Ohio State is maintaining a pretty large lead in the national recruiting rankings as they remain nearly 60 points ahead of the second-ranked Hurricanes – a team that actually has more commitments than the Buckeyes.
Urban Meyer currently has commitments from the Big Ten's two highest-ranked pledges in offensive tackle Josh Myers (No. 3 nationally) and defensive back Shaun Wade (No. 12). Seven of the 247Sports composite top-100 players are committed to Ohio State. While the conference currently only has two other top-100 prospects in the fold, several programs have some have some nice talent on board already as the 2017 recruiting cycle is really just getting underway.
Perhaps to the surprise of some, the Hawkeyes check in with the highest rated non-Buckeye thus far. A.J. Epenesa, the nation's top defensive end, committed to Iowa back in January. The 6-foot-5, 230-pounder from Edwardsville, Illinois is a Hawkeye legacy – his father is a former player and alum – but some felt the Fighting Irish would be able to swoop in and steal one from Iowa.
Epenesa is ranked 15th in the nation per the composite rankings, but 247Sports has him even higher, checking in as No. 3 prospect in America. He chose the Hawkeyes over nearly everyone in the country, including Alabama, Florida State, and Ohio State.
You guys know that I'm always reppin #ThatHawkLife pic.twitter.com/UaqH5spm1x
— AJ Epenesa (@ajepenesa24) February 13, 2016
The Wolverines' class is led by the nation's top-ranked pro-style quarterback, Littleton, Colorado's Dylan McCaffrey. At 6-foot-5, 200 pounds, he fits the mold of a Jim Harbaugh type of signal-caller. The son of a former NFL wideout and brother of Stanford's Heisman frontrunner Christian McCaffrey, the younger Dylan flashes some impressive mobility from time to time, though is more known for his decision-making and polished mechanics.
The only real knock right now is probably his size. He has ideal height for the position, but 200 pounds isn't a lot to be carrying on a 6-foot-5 frame. Some recruiting outlets actually list him as low as 185 pounds, so that will certainly be something the Wolverines will look to address upon his arrival. He checks in as the 18th-best prospect in America and chose Michigan over offers from Penn State, Nebraska, UCLA, and others. Despite the ties to Stanford, the Cardinal had not extended an offer.
Last week the Wolverines landed the third-rated player in the state of Michigan in West Bloomfield's (St. Marys) Josh Ross. The commitment was hardly a surprise as his older brother James just finished his senior season in Ann Arbor. At 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, Ross is the 188th-ranked player in the country and the No. 7 inside linebacker.
Kayden and Kare' Lyles. Via
The Badgers have five pledges for their 2017 class and are led by Kayden Lyles, one of the nation's top interior linemen. Though he currently resides in Arizona, the Lyles family grew up in Wisconsin and have more than a few connections to the program. Kayden's older brother Kare', a quarterback, signed with the Badgers this past February and their father Kevin played quarterback and tight end for Barry Alvarez in the mid-90's. Kayden is the country's 136th-ranked prospect.
The Hoosiers landed a huge commitment last month when Youngstown's (Warren G. Harding) Lynn Bowden pledged to Kevin Wilson. Bowden is a player that's frequently been mentioned as one of the in-state kids who could potentially earn a Buckeye offer. At 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, he is listed as an athlete by most services, but the Hoosiers are telling him he will play running back in Bloomington. Bowden, the nation's No. 157 player, has sent out some ominous tweets since his commitment, so it could prove to be a chore for the Hoosiers to hang on until next February.
One of the Buckeyes' wide receiver targets came off the board earlier this week as Keyshawn Johnson Jr. (Mission Viejo, CA) committed to Mike Riley and the Huskers. Johnson took multiple trips to Columbus but had been rumored to be leaning toward Lincoln for a while now, thanks in part to his father's relationship with Riley. The Buckeyes and several other programs around the nation will wait to see if Darnay Holmes, a good friend of the younger Johnson, will join him at Nebraska.
Penn State's class is led by a pair of four-stars in Virginia linebacker Dylan Rivers and Cincinnati's (St. Xavier) Sean Clifford. Rivers holds offers from the likes of LSU, Clemson, and Virginia Tech. Clifford, the nation's 13th-ranked pocket passer, pledged to Penn State last summer over offers from Michigan State, Missouri, and others.
In Evanston, Pat Fitzgerald landed a big one last week as Denton, Texas defensive end Earnest Brown spurned virtually all the Lonestar State schools plus a number of others in favor of the Wildcats. Brown, who checks in at 6-foot-5 and 233 pounds, is the nation's 11th-ranked defensive end.
The aforementioned 2017 team rankings paint a bit of a gloomy picture for the conference, but it's obviously way too early for the fans of any school to get too worked up over it; this much is clearly evidenced by the Wolverines currently checking in behind the mighty Broncos of Western Michigan.
The Buckeyes are clearly in an amazing spot for this cycle, but teams like Michigan State haven't exactly gotten off to a hot start. The Spartans currently have two commitments – neither of whom are ranked in the top 500 nationally – and they've already suffered a decommitment from legacy wideout Hunter Rison, who is expected to pledge to the Sooners in the very near future.
On Thursday we touched on some of the top prospects that Big Ten schools are doing battle for, and there are definitely a number of others that should help to catapult some of the schools back up the team rankings. Penn State is high on the list for D'Andre Swift just as Michigan is in a great spot Paramus Catholic's Drew Singleton and for one of the nation's top tackles in Brooklyn's Isaiah Wilson.
There's still a ton of time remaining until signing day, and even with what is expected to be a smaller class, it could take a bit of a miracle for another Big Ten team to catch up to Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes.
