Big Ten Recruiting Rankings in the Past Four Years
JR Rhoades
Ohio State and Oregon recruiting is tops in the Big Ten
The single greatest indicator of who will be the best teams in college football year after year is recruiting rankings. Although Michigan proved last year that you don’t need a #1 class to win it all, you won’t find a team winning the national championship if their last four classes don’t rank in the top 15. With how stacked the Big Ten is, you must also recruit at a very high level to win the Big Ten.
In this article, we will look at how each school in the Big Ten has recruited in the past four years, and I will use the 247 Composite rankings unless noted otherwise. Here are the best recruiting teams in the Big Ten since 2021:
18. NORTHWESTERN
The Wildcats have been the worst recruiting team in the Big Ten since 2021. To give you an idea of how bad it has been, their 2024 recruiting class would have ranked 3rd in the MAC that year and would’ve been a bottom-half class in the American Conference. Northwestern has only signed six 4-star recruits in the past four years. Quite frankly, Northwestern has embarrassed the Big Ten regarding recruiting. The only thing that could be more embarrassing is if the Big Ten allows them to win 5 games again in the Big Ten in 2024.
SINCE 2021
Total recruits: 68
Total 5-stars: 0
Total 4-stars: 6
Total 3-stars: 61
Average points per class: 186.2625
Average national recruiting rank: 56.25
17. UCLA
Although the Bruins are out in a very talented area, their problem hasn’t been bringing in top-tier talent; it’s been bringing in recruits. They have an average of 88.43 points per recruit, which ranks 7th best, but the issue is not their quality; it’s their quantity. UCLA is the only team that has brought in less than 60 recruits since 2021. Thankfully, they have supplemented well through the transfer portal, but that’s not what these rankings are based on. UCLA is the perfect example of a team that brings in above quality but a severely low amount of quantity.
SINCE 2021
Total recruits: 55
Total 5-stars: 1
Total 4-stars: 15
Total 3-stars: 38
Average points per class: 187.1575
Average national recruiting rank: 55
16. INDIANA
If we’re being honest, Indiana doesn’t recruit all that much differently than Northwestern. Indiana has had two classes that ranked in the 60s since 2021, but it was their 2022 class that ranked 25th in the nation that brought their ranking higher. The problem is that three of their top four recruits in that class are no longer at Indiana. The Hoosiers have brought in only 68 players, which ties for third lowest, and their average points per recruit is 86.82, which ranks fifth lowest. A recipe of low quality and quantity is how we get Indiana at 16th.
SINCE 2021
Total recruits: 68
Total 5-stars: 0
Total 4-stars: 7
Total 3-stars: 59
Average points per class: 189.6525
Average national recruiting rank: 53.25
15. ILLINOIS
The Fighting Illini have signed the most 3-star prospects of any Big Ten team since 2021. Overall, their problem hasn’t been quantity at all. Their problem has been quality. They have signed the lowest amount of points per recruit, all while tying for the second most 2-star or less recruits signed. However, Illinois has the potential to improve moving forward. Their worst class was their 2021 class, which ranked 73rd. If Bret Bielema can capitalize on 4-star targets Michael Thomas III and John Forster, we might just see Illinois replace that 2021 class with a top-40 recruiting class.
SINCE 2021
Total recruits: 91
Total 5-stars: 0
Total 4-stars: 5
Total 3-stars: 82
Average points per class: 190.705
Average national recruiting rank: 51.5
14. WASHINGTON
I was not expecting to find the team that just went to the national championship last year 14th on this list, but I guess that shows how much the transfer portal is changing college football. It gives me hope that programs like Illinois, Purdue, Rutgers, and Minnesota could certainly find themselves competing at much higher levels, but we also shouldn’t discount how great of a coach Kalen DeBoer and his staff were at Washington. But like UCLA, Washington is bringing in talent with the 8th-best average recruit rating, but they have brought in the second least amount of recruits out of any Big Ten team since 2021.
SINCE 2021
Total recruits: 67
Total 5-stars: 1
Total 4-stars: 18
Total 3-stars: 43
Average points per class: 191.7
Average national recruiting rank: 49.5
13. PURDUE
Purdue recruiting is in good hands with Ryan Walters. His first full class was in 2024, and the class finished 27th in the country, which is very good for Purdue. For reference, Jeff Brohm had the 2021 class at 76th and his last full class of 2022 at 38th. Some inconsistencies cause Purdue to be this low, but I can easily see Purude on the rise if Ryan Walters continues recruiting well. It also helps that Purdue signs a good quantity of players. Now, they haven’t signed as many as Illinois, but they did sign twice as many 4-stars as them since 2021.
SINCE 2021
Total recruits: 79
Total 5-stars: 0
Total 4-stars: 10
Total 3-stars: 66
Average points per class: 192.8375
Average national recruiting rank: 52.75
12. MINNESOTA
PJ Fleck is an underrated recruiter. Minnesota is one of the least talent-rich states in the Big Ten, and PJ does well signing classes according to his needs. Since 2021, Minnesota has not had a recruiting class outside the top 50, and a big reason why is because of the adjustments he makes the feel he has for whether kids will sign with them or not. He’s been consistently taking 18-21 recruits each class since 2021 and even signing four 4-star recruits in his 2021 class. Regardless of what you think about PJ Fleck, you have to give him his props here. It pays to be consistent in recruiting.
SINCE 2021
Total recruits: 77
Total 5-stars: 0
Total 4-stars: 11
Total 3-stars: 65
Average points per class: 201.395
Average national recruiting rank: 41.5
11. RUTGERS
I think many people would’ve thought Rutgers would be much lower on this list, but New Jersey is actually a pretty talent-rich state, and Greg Schiano is doing a good job of capitalizing on that even though many other schools are coming in trying to poach his in-state players. Greg Schiano has managed to sign three or more 4-stars in three of his four classes since 2021. Honestly, if not for his 2023 recruiting class that had zero 4-stars and only twenty 3-stars, Rutgers could be in the top ten here. But while they still aren’t recruiting an average rating per recruit like UCLA or Washington, they are bringing in over twenty recruits per class and doing their best to develop players and take their chances. That is exactly what a program like Rutgers should be doing.
SINCE 2021
Total recruits: 89
Total 5-stars: 0
Total 4-stars: 12
Total 3-stars: 73
Average points per class: 203.7525
Average national recruiting rank: 41
10. MICHIGAN STATE
The Spartans are our first Big Ten team to have signed at least twenty 4-star recruits since 2021. No question Mel Tucker knew how to identify talent and make Michigan State attractive to recruits. In his two full recruiting classes, he managed to sign them both as top 25 classes. I do give him a bit of a pass for 2021 since he was hired just a month before the world shut down in 2020, but regardless, if Mel Tucker didn’t have his issues that caused him to be let go at Michigan State, I think Michigan State could be much higher on this list. Their 2023 class did disappoint some with only 16 recruits, but it was still a top 25 class with nine 4-star recruits.
SINCE 2021
Total recruits: 79
Total 5-stars: 0
Total 4-stars: 20
Total 3-stars: 59
Average points per class: 211.1575
Average national recruiting rank: 33.75
9. IOWA
I have heard people say before that Iowa doesn’t get good players, and I’m not sure where that notion comes from. Iowa has one of the best development programs in the country, and head coach Kirk Ferentz recruits more nationally than people give him credit for. Iowa is essentially your perfect balance of consistent quality and quantity. Since 2021, they have been the 9th best in the Big Ten in total commits, average rating per recruit, and a total number of 4-star recruits. Sure, you might like to see them bounce up occasionally, but that’s not the Kirk Ferentz way.
SINCE 2021
Total recruits: 80
Total 5-stars: 0
Total 4-stars: 17
Total 3-stars: 63
Average points per class: 212.7975
Average national recruiting rank: 31.75
8. MARYLAND
I did not think I would have Maryland ranked here when I first started putting this information together, but here we are. Mike Locksley has recruited his tail off at Maryland and done a good job of acquiring talent from Maryland. Like Minnesota, he has managed to keep each of his classes since 2021 in the top 40 and even had a top 20 class in 2021. That class included 5-star linebacker Terrence Lewis and another highly regarded player in Chop Robinson, who was a 5-star to 247 but not in 247’s composite rankings, which I use here. The problem is that Mike Locksley needs to figure out a way to keep the high-end talent that he is recruiting. His top-rated player in his 2021, 2022, and 2023 recruiting classes have all transferred out to other P4 programs.
SINCE 2021
Total recruits: 96
Total 5-stars: 1
Total 4-stars: 15
Total 3-stars: 78
Average points per class: 215.66
Average national recruiting rank: 30.75
7. WISCONSIN
The Badgers have recruited quite well in some years and then had issues in other years. Luke Fickell managed to get them a top 25 class last year, and they had a top 20 class in 2021, but their 2022 and 2023 classes left more to be desired as they were both outside the top 40. Both classes only had 15 players in them, which really stunted their recruiting momentum. Still, they did enough in gaining players in the 2021 and 2024 classes to be ranked this high. We will see if Luke Fickell can build momentum to make Wisconsin’s recruiting more consistent.
SINCE 2021
Total recruits: 73
Total 5-stars: 1
Total 4-stars: 24
Total 3-stars: 48
Average points per class: 216.1775
Average national recruiting rank: 35.25
6. NEBRASKA
The Cornhuskers have signed nearly 100 recruits since 2021, and it’s been really helpful for them to have three top-25 classes and two in the top 20. Since Matt Rhule got to Nebraska, his recruiting expertise has been fully displayed. Scott Frost set the program back with a 2022 class that was outside the top 40, but Matt Rhule responded with 59 recruits in his next two classes (that’s more recruits in two classes than UCLA signed in their previous 4 classes) and even landed the 5-star quarterback Dylan Raiola in the 2024 class. Matt Rhule has the momentum going and I’m excited to see them continue to rise in the coming years.
SINCE 2021
Total recruits: 98
Total 5-stars: 1
Total 4-stars: 17
Total 3-stars: 79
Average points per class: 222.495
Average national recruiting rank: 26
5. USC
Since 2021, the Trojans have signed the second-most 5-star recruits among Big Ten teams. The trend of former Pac-12 teams focusing more on quality rather than quantity continues, with USC only signing 78 recruits since 2021. Only two other programs have signed fewer 3-star recruits than USC. But we can’t say they are exactly the same as UCLA and Washington. Three of their four classes since 2021 each signed more than 20 players, and even two of them were ranked in the top 10. But their 2022 recruiting class was what really hurt them when they only signed nine layers and ranked 70th in the country.
SINCE 2021
Total recruits: 78
Total 5-stars: 5
Total 4-stars: 43
Total 3-stars: 26
Average points per class: 245.3975
Average national recruiting rank: 25.5
4. MICHIGAN
No one has run more of a strategic recruiting operation than Jim Harbaugh at Michigan since 2021. The balance of their classes was phenomenal, even with players knowing he would be taking NFL head coaching job interviews every offseason. And even this past 2024 class was when he signed the most 4-stars since 2021 in 17 recruits. All of that, combined with sprinkling in a couple of 5-stars here and there, makes for very interesting recruiting that the Wolverines were able to capitalize on last year.
SINCE 2021
Total recruits: 95
Total 5-stars: 2
Total 4-stars: 48
Total 3-stars: 45
Average points per class: 257.8275
Average national recruiting rank: 13.75
3. PENN STATE
By the numbers, Penn State just barely squeaks by Michigan. While Michigan has averaged higher-ranked recruiting classes, Penn State has signed higher ratings per recruit and ratings per class. But what really is holding them up higher is there 2022 class. That class ranked 6th best in the nation and included three 5-star recruits in Dani Dennis-Sutton, Nick Singleton, and Drew Allar. It also just so happens to be their largest class since 2021, with 16 of their 26 recruits being blue-chip prospects.
SINCE 2021
Total recruits: 92
Total 5-stars: 3
Total 4-stars: 53
Total 3-stars: 33
Average points per class: 258.375
Average national recruiting rank: 14
2. OREGON
Dan Lanning took the recruiting momentum from Mario Cristobal and kept on rolling. Under Cristobal, Oregon was becoming a top 10 recruiting team in the nation, and Lanning has now solidified that by landing in the top 10 in their last two classes. In fact, their 2024 class even ranked in the top five ahead of the number one team on this list. In this era of NIL and national recruiting running rampant, Dan Lanning has found himself to be one of the best young recruiting operations in the nation and might just pass up Ohio State soon if they can become a top 5 recruiting program in the nation.
SINCE 2021
Total recruits: 97
Total 5-stars: 2
Total 4-stars: 70
Total 3-stars: 24
Average points per class: 275.67
Average national recruiting rank: 7.75
1. OHIO STATE
Ever since Urban Meyer stepped on campus, Ohio State has been a recruiting powerhouse, and that has not stopped under Ryan Day. Each of Ohio State’s recruiting classes since 2021 has finished in the top 5 nationally. It almost feels like my grandmother could be the head coach there, and the program would still land a top 10 class. They have by far the most 5-stars signed by any Big Ten team since 2021. The rest of the Big Ten has signed 16, and the Buckeyes are only two away at 14. They are the only school to bring in a single-digit number of 3-stars and seem to be able to pick and choose who they want with the snap of a finger. But I will say, their recruiting has slightly declined each year since 2021 so we will see if a few years from now if the Buckeyes can continue to hold the top spot.
SINCE 2021
Total recruits: 89
Total 5-stars: 14
Total 4-stars: 65
Total 3-stars: 7
Average points per class: 300.6375
Average national recruiting rank: 3.75
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