Big Ten recruiting classes ranked by average distance per commit

Unlike their counterparts in the SEC, the pool of local talent for Big Ten teams to recruit from is quite a bit more limited. That means more hours on the road, traveling across state lines — and sometimes across the country — to find players to fill out their classes.

Of the SEC’s 16 programs, only one has an average distance from campus per commitment of greater than 700 miles. In Big Ten country, eight of the league’s 18 teams do. That hasn’t stopped those programs from loading up on high school talent though, with 114 blue-chip recruits committed to Big Ten schools, up from a year ago.

As we inch closer to National Signing Day in December, Rivals breaks down which programs are keeping recruits close to home and which are spanning the country to load up their rosters.

1. Maryland

Average Commit Distance: 170.3 miles
In-State: 50%
Rivals Industry Team Ranking: No. 57

Recruiting the DMV has been a top priority for Mike Locksley and his staff this cycle, with six of the Terrapins’ 12 commits coming from inside the state of Maryland’s borders. There’s no bigger in-state win this cycle for any program than Maryland keeping No. 1 overall recruit Zion Elee at home.

2. Iowa

Average Commit Distance: 275.7 miles
In-State: 29%
Rivals Industry Team Ranking: No. 31

The Hawkeyes have made a living finding under-the-radar gems in the Midwest. This cycle features some nationally ranked players in Iowa though, and Kirk Ferentz and his staff have made closing down the borders a cornerstone of this group. Iowa has four of the state’s top seven players committed and also has verbals from top-10 players in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Nebraska, Illinois and South Dakota.

3. Penn State

Average Commit Distance: 291.8 miles
In-State: 32%
Rivals Industry Team Ranking: No. 16

The northeastern part of the country routinely produces a bevy of top football prospects, with states like Pennsylvania very much punching above their weight in that regard. Penn State makes no bones about prioritizing those guys over other targets from across the country, and this class follows that. Five of the Nittany Lions’ top six commitments — all top-250 prospects — hail from the Commonwealth.

4. Indiana

Average Commit Distance: 342.7 miles
In-State: 27%
Rivals Industry Team Ranking: No. 34

Fresh off a College Football Playoff appearance, Indiana is making waves on the recruiting trail. The Hoosiers’ 2026 class ranks nearly spots higher than last year’s did. And a big reason for that is their ability to keep some of the top talent around them home. Although the state isn’t known for its football supremacy, Curt Cignetti and Co. have beaten out a number of high-level programs for players from Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Ohio.

5. Rutgers

Average Commit Distance: 366.4 miles
In-State: 5%
Rivals Industry Team Ranking: No. 39

New Jersey has its fair share of coveted high school football recruits, but Rutgers has to battle with perennial recruiting powers like Ohio State and Penn State — as well as schools like USC, Texas A&M and Washington — to keep them close to home. Of the top 20 prospects in the Garden State, only one is committed to the Scarlet Knights in 2026. Instead, they’ve targeted other areas in the Northeast, including Virginia, Maryland and especially Pennsylvania.

6. Purdue

Average Commit Distance: 402.5 miles
In-State: 16%
Rivals Industry Team Ranking: No. 58

After a dismal tenure under Ryan Walters, Purdue is hoping to get back on track with Barry Odom, Walters’ former boss at Missouri. While the transfer portal is the quickest way to do that, the Boilermakers are putting significant efforts into their high school recruiting. They’ve got 19 commits early in September and have made the Midwest their priority. Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Michigan are well-represented in the class.

7. Northwestern

Average Commit Distance: 459.4 miles
In-State: 31%
Rivals Industry Team Ranking: No. 61

Northwestern faces some significant headwinds in recruiting because of its academic prowess, so the Wildcats have to be selective about who they pursue. Illinois is a hotbed of talent, but they again have to compete with some of the country’s premier programs. Six of their top seven commitments come from outside the state, but of their full list, nearly one-third are in-state prospects.

8. Illinois

Average Commit Distance: 486.5 miles
In-State: 33%
Rivals Industry Team Ranking: No. 25

Much like Curt Cignetti and Indiana, Bret Bielema and his Illinois staff are riding a wave of on-field momentum to a top-25 recruiting class this cycle. The Illini have three of the state’s top 13 prospects committed, along with highly sought-after targets from New Jersey, Missouri, Ohio, Florida and more.

9. Wisconsin

Average Commit Distance: 658.6
In-State: 7%
Rivals Industry Team Ranking: No. 46

With no blue-chip prospects in its own state, Wisconsin has to cast a wider net than some of its counterparts in the Big Ten. The Badgers top commits this cycle are from Florida, Georgia, Washington, California and Ohio, though they’ve made significant in-roads in Indiana with three of their 14 commits coming from the Hoosier State.

10. Michigan State

Average Commit Distance: 699.1 miles
In-State: 18%
Rivals Industry Team Ranking: No. 36

Michigan State has seen a marked improvement from its 2025 to 2026 recruiting classes, moving up more than 10 spots in the team rankings. And interestingly enough, they’ve done so while dropping their in-state commitment percentage from 47% to just 18%. Only two of their top six commitments are from inside the borders, headlined by Rivals300 wide receiver Tyren Wortham from Florida. Their potential quarterback of the future, Kayd Coffman, is from the Mitten, though.

Big Ten Average Commit Distance Nos. 11-18

11. USC – 758.8 miles
12. Ohio State – 773.8 miles
13. Nebraska – 801.9 miles
14. Washington – 820.3 miles
15. Michigan – 895.4 miles
16. Minnesota – 970.2 miles
17. UCLA – 1217.1 miles
18. Oregon – 1523.6 miles