Tag: Big Ten Recruiting

Nebraska men’s basketball in ESPN 2025 Top 100 recruit Antione West Jr’s final four

An ESPN 2025 Top 100 recruit is down to his final four schools heading into his final year of high school. Antione West Jr. announced that he is deciding between Purdue, Dayton, Ohio State, and Nebraska. Nebraska is in the mix to land a three-star …

An ESPN 2025 Top 100 recruit is down to his final four schools heading into his final year of high school. Antione West Jr. announced that he is deciding between Purdue, Dayton, Ohio State, and Nebraska.

Nebraska is in the mix to land a three-star shooting guard following a massive 2023-2024 season. The Huskers finished 23-11, the second most wins in school history, in a season that involved their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2014 and a semi-final finish in the Big Ten Tournament.

West, a 6-foot-3 guard, received an offer from Nebraska in October 2023. He is ranked No. 77 in the ESPN 2025 Top-100 recruit list. He is one of three Top 100 recruits with Nebraska in the hunt. Koa Peat is No. 4 on the list, while Jalen Wilson is No. 95.

The Toledo, Ohio, native is coming off a strong junior campaign. At Whitmer High School, he averaged 20.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. He hit 49 percent of his shots from the floor and 70-of-187 from beyond the arc.

He also eclipsed the 1,000-point mark in his career midway through his junior year. He helped the Panthers to the semi-finals and finished 25-3 on the season. He scored 16 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and four steals in Whitmer’s state semifinal loss to Centerville.

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One detail of Corey Simms recruitment magnifies USC and Lincoln Riley

In most years, one aspect of USC’s Corey Simms recruitment would not have registered on a national scale. This is not a normal year.

USC beat out Penn State in the recruitment of wide receiver Corey Simms, but it’s the other school the Trojans beat out for the St. Louis-based receiver which adds to this particular football recruiting success story for Lincoln Riley and the Trojans.

In most years, we wouldn’t give a second thought to the fact that USC beat out Missouri for a prominent player. Missouri has usually been an average program in college football. The Tigers have had some exceptionally great seasons in the 21st century, specifically 2007, 2013, and 2014, but in most years, Missouri is not a major national player in college football. That, however, changed last year when the Tigers made the Cotton Bowl and defeated Ohio State. The Tigers had a terrific season and are widely viewed as a legitimate threat — more so than USC — for the 2024 College Football Playoff. For USC to therefore go into St. Louis and beat Mizzou for Corey Simms is an impressive recruiting win, certainly more than what we would normally assign to a win over Missouri in most years.

We talked about this one minute into our recent USC show at The Voice of College Football:

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Top-tier edge rusher Hayden Lowe arrives at the right time for USC

Hayden Lowe gives USC the boost it needed.

On the latest episode of Trojans Conquest Live, Matt Zemek and I discussed Hayden Lowe, a highly regarded edge rusher in the 2025 class from Oaks Christian in Westlake Village, California. Lowe currently stands at an impressive 6’4″ and weighs 256 pounds. He possesses exceptional athleticism and has attracted attention from numerous out-of-state programs. USC’s ability to land him is a significant boost for the program.

With his impressive combination of athleticism, great burst and bend, Lowe is an ideal edge rusher who would be a valuable asset to coach Shaun Nua’s talented defensive end group. Joining Isaiah Gibson, the top-ranked edge rusher in the class according to 247Sports and On3, and Gus Cordova, a formidable 6-foot-3, 246-pound Texan with 49 offers (including 10 from the SEC and 11 from the Big Ten), Lowe becomes the third defensive end in the class.

Lowe is just the third California commit in this class which currently holds pledges from 16 other players across the country.  He joins linebacker Matai Tagoa’i and cornerback Trestin Castro as the only Californians currently in the 2025 class.

Landing Lowe is a major coup for the program and gives the Trojans one of the best defensive end classes in the country.

We discussed Lowe at 1:20 in the video below at The Voice of College Football:

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Ohio State football offers 2026 Illinois quarterback

Ohio State football offered 2026 Illinois quarterback Jonas Williams on Saturday.

Ohio State football has offered a fifth quarterback in the 2026 class as the Buckeyes offered Jonas Williams on Saturday.

Williams is one of the top ranked players out of Illinois.  Two major recruiting resources rate him as a four-star recruit with On3 ranking him as the ninth quarterback in the class while Rivals has him as the sixth ranked quarterback currently.

Patton Fitzpatrick of Prep Redzone had this to say about the young talented quarterback in his evaluation after his sophomore season:

The 6’3, 185 lbs quarterback from Bolingbrook was the only sophomore named to the 8A All-State Honorable Mention Team.  Williams accounted for 2,950 yards and 31 touchdowns this season and is steadily becoming a household name throughout the state.  Plain and simple, Williams can sling the rock.  He possesses a strong arm, plus mobility, and elite accuracy, especially when throwing on the run.

It currently appears like the recruiting battle for Williams will consist of Big Ten teams.  He currently has 16 offers with eight being Big Ten teams including Michigan, Purdue, and Michigan State.

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Where does Nebraska’s class of 2024 rank in the Big Ten after national signing day

National signing day has come and gone, and that closes the book on the 2024 recruiting cycle.

National signing day has come and gone, and that closes the book on the class of 2024 recruiting cycle. The Huskers added six players to the incoming recruiting class earlier in the week.

That group is led by defensive end and four-star prospect Keona White. Wilhite originally committed to Washington before the Cornhuskers. Reports had him leaning toward UCLA, but he’s said to have changed course after Bruins’ head coach Chip Kelly made overtures to the NFL.

How does Nebraska stack up against their Big Ten colleagues? The 2024 class has 31 commits. One five-star recruit and seven four-star recruits signed with the Huskers.

Nebraska’s five-star recruit, Dylan Raiola, is one of six five-star prospects in the conference. Ohio State has the other five five-star commits. This list includes the four schools that will join the conference at the start of the next school year: Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington.

You can find the Big Ten 2024 recruiting class rankings from 247Sports below.

Ohio State Football Recruiting: Updated list of interior offensive line offers

We take a look at the interior offensive linemen the Buckeyes have offered for 2025. #GoBucks

Ohio State football has been on fire on the recruiting front over the past month plus. The Buckeyes wrapped up one of the highest ranked 2024 recruiting classes after landing Julian Sayin, the top ranked quarterback in the 2024 class who transferred to Ohio State from Alabama after Nick Saban’s retirement.

Among the recruits in the Buckeyes’ 2024 class includes three four-star interior offensive lineman Ian Moore, Devontae Armstrong, and Gabe VanSickle.

In the 2025 class the Buckeyes are yet to land a commitment from an interior offensive lineman, however they have 11 offers out.

We’ll walk through each of those using On3 who is one of the top college football recruiting resources that tracks player rankings on all four main websites and provides predictions, insights, and NIL valuations.

Top five quarterbacks signed to the Big Ten on early signing day

Who were the top five quarterbacks to sign with Big Ten teams during the early signing period? #GoBucks

The first day of the early signing period is in the books and the newly expanded Big Ten added a wealth of talent. It would take too long to evaluate every prospect in one piece, but the additions at quarterback earn their own discussion.

There was a great deal of drama for the top quarterback in the class, Dylan Raiola. He bounced his commitment from one school to another. Ohio State was his first choice, but when pen met paper, it was another Big Ten school that made the cut.

With the expanded 18-team Big Ten including four major powerhouses on the West Coast, it should not be a surprise the conference added seven of the top 20 quarterbacks in the nation.

It should also not be a surprise that the Buckeyes added one of the highly-ranked gunslingers. The following are the top five quarterbacks to commit to Big Ten Schools during the early signing period based on the 247Sports composite.

Big Ten recruiting rankings for the class of 2024

The early signing period has come and gone, and Nebraska looks to be one of the cycle’s big winners.

The early signing period has come and gone, and Nebraska looks to be one of the cycle’s big winners. The Huskers made national headlines with the signing of top quarterback Dylan Raiola.

Where does the Cornhuskers’ class rank among their Big Ten colleagues? Nebraska’s 2024 class has 29 commits. One five-star recruit and seven four-star recruits signed with the Huskers. Nebraska’s five-star recruit is one of six five-star prospects in the conference. Ohio State have the other five.

This list includes the four schools that will join the conference at the start of the next school year: Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington.

You can find the Big Ten 2024 recruiting class rankings from 247Sports below.

Big Ten football recruiting rankings ahead of 2024 early signing period, including new West Coast teams

Can Ohio State continue its dominance in the Big Ten recruiting rankings with four new teams added into the mix? #GoBucks

Recruiting is the lifeblood of any college football program and the Ohio State program has more than held its own as one of the best at attracting top high school talent throughout the years.

In fact, the Buckeyes are a staple among the top five and have recruited better than any Big Ten team for as long as most anyone can remember. However, the seeds of change are afoot with four teams set to join the conference beginning in 2024 and those four; Oregon, Washington, UCLA, and USC, are pretty good at bringing in the goods as well.

With Name, image and likeness, an expanded College Football Playoff set to begin next season, and conference realignment, we’ll have to see how it all impacts Ohio State and its brethren (new and old) as things move forward.

For now though, OSU looks to be putting together another top five or top ten class and looking to continue its dominance in convincing top talent to back the U-Haul up to the banks of the Olentangy. Of course, all of this will need to hold and those that have already committed verbally will need to sign on the dotted line, but we’ll bring that to you as it occurs.

Here’s how Ohio State and other Big Ten teams rank in the 247Sports Team Composite Rankings just ahead of the early signing period that gets underway on December 20.

Big Ten football Class of 2024 recruiting rankings at start of November

Let’s check in with an updated look at the Big Ten Class of 2024 rankings with one month remaining in the regular season.

The early signing period for college football is approaching quickly. It will officially be here next month, if you can believe it! As the college football schedule moves into November with the final game of the regular season on the way, teams across the nation are battling for bowl eligibility, division and conference championships, and spots in the College Football Playoff. Big Ten schools, both current and future members, continue to do well on the recruiting trail as we inch closer to seeing the results of the current recruiting cycle’s efforts pay off.

As we like to do at the start of every month, it’s time once again to check in on the current state of the Class of 2024 recruiting classes for each Big Ten member effective in 2024 (to include Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington) and see how they compare against each other and the nation. Ohio State continues to hold the top spot in the recruiting rankings and Penn State has slipped a spot in favor of an incoming Big Ten school.

All recruiting ranking information is based on the 247Sports composite rankings as of Wednesday, Nov. 1. The change in the rankings is based on our last look at the recruiting class rankings compiled in October. These rankings include the four incoming Big Ten members — Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington — as they will be in the conference in 2024.