Tag: Big Ten Football Recruiting

Four-star WR Phillip Bell sets commitment date with USC as finalist

USC tries to pull a recruiting upset versus Ohio State.

Mission Viejo (Calif.) four-star wide receiver Phillip Bell has cut his list of schools down to two and locked in his commitment date. USC is one of the two.

The elite wide receiver is 247Sports‘ No. 235 overall prospect and the No.30 WR in the 2025 class. He has a final two of Ohio State and USC and will lock in his college commitment this coming Saturday, Aug. 31.

“My mind is made up,” Bell told On3 last week. “The main things for me throughout my whole recruitment stayed the same. They were development, a place I know I can be happy at every day and the place that I feel can help get me to where I want to be. That is what my decision came down to.”

The Ohio State Buckeyes are the leader in the clubhouse for this race in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM).

On3’s Chad Simmons and Steve Wiltfong both logged expert predictions favoring Ohio State to land Bell’s commitment. The Buckeyes now lead at 83.6% in the RPM.

Bell had a stellar 2023 season. He caught 56 passes for 644 yards with seven touchdowns as a junior last season.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CxJ6zmJrCTm/?hl=en&img_index=1

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, Ducks Wire, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.

Four-star offensive tackle lists USC in top three schools

USC is trying to secure the kinds of recruiting wins it needs to change the landscape.

The USC Trojans are in a battle with the Penn State Nittany Lions and Auburn Tigers for one of the nation’s top offensive linemen. Four-star offensive tackle Malachai Goodman from Paramus Catholic HS in New Jersey has named USC football as one of the three finalists for his commitment.

“There is no order with the three schools,” Goodman said in an interview with On3. “At all three schools, it is the offensive line group and the coaching staffs that stand out tells On3’s Chad Simmons

Goodman is the 125th-ranked player in his class on 247 Sports, the sixth-ranked at his position and the third-ranked player from New Jersey.

Penn State holds the slight edge for Goodman according to On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine while Auburn has a 13% chance and USC sits at 10.9%. USC offensive line coach Josh Henson is trying to build momentum on the trail and get USC to a point where it is not only accumulating big-fish-type players but is walling off other Big Ten programs such as Penn State from getting more of them.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C8kcRTvS9RT/?img_index=1

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire. Follow our newest sites, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.

Four-star tackle Nick Brooks sets commitment date

USC is in the running for the top prospect from the state of Iowa.

Per HayesFawcett3 of On3 Sports, Nick Brooks will make his commitment between the Georgia Bulldogs, Texas Longhorns, and USC Trojans on August 23.

The four-star Loganville (Ga.) Grayson offensive tackle is a former Iowa commit who recently moved back to the state of Georgia for his final high school season after spending part of it in Iowa.

The 6-foot-8, 355-pound rising senior cut out Iowa, Colorado and Tennessee from his top list he set back in May.

Brooks is rated as a four-star talent by ESPN, 247Sports and Rivals. ESPN ranks Brooks as the No. 122 player overall in the 2025 class, as the No. 17 offensive tackle, and as the top player from the state of Iowa.

247Sports rates Brooks as the nation’s 142nd-ranked player, the No. 15 offensive tackle and the top player from Iowa. According to Rivals, Brooks is the No. 15 offensive tackle and the country’s 162nd-ranked player overall.

Here’s a look at Brooks’ junior season Hudl highlights.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C-VLj6Ks_1N/

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire. Follow our newest sites, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.

Following the commitment of D.J. McClary, where does the Rutgers football recruiting class rank?

Rutgers football has a recruiting class that is doing well in the national rankings.

It was a flip-tastic Sunday for Rutgers football with the committment of linebacker D.J. McClary. The four-star linebacker continues a hot streak for the Scarlet Knights as they rise up the rankings in the Big Ten and nationally.

It is a huge pick-up for Rutgers as they flipped McClary from Penn State. McClary is the No. 145 recruit in the ESPN 300.

McClary joins a high-profile group of commits that includes offensive lineman [autotag]Jaelyne Matthews[/autotag] (No. 93 in the ESPN 300), defensive back [autotag]Tariq Hayer[/autotag] (No. 98 in the ESPN 300) and wide receiver [autotag]Michael Thomas III[/autotag] (No. 108 in the ESPN 300) .

Of note, Matthews, Thomas and McClary are all from New Jersey, underscoring the strides made in in-state recruiting by Rutgers and head coach [autotag]Greg Schiano[/autotag].

How is Rutgers doing in the national rankings and among the Big Ten?

The class could well improve.

[lawrence-related id=39059,39066,39040]

Rutgers hosted four-star linebacker Kamar Archie two weeks for an official visit. Archie is one of the big recruiting targets left that Rutgers has targeted and is expected to announce in July (h/t Brian Dohn of 247Sports).

Compare Big Ten football recruiting now and three weeks later

How will Big Ten football recruiting change — and remain the same — in the 18-school format?

The month of June is two weeks old. We’re roughly halfway through a very important month in the world of college football recruiting. Want an overview of Big Ten Football recruiting as it currently stands? Want to get a sense of how important these next three weeks are for the various teams in the conference, not just USC? Mark Rogers at The Voice of College Football tackles Big Ten football recruiting on his YouTube show.

Obviously, Michigan, Penn State and Ohio State will now have Oregon and USC — maybe also Washington — as central Big Ten recruiting competitors. That will be new. It will be fascinating to see how the arrival of the West Coast schools does or doesn’t change various patterns and outcomes in Big Ten football recruiting. Which teams will benefit from these shifts in the landscape and the creation of an 18-school conference? Which teams will suffer? There are lots of questions to consider in Big Ten football recruiting.

Here’s Mark Rogers:

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire. Follow our newest sites, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.

Check out more NFL draft coverage with the USA TODAY Sports NFL Draft Hub.

After a flurry of four-star commits, Rutgers football has a top-five recruiting class

Several new commits pushes up Rutgers football’s recruiting class ranking.

With four commits ranked as four-star recruits coming to Rutgers football in the last few days, the Big Ten program now has a recruiting class ranked among the best in the nation.

The commitments of offensive lineman [autotag]Jaelyne Matthews[/autotag] and wide receiver [autotag]Michael Thomas III[/autotag], both from New Jersey, now sees Rutgers with the No. 5 recruiting class in the nation according to Rivals.

It is also the third-best class in the Big Ten.

The Rutgers class currently has 23 commits.

In the Rivals rankings, Notre Dame has the top-ranked class in the nation followed by Ohio State. New Big Ten member USC is fourth.

While the ranking is likely to be adjusted and move down in the coming weeks as other schools fill-up their own classes, it is still an important measuring stick for Rutgers in the new look Big Ten.

Being able to piece together a top-25 recruiting class, especially after three solid classes brought in by head coach [autotag]Greg Schiano[/autotag], is an important part for a developmental program.

Schiano has consistently said that player development is key for Rutgers as they look to create a pipeline of talent. In the new era of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL), Schiano believes that Rutgers has to be a program that develops its young players if it is to compete in the ultra-competitive Big Ten.

[lawrence-related id=38823,38797]

Per the team rankings from 247Sports, Rutgers has the ninth-best recruiting class in the nation. They have five commits according to 247Sports who are ranked as four-star recruits.

2026 Georgia linebacker set for another Ohio State visit

2026 four-star linebacker Anthony Davis is set for another visit with the Buckeyes on June 5th.

One of the biggest coaching moves Ohio State made this offseason was to promote James Laurinaitis to linebackers coach.

This move has already paid dividends on the recruiting trail as the Buckeyes landed a commitment from 2025 four-star linebacker Tarvos Alford in late March.

In the 2026 class, Ohio State has put out offers to 12 linebackers thus far.  Amongst those to receive an offer is Anthony Davis who is rated by On 3 Industry rankings as a four-star recruited and 17th linebacker in the class.

Davis has already shown early interest in the Buckeyes as he visited Ohio State and received an offer in mid April.  That interest has continued as on Saturday Davis announced that he will be visiting the Buckeyes again for a visit on June 5th.

It’s still early in the recruitment process as Davis still has two full seasons of high school football left but Ohio State appears to have a chance to land the talented linebacker who has already received 28 offers from many of the other top programs in college football.

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Evan Bachman on X.

Ohio State in the mix to land 2025 four-star offensive tackle

In the running. #GoBucks

Last week, Ohio State football put out an offer to Ziyare Addison, a highly-rated offensive tackle in the 2025 recruiting class. The Buckeyes are in the mix to land Addison as on Thursday he named his top nine schools, a list that included the Scarlet and Gray.

Addison is rated as a four-star recruit by all four main recruiting resources. The 6-foot-4, 280 pound offensive tackle attends Sumner high school in Florida and is the No. 14 ranked offensive tackle in the class by On3 Industry rankings.

Ohio State’s offensive tackle 2025 recruiting class is off to a good start as the Buckeyes landed a commitment from Carter Lowe in January. OSU is also among those in the mix to land David Sanders Jr., who is the classes top ranked offensive tackle.

The Buckeyes are joined by some Big Ten foes in the recruitment battle for Addison as Michigan, Oregon, Penn State, and UCLA were also named in his top nine alongside Georgia, Florida, Florida State, and Stanford.

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Evan Bachman on X.

Ohio State makes top six for 2025 Florida defensive lineman

Keep an eye on this one! #GoBucks

Ohio State football defensive line target, Jarquez Carter, narrowed down his list of schools he’s considering down to six on Wednesday. This was good news for the Buckeyes as Ohio State was amongst the top six alongside Florida, Penn State, UCF, Miami, and Florida State.

The 6-foot-2, 270 pound defensive lineman who attends Newberry high school in Florida, is listed as a four-star recruit and 33rd ranked defensive lineman in the 2025 class by the On3 Industry rankings.

Carter has expressed his interest in Ohio State through the process as he attended the Buckeyes November matchup against Minnesota and made an official visit to Columbus in late March.

The Buckeyes have picked up two edge rusher commits in the 2025 class from Zahir Mathis and London Merritt, but are still yet to land a commitment from an interior defensive lineman in the class.

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Evan Bachman on X.

Ohio State looking to flip 2025 five-star USC commit

Ohio State football is looking to flip five-star defensive tackle and USC commit Justus Terry.

Justus Terry, a five-star defensive tackle in the 2025 class made big headlines in March when he flipped his commitment from Georgia to USC. Despite Terry’s commitment to the Trojans many other top programs around college football are still in play to land him.

Terry, who is rated as a five-star recruit by all four major college football recruiting resources is a candidate to flip back to Georgia with Ohio State, Alabama, Florida State, LSU, and Oregon also in the running.

The 6-foot-5, 275 pound defensive tackle out of Manchester high school in Georgia is working on finalizing an official visit with the Buckeyes according to an article from Chad Simmons of On 3 on Friday.

Simmons cited new Ohio State running back coach Carlos Locklyn as a big reason for his consideration with the Buckeyes as he had this to say in his article.

New Buckeyes running backs coach Carlos Locklyn is a key reason for his interest in the Big Ten program.

That is because Locklyn, when he was at Western Kentucky, was the first coach to offer Terry.

”When he got to Ohio State, I already had an offer from them,” Terry said. “He was like, ‘Now, I want to get you out here.’ He is the coach who saw something in me before everyone, so I have to give Ohio State a shot.”

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Evan Bachman on X.