Big Ten football recruiting: Ohio State, USC leading the way heading into summer

The closing of the transfer portal on April 30 shifted the focus of coaching staffs around the country from players seeking a new home to players seeking their first home. 

By then, the spring contact period with high school prospects had already been open for two weeks, but the true pounding of the pavement commences in May when most coaches begin traveling from one school to another in search of talent. 

With the transition from spring to summer comes weekend after weekend of official visits and, quite often, a flurry of verbal commitments that allow classes to take shape. Storylines abound in an expanded Big Ten that welcomes recruiting powerhouses like Oregon and USC to a conference where Ohio State sits atop the hierarchy of player acquisition. Can anyone challenge the Buckeyes’ supremacy on the recruiting trail?

Here’s a look at each class in the Big Ten using data from the 247Sports Composite:  

Ohio State (No. 2 overall, No. 1 Big Ten)

Total commitments: 13
Average prospect score: 94.71
Five stars: 3
Four stars: 8
Three stars: 2

Best prospect: Devin Sanchez, cornerback, North Shore High School in Houston, Texas (No. 5 overall, No. 1 CB)

It’s hardly a surprise that Ohio State continues to pace the Big Ten in recruiting, even after the additions of USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington. Head coach Ryan Day’s class is off to a flying start with commitments from three five-star prospects, a number matched only by LSU in the 2025 recruiting cycle. Two of those players are cornerbacks in Sanchez and Na’eem Offord (No. 6 overall, No. 2 CB) as secondary coach Tim Walton continues a sizzling run of three five-star corners in the last two classes combined. An already loaded quarterback room will get an additional boost from five-star signal-caller Tavien St. Clair (No. 17 overall, No. 4 QB), the in-state product from Bellefontaine High School in Bellefontaine, Ohio. Seven of the Buckeyes’ 13 commitments are from players ranked in the top 100 nationally. 

USC (No. 5 overall, No. 2 Big Ten)

Total commitments: 12
Average prospect score: 92.08
Five stars: 2
Four stars: 3
Three stars: 7

Best prospect: Justus Terry, defensive lineman, Manchester High School in Manchester, Georgia (No. 8 overall, No. 2 DL)

At the moment, head coach Lincoln Riley has put together one of the better classes in the country thanks to a trio of blue-chip commitments from Georgia in Terry, quarterback Julian Lewis (No. 9 overall, No. 2 QB) and defensive lineman Isaiah Gibson (No. 56 overall, No. EDGE). But there are legitimate questions about whether the Trojans will eventually secure a signature from Lewis, who has scheduled official visits to Indiana, Colorado and Auburn in addition to USC. That Riley lost former five-star quarterback Malachi Nelson (class of 2023) to the transfer portal after one season in Los Angeles only increases the urgency surrounding Lewis’ recruitment. Four-star safety Matai Tagoa’i (No. 77 overall, No. 10 LB) gave the Trojans an important in-state commitment.

Penn State (No. 7 overall, No. 3 Big Ten)

Total commitments: 13
Average prospect score: 89.75
Five stars: 0
Four stars: 6
Three stars: 7

Best prospect: Alvin Henderson, running back, Elba High School in Elba, Alabama (No. 97 overall, No. 8 RB)

Right now, Penn State’s position at No. 3 in the Big Ten hierarchy reflects an element of quantity over quality relative to some of its peers. An impressive tally of 13 verbal commitments places the Nittany Lions among the league leaders, but an average prospect score of 89.75 ranks fifth behind Ohio State (94.71), Oregon (94.17), Michigan (92.26) and USC (92.08). The pick of the litter is Henderson, an elite tailback with scholarship offers from Alabama, Georgia, Florida State, Miami, Notre Dame, Ole Miss and Texas, among others, as running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider furthers his case as the best recruiter on head coach James Franklin’s staff. Henderson, linebacker DJ McClary (No. 142 overall, No. 17 LB) and linebacker Alex Tatsch (No. 203 overall, No. 25 LB) are the only prospects among the top 340 nationally. 

Wisconsin (No. 16 overall, No. 4 Big Ten)

Total commitments: 11
Average prospect score: 87.64
Five stars: 0
Four stars: 2
Three stars: 9

Best prospect: Jaimier Scott, cornerback, Mt. Healthy High School in Cincinnati, Ohio (No. 331 overall, No. 16 CB) 

As things stand, there are two blue-chip prospects from Wisconsin in the 2025 recruiting cycle: four-star offensive tackle Owen Strebig (No. 168 overall, No. 17 OT) and four-star tight end James Flanigan (No. 179 overall, No. 9 TE). Neither player is committed to Wisconsin; both players are committed to Notre Dame. An uneven start to in-state recruiting for head coach Luke Fickell seems like it will extend into his second season after the Badgers missed on the top-four players in the state last year. Thus far, only three of the state’s top 11 players in ’25 have decided to play for Wisconsin. Instead, Fickell has built his 2025 class around verbal commitments from prospects in Ohio, Virginia, Tennessee and New Jersey that now represent four of his five highest-rated commits.

Oregon (No. 17 overall, No. 5 Big Ten)

Total commitments: 7
Average prospect score: 94.17
Five stars: 1
Four stars: 6
Three stars: 0

Best prospect: Dallas Wilson, wide receiver, Tampa Bay Technical High School in Tampa, Florida (No. 23 overall, No. 5 WR)

Though Oregon’s class is a bit light on manpower with only seven verbal commitments, it’s impossible to argue with the caliber of player head coach Dan Lanning is bringing to campus as the Ducks transition to the Big Ten. All seven prospects rank among the top 300 players overall, including three in the top 75: Wilson, linebacker Nasir Wyatt (No. 68 overall, No. 8 LB) and quarterback Akili Smith Jr. (No. 74 overall, No. 8 LB). Wilson is one of three blue-chip receivers already committed to Oregon, alongside Isaiah Mozee (No. 228 overall, No. 26 WR) and Cooper Perry (No. 247 overall, No. 28 WR). A pledge from four-star tailback Dierre Hill (No. 110 overall, No. 9 RB), who hails from Belleville, Illinois, represents an important pull from Big Ten country. 

Rutgers (No. 29 overall, No. 6 Big Ten)

Total commitments: 8
Average prospect score: 87.13
Five stars: 0
Four stars: 1
Three stars: 7

Best prospect: Talibi Kaba, athlete, Hillside High School in Hillside, New Jersey (No. 381 overall, No. 41 ATH)

The 2025 cycle is off to a pretty strong start for head coach Greg Schiano, who is chasing the first back-to-back winning seasons at Rutgers since 2011-12. An average prospect score of 87.13 would be the Scarlet Knights’ highest mark in the last three classes thanks in large part to Kaba, a blue-chip prospect and projected linebacker at the collegiate level. While the class has just one prospect ranked among the top 600 nationally, five of the eight commitments are from players in the top 750. Three-star offensive tackle Jayden Elijah (No. 644 overall, No. 48 OT) is a New Jersey native who has additional scholarship offers from Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Nebraska, Penn State and Texas A&M, among others. Three-star quarterback Sean Ashenfelder (No. 867 overall, No. 55 QB) looks like a developmental prospect. 

Nebraska (No. 30 overall, No. 7 Big Ten)

Total commitments: 8
Average prospect score: 87.01
Five stars: 0
Four stars: 1
Three stars: 7

Best prospect: TJ Lateef, quarterback, Orange Lutheran High School in Orange, California (No. 237 overall, No. 17 QB)

Flipping five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola from Georgia in the 2024 cycle confirmed that first-year head coach Matt Rhule hasn’t lost a step on the recruiting trail after three years in the NFL, and that momentum appears to be carrying over into his current class. Plucking a blue-chip quarterback like Lateef, who holds additional scholarship offers from Florida State, Colorado, Georgia, Ole Miss, Miami and Texas A&M, among others, from the West Coast is another big win for Rhule and his staff as they attempt to stack enough talent to compete in the expanded Big Ten. Nebraska already has commitments from three of the top seven in-state prospects entering the summer visit window with several more projected to choose the Cornhuskers. That includes four-star linebacker Christian Jones (No. 151 overall, No. 19 LB), who is considered a heavy Nebraska lean.

Indiana (No. 33 overall, No. 8 Big Ten)

Total commitments: 8
Average prospect score: 85.69
Five stars: 0
Four stars: 0
Three stars: 8

Best prospect: Chris McCorkle, cornerback, Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School in Sarasota, Florida (No. 493 overall, No. 42 CB)

Only once since 2019 have the Hoosiers put together a top-40 recruiting class, and while there’s a ways to go before the early signing period in December, new head coach Curt Cignetti has flown out of the gates. Indiana made national recruiting headlines by securing an official visit from five-star quarterback Julian Lewis (No. 9 overall, No. 2 QB), who is currently committed to USC. A preexisting relationship between Lewis and quarterbacks coach Tino Sunseri laid the groundwork for the type of visit that can change people’s perception of the program, regardless of whether Lewis ever plays for the Hoosiers. Cignetti, who won 52 of 61 games in five seasons at James Madison, also made a big splash by getting a verbal commitment from McCorkle, a player with scholarship offers from Florida and Florida State, among others. 

Michigan (No. 36 overall, No. 9 Big Ten)

Total commitments: 5
Average prospect score: 92.26
Five stars: 0
Four stars: 5
Three stars: 0

Best prospect: Nathaniel Marshall, defensive lineman, Fenwick High School in Oak Park, Illinois (No. 35 overall, No. 4 DL)

The honeymoon period for newly promoted head coach Sherrone Moore had worn off by late April when questions about the Wolverines’ slow start to the 2025 recruiting cycle were lobbed his way during a post-spring news conference. Michigan still ranks third in the Big Ten with an average prospect score of 92.26 — trailing only Ohio State (94.71) and Oregon (94.17) — but the Wolverines are tied with UCLA, Michigan State, Illinois, Purdue and Washington for the fewest commitments in the league. Outside of Marshall, who gave Moore an important recruiting win involving a coveted prospect, the player to watch is four-star quarterback Carter Smith (No. 152 overall, No. 13 QB) from Bishop Verot High School in Fort Myers, Florida. Smith has climbed more than 80 spots in the 247Sports Composite rankings since last November. All five of Michigan’s commits rank among the top 400 nationally. 

Northwestern (No. 37 overall, No. 10 Big Ten)

Total commitments: 9
Average prospect score: 86.37
Five stars: 0
Four stars: 0
Three stars: 7

Best prospect: Marquet Dorsey Jr., cornerback, Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, New Jersey (No. 607 overall, No. 55 CB)

David Braun, the reigning Big Ten Coach of the Year, continues to impress as he enters his second year in charge of Northwestern, where he replaced longtime coach Pat Fitzgerald in the wake of a hazing scandal that emerged last summer and guided the Wildcats to an improbable 8-5 record. His 2025 recruiting class is off to a similarly strong start given that Northwestern hasn’t finished with a top-40 recruiting class in the last 20 years. The best prospect, Dorsey, chose the Wildcats over additional scholarship offers from Florida, Penn State, West Virginia and Wisconsin, among others. 

Iowa (No. 38 overall, No. 11 Big Ten)

Total commitments: 7
Average prospect score: 87.83
Five stars: 0
Four stars: 2
Three stars: 4

Best prospect: Thomas Meyer, tight end, Clear Lake High School in Clear Lake, Iowa (No. 259 overall, No. 13 TE)

It should come as no surprise that the highest-rated player in the Hawkeyes’ class is an in-state recruit who plays tight end. Few schools, if any, have produced more NFL-caliber tight ends than Iowa under head coach Kirk Ferentz, who is returning for his 26th season this fall. Six former Hawkeyes tight ends have been drafted since 2014 alone, including four who were taken in the first three rounds. The other blue chipper in Iowa’s class is four-star linebacker Carson Cooney (No. 374 overall, No. 40 LB), who held scholarship offers from fellow Big Ten schools Illinois, Indiana, Michigan State, Northwestern and Wisconsin. 

Maryland (No. 40 overall, No. 12 Big Ten)

Total commitments: 6
Average prospect score: 87.13
Five stars: 0
Four stars: 1
Three stars: 5

Best prospect: Carlton Smith, linebacker, Maury High School in Norfolk, Virginia (No. 397 overall, No 44 LB)

After putting together an excellent 2021 recruiting class that ranked 18th nationally — fueling the idea that Maryland could become more of a player in the Big Ten East — head coach Mike Locksley has overseen groups that hovered in the 30s ever since, slotting the Terrapins a tier below the likes of Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State. The 2025 class is shaping up as more of the same with only one blue-chip prospect thus far and only two players ranked among the top 500 nationally in Smith and three-star athlete Jett White (No. 440 overall, No. 35 ATH). 

Minnesota (No. 48 overall, No. 13 Big Ten)

Total commitments: 7
Average prospect score: 87.68
Five stars: 0
Four stars: 1
Three stars: 4

Best prospect: Emmanuel Karmo, edge rusher, Robbinsdale Cooper High School in New Hope, Minnesota (No. 341 overall, No. 36 edge)

A year ago, head coach P.J. Fleck fell short of a third consecutive nine-win season due largely to subpar offensive performance, especially at quarterback. The Gophers finished 110th in scoring offense (20.9 points per game) and 126th in passing offense (143.4 yards per game) as signal-caller Athan Kaliakmanis — a former four-star recruit — struggled enough to enter the transfer portal, ultimately landing at Rutgers. The next quarterback for Gophers’ fans to know is three-star prospect Jackson Kollock from Laguna Beach, California, the No. 30 signal-caller in the 2025 cycle who is verbally committed to Fleck’s team. Kollock chose Minnesota over Washington, Colorado and Memphis, among others.

UCLA (No. 49 overall, No. 14 Big Ten)

Total commitments: 5
Average prospect score: 87.52
Five stars: 0
Four stars: 2
Three stars: 3

Best prospect: Karson Cox, running back, Oak Hills High School in Oak Hills, California (No. 316 overall, No. 25 RB)

The departure of head coach Chip Kelly for the offensive coordinator role at Ohio State left UCLA without a leading man fairly late in the coaching carousel process. It wasn’t until Feb. 12, that DeShaun Foster, a former All-American running back for the Bruins, was named as Kelly’s replacement after coaching UCLA’s running backs from 2017-23. Predictably, Foster’s recruiting efforts started slowly with only five commitments entering May. But a verbal pledge from Cox, who had his choice of West Coast scholarship offers, including the other former Pac-12 schools bound for the Big Ten, gave the class a real shot in the arm earlier this week.

Michigan State (No. 51 overall, No. 15 Big Ten)

Total commitments: 5
Average prospect score: 86.64
Five stars: 0
Four stars: 0
Three stars: 5

Best prospect: Charles White, linebacker, St. Mary’s Prep in Orchard Lake, Michigan (No. 607 overall, No. 67 LB)

As winter turned to spring, the recruiting front seemed even bleaker for new Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith than it was for the aforementioned Foster at UCLA. The Spartans had zero verbal commitments entering the spring contact period that runs from April 15 through May 25 and only picked up two verbal pledges through last week. But Smith and his staff scored commitments from three prospects in three days from May 12-15, headlined by local running back Jace Clarizio, a three-star recruit from East Lansing who is rated No. 686 overall and the No. 55 running back in the country. Two of this week’s three commitments came from in-state prospects. 

Illinois (No. 52 overall, No. 16 Big Ten)

Total commitments: 5
Average prospect score: 86.50
Five stars: 0
Four stars: 0
Three stars: 5

Best prospect: Carson Boyd, quarterback, Cardinal Ritter College Prep in St. Louis, Missouri (No. 659 overall, No. 37 QB)

When head coach Bret Bielema took the Illinois job ahead of the 2021 campaign, he articulated a recruiting strategy predicated on keeping in-state prospects at home. The Illini are really struggling to accomplish that goal in the current cycle. Thus far, none of the top 19 players in the state have chosen to play for Illinois, with 10 of them having already committed to other schools. The only in-state commitments Bielema and his staff have earned are from three-star interior lineman Michael McDonough (No. 709 overall, No. 44 IOL), who is the No. 20 prospect in Illinois, and three-star safety Andre Lovett (No. 713 overall, No. 57 S), who is the No. 21 prospect in the state. 

Purdue (No. 53 overall, No. 17 Big Ten)

Total commitments: 5
Average prospect score: 86.47
Five stars: 0
Four stars: 0
Three stars: 5

Best prospect: Sawyer Anderson, quarterback, Parish Episcopal School in Dallas, Texas (No. 732 overall, No. 41 QB)

The early success head coach Ryan Walters experienced with his first recruiting class in 2024 hasn’t quite carried over to the 2025 cycle. A year ago, the Boilermakers put together the No. 27 class in the country thanks to commitments from five blue-chip prospects rated among the top 425 players nationally, including two in the top 125. This year, Purdue has yet to receive a pledge from anyone rated inside the top 730 prospects as the summer visiting period approaches. Walters and his staff have their work cut out for them in the expanded and division-less Big Ten. 

Washington (No. 55 overall, No. 18 Big Ten)

Total commitments: 5
Average prospect score: 88.40
Five stars: 0
Four stars: 1
Three stars: 3

Best prospect: Raiden Vines-Bright, wide receiver, IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida (No. 314 overall, No. 44 WR)

The transition from former head coach Kalen DeBoer, who accepted the same position at Alabama, to new head coach Jedd Fisch hasn’t kicked into gear on the recruiting trail. Washington ranks sixth in the Big Ten for average prospect score at 88.40 — trailing the likes of Ohio State (94.71), Oregon (94.17), Michigan (92.26), USC (92.08) and Penn State (89.75) — but is tied for the fewest commitments in the league with five. The top prospect, Vines-Bright, could be the next great Washington receiver after the Huskies had three wideouts selected among the first 92 picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. He held additional scholarship offers from Tennessee, Notre Dame, Alabama, Michigan, Texas A&M and USC, among others. 

Michael Cohen covers college football and basketball for FOX Sports with an emphasis on the Big Ten. Follow him on Twitter at @Michael_Cohen13.

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