 Commits
Name Position State Rivals Scout 24/7 ESPN
Marcus McWilson S OH 4 4 4 3
Josh Banderas LB NE 4 4 4 4
Marcus Newby LB MD 4 3 4 4
Johnny Stanton QB CA 3 4 4 4
Christian Lacouture DE TX 3 4 4 3
A.J. Natter DE WI 3 4 3 3
Dan Samuelson OL IN 3 4 3 3
Courtney Love LB OH 3 3 4 4
Jonathan Cook CB AL 3 3 3 3
Nathan Gerry S SD 3 3 3 3
Kevin Gladney WR OH 3 3 3 3
Zach Hannon OL MO 3 3 3 3
Greg Hart TE OH 3 3 3 3
Gabriel Miller LS IN 2 2 2 2

No change for the Huskers.

#8 Wisconsin - 13 Commits
Name Position State Rivals Scout 24/7 ESPN
Darius Latham DT IN 4 4 4 4
Chikwe Obasih DE WI 4 3 4 3
Keelon Brookins CB MN 4 3 3 3
Rob Wheelwright WR OH 3 4 3 3
Austin Ramesh ATH WI 3 3 4 3
Garret Dooley LB IL 3 3 3 4
Alec James DE WI 3 3 3 4
Jack Keeler OL IL 3 3 3 4
Hayden Biegel OL WI 3 3 3 3
Matt Miller OL OH 3 3 3 3
T.J. Watt ATH WI 3 3 3 NR
Sam Raridon DT IA 3 3 NR 3
Jazz Peavy WR WI 3 2 2 3

No change for the Badgers.

#9 Michigan State - 13 Commits
Name Position State Rivals Scout 24/7 ESPN
Jon Reschke LB MI 4 4 4 4
Shane Jones LB OH 4 3 3 4
Damion Terry QB PA 3 4 3 4
Darian Hicks CB OH 3 3 4 3
Dennis Finley OL MI 3 3 3 4
Jalyn Powell S OH 3 3 3 4
Demetrius Cooper DE IL 3 3 3 3
Gerald Holmes RB MI 3 3 3 3
R.J. Shelton RB WI 3 3 3 3
Trey Kilgore WR OH 3 3 3 3
Devyn Salmon DT FL 3 2 2 3
Jay Harris WR PA 2 3 3 3
Dylan Chmura TE WI 3 2 2 NR

Demetrius Cooper earns three stars from both Rivals and ESPN.

#10 Penn State - 9 Commits
Name Position State Rivals Scout 24/7 ESPN
Adam Breneman TE PA 4 5 4 4
Christian Hackenberg QB VA 4 4 5 4
Garrett Sickels DE NJ 4 4 4 4
Brendan Mahon OL NJ 4 3 3 4
Andrew Nelson OL PA 3 3 3 4
Brandon Bell LB NJ 3 3 3 3
Curtis Cothran DE NJ 3 3 3 3
Neiko Robinson S FL 3 2 3 3
Jordan Smith CB DC 2 2 NR 3

Jordan Smith picks up two stars from Scout.

#11 Purdue - 11 Commits
Name Position State Rivals Scout 24/7 ESPN
Danny Etling QB IN 4 3 3 3
Keyante Green RB GA 3 3 3 4
Randy Gregory DE AZ 3 3 3 JC
Austin Logan S FL 3 3 2 3
Johnny Thompson DE GA 3 3 NR 2
Dwayne Johnson OL IL 3 2 3 3
David Yancey RB IN 3 2 3 3
Jake Replogle DE OH 3 2 2 3
John Strauser DE IL 3 2 NR 3
Parker Cothren DE AL 2 2 2 2
Myles Norwood WR TX 2 NR 3 3

No change for the Boilermakers.

#12 Indiana - 9 Commits
Name Position State Rivals Scout 24/7 ESPN
Antonio Allen S IN 4 4 3 4
Danny Friend TE IL 3 3 3 3
Chase Dutra S IN 3 3 3 2
Isaac Griffith WR IN 3 2 3 3
Evan Jansen TE OH 3 2 3 3
Demetrius Hill DT KS 3 3 3 JC
Patrick Dougherty DE OH 3 2 2 2
Jacobi Hunter DT TX 2 3 2 3
Myles Graham RB FL 2 2 NR 2

Demetrius Hill gets three stars from Scout.

#13 Minnesota - 6 Commits
Name Position State Rivals Scout 24/7 ESPN
Alex Mayes OL TX 3 3 3 3
Owen Salzwedel DE WI 3 3 3 3
Jordan Hinojosa DT KS 3 2 NR JC
Chris Wipson LB MN 2 2 3 3
Chris Streveler QB IL 2 2 3 3
Jalen Myrick CB GA 2 2 NR 3

No change for the Gophers.

Comments

oriental andrew

September 10th, 2012 at 10:04 AM ^

Do you put Northwestern ahead of Nebraska solely based on the current class size?  NU (IL) has 17 commits, only of whom are ranked 4 stars by at least one service and 8 of whom are ranked 2 stars by at least on service.  NU (NE) has 14 commits, 8 of whom are ranked 4 stars by at least one service and only 1 of whom is ranked 2 stars by at least one service. 

Despite the gross number of recruits, NU (NE) has a quantitatively and qualitatively better class, no?  What's the rationale? 

And this speaks to the general logic or calculation for placing one team above another, of course. 

MGoViso

September 9th, 2012 at 5:36 PM ^

Ace, can you comment on the seemingly rather severe dropoff in average talent from the top three classes to everyone else? Does it pass your "eye test," and how much of that represents accumulated effects of ratings bumps for guys who commit to U-M, ND, or OSU?

Ace

September 9th, 2012 at 6:09 PM ^

There's usually going to be a gap between U-M/OSU/ND and the rest of the Big Ten, and that's been exascerbated by the implosion of Penn State's class—they were hanging right with the top group before the Freeh Report. There is the ratings bump factor as well, especially this long before the end of the recruiting cycle; the recruiting services are going to make sure they get out and evaluate commits to the big-time schools, and it takes a while to get to everyone, especially since the senior season for the 2013 class just got under way a couple weeks ago.

I think that gap will start to close as we near signing day and schools like Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Michigan State fill out their classes while the top group mostly stands pat. I'd be very surprised if Illinois and Iowa finish with the #4 and #5 classes, too.

turd ferguson

September 9th, 2012 at 6:21 PM ^

I'm not Ace, but here are my two cents...

If U-M, ND, and OSU were getting previously unrated or lowly rated kids who then jumped to the top of the rankings, this would feel fishy.  From my memory at least with Michigan's class, that hasn't been the case (with a couple of exceptions, like Gareon Conley).  In general, these three schools are getting recruits who were highly rated and highly sought after before they ever committed.

Another observation: from what we've heard, it doesn't seem like Michigan aggressively pursued very many of the kids who later committed to schools other than U-M, ND, and OSU.  There certainly are some (Christian Lacouture and Adam Breneman for sure; Darius Latham and Shane Jones, at least to some extent; a few others, I'm sure).  All in all, though, it seems that the other Big Ten schools were much more interested in Michigan's current commitments than Michigan ever was in theirs.  I'd imagine that holds true for Notre Dame and Ohio State as well.

ChicagoB1GRed

September 9th, 2012 at 10:09 PM ^

Ace ranks by number of recruits and stars, so teams with large classes always rank high.

I have no problem with number of recruits being a big factor, all the recruiting services weigh that pretty heavily. But the fact remains a "big" class really just means the schools current roster dictates that it won't have a large number of spots to fill. It's not like they're falling behind or noncompetitive due to recruiting class size.

Case in point, in Nebraska's case, we're 3rd in the B1G for star average AND still have about 10 spots left. Does that mean we're going to have an awesome recruiting class? Who knows. Personally I think average stars matter more than raw numbers of recruits. you can only recruit to the size of your open spots. 

I also don't take the recruiting services too seriously. They're in the business of selling and hyping, how else can they make money?

Yes, as a fan I'd rather have a 4-5 star laden class than a 2-3 star class, but I've always figured the coaches don't gives a rats ass what Rivals thinks. Lots of times there's politics and marketing involved in the player ratings. Notre Dame offers someone a scholie and they immediatey go up from unrated or low star to high star, or whatever.

Bottom line, you have a coaching staff you believe in and they are recruiting the guys they believe will live up to Michigan standards and play the game the Michigan way. That's all you can ask for as a fan, Rivals and Scouts be damned, they don't know shit about what makes right for  Michigan or Nebraska, who recruit unique to their standard, scheme, and academics.

Sorry for the long rant on your board, as a "guest" rival fan I try to mind my manners, and Michigan certainly looks to have an awesome class lined up, no matter what you think about recruiting services, no disrespect intended to your current class.

Have a good time in Lincoln this year and may the best team win the game and the division, and no injuries to these young men.

Go Big Red!

MGoStrength

September 9th, 2012 at 10:43 PM ^

It seems to me like the teams, particularly LSU and Alabama, are signing way more guys than we are.  Since Saban has been there they have never given less than 26 scholarships in a single year.  The past five years they have signed 32 (2008), 30 (2009), 28 (2010), 26 (2011), and 26 (2012) guys respectively.  That gives them 142 commits in the last five years.  In that same time we have signed 24 (2008), 22 (2009), 26 (2010), 19 (2011), and 25 (2012).  That gives us 116 in the same time frame.  That gives Alabama 26 more guys in the last five years.  My question is if this is an obvious advantage, why aren't we doing the same thing?  Why don't we offer the maximum every year?  The advantage seems obvious and until those numbers even out I don't see how we compete, especially when there is more talent in the Southeast than the Midwest.  

Go Blue from OH

September 9th, 2012 at 10:57 PM ^

Why aren't we doing this? It's just the wrong thing to do. The practice of oversigning offers kids scholarships, only to yank it out from them before school starts in the fall. This is coupled with medical redshirts, grey shirts, and the like. Leaving the player SOL and the school loaded with ill-gotten talent. 

I would take the way we recruit anyday over how Saban et al do it. We offer kids, make sure we have room for them, and do not yank their scholarships to make room for a better player. Quite simply, we're better than that. 

Hit up oversigning.com for more info. There's a lot of good information about the subject. 

MGoStrength

September 9th, 2012 at 11:04 PM ^

While part of me agrees with that, the other part of me can't help but see the fact that the teams with most signees are winning the National Championship.  I could be wrong, but to me that is the difference between the SEC and the B1G.  I personally don't want to oversign, but I don't want them to either.  And, you know Saban won't stop until he's forced to.  So, how can we compete on the national stage with them if we don't also?  I don't think we can.  IDK...maybe it will be different in another 2 years when Alabama's 30+ player classes matriculate.  I'm kinda just venting my frustration here, but sheesh it's frustrating.

Go Blue from OH

September 9th, 2012 at 11:13 PM ^

I am totally against it. It's not fair to the kids to recruit them with that type of mindset. It makes recruiting more of a meat market than it already is. There are a lot of reasons why the SEC is better than we are, but that is definitely a substantial one. Lower academic standards, larger talent pools and recent success are also major factors. I think the NCAA should pass bylaws to outlaw this method of recruiting. The B1G has already stepped to make scholarships  4-year scholarship instead of a renewable one-year scholarship. This ensures that our schools are committed to the student-athletes for the long haul. 

We will be at the elite talent level in a couple of years, but there will always be programs that are willing to push the moral envelope to succeed. I am comfortable with the way Hoke and Co. do business. 

MGoStrength

September 9th, 2012 at 11:20 PM ^

So, then the question becomes, if we don't oversign, the SEC continues to oversign (geographic talent and enrolling qualifications remain constant), and the NCAA does nothing further with rules, can we compete with them?  And, if the anwser is, well we can close the gap but we're still significantly behind them, are we OK with never being elite again?  Personally, that hurts my Michigan pride to believe we will never be the way we once were.  Sorry if I'm being a little dramatic...just a little frustrated with it.

AZBlue

September 10th, 2012 at 6:35 PM ^

on this Blog.  Bottom line what "Bama and other SEC teams do is unethical.  In particular 'Bama has a huge number of "medical hardships" even compared to the rest of the SEC.  (Brian did a front-page post on this.)  On the glass half-full side at least the "Bama kids get to keep a (non-sports) scholarship unlike some of the other oversigning programs.

This is becoming more of an issue at the NCAA level in regard to bad press and I believe that the SEC has imposed a scholarship "limit" of around 28 per year and there are talks of the SEC adopting the 4-year scholarship model of the B1G. -- I think Florida and GA may already be doing this voluntarily.

 

It will not keep the teams who wish to bend the rules from doing so, but it should shrink the window and thereby close the gap between the SEC and the rest of CFB.

 

PS - Also noted elsewhere is that schools like Mississippi were signing 30+ player classes with full knowledge that a large percentage of these kids were not going to qualifiy academically.  The new limit will at least force them to be a bit more careful when choosing who to accept LoIs from.