The Buckeyes continue to lead the way in the 2017 recruiting rankings, and while the Crimson Tide are right on their heels, there's still a lot to look forward to over the next six months leading up to February's national signing day.
As a conference, the Big Ten isn't exactly setting the world on fire, but there's still a lot of talent that's expected to flock to the Midwest in 2017. There are currently 14 Big Ten commitments ranked in the top 100 of the national composite rankings, and nine of them belong to Urban Meyer. The Wolverines check in with a trio while Maryland and Iowa each have a lone commitment in the top 100.
It's good to be familiar with the talent that conference rivals are stockpiling. Today we look at five committed prospects that could be formidable foes upon their arrivals in 2017 and beyond.
Dylan McCaffrey • QB • Littleton, CO • Michigan Commit • Composite Rank: No. 44
The nation's third-ranked pocket passer isn't someone who would excel under Urban Meyer or Gus Malzahn, but Dylan McCaffrey is definitely a guy who fits Jim Harbaugh's style. At 6-foot-5 and 196 pounds, he will need to pack on some pounds, but McCaffrey – along with 2016 signee Brandon Peters – appears to be the future of the Wolverine offense.
With older brother Christian at Stanford and his father Ed having been an All-American in Palo Alto, the lack of an offer from the Cardinal had many scratching their heads. It turned out that David Shaw knew what he was doing, however, as the nation's No. 2 pocket passer – Davis Mills – committed to Stanford a month after McCaffrey made the call for the Maize (Amarillo?) and Blue.
"He's still got a ton of upside and can grow into his body," the Elite 11 coach said. "Even though he's big and strong, he's still got some room to grow. He can make all the plays." Via
McCaffrey was an Elite 11 finalist and received some rave reviews while in Beaverton for The Opening last month.
O'Maury Samuels • RB • Los Lunas, NM • Michigan Commit • Composite Rank: No. 270
While he may not hold as lofty a ranking as some others, Wolverine tailback pledge O'Maury Samuels is a name to remember. At 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, the top player in the state of New Mexico was a little-known three-star when he committed to Michigan back in April. There's been some chatter about other schools starting to get involved and the possibility of a commitment flip. Personally, I think this kid is a stud and I would embrace said flip.
While in Oregon for The Opening, the now four-star put up a respectable SPARQ score of 126.54. However, back in March at The Opening regionals in Dallas, he tallied 142.41; the highest score in the nation at the time.
He also appears to be chiseled out of steel and iron.
Terrifying.
Headed to Colorado with the dawg @joedips54 pic.twitter.com/taWZ5o9nS7
— O'maury Samuels (@Shmallz20) July 1, 2016
Sean Clifford • QB • Cincinnati, OH • Penn State Commit • Composite Rank: No. 189
James Franklin hasn't found too much success thus far in Happy Valley, but the third-year head coach has built a fairly strong reputation on the recruiting front. The Nittany Lions' 2017 class currently checks in at No. 21 in the country, and their highest-rated prospect hails from Cincinnati's St. Xavier High School.
The 6-foot-2, 210-pounder was one of the Elite 11 finalists and garnered some positive reviews while in Oregon for The Opening.
"If you're a Penn State fan, you have to be really excited about Sean Clifford," Luginbill said. "[He's] very well versed in the theory of the game, and he's terrific at all the little nuances of the position. All the things you want a quarterback to do in the era of the spread offense, he's going to come into the collegiate level ahead of the curve. Via
Clifford has above-average mobility and is definitely capable of getting out of the pocket on bootlegs and improvising when it's needed. We should have a better idea of how he'll fit into Penn State's new uptempo offense after watching them on the field this year under new offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead.
Joshua Kaindoh • DE • Bradenton, FL • Maryland Commit • Composite Rank: No. 31
The Terps have an ongoing campaign to keep the region's top talent in the state for college. This past year there were certainly some struggles as players like Dwayne Haskins and Keandre Jones both ultimately flipped to Ohio State. For the 2017 class, D.J. Durkin was able to snag the nation's No. 2 defensive end when Josh Kaindoh committed this past April.
Yes, Kaindoh is now playing at Florida's IMG Academy, but the 6-foot-6, 256-pounder is an East Coast native and spent two seasons at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Essex, Maryland. The Buckeyes were one of the finalists for Kaindoh who pulled a bit stunt by not including the Terps in his top five. Though as his announcement drew near, pretty much everyone knew they would be the choice.
A.J. Epenesa • DE • Edwardsville, IL • Iowa Commit • Composite Rank: No. 21
Even if you follow recruiting fairly closely, you probably don't hear a lot about A.J. Epenesa – which is a bit strange since he checks in as a five-star and the nation's top-ranked defensive end. There was some national chatter in the early spring, but much of that stemmed from a visit to South Bend and the brief thought that he could end up at Notre Dame.
Special day for my family! Our son Aj just committed to play football at the University of Iowa! #GoHawks pic.twitter.com/QhEzGtKvVl
— Eppy Epenesa (@EEpenesa) January 17, 2016
Epenesa – 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds – was long thought to be a Hawkeye lock despite national offers from schools like Alabama, Florida State, Ohio State, and Michigan. His father, Eppy, played defensive line for Hayden Fry in the early 90s.
The future Hawkeye defender is also a star in track & field. This past spring, he recorded a discus throw of 206 feet, 5 inches – the best in the nation.
