April Recruiting Winners: A big month for a few Big Ten powerhouses
Ohio State has had the clear upper hand on Michigan the last few years on the recruiting trail, but it’s been Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines who turned the tables on the field — two straight wins over the Buckeyes and a pair of consecutive Big Ten championships and College Football Playoff appearances.
This offseason (and the months of March and April in particular) the two hated rivals have been duking it out on the recruiting trail as well, battling for top prospects and trading commitments. In total, the two programs combined for 12 commitments in the past 30 days. And if you add other Big Ten powerhouse Penn State with its eight commits, the top three teams in the league landed 20 combined commitments this month.
“It’s was a huge month for the trio in the Big Ten,” On3 Director of Recruiting Chad Simmons said. “After their success on the recruiting trail in April, Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State all sit in the top 10 in the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. And even with that, there is still plenty of buzz around the Wolverines, Buckeyes and Nittany Lions with more top recruits. Each program has some real juice right now and momentum with more national recruits. They’re having success in their own territory sure, but they’re all showing they can expand and recruit amongst the big boys nationally as well.”
They lead the recruiting winners in the month of April:
1. Ohio State
April Commitments: 7
Avg. Rating Per Commit: 91.97
March was a good month for the Buckeyes, but April was a monster. They’ve placed themselves firmly in the conversation of competing for this year’s No. 1 recruiting class after landing not only five-star wide receiver Mylan Graham, but also pulling elite quarterback Air Noland out of Georgia and running back James Peoples out of Texas.
One name expected to skyrocket up recruiting rankings over the next few months is recent four-star running back commit Jordan Lyle, who On3 ranks as the No. 62 overall prospect in the class. Ohio State is up to 13 commits in total and already have five onboard who rank among the top 10 nationally at their respective positions. And there’s plenty still left on the board.
2. Michigan
April Commitments: 5
Avg. Rating Per Commit: 91.17
Up north, the on-field success in Ann Arbor is finally beginning to pay dividends in recruiting. Elite quarterback Jadyn Davis closed out April with a bang for the Wolverines by announcing his commitment. But they were (and are) far from done. Harbaugh and Sherrone Moore are building a great blue wall up front in 2024 and added four-star tackles Andrew Sprague and Blake Frazier, along with center Jake Guarnera, to it.
Top-five tight end Brady Prieskorn also added his name to the commitment list, giving Michigan two of the top 11 players at that spot in the cycle. As did four-star defensive lineman Jerod Smith, who has a twin brother that Michigan recently made the top six for. And don’t be too shocked if the Wolverines land at least one more commitment in early May — if not a few.
3. Penn State
April Commitments: 8
Avg. Rating Per Commit: 90.28
No program made more hay in April in terms of the sheer number of commitments than Penn State. In total, the Nittany Lions brought eight names onto their board. With the latest addition of four-star running back Corey Smith, they now sit at No. 10 in the team rankings and have as much momentum as anyone.
Similar to their rivals in Ann Arbor, James Franklin and his staff are looking to build an elite offensive line class. They’re doing just that. Four-stars Donovan Harbour and Cooper Cousins gave their pledges this month, as did On3 top-125 prospect Garrett Sexton, jumbo athlete Caleb Brewer and offensive tackle Eagan Boyer.
Their biggest coup though, was keeping top-50 prospect Quinton Martin at home with Ohio State, Michigan, and Florida State in pursuit. He projects at multiple positions at the next level and has the chance to be another dynamic playmaker on either side of the ball.
4. Florida State
April Commitments: 4
Avg. Rating Per Commit: 90.68
Two five-star commitments happened over the 30 days of the month — one went to Ohio State and the other went to the Seminoles. The nation’s No. 1 tight end Landen Thomas, a former FSU pledge, flipped back to Florida State from Georgia, where he’d been committed since last fall.
Given the Bulldogs’ production at that position in the past few years, landing him (again) was a huge win for Mike Norvell. The ‘Noles are trending heavily with two Florida five-stars as well: cornerback Charles Lester III and offensive tackle Jonathan Daniels.
For now, they added two other top in-state targets in four-star wideouts BJ Gibson and Lawayne McCoy, as well as linebacker Jayden Parrish. And the good news doesn’t end there: FSU’s elite running back and quarterback commits, Kam Davis and Luke Kromenhoek, fully shut down their recruitments and said they’ll sign with the ‘Noles.
5. Oklahoma
April Commitments: 5
Avg. Rating Per Commit: 90.13
The Sooners had one of the slower starts to this cycle, with just one commitment heading into April. It was a banner month for Brent Venables and Co., highlighted by landing On3’s No. 10 wide receiver Zion Kearney. The big playmaker out of Missouri City (Texas) caught 39 passes for 765 yards and eight touchdowns in 2022 and has terrific speed.
OU also landed commitments from four-star safety Jaydan Hardy, coveted quarterback Michael Hawkins, massive offensive tackle prospect Isaiah Autry and emerging wide receiver Kelly Daniels. They now sit at No. 15 in the team recruiting rankings after being unranked this time a month ago and have momentum with a couple of elite targets like David Stone and Bryant Wesco.
6. South Carolina
April Commitments: 4
Avg. Rating Per Commit: 89.91
The Gamecocks were major winners in both January and February by landing key early commitments. And the wind at Shane Beamer’s back is only getting stronger. South Carolina landed longtime lean and the nation’s No. 2 offensive tackle, Josiah Thompson to start things off.
Less than a week later, they landed not one, not two, but three commitments in a day, including four-stars Braydon Lee and Kelvin Hunter, as well as huge offensive tackle Mike Williams. Beamer and Co. now have commitments from the top four in-state prospects this cycle after landing four of the top five in 2023.