Big Ten Recruiting Class Rankings 8-21-11

Submitted by Tim on

Very light week, with fall camps under way. Action since last rankings:

8-14-11 Purdue gains commitment from Jordan Roos.

8-21-11 Wisconsin gains commitment from DJ Singleton.

Chart? Chart:

Big Ten+ Recruiting Class Rankings
Rank School # Commits Rivals Avg Scout Avg ESPN Avg 24/7 Avg
1 Michigan 22 3.45 3.64 3.41 3.59
2 Notre Dame 13 3.31 3.77 3.46 3.46
3 Penn State 16 3.19 3.38 3.25 3.00
4 Ohio State 12 3.25 3.42 3.17 3.33
5 Michigan State 14 3.00 3.14 2.93 3.00
6 Wisconsin 10 3.10 3.40 3.20 3.10
7 Indiana 17 2.47 2.76 2.69 2.88
8 Northwestern 13 2.62 2.69 2.38 2.08
9 Minnesota 18 2.22 2.38 2.12* 2.11
10 Nebraska 6 3.17 3.33 3.00 3.33
11 Iowa 9 3.00 3.00 3.00 2.89
12 Purdue 12 2.50 2.33 2.45 2.67
13 Illinois 8 2.13 2.63 2.50 2.38

*ESPN doesn't rate JUCOs, so Isaac Fruechte is not included in Minnesota's average, Darius Stroud doesn't count against Indiana's average, and Steffon Martin is excluded from Purdue's.

On to the full data:

#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
AJ Williams TE OH 3 3 3 3
Sione Houma FB UT 2 3 2 3

Sione Houma picks up three stars from 24/7 Sports.

#2 Notre Dame - 13 Commits
Name Position State Rivals Scout ESPN 24/7
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
CJ 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

no change

#3 Penn State - 16 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
JJ Denman OL PA 4 4 4 4
Eugene Lewis WR PA 4 4 4 4
Joey O'Connor OL CO 4 4 4 3
Armani Reeves CB MA 4 4 3 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
Austin Johnson OL NJ 3 3 NR NR
Jake Kiley CB NH 2 3 2 NR
Derek Dowrey DT VA 2 2 3 NR
JP Holtz TE PA NR 3 3 3

Armani Reeves is just a three-star on ESPN, not four like I had previously thought.

#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

#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 NR 3 NR NR

no change

#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
DJ 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

Badgers snag New Jersey producy DJ Singleton. Hugs Etienne picks up a 3-star rating from 24/7 Sports.

#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
Sebastian Smith S OH 3 2 NR 3
Jason Spriggs TE IN 2 3 3 3
Jacob Bailey OL IN 2 2 3 3
Tanner Kearns TE OH 2 3 2 3
Alex Todd OL OH 2 3 2 3
Caleb Cornett WR IN 2 3 2 2
Dawson Fletcher S OH 2 2 2 2
Shawn Heffern DE IN NR 3 3 3
Darius Stroud LB KS NR NR JC NR

Caleb Cornett, Tanner Kearns, Alex Todd, and Dawson Fletcher pick up 2-star ratings to Rivals. Todd gets 3 stars from 24/7 Sports, while Dawson Fletcher gets 2 (he also gets 2 from ESPN). Todd also moves up to three-star on Scout.

#8 Northwestern - 13 Commits
Name Position State Rivals Scout ESPN 24/7
Adam DePietro OL PA 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 NR 2 NR 2

Mike McHugh and Chris Fitzpatrick both get 2-star ratings from 24/7 Sports.

#9 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
Mitch Leidner QB MN 2 3 2 3
Samad Hinds TE FL 2 2 3 2
Drew Davis LB NC 2 2 3 NR
Josh Ballesteros LB FL 2 2 2 2
Eric Murray CB WI 2 2 NR NR
Scott Ekpe DT TX 2 2 NR NR
Nick Rallis S MN NR 3 2 3
Maxx Williams TE MN NR 3 NR NR
Isaac Fruechte WR MN NR 2 JC NR
Rodrick Williams RB TX NR NR NR NR

Brian Nicholson and Samad Hinds get 2 stars, Mitch Leidner gets 3 from 24/7 Sports

#10 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

#11 Iowa - 9 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
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.

#12 Purdue - 12 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
Jonathan Curry TE AL 3 3 3 3
Jordan Roos OL TX 3 3 3 3
Andy Garcia LB FL 3 2 2 3
BJ Knauf WR FL 3 NR 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
Jimmy Herman S IN NR 3 2 3
Steffon Martin LB AZ NR 2 JC NR

Purdue adds Jordan Roos to their class. BJ Knauf, Anthony Brown, and Paul Griggs get 3 stars from 24/7 Sports, while Thomas Meadows gets 2. Andy Garcia moved up from 2-star to 3-star.

#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
Jason Robertson WR IL 2 3 3 3
Zach Jackson S FL NR 3 3 3
Joseph Spencer OL OH NR 3 NR 3
Joey Warburg OL KY NR 2 3 2

24/7 Sports gives a 3-star rating to Zach Jackson and two stars to Joey Warburg.

Comments

WolvinLA2

August 21st, 2011 at 11:26 PM ^

Trash is a little harsh.  It's only 6 guys, but 4 of those 6 have 4 stars from more than one service, and McMullen and Thurston are both guys we would have loved to have.  And then they have two generic recruits, but who doesn't?  I wouldn't get cocky about that class just yet, it's August.

jshclhn

August 21st, 2011 at 8:47 PM ^

Penn State had 6 commits last year for the longest time (check out the link for the 11-28-10 class rankings: http://mgoblog.com/diaries/big-ten-recruiting-class-rankings-11-28-10), but still ended up with 16 in their class, and actually based on averages alone was more like the 4th or 5th best class in the Big Ten - certainly a respectable finish given the small class size (http://mgoblog.com/diaries/big-ten-recruiting-class-rankings-2-6-11).

I would expect nothing less from Nebraska this year.

 

Charlie Chunk

August 21st, 2011 at 5:24 PM ^

I don't know if this is an unusual class or unusual year, but there are not many RB's signed up anywhere.  Ohio has a couple of commitments, but across the board, I don't see a very deep class.  The RB ratings are not very exciting either.  Slim Pickings, or do the RB's wait to commit? 

WolvinLA2

August 21st, 2011 at 6:59 PM ^

Interesting observation.  RB is not a very deep position in the Midwest this year, a handful of good ones in Ohio - the kid we offered at FB who went to Tenn, his name escapes me, Will Mahone hasn't committed anywhere yet but will likely be one of the teams on this list, plus the two kids the buckeyes have. 

Vonte Jackson at Wisco is a good back, and don't sleep on Houma.  He's gonna be really good I think.

But all in all, I agree it's pretty light so far.

profitgoblue

August 21st, 2011 at 7:43 PM ^

If we had to chose between just one recruiting service, which one is the best?  I know its better to look at all four to get a more well-rounded picture of the classes, but I'm curious as to which one is the most reliable of them all.  Any thoughts?

 

FreddieMercuryHayes

August 21st, 2011 at 8:16 PM ^

247 is new, so no one really knows about them.  ESPN was shitty, but has gotten better over the years.  Several have done comparisons between Rivals and Scout, all of them with an endpoint of predicting NFL draft position.  Rivals is marginally better than Scout in that position.  But then again, I feel that Rivals focuses more on measurables, just like the NFL, so that would make sense.

As far as I know, nobody has done a comparison looking at college production, such as all-american/all-conference etc., and I think that would be very interesting.  With all the different systems in college, it could be very different.