B1G Recruiting: Signing Day Recap
The majority of top prospects in the 2024 cycle put pen to paper in the Early Signing Period, signing National Letters of Intent with college programs. Most of the remainder of unsigned top prospects inked their NLI’s on Wednesday. With players now locked into their college destinations, let’s take a look at how the recruiting classes around the Big Ten shaped up.
This list reflects the class rankings along with details on team score, total commits, blue chip prospects, top commit and analysis on each class.
1. Ohio State
Team Score: 93.462
Total Commits: 22
4+5 Star Commits: 16 (2 5-stars)
Top Commit: WR Jeremiah Smith (No. 1 overall)
Ohio State finished the year on an absolute recruiting tear. Every position of importance is just littered with talent. They managed to keep Jeremiah Smith, the top prospect in the country and ended up with two top-5 quarterbacks in the class.
2. Oregon
Team Score: 93.458
Total Commits: 27
4+5 Star Commits: 19 (1 5-star)
Top Commit: WR Gatlin Bair (No. 30 overall)
Just an elite class from Oregon this year. This class is defined by their elite group of skill players on the perimeter. The Ducks will lose some of their top play makers to the NFL, but have top shelf young talent coming in to look for playing time.
3. Michigan
Team Score: 91.321
Total Commits: 27
4+5 Star Commits: 15
Top Commit: RB Jordan Marshall (No. 87 overall)
A really nice class although it might have been a hair better if Jim Harbaugh and the rest of the class stuck around. The Wolverines didn’t lose much from the class and are brining in 27 guys. We will see if they stick around after the Wolverines will have a completely new staff following their National Championship.
4. Penn State
Team Score: 91.231
Total Commits: 25
4+5 Star Commits: 12
Top Commit: IOL Cooper Cousins (No. 50 overall)
Penn State’s class reflects how their season often play out. It is strong but remains behind the top dogs in the conference. The Nittany Lions had a balanced class though this year and added future impact players at most positions.
5. USC
Team Score: 90.606
Total Commits: 22
4+5 Star Commits: 12
Top Commit: EDGE Kameryn Fountain (No. 63 overall)
USC at one time had a top-5 class in this cycle. After several months of essentially no movement and a disappointing season, the Trojans fell back to No. 18. Although, USC has a new staff on defense and some of the defensive playmakers in the group will be elite.
6. Wisconsin
Team Score: 89.760
Total Commits: 22
4+5 Star Commits: 8
Top Commit: OT Kevin Heywood (No. 60 overall)
Wisconsin is always putting quality football on the field and they had a recruiting class that fits that this year with a top 25 class. Their top prospects were guys in the trenches and a good running back, exactly what they specialize in.
7. Nebraska
Team Score: 89.612
Total Commits: 27
4+5 Star Commits: 5 (1 5-star)
Top Commit: QB Dylan Raiola (No. 21 overall)
Matt Rhule made one of the biggest splashes of the year when Dylan Raiola flipped from Georgia to Nebraska. Rhule has shown he can build programs and his recruiting this year shows he is in the process of this once again.
8. Iowa
Team Score: 88.358
Total Commits: 21
4+5 Star Commits: 5
Top Commit: TE Gavin Hoffman (No. 204 overall)
Iowa’s biggest recruiting wins this year reflect what their program is all about. It’s a tight end, a punter, a few offensive lineman and a pair of solid linebackers. They reload at their prime positions and will look to add some offensive production with some of their young talent.
9. Purdue
Team Score: 87.857
Total Commits: 26
4+5 Star Commits: 2
Top Commit: CB Koy Beasley (No. 132 overall)
Purdue stressed the out of state recruiting this cycle and was able to pull some talent from other regions. They added a talented quarterback, high profile tight end, and elite cornerback.
10. Minnesota
Team Score: 87.607
Total Commits: 19
4+5 Star Commits: 2
Top Commit: S Koi Perich (No. 58 overall)
Minnesota managed to keep hold of one of the best players in the country in Koi Perich. That alone should make Minnesota feel good this cycle.
11. Rutgers
Team Score: 87.151
Total Commits: 24
4+5 Star Commits: 3
Top Commit: S Antonio White (No. 267 overall)
I am a fan of Rutgers’ class for the most part. They have some nice skill players I think will get early playing time and develop nicely.
12. Michigan State
Team Score: 86.893
Total Commits: 21
4+5 Star Commits: 2
Top Commit: WR Nick Marsh (No. 174 overall)
With the scandal, coaching changes, and overall poor season, Michigan State had a better season than most predicted for them and finished better in the rankings I would have thought previously. Credit Jonathan Smith for shaping up a nice return after his short time in East Lansing after moving from Oregon State.
13. Maryland
Team Score: 86.879
Total Commits: 24
4+5 Star Commits: 1
Top Commit: S Brandon Jacob (No. 360 overall)
Maryland was a deep defensive back haul in this class, and while none are earth shattering prospects, the Terps will have good depth on the defensive side of the ball to develop for their future.
14. Illinois
Team Score: 86.657
Total Commits: 19
4+5 Star Commits: 1
Top Commit: IOL Andrew Dennis (No. 226 overall)
Illinois added some nice talent to their trenches but nothing really stood out in the class. They also added seven transfers so far with their 19 high school signees.
15. Washington
Team Score: 86.581
Total Commits: 14
4+5 Star Commits: 2
Top Commit: WR Justice Williams (No. 296 overall)
Coming off their national championship appearance, unfortunately their recruiting does not reflect their season success. The departure of their entire staff and many key players, their class fell apart at the end of the cycle.
16. Indiana
Team Score: 85.453
Total Commits: 17
4+5 Star Commits: 1
Top Commit: QB Tyler Cherry (No. 213 overall)
Indiana elected to go with the route of utilizing the transfer portal more than high school recruiting. A solid quarterback commit Indiana can develop is a positive development for them. The Hoosiers signed 21 transfers so far to replenish their roster.
17. UCLA
Team Score: 84.782
Total Commits: 10
4+5 Star Commits: 2
Top Commit: WR Kwazi Gilmer (No. 222 overall)
UCLA finished this cycle with their worst recruiting cycle of the modern era. The season for UCLA was not that bad but their recruiting was poor throughout the entire cycle. Especially with the uncertainty and questions of Chip Kelly’s future in the program, many recruits were turned off to the Bruins.
18. Northwestern
Team Score: 84.228
Total Commits: 17
4+5 Star Commits: 0
Top Commit: IOL Idrys Cotton (No. 850 overall)
Northwestern has one of the lowest ranked classes of any power-4 conference team. This does not really come as a surprise given their staff changes and overall poor outlook on the program at the current time.
