Welcome to our newest weekly installment here at Eleven Warriors, the Big Ten Team Recruiting Football Class Rankings. Maryland and Rutgers are included because of their imminent move to the conference for 2014. Due to popular demand, Notre Dame will no longer have a place within our rankings. We hope this will keep you occupied until real football starts up again in Columbus next August, as well as give all you recruitniks a view at how the Buckeyes stack up against their conference foes when it comes to the recruiting trail.
David Dawson back with the Maize and Blue National Signing Day 2013 is only a month and a half away as teams attempt to close out their classes on a good note.
Several elite prospects are still within the grasps of many Big Ten teams, while half of the conference begins preparation for their bowl games and we begin the "dead period" in the recruiting cycle.
The past week was the last time coaching staffs could have in-person contact with their recruits until January 4. Schools like Michigan, Penn State, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Maryland, Nebraska, and Penn State all used it to grab some more pledges for their class.
Along with new verbals, there were also some classes that lost members of their 2013 group. Although they added to their class in the past week, Iowa, Illinois, and Nebraska also suffered losses. The Hawkeyes and Huskers even lost a member to fellow Big Ten schools.
With Notre Dame departing from the rankings, who grabs the top spot? It wasn't a week filled with a ton of commitments, but what schools were able to climb up the ladder? Join us after the jump to find out more in the latest edition of the B1G Recruiting Rankings.
1. Michigan
The Wolverines were able to get the re-commitment of OL David Dawson and "flip" Iowa commitment S Delano Hill. Those moves helped to create a little separation between them and the men wearing scarlet and gray. Michigan also continues to scavenge other classes in the Big Ten, with offers out to Illinois commit DB Reon Dawson, Nebraska commit OL Dan Samuelson, and Wisconsin commit ATH Marcus Ball.
2. Ohio State
The Buckeyes did not reel in any commitments this week, but did lock up an official visit with top target S Vonn Bell. Bell will use his official visit to Columbus for January 11, the same date another target, WR Shelton Gibson, will also be in Columbus. The next commitment will probably be at the beginning of January at the All-American games unless ATH Christopher Worley announces his intentions before then.
3. Nebraska
DB Jonathan Cook decided to decommit from Nebraska this week, issuing his commitment to Alabama, the in-state team. Linebacker pledge Courtney Love and offensive line commit Dan Samuelson are also looking around now. It wasn't all bad news for the Huskers though, as they received commitments from OL David Knevel and S DJ Singleton, who was a member of the Wisconsin class.
DJ Singleton flips from the Badgers to the Huskers4. Penn State
Bill O'Brien's staff was not able to get the pledge of JUCO QB Jake Waters, who went Kansas State's way, but they settled with the commitment of JUCO QB Tyler Ferguson. The Nittany Lions are still in the hunt for in-state prospects WR Tyler Boyd and RB David Williams.
5. Wisconsin
The Badgers stand at 18 commits currently, one fewer than last week. As noted earlier, S DJ Singleton switched his commitment to Nebraska. ATH Marcus Ball, DE Alec James, and OL Matt Miller are also exploring other options even though they have stuck with their commitment to Wisconsin. New head coach Gary Andersen is now in place, and they are hopeful that it creates some stability for the recruiting class.
6. Rutgers
It was a quiet week for Rutgers after standing pat at 22 commits. ATH Nadir Barnwell and LB Skai Moore headline the class, while they continue to chase in-state talents DE Tashawn Bower and DE/LB Alquaddin Muhammad.
7. Michigan State
Still only 15 commits for the Spartans, but it's a talented bunch. The group is led by linebackers Jon Reschke and Shane Jones. MSU is the favorite to land OL Riley Norman and they are still a possible landing spot for WR Tyler Boyd.
Can Tim Beckman keep Reon Dawson from Michigan?8. Illinois
The Fighting Illini kept at 26 commits, but not without a little excitement. DE Kyle Kragen left the Illinois class to go to Cal under new head coach Sonny Dykes. Illinois was able to bounce back though, filling Kragen's spot with WR Dionte Taylor. DB Reon Dawson is flirting with his Michigan offer and is expected to visit Ann Arbor, so it will be important for Tim Beckman to do whatever he has to in order to hold on to the Trotwood Madison star.
9. Northwestern
QB Matt Alviti and ATH Godwin Igwebuike lead the Wildcats' class of 20 commits. WR James Clark and DB Jaleel Hytchye are two of the top targets Pat Fitzgerald would love to bring in, and the Wildcats have done a good job bringing in some bigger names to watch bowl practices.
10. Maryland
OL Silvano Altamirano pledged to Randy Edsall's squad this week as they continue to build a solid class along the offensive line. Highly touted in-state OT Derwin Gray is already a Terrapin commit, and he headlines the class, while LB Yannick Ngakoue is the top prospect still left on the board.
11. Iowa
The Hawkeyes suffered a tough loss this week as their top commit, S Delano Hill, defected to the Michigan class. It was not for nothing, though, as Iowa was able to gain the commitment of former Boston College pledge, RB LeShun Daniels.
LeShun Daniels, the newest Hawkeye commit12. Indiana
The 15th commitment to the Hoosiers' class came this week when CB Noel Padmore decided to play his college football in Bloomington. A solid finish to this recruiting cycle could be on the way for Indiana as they stay in good position for ATH Nick Marshall, OL Maurice Swain, and CB Riyhad Jones.
13. Purdue
Darrell Hazell's new squad stays at 10 members this week. The Boilermakers' headliners are QB Danny Etling and RB Keyante Green. They are hopeful they land LB Rayfield Dixon, DE Eric Mayes, and WR Ricky Jeune.
14. Minnesota
The 14 commits for Minnesota are led by RB Berkley Edwards, WR Nate Andrews, and ATH DeNiro Laster. Other prospects on the Gophers' radar include WR Hunter Jarmon and CB Chad Davis.
Rankings Overview
| Teams | # of commits | Scout star avg | Rivals star avg | 247 star avg | ESPN star avg | overall avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Michigan | 24 | 3.83 | 3.67 | 3.71 | 3.63 | 3.71 |
| 2. Ohio State | 19 | 3.84 | 3.58 | 3.74 | 3.79 | 3.74 |
| 3. Nebraska | 17 | 3.41 | 3.06 | 3.29 | 3.35 | 3.28 |
| 4. Penn State | 18 | 2.83 | 2.89 | 3.28 | 3.17 | 3.08 |
| 5. Wisconsin | 18 | 3.00 | 3.06 | 3.00 | 3.22 | 3.07 |
| 6. Rutgers | 22 | 2.86 | 2.86 | 2.82 | 3.05 | 2.90 |
| 7. Michigan State | 15 | 3.07 | 3.13 | 3.07 | 3.33 | 3.15 |
| 8. Illinois | 26 | 2.69 | 2.81 | 2.69 | 3.00 | 2.80 |
| 9. Northwestern | 20 | 2.90 | 2.84 | 2.80 | 3.00 | 2.89 |
| 10. Maryland | 18 | 2.72 | 2.89 | 2.94 | 3.00 | 2.89 |
| 11. Iowa | 17 | 2.71 | 2.94 | 3.00 | 2.94 | 2.90 |
| 12. Indiana | 15 | 2.87 | 3.13 | 2.73 | 3.27 | 3.00 |
| 13. Purdue | 10 | 2.60 | 2.91 | 2.90 | 3.30 | 2.93 |
| 14. Minnesota | 14 | 2.43 | 2.79 | 2.79 | 2.86 | 2.72 |
