Tag: Big Ten Football Recruiting

Ohio State football offers 2026 athlete

Another offer dished out. #GoBucks

Ohio State football has had a lot of success on the recruiting trail in the offseason as the Buckeyes currently have the top ranked class in 2025 according to On3 Industry rankings.

For the 2026 class, the Buckeyes are off to a good start as they received an early commitment from five star wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. last July.

Since the 2023 season ended Ohio State has been busy putting up offers for 2026 recruits, including Jordan Thomas who received an offer from the Buckeyes on Wednesday.

Thomas who is listed at 6-foot, 175 pounds, plays defensive back and wide receiver for Bergen Catholic high school in New Jersey.  He is rated as a four-star recruit by both 247Sports and Rivals and ranked a top three player in New Jersey on both resources.

Thomas now holds 24 offers as the Buckeyes join Penn State, Notre Dame, Miami, Michigan, and Florida amongst others as teams to offer him.

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2024 Big Ten football recruiting rankings: July 17

Has #USC passed Michigan? Is UCLA still 15th out of the 16 #B1G schools which will compete in 2024? Let’s find out.

Let’s check in on Big Ten football recruiting in the 2024 cycle, leading into USC’s first season in the Big Ten next year.

When we previously looked at the Big Ten recruiting rankings for 2024, it was the Fourth of July weekend.

We wrote the following:

“USC and Nebraska have come on particularly strong on the recruiting trail since the spring with a number of key commitments in the Class of 2024. Meanwhile, Penn State has been on a hot streak.

“Ohio State and Michigan continue to pack plenty of star power on their respective rosters.

“Nationally, USC’s 2024 recruiting class is up to No. 5, per the 247Sports team composite. That ranking is ahead of Lincoln Riley’s first class for the Trojans, a 2023 group that finished No. 8 in the country.”

Let’s see what, if anything, has changed over the past two weeks in Big Ten football recruiting:

Big Ten football Class of 2024 recruiting rankings entering the Fourth of July

How does the full Big Ten stack up in 2024 recruiting rankings? It’s a #B1G deal. See where #USC and UCLA stand.

As the summer rolls into the July 4th holiday, the world of college football recruiting has continued to heat up as well. Schools in the Big Ten have been active on the recruiting trail and securing some notable commitments since the spring football season, and three Big Ten programs could be heading to top 10 of the recruiting rankings in the Class of 2024.

USC and Nebraska have come on particularly strong on the recruiting trail since the spring with a number of key commitments in the Class of 2024. Meanwhile, Penn State has been on a hot streak and Ohio State and Michigan continue to pack plenty of star power on their respective rosters.

Nationally, USC’s 2024 recruiting class is up to No. 5, per the 247Sports team composite. That ranking is ahead of Lincoln Riley’s first class for the Trojans, a 2023 group that finished No. 8 in the country.

The last time we took a look at the Big Ten recruiting rankings for all 16 members in 2024 was in early April, just before the bulk of the conference’s spring football games were set to be played. Needless to say, a lot has happened since then, and some schools have made some big moves on the recruiting trail. You can see the change in overall and Big Ten recruiting rankings since our last update in April. They are noted next to the school’s current rankings, according to the updated 247Sports composite rankings as of July 1, 2024.

The new rankings start with a new Big Ten, given USC’s presence in the 2024 iteration of the conference. A familiar name is at the top of the 2024 Big Ten recruiting rankings.

Here they are:

Welcome to the B1G leagues: USC still fourth in Big Ten recruiting for 2024

Despite being No. 8 in the country for the 2024 cycle, #USC is still ranked lower than three other #B1G programs.

The successful recruitment of receiver Ryan Pellum vaulted USC football to No. 8 in the United States for the 2024 recruiting cycle. That’s very good. That’s extremely good, bordering on great.

One might naturally think that the SEC occupies most of the spots ahead of USC, given how successful the SEC has been over the past 20 years of college football history.

Alabama’s in the top seven, right?

LSU is in the top seven, right?

This must mean USC is in the top two or three in recruiting in the Big Ten, right?

Wrong.

Bama and LSU are not in the top seven. Oregon and Notre Dame are.

Florida and Georgia are the only two SEC programs in the top seven.

Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State are in the top seven.

This means that for all of USC’s progress, the Trojans are still only fourth in the Big Ten.

It’s true that USC’s placement is based on only 13 commitments, whereas Michigan is based on 23 commits. USC has a lot more room to grow than Michigan and Penn State (20). Nevertheless, it’s still true that the top programs in the Big Ten are making it a real challenge for USC to crack the top five.

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Top five 2024 prospects who could get offers this season from USC football

There’s a lot to consider when USC maps out and develops its 2024 recruiting strategy and prepares for life in the Big Ten.

The USC Trojan football squad currently has commits in the 2024 class from Oregon-based tight end Joey Olsen and California-based wide receiver Jason Robinson.

Look for Lincoln Riley and USC to add more recruits to the class over the next few weeks. The Trojans’ coaching staff returned to the recruiting trail earlier this month and has been active all over the country. National signing day is arriving for the 2023 class, but as we know, the early signing period in December is now the point on the calendar when the majority of the recruiting class for the subsequent season enters a program’s doors. It’s certainly not too early to look at the big picture for 2024 and what is to come in the next recruiting cycle.

Here are a few names USC can add to the wish list of players for the 2024 class who have gone under the radar to this point:

2024 four-star linebacker Brayden Platt gets USC offer

This particular recruit would offer positional versatility to the Trojans.

USC is stacking up the 2024 offers, espically at the linebacker position. The newest offer comes to four-star Yelm (Washington) prospect Brayden Platt.

The Washington native holds many early offers, including Arizona, Arizona State, Notre Dame, Washington, Washington State, Utah, Oklahoma, Oregon and Michigan among others.

Yelm went 14-0 this past fall, winning a state title in Washington. Platt led the team with 41 total tackles and five tackles for a loss (one sack) in seven registered games. Platt also led the team in rushing with 765 yards and 18 TDs in seven games. He also recorded eight receptions for 160 yards and a TD.

The 6-foot-2, 240-pound Platt is rated the No. 277 overall prospect and the No. 22 linebacker in the 247Sports Composite. He is much higher in the 247Sports rankings at No. 78 overall and the No. 9 linebacker.

Platt also won a state title in the shot put for track and field and could very well end up playing running back at the next level as well.

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Big Ten coaches in difficult situations came up with good recruiting results

This is a fascinating storyline of the early signing period: #B1G coaches with a lot to prove delivered good results on the trail, setting up a high-drama 2023 season.

When you look at the Big Ten football recruiting rankings at the start of the early signing period, a lot of different details jump out. If you follow the Big Ten closely enough to know which coaches are in good situations (Jim Harbaugh at Michigan), you also know which coaches are in precarious positions.

Ryan Day of Ohio State wins 11 games per year … and that’s not good enough for the Buckeyes, given that they recruit so well every year and are expected to win Big Ten championships and College Football Playoff games. Ohio State has failed to win the Big Ten each of the past two years. The Buckeyes have lost two straight times to Michigan and Harbaugh. That will get Day on the hot seat if it continues. Day is under fire in Columbus, despite all the wins and a place in the 2022 College Football Playoff. He needs a good showing against Georgia to quiet the critics and reduce the noise in the program.

Mel Tucker of Michigan State has a ton to prove after a losing season in 2022. Tucker delivered a great 2021 campaign but failed to build on it this year. Michigan State invested a ton of money in Tucker, and in 2023, the coach needs to justify the investment.

James Franklin is expected to compete well with Ohio State and Michigan in his spot at Penn State, but the Nittany Lions were clearly outclassed by those two schools in 2022. Franklin needs a big 2023 season in Happy Valley.

Mike Locksley is not making the grade at Maryland. Kirk Ferentz was under fire a lot at Iowa this past season. There are a lot of embattled coaches in the Big Ten.

All of them landed in the upper half of Big Ten football recruiting rankings at the start of the early signing period, as shown by our friends at Buckeyes Wire.

Ferentz and Iowa: No. 7.

Locksley and Maryland: No. 6.

Tucker and Michigan State: No. 4.

Franklin and Penn State: No. 2.

Day and Ohio State: No. 1.

The recruiting rankings are there. Now these guys have to coach ’em up on Saturdays in 2023.

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Big Ten football recruiting shows clear division between East and West

When USC and UCLA enter the Big Ten, the divisional structure might be adjusted, but for now, it’s notable how different the Big Ten East and West are in recruiting.

So, this is now life at USC: We have to pay attention to Big Ten football recruiting. It’s just a fact of life: The players being recruited for the Class of 2023 in the Big Ten Conference will play USC for a majority of their careers. They get a freshman season in which they won’t play the Trojans in the regular season, but in 2024, it’s go time.

What is going on in Big Ten football recruiting? Our friends at Buckeyes Wire have some recruiting rankings at the start of the early signing period. One by one, we’ll deal with the stories attached to these rankings.

Here’s one story of note: The Big Ten East Division is absolutely crushing the Big Ten West Division.

In the 14-member Big Ten, the four top teams are all from the East. In marked contrast, the Big Ten West has five of the seven worst recruiting teams for the current cycle.

Michigan State joins Ohio State, Penn State, and Michigan in the top four.

The only two East Division teams in the bottom seven (the lower half) of the Big Ten: Indiana and Rutgers. Maryland finished sixth, ahead of Iowa.

The East is a beast, and the West failed the test.

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Top 20 Big Ten football recruits from the 2023 early signing period

A look at the top 20 high school prospects that signed with Big Ten teams during the 2023 early signing period. #B1G

The college football early signing period extends through December 23, but most of the high school prospects signed on the first day of the timeline on Wednesday of this week. And while the Big Ten may not have had top-end elite classes across the board, there are a lot of really, really good classes across the league inside the top 40 — with quality players that will help the league out in the not-too-distant future.

But that doesn’t mean there weren’t some five and high-end four-star recruits signed by some of the teams in the Big Ten. Ohio State once again led the way with the top-ranked class in the conference, but Penn State, Michigan, and Michigan State also showed very well nationally.

Some programs start with more talent, while others are known as finding guys to develop (ahem … Iowa and Wisconsin). It’s no secret that to be really successful and consistent, you have to do both, so it starts with evaluating and getting guys to sign that have high ceilings to work with.

So which Big Ten teams signed the top talent out of high school this year? We look at the top 20 recruits that signed with teams in the heartland for the 2023 class during the early signing period. Who program do you think led the way according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings?

Big Ten football recruiting rankings after the early signing period

A look at the ranking of all the Big Ten football teams’ recruiting classes after day one of the early signing period. #B1G

The first day of the 2023 early signing period is in the books for college football, and we’ve seen this new timeline result in the majority of high school kids choosing to put pen to paper in December since it was instituted. It was no different for Ohio State and the rest of its Big Ten brethren on Wednesday.

The Buckeyes signed 20 players to the 2023 recruiting class, one that looks like a top 10 class once again and arguably at the top of the Big Ten recruiting classes.

But how did the rest of the Big Ten shake out when all the dust settled on a major, major day that goes a long way toward laying the foundation for what each program will become over the next few years?

Here’s a look at ranking all of the Big Ten teams and where they stand after the first day of the 2023 early signing period in the high-stakes game of college football recruiting. All data is taken from 247Sports.