Big Ten Recruiting Class Rankings: 7-11-10
Action since last rankings:
7-1-10 Indiana gains commitment from Forisse Hardin.
7-2-10 Northwestern gains commitment from Cameron Dickerson.
7-5-10 Northwestern gains commitment from Derek Watt. Wisconsin gains commitment from Jordan Frederick.
7-7-10 Northwestern gains commitment from Geoff Mogus. Penn State gains commitment from Jordan Kerner.
7-8-10 Iowa gains commitment from Jake Duzey.
7-9-10 Minnesota gains commitment from Matt LaCosse.
| Big Ten+ Recruiting Class Rankings | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | School | # Commits | Rivals Avg | Scout Avg | ESPN Avg |
| 1 | Ohio State | 17 | 5.75 | 3.71 | 79.18 |
| 2 | Notre Dame | 12 | 5.64 | 3.50 | 73.17 |
| 3 | Nebraska | 13 | 5.62 | 3.08 | 70.46 |
| 4 | Michigan | 7 | 5.69 | 3.14 | 78.14 |
| 5 | Michigan State | 7 | 5.54 | 3.00 | 76.29 |
| 6 | Indiana | 18 | 5.49 | 2.33 | 72.11 |
| 7 | Iowa | 8 | 5.50 | 2.00 | 69.70 |
| 8 | Northwestern | 10 | 5.50 | 2.30 | 63.60 |
| 9 | Purdue | 5 | 5.34 | 3.00 | 70.00 |
| 10 | Minnesota | 7 | 5.44 | 2.00 | 67.43 |
| 11 | Wisconsin | 6 | 5.45 | 2.17 | 61.17 |
| 12 | Illinois | 6 | 5.27 | 2.17 | 60.50 |
| 13 | Penn State | 3 | 5.57 | 2.67 | 73.67 |
Rivals rankings have been converted to their "RR" scale, which is on a scale from about 5 to about 6.1. Unrated prospects are given a 5.1 rating, on par with the worst of any Big Ten commit last year. Scout is on the 5-star system, and ESPN uses grades out of 100.
| #1 Ohio State - 17 Commits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | Rivals | Scout | ESPN |
| Michael Bennett | DT | 6.0 | 4 | 80 |
| Braxton Miller | QB | 5.9 | 5 | 81 |
| Kenny Hayes | DE | 5.9 | 4 | 78 |
| Steve Miller | DE | 5.8 | 5 | 84 |
| Nick Vannett | TE | 5.8 | 4 | 80 |
| Brian Bobek | OL | 5.8 | 4 | 79 |
| Chase Farris | DE | 5.8 | 4 | 79 |
| Jeremy Cash | S | 5.8 | 3 | 80 |
| Evan Spencer | WR | 5.7 | 4 | 81 |
| DerJuan Gambrell | CB | 5.7 | 4 | 77 |
| Jeff Heuerman | TE | 5.7 | 3 | 80 |
| Joel Hale | DT | 5.7 | 3 | 79 |
| Chris Carter | OL | 5.7 | 3 | 78 |
| Devin Smith | WR | 5.7 | 3 | 76 |
| Ron Tanner | S | 5.6 | 4 | 78 |
| Tommy Brown | OL | 5.6 | 3 | 78 |
| Antonio Underwood | OL | 5.6 | 3 | 75 |
Buckeyes hold steady stop the rankings.
| #2 Notre Dame - 12 Commits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | Rivals | Scout | ESPN |
| Ben Koyack | TE | 5.9 | 5 | 81 |
| Matt Hegarty | OL | 5.9 | 4 | 83 |
| Eilar Hardy | S | 5.8 | 4 | 79 |
| Jordan Prestwood | OL | 5.7 | 4 | 80 |
| Jarrett Grace | LB | 5.7 | 4 | 78 |
| Tony Springmann | OL | 5.7 | 4 | 78 |
| Conor Hanratty | OL | 5.6 | 4 | 76 |
| Brad Carrico | OL | 5.6 | 3 | 77 |
| Clay Burton | DE | 5.6 | 3 | 79 |
| Ben Councell | DE | 5.6 | 3 | NR |
| Matthias Farley | CB | 5.5 | 3 | 77 |
| Kyle Brindza | K | NR | NR | NR |
Notre Dame and Nebraska are basically neck-and-neck. The Irish stay ahead on the basis of better average rankings.
| #3 Nebraska - 13 Commits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | Rivals | Scout | ESPN |
| Tyler Moore | OL | 5.9 | 4 | 78 |
| Bubba Starling | QB | 5.8 | 4 | 81 |
| Jamal Turner | QB | 5.8 | 4 | 81 |
| Ryne Reeves | OL | 5.8 | 4 | 79 |
| Ryan Klachko | OL | 5.8 | 4 | 78 |
| Tevin Mitchell | CB | 5.8 | 3 | 79 |
| Zach Sterup | OL | 5.8 | 3 | 78 |
| Kevin Williams | DT | 5.7 | 3 | 79 |
| Dylan Admire | OL | 5.6 | 3 | 77 |
| Daniel Davie | S | 5.5 | 2 | NR |
| Aaryn Bouzos | CB | 5.4 | 2 | 76 |
| Daimion Stafford | S | NR | 3 | NR |
| Nicklas Sade | K | NR | NR | NR |
The Huskers have gone a couple weeks without a substantive commit now. They stand to gain in the rankings when ESPN ranks the rest of their guys.
| #4 Michigan - 7 Commits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | Rivals | Scout | ESPN |
| Brennen Beyer | DE | 5.8 | 4 | 79 |
| Delonte Hollowell | CB | 5.8 | 3 | 79 |
| Chris Rock | DE | 5.7 | 3 | 78 |
| Shawn Conway | WR | 5.7 | 3 | 78 |
| Greg Brown | CB | 5.7 | 3 | 77 |
| Kevin Sousa | QB | 5.6 | 3 | 78 |
| Jack Miller | OL | 5.5 | 3 | 78 |
Wolverines stay steady, but don't be surprised if they nab a couple guys this week.
| #5 Michigan State - 7 Commits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | Rivals | Scout | ESPN |
| Lawrence Thomas | LB | 6.1 | 5 | 80 |
| Connor Cook | QB | 5.7 | 2 | 76 |
| Onaje Miller | RB/Ath | 5.6 | 4 | 78 |
| Taiwan Jones | Ath/LB | 5.6 | 3 | 78 |
| AJ Sims | CB | 5.6 | 2 | 78 |
| Joel Heath | DE | NR | 3 | 76 |
| Paul Lang | TE | NR | 2 | 68 |
Michigan State misses out to Iowa on a TE they thought they had locked up.
| #6 Indiana - 19 Commits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | Rivals | Scout | ESPN |
| Raymon Taylor | CB | 5.8 | 3 | 77 |
| Zack Shaw | LB | 5.8 | 2 | 76 |
| Max Pirman | LB | 5.6 | 3 | 78 |
| Jake Reed | TE | 5.6 | 3 | 77 |
| Jalen Schlachter | TE | 5.6 | 3 | 75 |
| Ralston Evans | OL | 5.6 | 3 | 74 |
| Tre Roberson | QB | 5.6 | 2 | 76 |
| Nick Stoner | S | 5.5 | 3 | 74 |
| Kirk Harris | OL | 5.5 | 2 | 77 |
| Kyle Kennedy | LB | 5.5 | 2 | 76 |
| CJ Robbins | DE | 5.5 | 2 | 75 |
| Mark Murphy | S | 5.5 | 2 | NR |
| Kenny Mullen | CB | 5.4 | 3 | 74 |
| Mike Replogle | LB | 5.4 | 2 | 74 |
| Donte Phillips | DE | 5.4 | 2 | 74 |
| Jay McCants | WR | 5.4 | NR | NR |
| Shafer Johnson | DT | NR | 2 | 77 |
| Nick VanHoose | DB | NR | 2 | 74 |
| Forisse Hardin | S | NR | 2 | NR |
Forisse Hardin gives the Hoosiers some Name of the Year cachet.
| #7 Iowa - 9 Commits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | Rivals | Scout | ESPN |
| Austin Blythe | OL | 5.8 | 3 | 79 |
| Ray Hamilton | TE | 5.7 | 3 | 79 |
| JaCorey Shepherd | WR | 5.6 | 3 | 78 |
| Jake Rudock | QB | 5.6 | 2 | 78 |
| Marcus Grant | WR | 5.6 | 2 | 76 |
| Jake Duzey | TE | 5.5 | 3 | 73 |
| Henry Krieger-Coble | TE | 5.5 | NR | 78 |
| Austin Vincent | WR | NR | NR | NR |
| John Raymon | DE | NR | NR | NR |
Hawkeyes steal Jake Duzey from the State of Michigan. They now have three tights ends committed, so maybe they can give up Ray Hamilton.
| #8 Northwestern - 10 Commits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | Rivals | Scout | ESPN |
| Sean Cotton | S | 5.7 | 3 | 79 |
| Zack Oliver | QB | 5.6 | 3 | 78 |
| Jarrell Williams | CB | 5.6 | 3 | 76 |
| Shane Mertz | OL | 5.6 | 3 | NR |
| Matt Frazier | OL | 5.6 | 2 | NR |
| Mark Szott | TE | 5.5 | 2 | 77 |
| Derek Watt | LB | 5.5 | 2 | 73 |
| Geoff Mogus | OL | 5.5 | 2 | NR |
| Cameron Dickerson | WR | 5.3 | 2 | NR |
| Max Chapman | DE | NR | NR | 78 |
Northwestern has the big week this time around, picking up a trio of commits.
| #9 Purdue - 5 Commits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | Rivals | Scout | ESPN |
| Russell Bellomy | QB | 5.5 | 3 | 78 |
| Robert Kugler | TE | 5.5 | 3 | 78 |
| Brandon Cottom | LB | 5.5 | 3 | 76 |
| Michael Rouse | DT | NR | 3 | 73 |
| Randy Gregory | DE | NR | 3 | NR |
No change for the Boilermakers. They stay ahead of Minnesota despite the Gophers gaining a commitment.
| #10 Minnesota - 7 Commits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | Rivals | Scout | ESPN |
| Tommy Olson | OL | 5.7 | 2 | 79 |
| Max Shortell | QB | 5.6 | 3 | 74 |
| Matt LaCosse | ATH | 5.6 | 2 | 78 |
| Quinn Bauducco | LB | 5.6 | 2 | NR |
| Sam Rohr | TE | 5.4 | 2 | 74 |
| Jephete Matilus | LB | NR | 2 | 77 |
| Samuel Oyenuga | CB | NR | NR | NR |
High school QB Matt LaCosse commits to the Gophers. Will he stay at that position once he gets to the next level.
| #11 Wisconsin - 6 Commits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | Rivals | Scout | ESPN |
| Jake Keefer | LB | 5.8 | 3 | 78 |
| Sam Arneson | TE | 5.7 | 2 | 78 |
| Austin Maly | TE | 5.5 | 2 | 76 |
| Jordan Frederick | LB | 5.5 | 2 | NR |
| Eric Steffes | TE | NR | 2 | NR |
| Derek Landisch | LB | NR | 2 | NR |
I'm telling you, the Badgers are determined to form a recruiting class made entirely of tight ends and linebackers. Jordan Frederick is the newest addition.
| #12 Illinois - 6 Commits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | Rivals | Scout | ESPN |
| Zeph Grimes | S | 5.6 | 3 | 77 |
| Chris O'Connor | DE | 5.4 | 3 | 75 |
| Hunter Wells | OL | 5.3 | 3 | NR |
| Reilly O'Toole | QB | NR | 2 | 76 |
| Marquise Mosley | WR | NR | NR | NR |
| Justin DuVernois | K | NR | NR | NR |
No change.
| #13 Penn State - 2 Commits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | Rivals | Scout | ESPN |
| Shawn Oakman | DE | 5.8 | 3 | 77 |
| Jordan Kerner | DE | 5.5 | 3 | 68 |
| Kyle Carter | TE | 5.4 | 2 | 76 |
Penn State has enough commits that their class is almost no longer humorous. Almost.
Quick notes: There are arguments to be made for Northwestern passing Iowa and Penn State passing Illinois. The Wildcats have more commits and approximately equal averages. I left them ahead because when in doubt, I'll maintain the previous week's rankings.
With Penn State, they're way ahead in average ranking per commit, and have plenty of time to pass Illinois with more commits. Plus it's funny to see them sitting in last.
Is anyone else starting to worry about this class? 6 out of our 7 are only 3 stars. I know its not all about the stars but it would be great to have a 5 and some more 4's. With the way recruiting is going, 7 is a small number at this stage. We need to get to work.
Most 4 and 5 star players have tons of offers, and it seems to take a majority of them longer to decide where to go. If we get into the season, and we're still only pulling in 3 star guys, and most of the 4 and 5 stars have commited elsewhere, then would be the time to consider pushing the panic button.
You're right. Lets at least get one big name soon, it would help me sleep easier.
and drinking a 40 oz. of King Cobra. That should help you sleep.
that Sousa will be ranked significantly higher after next season. So we may already have a couple 4-5 stars and not know it yet.
To echo others' comments, I wouldn't be surprised if a good half of our current 3*s ended up earning another one. Additionally, we're still in on some 4/5-star prospects that won't decide for a while.
Ah, the 3-star mafia, how I missed you.
I don't know, it's not like we've gone 8-16 over the past two years and have a lot of high-ranked recruits waiting to see if we can turn it around this season. We should recruit like a top ten team every year just because we're Michigan, right?
We should always be in on the big recruits, we are Michigan. This is year 3, things have to start getting better now.
but until we really start winning (revenge tour 2010), we're going to have some swings and misses with big-name recruits. Be happy with the class we have so far.
Better a 3 star than a walk-on. Frankly, I couldn't tell you what any of the players on our roster were rated before they came in. The coaches will get who they need to get, and it is easier to not worry about things we have no control over.
to Kevin Leach and Jordan Kovacs?
If either of those 2 are starting, we are in trouble in the Big Ten. Did Leach get a # yet?
Most people expect Kovacs to start. See, e.g., Brian's Unofficial Two-Deep. He was picked for the fourth team All Big Ten by one magazine. He does a good job when he isn't forced to play out of postion.
Let's get this message right over to Rich Rodriguez so he can start recruiting - maybe he forgot.
think he's learned yet.
Well, you never know. Maybe all 6 of those guys will be All-Big Ten/All-Americans...
Tim, last week Scout revised some rankings based on some of the summer camps. So you might want to check some of the star rankings. OSU recruits Devin Smith, Jeremy Cash and Antonio Underwood all went up to 4 stars.
Thanks for the heads up. I'll reflect Scout's new rankings in the next update.
I've always wondered what your ranking methodology is. I've assumed for some time that # of commits, Rivals average, Scout average, and ESPN average held equal (.25) weight when ranked against their peer institutions*. Quick number crunching suggests this isn't quite the case. What's the scoop?
*with perhaps a minimum number of commits (for adequate sample size) required for a team to be ranked.
Look in the comments of previous posts. It's basically an eyeball test, once all of the averages are calculated.
What is up with PSU? Are they in on a ton of highly rated guys, or is this going to be a really bad class?
The look of fear and panic on PSU fans face is the new white out zombie.
It still blows my mind that ND continues to get big-name kids even though they have been returning to glory for almost a decade and our on their fourth HC coach in the last 10 years.
Still, I like how this class is shaping up. Some of these lower-rated guys fill specific needs, and I fully expect some big names to fall to UM if the team plays well this year.
If you are interested the positions listed for many of the ND prospects are not what they are slated to play when they arrive at ND. Both Carrico and Springmann are being recruited to be 3-4 DEs. Councell and Burton are being recruited as 3-4 OLBs. Hardy is being recruited as a CB.
Tim - it might be a good idea to add a column right after the name for the state where the recruit currently resides/plays. it will help readers see the geographical distribution of committs and also fan the flames of the likes of "Dantanio owns MI", "ND recruits coast to coast", "Nebraska's move to Big-Ten will kill them in Texas recruiting" etc crowd.
not intererested.
nebraska's move to the big 10 IS somewhat already hurting them in recruiting in texas. RB aaron green has somewhat dropped them from his favorites(theyre still there but not as high) since the move.
Tim
You say "They stand to gain in the rankings when ESPN ranks the rest of their guys."
Will they really gain much? One of the guys that ESPN hasn't ranked for the huskers is a kicker and kickers generally are not ranked very high. Another is a safety who has 2 stars from scout and is a 5.5 on rivals, and the last guy is a 3 star on scout.
Unless espn rates these guys much higher then the other services is Nebraska's ranking really going to climb?
Going from a 40 or 45 ranking to even something in the low 60s is a pretty good jump.
So does that mean even though they are given an 'NR', the NR actually has a numerical value attached to it?
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