Big Ten Recruiting Class Rankings 1-23-11

Submitted by Tim on

New Michigan commit(s), and this bad boy hits the front page. There's been tooooons of action since last rankings:

1-15-11 Michigan loses commitment from Jake Fisher. Illinois loses commitment from Carl Williams.

1-16-11 Indiana gains commitment from Bernard Taylor. Indiana loses commitment from Shafer Johnson.

1-17-11 Ohio State gains commitment from Ejuan Price. Notre Dame gains commitment from Chase Hounshell. Penn State gains commitment from Bill Belton. Illinois gains commitment from Eaton Spence.

1-18-11 Notre Dame loses commitment from Stephon Tuitt. Minnesota gains commitment from Steven Montgomery.

1-19-11 Notre Dame gains commitment from Stephon Tuitt. Michigan State gains commitment from Matthew Ramondo.

1-20-11 Penn State gains commitment from Deion Barnes. Minnesota loses commitment from Tamani Carter. Michigan gains commitment from Tamani Carter. Minnesota gains commitment from Joe Bjorklund. Nebraska gains commitment from Ameer Abdullah.

1-21-11 Indiana loses commitment from Jalen Schlachter. Michigan State gains commitment from Juwan Caesar.

1-22-11 Michigan gains commitments from Keith Heitzman, Raymon Taylor, and Matt Wile. Purdue gains commitment from Frankie Williams. Northwestern gains commitment from Jordan Perkins.

Big Ten+ Recruiting Class Rankings
Rank School # Commits Rivals Avg Scout Avg ESPN Avg
1 Ohio State 21 5.76 3.76 79.19
2 Notre Dame 23 5.73 3.57 78.96
3 Nebraska 17 5.71 3.41 78.25*
4 Michigan State 19 5.63 3.21 76.84
5 Iowa 20 5.62 3.05 76.79*
6 Wisconsin 20 5.60 2.95 73.75
7 Penn State 15 5.63 3.27 76.53
8 Michigan 14 5.61 3.14 77.43
9 Illinois 26 5.50 2.58 73.19
10 Indiana 16 5.54 2.88 75.13
11 Northwestern 15 5.54 2.87 76.53
12 Minnesota 21 5.54 2.48 69.94****
13 Purdue 14 5.51 2.57 73.58**

Rivals rankings are on the "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 (unranked players earn 1 star), and ESPN uses grades out of 100 (unranked is 40 or 45, except JuCo players, who aren't included in the average).

Full data after the jump.

#1 Ohio State - 21 Commits
Name Position State Rivals Scout ESPN
Braxton Miller QB OH 6.0 5 81
Doran Grant CB OH 6.0 4 81
Michael Bennett DT OH 6.0 4 80
Kenny Hayes DE OH 5.9 4 79
Steve Miller DE OH 5.8 5 82
Ryan Shazier LB FL 5.8 4 81
Nick Vannett TE OH 5.8 4 80
Chase Farris DE OH 5.8 4 79
Brian Bobek OL IL 5.8 4 79
Evan Spencer WR IL 5.7 4 81
Ron Tanner S OH 5.7 4 78
Devin Smith WR OH 5.7 4 78
DerJuan Gambrell CB OH 5.7 4 77
Jeremy Cash S FL 5.7 3 80
Jeff Heuerman TE FL 5.7 3 80
Joel Hale DT IN 5.7 3 79
Chris Carter OL OH 5.7 3 78
Conner Crowell LB MD 5.7 3 78
Tommy Brown OL OH 5.6 3 78
Antonio Underwood OL OH 5.6 3 75
Ejuan Price LB PA 5.5 4 79

Buckeyes pick up linebacker Ejuan Price.

#2 Notre Dame - 23 Commits
Name Position State Rivals Scout ESPN
Ishaq Williams DE NY 6.1 5 82
Stephon Tuitt DE GA 6.1 5 81
Aaron Lynch DE FL 6.0 5 84
Ben Koyack TE PA 5.9 5 81
Matt Hegarty OL NM 5.9 4 82
DaVaris Daniels WR IL 5.8 4 81
Eilar Hardy S OH 5.8 4 79
George Atkinson III S CA 5.8 3 79
Ben Councell DE NC 5.8 3 79
Everett Golson QB NC 5.7 4 80
Jarrett Grace LB OH 5.7 4 78
Anthony Rabasa DE FL 5.7 3 80
Tony Springmann OL IN 5.7 3 78
Josh Atkinson CB CA 5.7 3 78
Chase Hounshell OL FL 5.7 3 76
Nick Martin OL IN 5.6 3 78
Brad Carrico OL OH 5.6 3 77
Cam McDaniel RB TX 5.6 3 77
Conor Hanratty OL CT 5.6 3 76
Bennett Okotcha CB TX 5.6 3 76
Jalen Brown CB TX 5.5 3 78
Matthias Farley CB NC 5.5 3 77
Kyle Brindza K MI 5.4 3 79

Irish trade former Gator commit Chase Hounshell for Stephon Tuitt, then convince Tuitt to stay committed after all.

#3 Nebraska - 16 Commits
Name Position State Rivals Scout ESPN
Aaron Green RB FL 5.9 5 85
Tyler Moore OL FL 5.9 4 78
Charles Jackson CB TX 5.8 4 81
Bubba Starling QB KS 5.8 4 81
Jamal Turner QB TX 5.8 4 81
Ryne Reeves OL NE 5.8 4 79
Ryan Klachko OL IL 5.8 4 78
Daimion Stafford S CA 5.8 4 JC
David Santos LB TX 5.8 3 79
Zach Sterup OL NE 5.8 3 78
Kevin Williams DT OH 5.7 3 79
Ameer Abdullah RB OH 5.7 3 74
Max Pirman LB OH 5.6 3 78
Daniel Davie S NE 5.5 3 75
Givens Price OL TX 5.5 3 75
Taariq Allen WR TX 5.5 2 75
Aaryn Bouzos CB CA 5.4 2 76

Running Back Ameer Abdullah selects the Huskers.

#4 Michigan State - 19 Commits
Name Position State Rivals Scout ESPN
Lawrence Thomas LB MI 5.9 5 80
Donavon Clark OG OH 5.7 4 78
Darien Harris LB MD 5.7 3 79
Juwan Caesar WR FL 5.7 3 79
Taiwan Jones LB MI 5.7 3 78
Roger Williamson CB OH 5.7 3 78
AJ Sims CB GA 5.7 3 78
Ed Davis LB MI 5.7 3 77
Arjen Colquhoun S ON 5.7 3 76
Connor Cook QB OH 5.7 2 76
Onaje Miller RB MI 5.6 4 78
Joel Heath DE OH 5.6 4 76
Jack Allen OL IL 5.6 3 78
Nick Ramondo DT GA 5.6 3 77
Shilique Calhoun DE NJ 5.5 3 77
Mark Scarpinato DT WI 5.5 3 76
Damon Knox DE MI 5.5 3 76
Trae Waynes CB WI 5.4 3 75
Paul Lang TE PA 5.4 3 68

Spartans pick up defensive tackle Matt Ramondo.

#5 Iowa - 20 Commits
Name Position State Rivals Scout ESPN
Jordan Walsh OL IL 5.8 4 79
Rodney Coe RB IL 5.8 4 79
Austin Blythe OL IA 5.8 3 79
Ray Hamilton TE OH 5.8 3 79
Quinton Alston LB PA 5.7 3 79
John Raymon DE PA 5.7 3 78
Mika'il McCall RB IL 5.7 3 77
Dan Heiar OL IA 5.7 2 JC
Torrey Campbell RB FL 5.6 3 78
Jake Rudock QB FL 5.6 3 78
Riley McMinn DE IL 5.6 3 77
Marcus Grant WR MA 5.6 3 76
Nick Law CB MD 5.5 4 77
Melvin Spears LB TX 5.5 3 79
Henry Krieger-Coble TE IA 5.5 3 78
Jacob Hillyer WR TX 5.5 3 76
Cole Fisher LB NE 5.5 3 74
Jake Duzey TE MI 5.5 3 73
Mike Orloff LB MA 5.5 2 70
Austin Vincent WR TX 5.4 3 73

No changes for Iowa, but updated rankings see them pass Wisconsin.

#6 Wisconsin - 20 Commits
Name Position State Rivals Scout ESPN
Jake Keefer LB WI 5.8 4 78
Melvin Gordon RB WI 5.8 3 79
Austin Traylor DE OH 5.8 3 78
Sam Arneson TE WI 5.7 3 78
Jesse Hayes DE OH 5.7 3 78
James Adeyanju DE IL 5.7 3 77
AJ Jordan WR OH 5.6 3 79
Mike Caputo LB PA 5.6 3 77
Derek Watt LB WI 5.6 3 77
Eric Steffes TE WI 5.6 3 77
Austin Maly TE WI 5.6 3 76
Terrance Floyd CB FL 5.6 2 77
Devin Gaulden CB FL 5.5 3 78
Ray Ball OL OH 5.5 3 77
Jordan Frederick LB WI 5.5 3 75
Darius Hillary CB OH 5.5 3 75
Derek Landisch LB WI 5.5 3 74
Frederick Willis WR WI 5.5 3 NR
Tyler Marz OL MN 5.5 2 NR
Kenzel Doe WR NC 5.4 3 75

No change.

#7 Penn State - 15 Commits
Name Position State Rivals Scout ESPN
Anthony Zettel DE MI 5.9 4 80
Bill Belton WR PA 5.8 4 80
Donovan Smith OL MD 5.8 4 79
Shawn Oakman DE PA 5.8 4 77
Deion Barnes DE PA 5.8 3 78
Angelo Mangiro OL NJ 5.7 4 81
Ben Kline LB PA 5.7 3 78
Ryan Nowicki OL AZ 5.7 3 77
Shyquan Pullium WR PA 5.6 3 74
Anthony Alosi OL NJ 5.6 2 70
Jordan Kerner DE PA 5.5 3 77
Allen Robinson WR MI 5.5 3 72
Kyle Carter TE DE 5.4 3 76
Matt Zanellato WR VA 5.3 4 76
Sam Ficken K PA 5.3 2 73

Nittany Lions pick up Pitt decommit Bill Beltonas well as instate DE Deion Barnes. Sam Ficken is now rated by all three services.

#8 Michigan - 14 Commits
Name Position State Rivals Scout ESPN
Justice Hayes RB MI 5.9 4 79
Blake Countess CB MD 5.8 4 80
Brennen Beyer DE MI 5.8 4 79
Raymon Taylor CB MI 5.8 3 77
Kellen Jones LB TX 5.7 4 79
Delonte Hollowell CB MI 5.7 3 79
Chris Rock DE OH 5.6 3 78
Jack Miller OL OH 5.5 3 78
Tony Posada OL FL 5.5 3 78
Desmond Morgan LB MI 5.5 3 78
Greg Brown CB OH 5.5 3 77
Keith Heitzman DE OH 5.5 3 75
Tamani Carter CB OH 5.5 3 74
Matt Wile K CA 5.3 NR 73

Big week for the Wolverines, as they grab four new commits. Their numbers have gone up to a reasonable level, but averages have taken a hit. Those should also improve before Signing Day.

#9 Illinois - 26 Commits
Name Position State Rivals Scout ESPN
Dondi Kirby S PA 5.8 3 79
Clint Tucker DT IL 5.7 3 79
Reilly O'Toole QB IL 5.7 3 76
Patrick Flavin OL IL 5.7 3 75
Matt LaCosse ATH IL 5.6 3 78
Zeph Grimes S SC 5.6 3 77
Chris Boles OL OH 5.6 3 77
Kenny Knight WR MI 5.6 3 76
Ralph Cooper LB SC 5.5 3 78
Josh Ferguson RB IL 5.5 3 75
Chris O'Connor DE IL 5.5 3 75
Donavonn Young RB TX 5.5 3 75
Scott McDowell OL IL 5.5 3 75
Tony Durkin OL IL 5.5 3 74
Ted Karras OL IN 5.5 2 77
Henry Dickinson LB TN 5.5 2 75
Jeremy Whitlow WR OH 5.5 2 74
Nick North CB FL 5.4 3 76
Marquise Mosley WR TX 5.4 3 74
JT Thornton CB FL 5.4 2 77
Kenny Nelson DE MI 5.4 2 75
Daniel Rhodes TE NC 5.4 2 73
Justin DuVernois K FL 5.4 2 70
Hunter Wells OL IL 5.3 3 NR
Jordan Frysinger WR NY 5.3 NR 73
Eaton Spence CB FL 5.3 NR NR

Illinois takes a big hit as Michigan and Penn State pass them on the basis of "quality over quantity." Illini lost LB commit Carl Williams this week, as well.

#10 Indiana - 16 Commits
Name Position State Rivals Scout ESPN
Zack Shaw LB OH 5.8 3 76
Cody Latimer WR OH 5.7 3 73
D'Angelo Roberts RB IN 5.6 3 77
Jake Reed TE IN 5.6 3 77
Tre Roberson QB IN 5.6 3 76
Ralston Evans OL IN 5.6 3 74
Forisse Hardin S KY 5.6 3 74
Bernard Taylor DT IN 5.5 3 76
Mark Murphy S OH 5.5 3 75
Nick Stoner S IN 5.5 3 74
Kirk Harris OL KS 5.5 2 77
Kyle Kennedy LB IN 5.5 2 76
Jay McCants WR OH 5.4 3 75
Kenny Mullen CB IN 5.4 3 74
Mike Replogle LB OH 5.4 3 74
Donte Phillips DE WI 5.4 3 74

I did quite a bit of searching to figure out who should and shouldn't be included as an Indiana commit, as there was a lot of disagreement among the recruiting services. I think the current list is just about right.

#11 Northwestern - 14 Commits
Name Position State Rivals Scout ESPN
Christian Jones WR TX 5.7 3 81
Shane Mertz OL NJ 5.6 3 79
Jack Konopka OL IL 5.6 3 79
Zack Oliver QB LA 5.6 3 78
Jarrell Williams CB IL 5.6 3 76
Matt Frazier OL IL 5.6 3 75
Jordan Perkins RB CA 5.5 2 70
Max Chapman DE FL 5.6 2 78
Mark Szott TE IL 5.5 3 77
Geoff Mogus OL OH 5.5 3 75
CJ Robbins DE IL 5.5 3 75
Cameron Dickerson WR NJ 5.5 2 73
Xavier Youngblood WR TX 5.5 NR 76
Nick VanHoose DB OH 5.4 3 74
Treyvon Green RB TX 5.3 3 77

Wildcats grab running back Jordan Perkins. Their class is almost exactly the same as Indiana's, but I gave the Hoosiers the benefit of the ranking because they have one more commit, and a slightly better average to Scout (mostly because NU commit Xavier Youngblood is not ranked on that service).

#12 Minnesota - 21 Commits
Name Position State Rivals Scout ESPN
Tommy Olson OL MN 5.7 3 79
Mike Moore LB TX 5.6 3 77
Peter Westerhaus TE MN 5.6 3 76
Quentin Gardener WR TX 5.6 3 76
Steven Montgomery WR FL 5.6 3 76
Max Shortell QB KS 5.6 3 74
Quinn Bauducco LB CA 5.6 3 74
Josh Campion OL VA 5.6 2 NR
Drew Goodger TE KS 5.6 2 NR
Drayquan Crawford S TX 5.6 2 JC
Kyle McAvoy OL IL 5.5 3 79
Luke McAvoy OL IL 5.5 3 75
Foster Bush OL WI 5.5 3 70
Jephete Matilus LB FL 5.5 2 77
Devin Crawford-Tufts WR MN 5.5 2 74
Grayson Levine S MN 5.5 2 73
Joe Bjorklund OL MN 5.5 2 NR
Ge'Shun Harris WR CA 5.5 2 JC
Junior Osunde CB TX 5.5 2 JC
Marcus Jones CB NC 5.4 2 74
John Rabe TE IA 5.4 2 JC

Minnesota has a pretty big class, but it's also a really bad one, despite the numbers. The Gophers might see a mini-bump on ESPN when their final three commits are ranked.

#13 Purdue - 13 Commits
Name Position State Rivals Scout ESPN
Frankie Williams WR FL 5.7 3 77
Taylor Richards CB FL 5.6 3 77
Robert Kugler TE PA 5.5 3 78
Armstead Williams LB PA 5.5 3 78
Russell Bellomy QB TX 5.5 3 78
Brandon Cottom LB PA 5.5 3 76
Akeem Hunt RB GA 5.5 3 75
Michael Rouse DT IL 5.5 2 73
Randy Gregory DE IN NR 2 NR
Doug Gentry RB TX 5.5 2 76
Shane Mikesky WR IN 5.5 2 73
AJ King WR FL 5.5 NR 75
Sterling Carter TE CA 5.4 2 JC
Akeem Shavers RB TX 5.4 NR JC

Some services are saying Armstead Williams is no longer committed to the Boilermakers, so keep an eye out for that next week.

Comments

OMG Shirtless

January 23rd, 2011 at 5:05 PM ^

Rivals and Scout say we have a silent commit.  Scout is alluding to it being Willingham, Rivals is a little more vague.

Scout also says we're in really good position with Frank Clark and Beaver gave one of his goofy percentages.

EDIT:  My original post was probably too close to stealing Premium info in that format.

EDIT2: I've edited my own post too many times.  Self negging appropriately.

King Douche Ornery

January 23rd, 2011 at 5:14 PM ^

It is time to let the time table thing go.

Good coaches, good programs--these things work themselves out. We fans seem to have given ourselves over to being experts on these things because we can google the hell out of the world and get instant results.

It might be we DID get the best candidate in the BEST possible time frame--it seems to be playing out in terms of assistant hires (Mattison) and those possibly yet to come.

We had a search after Lloyd's retirement: didn't turn out so well. RR and his team deserved a bowl game anyway.

One so-so class is certainly not going to kill this program.

In reply to by King Douche Ornery

81.93

January 23rd, 2011 at 6:46 PM ^

A much stronger defensive staff plus a year of experience will earn us an extra 3-4 stops a game next year, which keeps at least seven points of the board. 8 wins and this program gathers momentum.

vaneasy2338

January 23rd, 2011 at 4:54 PM ^

Always appreciate the work. I wouldn't be too concerned about the star rating. I mean there is no way that an all-american army kicker commiting should make our rating go down, but that's just the way the system works.

Magnum P.I.

January 23rd, 2011 at 5:00 PM ^

It's painful comparing our list to those of OSU and ND, but that's where we're at right now. Hoke is doing what he can for the time being. We've got a lot of ground to make up in recruiting the next few years, gentlemen. A lot.

JokischTacopants

January 23rd, 2011 at 5:08 PM ^

Not anything against Hoke, it is a tough situation, but with 3 of the 4 new recruits being at the bottom of our list quality-wise, it is obvious that what has happened so far is what-was-to-be-expected: filling out the class with "replacement-level" players taken from other, weaker programs.

Now, if he gets a bunch of 4-stars to commit in the next week, that assessment will all change.  But I'm not quite sure why people are so excited about what happened so far.  Hopeful for the next week--sure.

UMaD

January 23rd, 2011 at 5:41 PM ^

Going forward, I would expect this number to go down.  They may get a couple guys like McClure that are higher rated than the class, but they should also add several 3-star replacement level players at positions of need like OL, QB, TE, DL.  We had a slew of names come from nowhere this week and I'd expect the same next week.  As Hoke works to finish out the class, Michigan will have to take some "sleeper" players. 

Tim

January 23rd, 2011 at 5:59 PM ^

McClure, Bryant, and Willingham would all raise the averages. Frank Clark is right near the average numbers, and wouldn't have a huge effect.

Unless they find a sleeper they like, the staff isn't going to take recruits just to get bodies into blue uniforms. I think the averages are likely to stay right about where they are.

UMaD

January 23rd, 2011 at 6:38 PM ^

If Fisher doesn't sign back up they may add an OL line recruit, even if Bryant is added to the class.  The need for OL is pretty significant with only 3 OL recruits over 2 classes.

QB is also an enormous need, so I'd expect a low ranking 3 star that maybe we haven't heard of yet.

Even if they add the 3 you mentioned they might also seek some sleepers at TE given that they have no one after Koger and Moore depart.

I think the staff has already added bodies just to fill in the uniforms.  With a transition in style, this is the smart move.  One of Rodriguez's greatest mistakes was not establishing a baseline of talent that fit what he ran.  It seems like Hoke and Co. aren't going to repeat that mistake.

But hey, I hope you're right and they land guys like McClure and Barnett that do raise the average while filling roster needs.

Tim

January 23rd, 2011 at 6:47 PM ^

I think there's probably a good chance they re-and Fisher, unless he's blown away on his Oregon visit (he'd raise the average ranking). He's given positive-not-great reactions to his Michigan State and Florida visits, and is a lifelong Michigan fan.

As for tight end, my guess is that Clark would probably play there. They don't need to take a second one unless he's somebody they really like, because only Koger departs after next year (Moore has the 2012 season as well). The 2012 class has loads of talented players at the position, especially in Ohio, so they won't force it if they don't find anything they want in this class.

There are plenty of scholarship players on the roster now, a luxury Rodriguez was not afforded when he took over (and while that wasn't necessarily his fault, perhaps not filling in with "lesser" recruits was one of his undoings). Hoke doesn't need bodies to fill uniforms; he can bank for the next class.

UMaD

January 23rd, 2011 at 7:30 PM ^

If the local TE pool is attractive, then they may factor into the coaches thinking.  However, 3 TE (including a true freshman) is still very low for a typical pro-style offense, especially since you'd like to utilize some 2 TE sets.  With an injury or any other unforseen attrition that would mean a slightly undersized true freshman being used (or a cut from your playbook).  Its not impossible, but you're making a risky move from a roster perspective if you only recruit one TE in this class.  Even for Rodriguez, TE was a need area.

There are "plenty of scholarship players on the roster now" - agreed.  But the key word there is NOW.  We may (probably will) see attrition.  There is no reason for a player who is on the fence to make a transfer decision right now.  He can wait till spring and see how the coaching staff fits with his expectations and then transfer in the spring or summer and still have a full year to acclimate to a new school.  Furthermore, we can still expect injuries, academic problems, off-field stuff - all the norms of college football- that make the SEC's oversigning habit a logical (though risky and ethically dubious) approach.

For this reason Hoke and company would be wise to use all the available scholarships.  Theres very little risk of being short come 2012.  There's enormous risk that they're going to have to start freshman on the OL in 2013 or have a walk-on at QB in 2011, etc.

mgoharter

January 23rd, 2011 at 6:22 PM ^

any idea who he might be referring to?

 

via twitter:

Justice_League_I felt the weekend was productive! We got 3 commits. And one more who plans on committing! I'm so excited

bronxblue

January 23rd, 2011 at 6:42 PM ^

I'm okay with this class - with all the turmoil that we've seen, it is still going to be a fringe top-30 class at the end and will (hopefully) address areas of need.  Teams like Wiscy and Iowa typically have classes like UM's this year and are always competitive, and for the first time in years this class won't be expected en-masse to play immediately.  Some of these kids should develop into good players, and I'm fine with that.  

That said, I do think that closing out with a couple of decent 4* kids would be nice, just for appearances.  I also find it impossible to believe that MSU has such a high-rated class with fewer 4* than basically everyone else.  I know Thomas is a beast, but come on now.

jsquigg

January 24th, 2011 at 12:45 AM ^

Ouch.  I like what we have coming potentially but it sucks to see us in the bottom half of the Big 10.  Hoke will need to have early success to turn things around substantially IMO.