Big 10 football has gone national. Again.
This has nothing to do with Wisconsin’s Rose Bowl victory over UCLA, although before all is said and done, that might help. This is all about recruiting. This is all about battling the top conferences around the country for the top talent.
As college football’s signing period begins Wednesday, the Big 10 is poised to have its best recruiting year ever, with several schools (including Illinois, Penn State and Ohio State) rebounding from down years and other schools (including Wisconsin) continuing to push forward.
And then there’s Michigan, which always seems to be in the recruiting limelight.
“Michigan and Ohio State should end up with two of the top 10 recruiting classes in the country,” said recruiting analyst Allen Wallace of SuperPrep magazine.
Here’s how things could shape up in the Big 10 by the time all the recruits are signed, sealed and delivered:
1. Michigan: The Wolverines landed two SuperPrep All-Americans-running back Chris Floyd (Detroit) and linebacker Tim Laws (Battle Creek, Mich.). But the key coup for Michigan, Wallace said, is another SuperPrep All-American: quarterback Scott Dreisbach of Mishawaka, Ind.
2. Ohio State: The Buckeyes came up big on the offensive line, getting commitments from Jeff Wilson of Deerfield Beach, Fla.; Brooks Burris of Logan, Ohio; and Thornton’s Winfield Garnett. Wallace said Ohio State still has a shot at SuperPrep All-American lineman Orlando Pace of Sandusky, Ohio.
3. Penn State: Among the Nittany Lions’ potential signees are offensive linemen Floyd Wedderburn of Upper Darby, Pa., a SuperPrep All-American. Penn State also has commitments from lineman Ryan Fagan of Pittsburgh and defensive back Damon Troy from Cape May, N.J.
4. Illinois: Coach Lou Tepper landed some of the top players in Illinois, including Marian Catholic running back Terence Marable, Mt. Carmel lineman Ola Ali and Proviso West linebacker Famous Hulbert. What puts the Illini in the upper echelon this year is the national flavor of the class, including SuperPrep All-American running back Marlon Farlow and running backs Wilbert Smith and George McDonald. All are from California.
5. Iowa: The Hawkeyes already guaranteed themselves a strong class with linemen that include Naperville Central’s Derek Rose and LaSalle-Peru’s Mike Goff. But coach Hayden Fry also landed SuperPrep All-American running back Tim Dwight of Iowa City and Thornridge defensive back Eric Thigpen, another SuperPrep All-American.
6. Wisconsin: The Badgers will sign Wisconsin’s best player, receiver Donald Hayes, and one of the country’s top quarterback prospects in Mike Samuel of Philadelphia.
7. Michigan State: Wallace said he thinks the Spartans’ top recruit is SuperPrep All-American Tyrone Crenshaw, a running back from Sylmar, Calif.
8. Northwestern: “Northwestern doesn’t have that many name players, but if you talk about how a program addresses its needs, they have a lot of very good prospects,” Wallace said. Leading the way is SuperPrep All-American Floyd Abramson, a quarterback from Birmingham, Mich. Northwestern also is expected to sign Mike Nelson, a defensive back from Plano, Tex.
9: Indiana: Indiana didn’t fair too well but the Hoosiers will sign SuperPrep All-American Bo Barzilauskas, a lineman from Bloomington, Ind. Tribune All-State running back Bobby Nelson also is headed to Indiana.
10. Minnesota: The jury’s still out on the Golden Gophers but they will sign Springfield lineman John Albrecht.
11. Purdue: On Tuesday Purdue got a commitment from Walther Lutheran quarterback Billy Chapman, who will probably be a receiver or defensive back in college. Purdue’s best recruit will be linebacker Chike Okeaver from West Lafayette, Ind.
