If you want to be a force in college football, you have to dominate on the field and in the living room. How are the Big Ten's teams faring in this cycle?
The Big Ten added 30 new commitments since our last update, including four players with four-star ratings, bringing the conference total up to 136 commitments.
There were also two decommitments. Defensive tackle Juan Harris rescinded his commitment to Iowa and running back Todd Sibley flipped from Ohio State to Pitt.
With the new additions, subtractions and tweaks to player ratings, there was a major shake-up in this month's Power Rankings. Nine of the fourteen teams find themselves in new spots.
NO. 14 PURDUE • 3 COMMITMENTS • 84.97 POWER RANKING
Darrell Hazell picked up verbal commits from quarterback Nick Sipe and weak-side defensive end Tijuan Mason. The 6-4 Sipe California is the 25th ranked pro-style quarterback.
The Boilermakers are now only 2.27 points out of 13th place in the Big Ten. As promising as that might be, Purdue is still in last place.
Trending: Dead on arrival. Purdue's program needs more than two three-star commits to come back from the dead.
| PURDUE'S TOP PROSPECTS |
|---|
| DT Derrius Mullins ★★★ // WR Josh Palmer ★★★ // DT Tyrone Chambers ★★★ |
NO. 13 INDIANA • 6 COMMITMENTS • 87.24 POWER RANKING
The Hoosiers added three players this cycle. Three-star LeShaun Meyer committed on Monday is ranked 50th at defensive tackle. He brings a 6-3 frame and 293 pounds to sure up Indiana's defensive line.
Kevin Wilson also added two Floridians in three-star weak-side defensive end Tramar Reece of Clearwater and two-star inside linebacker Thomas Allen.
Indiana picked up some needed help on defense, but still has a lot of work to do with only eight months left before national signing day.
Trending: Treading water. The three verbals doubled the total for the 2017 class. The three players only added 1.34 power ranking points for the Hoosiers.
| INDIANA'S TOP PROSPECTS |
|---|
| SAF RJ Potts ★★★★ // OT Caleb Jones ★★★ // DT Derrius Mullins ★★★ |
NO. 12 MINNESOTA • 6 COMMITMENTS • 88.41 POWER RANKING
Tracy Claeys received four new commitments. Three of the four players hail from Minnesota. Running back Dominik London, tight end Nathan Bursch and kicker Grant Ryerse will play for the home state school.
Outside linebacker Kyrei Fisher is a three star linebacker from Oklahoma and is ranked 58th at his position.
Trending: Down. Minnesota added four players, but gained negligible points in the power rankings. Claeys has a lot of work to do before February.
| MINNESOTA'S TOP PROSPECTS |
|---|
| DT Ellison Hubbard ★★★ // CB Demetrius Douglas ★★★ // WR Michael Young ★★★ |
NO. 11 ILLINOIS • 6 COMMITMENTS • 88.83 POWER RANKING
Lovie Smith reaped the benefit of hitting the recruiting trail. The Illini added three players this cycle and gained 1.28 points. All three of the players who committed to play in Champaign hail from Illinois. Quarterback Cameron Thomas has the highest position ranking at 54th.
Trending: Up. Illinois added three players and climbed one spot in the Power Rankings. The Illini took a step forward, but there is still a large gap between them and 10th place.
| ILLINOIS' TOP PROSPECTS |
|---|
| WR Henry Ruggs III ★★★★ // WR Carmoni Green ★★★ // OT Marquis Hayes ★★★ |
NO. 10 MICHIGAN STATE • 11 COMMITMENTS • 93.46 POWER RANKING
Mark Dantonio continues to gain commits. This cycle the Ohio native focused on the defensive line. Strong-side defensive end Jacub Pansiuk committed on June 2 and a pair of weak-side defensive ends followed suit on Monday.
Lashawn Paulino and Donovan Winter join Pansiuk as the latest members of Sparty's 2017 class.
Even with the new additions MSU fell a spot in the power rankings. However, I would expect another jump in the rankings before the end of summer.
Trending: Down. The commitments of three defensive linemen was not enough to keep the Spartans from losing a spot in the Big Ten Power Rankings.
Mark Dantonio lost a spot in the Power Rankings and had to wear this sweater as punishment.
| MICHIGAN STATE'S TOP PROSPECTS |
|---|
| WR Donovan Peoples-Jones ★★★★★ // OG Robert Hainsey ★★★★ // WR Jeff Thomas ★★★★ |
NO. 9 RUTGERS • 13 COMMITMENTS • 94.24 POWER RANKING
Chris Ash continued the upward trend in New Jersey. He added four more three-star players and fought off Michigan's satellite camp. Offensive tackle Samuel Vretman was the highest ranked player to commit to Rutgers.
Trending: Up. Rutgers gained 1.58 points and climbed another spot in the Power Rankings. Chris Ash might just make Rutgers a true rival for Michigan.
| RUTGERS' TOP PROSPECTS |
|---|
| DT Fred Hansard ★★★★ // ATH Markquese Bell ★★★★ // OT Carter Warren ★★★ |
NO. 8 WISCONSIN • 10 COMMITMENTS • 94.38 POWER RANKING
Paul Chryst and the Badgers could not sustain the momentum from the last cycle. Without a new commitment the Badgers find themselves treading water.
Trending: Stale. The Badgers did not add a commit and did not make a significant move in the rankings. Paul Chryst needs to make a move on the recruiting trail.
| WISCONSIN'S TOP PROSPECTS |
|---|
| SAF Jonathan Sutherland ★★★★ // WR Antoine Thompson ★★★ // CB Dedrick Mackey ★★★ |
NO. 7 PENN STATE • 8 COMMITMENTS • 95.37 POWER RANKING
Not receiving a commit in one cycle is understandable. Not receiving a commit in two cycles is troublesome. James Franklin is losing ground to Urban Meyer and Jim Harbaugh with every new commit.
Trending: Down. For consecutive cycles James Franklin's Nittany Lions did not receive a commitment. The lack of progress caused Penn State to fall two places in the Power Rankings.
| PENN STATE'S TOP PROSPECTS |
|---|
| APB D'Andre Swift ★★★★★ // OG Robert Hainsey ★★★★ // CB Lamont Wade ★★★★ |
NO. 6 MARYLAND • 10 COMMITMENTS • 96.03 POWER RANKING
The Terps continue to add players with rankings of three stars or more. It appears D.J. Durkin is going to be on the brink of a top-five recruiting class in the Big Ten.
Trending: Down. D.J. Durkin picked up WR M.J. Jarell, but the 6-2 wide receiver didn't bring enough points to prevent the Terps from dropping a spot.
| MARYLAND'S TOP PROSPECTS |
|---|
| WDE Chase Young ★★★★★ // APB Anthony McFarland Jr ★★★★ // CB Deon Jones ★★★★ |
NO. 5 NEBRASKA • 10 COMMITMENTS • 96.25 POWER RANKING
Unlike Wisconsin, Nebraska did get commits and made a move in the rankings. The Cornhuskers need to continue landing its top prospects in order to compete in the Big Ten.
A pair of three-star linemen beefed up the Big Red's offensive line. Coach Mike Riley received verbals from Matt Sichterman, a 6-5 266 pound offensive tackle, from the Cincinnati area. IMG Academy's Broc Bando also joined and should play guard.
Trending: Slightly up. Nebraska added two receive a commit this cycle and Mike Riley's squad lost a spot in the Power Rankings.
| NEBRASKA'S TOP PROSPECTS |
|---|
| CB Darnay Holmes ★★★★★ // CB Deommodore Lenoir ★★★★ // WR Tyjon Lindsey ★★★★★ |
NO. 4 IOWA • 10 COMMITMENTS • 96.36 POWER RANKING
Kirk Ferentz lost a commit and added a commit this cycle. DT Juan Harris decided not to take his talents to the Hawkeyes. The 22nd ranked player at his position decommited on June 15th.
The good news for Iowa fans is that the program added a pro-style quarterback to the class. Peyton Masell, of Texas, committed on Monday.
Expect Iowa to have at least one month with a large influx of recruits before signing day.
Trending: Bubbling. The Hawkeyes are making moves, but haven't capitalized on the splash of getting No. 1 strong-side defensive end A.J. Epenesa. Iowa needs to have a productive summer to stay in the top five.
| IOWA'S TOP PROSPECTS |
|---|
| OLB Thomas Johnston ★★★ // WR Sean Savoy ★★★ // WR Maurice Bell ★★★ |
NO. 3 NORTHWESTERN • 15 COMMITMENTS • 98.02 POWER RANKING
How long can Pat Fitzgerald stay near the top of the Power Rankings? If the Wildcats continue adding five players each cycle they should be good. However, they don't have enough available scholarships to do that.
Over the last month the Wildcats picked up five more players. Safety J.R. Pace has the highest composite rating at .860. The Georgia native was joined by wide receiver Jace James, wide receiver Berkeley Holman, offensive tackle Ethan Wierderkehr and kicker Charlie Kubander. Holman is from powerhouse St. John Bosco in California and Kubander plays for Ohio's Springboro High School.
I wouldn't expect to see the Wildcats in this spot in February. Until then, Northwestern can enjoy the view above the other 11 Big Ten teams.
Trending: Up. Northwestern reversed field and moved four spots up the charts. The addition of five players made Pat Fitzgerald's Wildcats a big winner this cycle.
| NORTHWESTERN'S TOP PROSPECTS |
|---|
| QB Jack Sears ★★★★ // WR Cameron Sullivan-Brown ★★★ // SAF Scott Nelson ★★★ |
NO. 2 MICHIGAN • 15 COMMITMENTS • 102.46 POWER RANKING
Jim Harbaugh is focusing on his defensive line. This cycle he landed a pair of defensive ends and a defensive tackle. Luiji Vilain and Corey Malone-Hatcher were big gets for the Wolverines at defensive end. Aubrey Solomon is a run plugging defensive tackle at 6-3 and 305 pounds.
All three commits are four-star defensive players and will add depth to a defensive line that continues to get stronger.
Trending: Up. The Wolverines separated themselves from the second-tier Big Ten teams. Michigan will make a move for the top spot when Urban Meyer's class fills up.
| MICHIGAN'S TOP PROSPECTS |
|---|
| WR Donovan Peoples-Jones ★★★★★ // OT Foster Sarell ★★★★★ // WR Joseph Lewis ★★★★★ |
NO. 1 OHIO STATE • 13 COMMITMENTS • 106.96 POWER RANKING
Urban Meyer and his coaching staff continue to kill it on the recruiting trail. Tate Martell is the nation's top-rated dual-threat quarterback and has pull among players in the 2017 class. The only thing hurting Ohio State's 2017 class is the number of scholarships available.
One of those precious scholarships became available when Todd Sibley flipped to Pittsburgh. The Ohio native found himself in a tough spot that had nothing to do with his ability. The hard-running ball carrier did what was best for him and should find success with the run-oriented Panthers.
Trending: Up. Tate Martell's commitment not only gives Ohio State a bump in the rankings, but also gives the Buckeyes an inside track on 2017's best wide receivers. This is truly a case of the rich continuing to get richer.
| OHIO STATE'S TOP PROSPECTS |
|---|
| S Jeffrey Okudah ★★★★★ // WR Donovan Peoples-Jones ★★★★★ // RB Cam Akers ★★★★★ |
S Jeffrey Okudah (.995) and OLB Baron Browning (.994) would make great additions to the 2017 class.
| MAY RANK | APRIL RANK | TEAM | AVG. COMP. RATING | CHANGE | COMMITS | NEW COMMITS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | (1) | OHIO STATE | .955 | +.007 | 13* | 1 |
| 2 | (5) | MICHIGAN | .891 | +.014 | 15 | 3 |
| 3 | (2) | PENN STATE | .883 | 8 | ||
| 4 | (4) | NEBRASKA | .875 | -.003 | 9 | 2 |
| 5 | (6) | IOWA | .876 | 10 | 1 | |
| 6 | (3) | MARYLAND | .873 | -.009 | 10 | 1 |
| 7 | (7) | MINNESOTA | .842 | -.024 | 6* | 4 |
| 8 | (9) | WISCONSIN | .858 | +.001 | 10 | |
| 9 | (8) | MICHIGAN STATE | .842 | -.016 | 11 | 3 |
| 10 | (11) | NORTHWESTERN | .845 | -.001 | 17* | 5 |
| 11 | (10) | ILLINOIS | .838 | -.012 | 6 | 3 |
| 12 | (12) | RUTGERS | .836 | 12 | 4 | |
| 13 | (13) | INDIANA | .825 | -.009 | 4 | 3 |
| 14 | (14) | PURDUE | .824 | +.025 | 3 | 2 |
| B1G AVERAGE | .861 | -.007 | 138 | 32 |
*Kickers are not included in the average composite rating.
