Big Ten Recruiting Scoreboard: While East teams tumble, Nebraska makes its move | Football

With one exception, Big Ten teams made recruiting hay in June and July, landing prospect commits off of a whole month of official visits. All but one school — Indiana — now has double-digit verbal pledges headed out of the busy summer recruiting period. Nebraska picked up nine commits in June and July. Michigan got seven. Purdue got a whopping 16.

As league teams turn to training camp — Nebraska and Northwestern begin next week — they’ll slow down the recruiting pitches and start preparing for their upcoming seasons. While the NCAA allows one more week of visits in late July — right before high school teams begin their own training camp — that week doesn’t tend to produce a ton of commits.

So where Big Ten teams land in this moment is likely close to where they’ll be in September, when game visits begin.

Ohio State is in the lead. Go figure. Indiana is in last. Not a giant surprise there, either; IU’s operation, overseen by coach Tom Allen, tends to run a little behind schedule.

Nebraska, meanwhile has made a big move from near the bottom of the rankings to the middle of them. A strong July — featuring commits from Omarion Miller and Ashley Williams, among others — played a factor.

The Big Ten Recruiting Scoreboard will be updated periodically from the end of June through the December signing period, and then again in February 2023.

Here is the current recruiting scoreboard for the 2023 class (as of the afternoon of July), including service rankings and top players committed to each class:

247Sports composite national/Big Ten: 1/1

The big names: Five-star wide receivers Brandon Inness and Carnell Tate

Skinny: OSU is Wide Receiver U, so it’s hardly surprising two of the nation’s best — including Inness, who averaged 25.2 yards per catch as an eighth-grader! — are already in the boat. So is high four-star receiver Noah Rogers. The Buckeyes appear poised to battle the Notre Dame recruiting juggernaut — under new coach Marcus Freeman — for this year’s recruiting national title.

247Sports composite national/Big Ten: 4/2

The big names: Top 100 offensive linemen Alex Birchmeier (five-star) and J’ven Williams (four-star)

Skinny: The Nittany Lions gave coach James Franklin a fat contract extension in part because of his recruiting acumen. PSU’s recent struggles running the football — just 108 yards per game last season — point to a need for good linemen. PSU also got Top 100 prospect Tomarrion Parker out of Phenix City, Ala., away from home-state Alabama.

247Sports composite national/Big Ten: 18/3

The big names: Defensive tackle Ashton Porter, tight end Camp Magee

Skinny: The Wildcats are likely to remain close to 20 for their 2023 signing haul. It’s a strong group for coach Pat Fitzgerald, who has a few recruiting perks — including the new football practice facility.

247Sports composite national/Big Ten: 19/4

The big names: Offensive tackle Kadyn Procter, quarterback Marco Lainez III

Skinny: The Hawkeyes got the big decision from Procter, the five-star offensive tackle from the Des Moines who’s taller and more athletic than Tristan Wirfs. The Hawkeyes do as well as any program recruiting both Detroit and Chicago, as July commits from Kenneth Merrieweather (Detroit) and Khalil Tate (Chicago) underline. 

247Sports composite national/Big Ten: 25/5

The big names: Four-star defenders Bai Jobe and Andrew Depaepe

Skinny: The two highest-rated prospects in MSU’s class come from Iowa and Oklahoma. Pretty unexpected, huh? Just two from Michigan, where the majority of top prospects have already made their decision.

247Sports composite national/Big Ten: 28/6

The big names: Four-star quarterback Rickie Collins

Skinny: Collins has a great arm and throws a catchable ball. Purdue has otherwise loaded up on defense in the class, including two defensive linemen from Kentucky, where coach Jeff Brohm has strong connections.

247Sports composite national/Big Ten: 30/7

The big names: Receiver Omarion Miller, defensive lineman Riley Van Poppel

Skinny: Strong at receiver, strong in the defensive front seven, NU is 2/3 of the way home for the 2023 class. Look for the Huskers to be choosy the rest of the way, although adding two more corners to the class would help.

247Sports composite national/Big Ten: 31/8

The big names: Running backs Marquese Williams and Darius Taylor

Skinny: P.J. Fleck’s class blends seven in-state commits with a number of national recruits, including two running backs who are among the best in the Big Ten footprint. The Gophers tend to get close to 25 signees by early Signing Day.

247Sports composite national/Big Ten: 36/9

The big names: Four-star edge rushers Enow Etta and Collins Acheampong

Skinny: The Wolverines find good linemen, pass rushers and linebackers. But they missed on five-star Detroit Martin Luther King High School quarterback Dante Moore — who committed to Oregon — one year after winning the Big Ten title.

247Sports composite national/Big Ten: 42/11

The big names: Cornerback Jace Arnold, running back Jaquez Keys

Skinny: Arnold is a tiny guy — 5-foot-9, 170 pounds — but turn on the tape. He’s good. A return option as well. Wisconsin’s running back commits are smaller than the usual lead backs the Badgers prefer. UW’s class is good, not great, and it’s part of why the program has subtly plateaued in recent years.

247Sports composite national/Big Ten: 40/10

The big names: Linemen JaSire Peterson and John Stone

Skinny: Greg Schiano has had a little less luck locking down the New Jersey borders in the 2023 cycle. It appears the state’s top five prospects are headed elsewhere. Four for Rutgers from New Jersey and three, somewhat surprisingly, from the state of New York — not known for its football prowess.

247Sports composite national/Big Ten: 45/12

The big names: Receivers Ryan Manning and Nasir Addison

Skinny: Tough sledding in-state for the Terrapins who, according to 247Sports Composite service, have not landed one of the state’s top 15 prospects in this cycle.

247Sports composite national/Big Ten: 47

The big names: Linebacker Kaden Feagin and safety Kenari Wilcher

Skinny: Feagin, a two-way star from Arthur, Ill., is a 6-foot-2, 220-pound linebacker who returned two kicks for touchdown last season. Wilcher hails from Moore Haven, Fla. Bielema has long been a proponent of recruiting The Sunshine State. Five commits come from the state.

247Sports composite national/Big Ten: 77/14

The big names: Safety Amare Ferrell

Skinny: Alarming performance thus far from the Hoosiers, who won’t be able to magically cull up 15 more guys by Signing Day with the team currently comprised for the 2022 season