Big Ten Football Recruiting: A Deep Dive into the Crucial June Strategies of All 18 Teams
Last weekend, when colleges throughout the nation began to host prominent recruits on official visits, recruiting took center stage.
With more than six months before the early signing period, where are the Big Ten expansion clubs at? Here is a single opinion about every team in the league.
Illinois
National rank: 51
Number of commits: 6
Average player rating: 86.75
Over the past ten years, Illinois has generally ranked between 45 and 55 in the US in terms of recruitment, while there have been some outliers. From a team ranking and an average player rating, this is likely where the Illini will finish in December, even if it is still early. The most intriguing Illinois subplot involves the team’s chase of four-star edge rusher LaJesse Harrold, a native of Tampa, Florida, who is ranked No. 120 in the country. Harold was extended an offer by the Illini in mid-May, and he will be on campus this weekend. Clint Sintim, an outside linebackers coach who was hired in March following a four-year tenure at Virginia, is Harrold’s main recruiter. According to 247Sports, Sintim will also make visits to UCF, LSU, and Texas A&M.
Indiana
National rank: 29
Number of commits: 10
Average player rating: 86.69
Curt Cignetti was hired in late November, thus this is his first complete recruiting round. The majority of his nine pledges were obtained in the first half of the year, but on Monday, three-star corner Jaylen Bell added his name to the list. However, five-star quarterback Julian Lewis, a USC commit and longtime friend of Hoosiers quarterbacks coach Tino Sunseri, was the main guest last weekend. Lewis is unlikely to sign with Indiana, but the fact that the new administration was able to get him on campus is still encouraging.
@CCignettiIU saw Production Over Potential.. I am 100000% committed to the NEW Indiana University @CoachTSunseri @CoachOjong @CoachEddie2 @CoachMeehanF #IUFB pic.twitter.com/y9U1A2eib5
— Jaylen Hollywood Bell (@4problem_) June 1, 2024
Iowa
National rank: 48
Number of commits: 7
Average player rating: 87.81
The Hawkeyes’ recruitment strategy has never been the most extravagant; instead, it has always focused more on assessment and growth. Two blue-chip recruits from Iowa’s 2025 class are linebacker Carson Cooney from Illinois and tight end Thomas Meyer from Iowa. Four-star offensive tackle Nick Brooks (No. 170 overall), who has Iowa in his top six, is the highest-ranked player in the state. The best player in the state is an offensive lineman for the third year in a row. Five-star Kadyn Proctor switched from Iowa to Alabama in the 2023 cycle’s early signing period, and four-star Grant Brix, a late bloomer, signed with Nebraska in 2024. We will see if the best recruit in the state chooses Iowa this time around.
National rank: 43
Number of commits: 7
Average player rating: 87.04
A portion of Mike Locksley’s hiring was done to raise Maryland’s recruitment standing. But as he starts his sixth season at work, it has not truly happened. In the previous recruiting cycle, Maryland produced fourteen blue-chip talents; the Terrapins signed just two of them. The state has ten blue-chippers in the 2025 class, yet Maryland has not received a commitment from any of them yet. If Locksley is going to improve the Terrapins’ talent, that will need to alter.
National rank: 46
Number of commits: 5
Average player rating: 92.14
Projecting Michigan for the 2025 cycle is challenging. There are concerns regarding the coaching staff from a recruiting standpoint, and we do not know much about Sherrone Moore’s recruiting strategy. Since Moore took over, the Wolverines have only signed two players: four-star offensive tackle Avery Gach and defensive lineman Nathaniel Marshall. Therefore, it appears likely that the line of scrimmage will remain a key focal point. After hosting a number of highly regarded prospects, it will be interesting to watch how far Michigan has come with this class by the end of June.
National rank: 58
Number of commits: 5
Average player rating: 86.93
The Spartans do not have the most attractive recruiting program, like a few other Big Ten clubs, but they have excelled at identifying and developing unheralded prospects into reliable players. At Oregon State, Jonathan Smith accomplished this incredibly well, bringing in athletes from Texas and California to elevate the Beavers to a 10-win team. Will those same qualities carry over to a new area, one in which he has much experience having spent the majority of his career in the West? That is still to be determined. It is noteworthy that not one of the five commitments made by the Spartans is ranked in the top 500 in the country.
National rank: 40
Number of commits: 7
Average player rating: 87.57
Minnesota has done a solid job of keeping some of the best players in-state. P.J. Fleck and his staff have signed at least one blue-chipper from Minnesota in the last four cycles, and they have a commitment from four-star edge rusher Emmanuel Karmo, the only blue-chip prospect in the state in the 2025 class. The Golden Gophers went to California for their quarterback, landing a pledge from Jackson Kollock, a top-500 national prospect from Laguna Beach. Karmo and Kollock are scheduled to visit this weekend.
I appreciate all the schools that have recruited me through this process. It’s been an amazing process for sure but with that said, I have made my decision. @77williehoward @TPatt17 @Coach_DeBo46 @Coach_Fleck @AllenTrieu #RTB #AGTG pic.twitter.com/59GfaSsvFH
— Emmanuel Karmo (@EmmanuelKarmo28) April 13, 2024
National rank: 35
Number of commits: 8
Average player rating: 87.45
The majority of the last ten years has seen the Cornhuskers rank among the top 25 recruiting programs. Matt Rhule signed the nation’s No. 18 class in his first full cycle. TJ Lateef, a four-star quarterback, is the only blue-chip pledge in Nebraska’s 2025 class. Eight blue-chip signings made up the Cornhuskers’ 2024 class, so Rhule and his staff will have some catching up to do in the next six months.
National rank: 29
Number of commits: 11
Average player rating: 85.79
We will soon have a better understanding of David Braun’s recruiting strategies as this is his first genuine cycle of hiring. Normally ranking in the top 50 in the country, Northwestern’s class of 2024 finished in 80th place due to a chaotic cycle that included an unexpected coaching change. It should not be as much of an uphill struggle now that Braun is the full-time coach. The program is more stable, and the benefits are being felt in the hiring process. In May, the Wildcats signed seven players. Out of all of them, three-star cornerback Marquet Dorsey Jr. had the highest rating. Braun has Northwestern well-positioned to restart the program.
National rank: 2
Number of commits: 13
Average player rating: 94.92
Despite having the finest class in the nation, the Buckeyes are ranked second nationally. Twelve of the pledges are elite prospects, with half of the class placing in the top 60 nationally. Additionally, with an average player rating of 94.85, it leads the entire nation. The offensive line is the position worth watching because it is the biggest area of need on Ohio State’s roster, even though the secondary is the class’s strongest player. Four-star in-state offensive tackle Carter Lowe has been committed since January. Can the Buckeyes add more to the group, most notably five-star tackle David Sanders Jr.? Four-star tackles Jackson Lloyd, Micah DeBose and Josh Petty are slated to visit this month as well. It’s tough to nitpick Ohio State, but the offensive line is still an area where it could use a boost.
Oregon
National rank: 22
Number of commits: 7
Average player rating: 94.23
The Ducks only have seven commits, which accounts for their poor national position. The player rating on average tells it like it is. Four top-150 talents are in Oregon’s class, and with Dan Lanning leading one of the strongest closing programs, you can bet the Ducks will add more by December. For a time now, Oregon has been a nationally significant recruiting state, but it seems like the program can suddenly land any talent.
National rank: 9
Number of commits: 13
Average player rating: 89.56
Can the Nittany Lions maintain their current position in the top 10 national rankings? In his ten years at Penn State, James Franklin has only signed two classes in the top ten. Although this program consistently turns forth talented athletes, it struggles to overcome Ohio State and Michigan. The Nittany Lions must advance to a new level. Although the average player rating for this 2025 class is only 19th nationally, there is still a need for more elite-level talent. This weekend, Franklin and crew will be entertaining multiple players ranked in the top 100.
Purdue
National rank: 52
Number of commits: 6
Average player rating: 86.22
With a 2024 class that rated 27th nationally, Ryan Walters had an outstanding first full recruiting cycle. This was the program’s second top-30 class since 2010. Tarrion Grant, a top-100 cornerback who reclassified from the 2025 cycle, and Marcos Davila, a four-star quarterback, were among the members of the class. Just six people are committed to Purdue in the 2025 class. However, Sawyer Anderson, the quarterback for the Boilermakers, is also a native Texan, just like Davila.
National rank: 11
Number of commits: 18
Average player rating: 86.85
Finding a program that has been busier in the first few days of June than the Scarlet Knights would be difficult. Rutgers hosted official visitors last weekend and received an incredible ten pledges. Among those commits was three-star offensive lineman N’Kye Wynn, who is ranked No. 436 nationally and the best player in the Scarlet Knights class. The No. 11 national ranking is notable, but more due to the sheer volume of pledges than to star power. We will see if Greg Schiano and his staff can add some blue-chip prospects to the class, but it is evident that they entered with the intention of building a sizable portion of it early. Each of the 18 pledges is a three-star talent.
National rank: 32
Number of commits: 8
Average player rating: 88.46
The Bruins have not signed a class ranked in the top 25 since the 2018 recruiting class. The main cause of the problems was Chip Kelly’s disregard for high school recruiting. With a very different mentality, DeShaun Foster assumed leadership in the middle of February and has since been much more involved in the high school scene, particularly locally. Late in May, Madden Iamaleava, a four-star quarterback and top-100 prospect, committed to the Bruins. That would make a great centerpiece for UCLA’s class of 2025. Even when the season does not turn out as well as some may have hoped, Foster finishing with a top-25 class this cycle would be a good start to his stay. However, there is still much work to be done to rebuild the Bruins’ recruiting brand.
USC
National rank: 4
Number of commits: 12
Average player rating: 92.30
After failing to sign a five-star recruit in the 2024 cycle, the Bruins have two committed in the 2025 class: defensive tackle Justus Terry and Lewis. These two are among the five players ranked in the top 100 of USC’s elite 2025 class. However, four of those five are prospects from outside the state, and it can be challenging to hold onto such. When other prestigious programs apply the full-court pressure in the summer and fall, will the Trojans be able to withstand the storm? Furthermore, how can the faculty enhance the curriculum? Several well-known prospects will be in attendance at USC this weekend and on June 21st.
Washington
National rank: 62
Number of commits: 5
Average player rating: 88.40
The Huskies are bottom in the Big Ten in terms of recruiting, but it is far too early to pass judgment on the program at this point in the cycle and under Jedd Fisch’s leadership. Since Fisch was not hired until the middle of January, the faculty had a difficult time preparing for the 2025 class. Raiden Vines-Bright, a receiver from Arizona who attends IMG Academy in Florida, is the lone blue-chip recruit the Huskies have signed thus far. Over the next two weeks, they will host a number of highly regarded recruits, and they remain the only West Coast program competing for California’s top recruit, five-star cornerback Dijon Lee.
Wisconsin
National rank: 16
Number of commits: 13
Average player rating: 88.10
Four-star lineman Logan Powell recently committed, adding strength to the Badger class. Given Wisconsin’s history at the position, it is not surprising that a blue-chip offensive lineman would choose the university. The fact that Powell attends Brophy Prep in Phoenix is interesting. Will Big Ten programs like Wisconsin and others who do not usually attract prospects from the West Coast benefit now that they have a natural connection to the region? We have already seen that a little bit at quarterback, where promises from Southern California residents have been made to Nebraska, Minnesota, and Michigan State.
(Photo: Barbara J. Perenic / The Columbus Dispatch / USA Today)