Grosz: Big Ten off to fast start with Class of 2020
It's been just 13 days since National Signing Day for the Class of 2019, but already nine Big Ten schools - Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Penn State, Iowa, Northwestern, Minnesota, Nebraska and Purdue - have already landed verbal commitments for their Class of 2020.
For those individuals that thought Ohio State would struggle with recruiting with Urban Meyer retiring as the Buckeyes’ head football coach, all I can say is think again. The Buckeyes already have seven verbal commitments and Rivals, at this very early stage, ranks Ryan Day’s first recruiting class fourth in the country.
That class is led by five-star OL Paris Johnson Jr. from Cincinnati Elder, 5.9 four-star WR Gee Scott Jr. from Bellevue, Wash., four-star WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba from Rockwell, Texas, four-star QB Jack Miller from Scottsdale, Ariz., and four-star OL Luke Wypler from Montvale, N.J.
Plus, Ohio State is a big leader and expects a verbal in the very near future from 6.0 Rivals’ four-star WR Marcus Rosemy from Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas, Fla. If that happens, the Buckeyes would be on pace for the No. 1 wide receiver group in the country.
But it should be noted that Ohio State isn’t the only Big Ten school that has gotten off to an exceptionally fast start in recruiting for the Class of 2020. Michigan has six verbal commitments, and Rivals presently ranks the Wolverines with the ninth best class in the country. Wisconsin also has six verbal commitments with its class ranked 15th by Rivals.
Penn State has four verbal commitments and Rivals’ 17th-ranked class. They are followed by Iowa with six verbal commitments and the 21st-ranked class, Northwestern with four verbal commitments and Rivals’ 22nd-ranked class, Minnesota with two verbal commitments and Rivals' 33rd-ranked class, Nebraska with one verbal commitment and Rivals’ 37th-ranked class, and Purdue with a single verbal and Rivals’ 45th-ranked class.
There is no question this is the best and fastest start the Big Ten Conference has ever had for a recruiting class.
Michigan’s Class of 2020 is led by four-star TE Nick Patterson from San Antonio, Texas, four-star LB Osman Savage from Baltimore, Md., four-star CB Andre Seldon from Belleville, Mich., and four-star LB Cornell Wheeler from West Bloomfield, Mich.
Penn State’s Class of 2020 is presently ranked fourth in the Big Ten with three four-star verbals. They are: 5.8 four-star LB Curtis Jacobs from Owings Mills, Md., 5.8 four-star CB Josh Moten from Fort Washington, Md., 5.8 four-star LB Derek Wingo from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. and three-star OL Grant Toutant from Warren, Mich.
Four-star OL Trey Wedig, from Wales, Wisc., is the top prospect in Wisconsin's class. The other five verbals are all three-star players. All six of Iowa’s verbal commitments are ranked by Rivals as three-star recruits. The Hawkeyes’ top recruit is QB Deuce Hogan from Grapevine, Texas.
Northwestern’s four verbal commitments, Minnesota’s two and Nebraska and Purdue’s single verbal commitments are also rated by Rivals as three-star players.
What clearly illustrates how well the Big Ten Conference has recruited is the fact Ohio State has landed a five-star player in Johnson Jr. and the conference has 11 four-star verbal commitments.
However, don’t get the wrong impression: what is taking place in the Big Ten is also happening across the country. There are 63 FBS football programs that have at least one verbal commitment for their Class of 2020.
Rivals ranks LSU has having he No. 1 ranked class at this stage in the country with 11 total verbal commitments. They are followed by Alabama, ranked second with 11 verbal commitments, Miami (Fla.) third with nine verbals, Ohio State fourth with seven verbals, Florida fifth with eight verbals, Clemson sixth with seven verbals, Texas A&M seventh with seven verbals, Oklahoma eighth with seven verbals and Michigan ninth with six verbals. North Carolina rounds out the Top 10 with six verbals.
It’s just incredible how much recruiting has changed within the past five years. Now, just 13 days into the recruitment of the Class of 2020, Rivals’ Top 20 rated recruiting classes have received verbal commitments from two five-star players and 77 four-star players.
What follows is a complete listing of the Big Ten’s 37 verbal commitments for the Class of 2020.
ILLINOIS (Current count: 0)
INDIANA (Current count: 0)
IOWA (Current count: 6)
Isaiah Bruce 6-2 245 DE Lena Winslow, Ill.
Deuce Hogan 6-4 200 QB Grapevine, Texas
Ethan Hurkett 6-3 230 LB Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Logan Jones 6-3 255 DE Council Bluffs, Iowa
Michael Lois 6-4 262 DE Elkhorn, Wisc.
Gavin Williams 6-0 195 RB West Des Moines, Iowa
MARYLAND (Current count: 0)
MICHIGAN (Current count: 6)
Kalil Branham 6-1 195 WR Columbus, Ohio
J.D. Johnson 6-4 187 QB Phoenix, Ariz.
Nick Patterson 6-3 215 TE San Antonio, Texas
Osman Savage 6-2 220 LB Baltimore, Md.
Andre Seldon 5-9 155 DB Belleville, Mich.
Cornell Wheeler 6-0 225 LB West Bloomfield, Mich.
MICHIGAN STATE (Current count: 0)
MINNESOTA (Current count: 2)
Jonathan Mann 6-4 190 WR Rosemount, Minn.
Aaron Witt 6-5 230 DE Winona, Minn.
NEBRASKA (Current count: 1)
Logan Smothers 6-1 180 QB Athens, Ala.
NORTHWESTERN (Current count: 4)
Aidan Atkinson 6-3 200 QB Boulder, Colo.
Jaheem Joseph 5-10 170 DB Miami, Fla.
Cameron Porter 5-11 205 RB Cincinnati, Ohio
Abdur Rahmaan-Yaseen 6-2 180 WR Walled Lake, Mich.
OHIO STATE (Current count: 7)
Darvon Hubbard 5-11 210 RB Surprise, Ariz.
Jakob James 6-4 265 OL Cincinnati, Ohio
Paris Johnson Jr. 6-7 295 OL Cincinnati, Ohio
Jack Miller 6-3 205 QB Scottsdale, Ariz.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba 6-1 185 WR Rockwall, Texas
Gee Scott Jr. 6-3 195 WR Bellevue, Wash.
Luke Wypler 6-4 280 OL Montvale, N.J.
PENN STATE (Current Count: 4)
Curtis Jacobs 6-2 220 LB Owings Mills, Md.
Josh Moten 6-1 175 CB Ft. Washington, Md.
Grant Toutant 6-6 295 OL Warren, Mich.
Derek Wingo 6-2 215 LB Fort Lauderdale, Fla..
PURDUE (Current count: 1)
Ben Kreul 6-3 220 LB Waukesha, Wisc.
RUTGERS (Current count: 0)
WISCONSIN (Current count: 6)
Dylan Barrett 6-5 285 OL St. Charles, Ill.
Ben Barten 6-6 255 OL Stratford, Wisc.
Cole Dakovich 6-5 225 LB Waukesha, Wisc.
Chimere Dike 6-1 175 WR Waukesha, Wisc.
Jack Nelson 6-7 265 OL Stoughton, Wisc.
Trey Wedig 6-7 302 OL Wales, Wisc.