The Big Ten continues its reign as one of college football’s two premier conferences, coming off back-to-back national titles by Michigan and Ohio State. Those victories, along with some impressive recruiting chops, have them set to contend with the SEC in the coming years. In the 2025 cycle in particular, its two league newcomers who […]
The Big Ten continues its reign as one of college football’s two premier conferences, coming off back-to-back national titles by Michigan and Ohio State.
Those victories, along with some impressive recruiting chops, have them set to contend with the SEC in the coming years. In the 2025 cycle in particular, its two league newcomers who sit atop the conference and national rankings. USC and Oregon hold the nation’s No. 1 and No. 3 classes, respectively. But the league as a whole has four of the top 11 classes and eight of the top 25, buoyed by big jumps from UCLA, Washington and Illinois.
Below are each of the Big Ten’s 18 recruiting classes and where they stack up next to one another:
1. USC — 93.202
32 total commits
2 five-stars | 20 four-stars | 10 three-stars
Top Commit: TE Mark Bowman, No. 15 NATL. (No. 1 TE)
National Class Ranking: No. 1
USC has had one of the top classes in the cycle for more than a year, and the Trojans look poised for their first No. 1 class in nearly 20 years. Bowman and offensive tackle Keenyi Pepe are industry five-stars and are two of nine top-100 overall prospects, while EDGE Luke Wafle is a Rivals five-star. Other top commits include the nation’s No. 4 CB Elbert Hill, the No. 5 WR Boobie Feaster, No. 4 DL Jaimeon Winfield and the No. 5 LB Talanoa Ili. Just about every position room looks to be loaded in Los Angeles this cycle.
2. Oregon — 92.654
17 total commits
4 five-stars | 11 four-stars | 2 four-stars
Top Commit: OT Immanuel Iheanacho, No. 6 NATL. (No. 2 OT)
National Class Ranking: No. 3
Despite taking some lumps on the trail this spring and summer, Oregon now has four five-stars in its class after beating out Alabama for EDGE Anthony Jones last month. Iheanacho is a Five-Star Plus+ prospect, and Jett Washington is the top-ranked safety in the nation, while longtime pledge Kendre Harrison is the No. 2 tight end overall. They are flanked by four other top-100 recruits and some top talent at the skill positions on both sides of the ball. Quarterback commit Bryson Beaver is now the No. 5 signal-caller in the Rivals300.
3. Ohio State — 91.612
21 total commits
1 five-star | 13 four-stars | 7 three-stars
Top Commit: WR Chris Henry Jr., No. 20 NATL. (No. 2 WR)
National Class Ranking: No. 9
Henry has been committed since July of 2023 and remains the class jewel to date. He’s since been surrounded by three other top-100 prospects in DB Blaine Bradford, OT Sam Greer and LB Cincere Johnson. The Buckeyes have a loaded group on the defensive side of the ball, as well as a top-notch receiver haul. Henry is one of five receivers in the class, alongside four-star Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, four-star Jaeden Ricketts, four-star Jerquaden Gilford and three-star Brock Boyd.
4. Michigan — 90.994
22 total commits
1 five-star | 12 four-stars | 9 three-stars
Top Commit: EDGE Carter Meadows, No. 30 NATL. (No. 5 EDGE)
National Class Ranking: No. 11
Under Sherrone Moore, Michigan continues to recruit at an elite level. The Wolverines are just outside a top-10 national class with a pair of major targets still left on the board. Meadows continues to see his stock soar ahead of his senior campaign and has now obtained five-star status. Other top commits in the class include the nation’s No. 10 DL Titan Davis, the No. 15 WR Travis Johnson, the No. 9 QB Brady Smigiel and Rivals’ No. 11 OT Malakai Lee.
5. Penn State — 89.922
24 total commits
0 five-stars | 11 four-stars | 13 three-stars
Top Commit: IOL Kevin Brown, No. 66 NATL. (No. 3 IOL)
National Class Ranking: No. 16
Quietly, James Franklin and his staff have put together another deep and talented class. Brown and running back Messiah Mickens have long headlined the pledge list. Mickens has been committed since August 2023, while Brown has been in the mix since July of last year. Five of the top-10 prospects in Pennsylvania this cycle are committed to PSU.
6. Washington — 89.123
21 total commits
0 five-stars | 8 four-stars | 13 three-stars
Top Commit: OT Kodi Greene, No. 33 NATL. (No. 5 OT)
National Class Ranking: No. 18
Washington pulled off a big flip in April by poaching Greene away from rival Oregon. He’ll contend for five-star status the rest of the cycle and will remain the top-ranked commit in the class this fall. Last month, the nation’s No. 5 RB Brian Bonner joined the class. They are two of five UW representatives in the Rivals300, alongside EDGE Derek Colman-Brusa, WR Mason James and DB Gavin Day.
7. UCLA — 88.430
23 total commits
0 five-stars | 4 four-stars | 19 three-stars
Top Commit: OT Johnnie Jones, No. 131 NATL. (No. 10 OT)
National Class Ranking: No. 22
Despite struggles on the field last year, head coach DeShaun Foster and the Bruins have put together a strong class ahead of his second season. Jones headlines and is a top-20 prospect in Florida. He and fellow Sunshine State OL Micah Smith create an impressive duo in the trenches. DL Carter Gooden committed last month and is the top-ranked prospect out of Massachusetts. WR Kenneth Moore is the top-ranked in-state commit in the class.
8. Illinois — 88.000
23 total commits
0 five-stars | 4 four-star | 20 three-stars
Top Commit: WR Nasir Rankin, No. 178 NATL. (No. 26 WR)
National Class Ranking: No. 24
Coupled with some lofty preseason expectations on the field, the Illini are quietly putting together one of their better classes in recent memory. Rankin, a Chicago native, is one of eight in-state commits in the mix. He’s one of four blue-chippers committed to the Illini, alongside IOL Kai Pritchard, CB Nick Hankins and ATH Cam Thomas. Florida is also well-represented in the class, as five Sunshine State prospects have pledged to Bret Bielema and Co.
9. Minnesota — 87.755
24 total commits
0 five-stars | 4 four-stars | 20 three-stars
Top Commit: ATH Roman Voss, No. 243 NATL. (No. 9 ATH)
National Class Ranking: No. 30
Minnesota is once again set to keep the top-ranked player in the state home. Voss chose the Gophers over Alabama on June 23. He’s one of three in-state blue-chip commits in the class, alongside OT Andrew Trout and DL Howie Johnson. Head coach P.J. Fleck and Co. have also gone South for some big recruiting wins this cycle. Texas RB Ryan Estrada pledged last month, while Nashville CB Justin Hopkins joined the fold back in February.
10. Indiana — 87.642
22 total commits
0 five-stars | 4 four-stars | 18 three-stars
Top Commit: DL Gabe Hill, No. 245 NATL. (No. 26 DL)
National Class Ranking: No. 32
Coming off their College Football Playoff appearance last year, the Hoosiers are reaping some rewards in the recruiting department. Their current class ranks 21 spots ahead of the 2025 pace, led by a quartet of four-star prospects. Hill, Cameron McHaney and Ronelle Johnson form a fearsome group up front, and they’re joined by four-star Kevontay Hugan, Rivals 300 linebacker Henry Ohlinger, and Rivals four-star cornerback Kasmir Hicks.
11. Iowa — 87.631
12. Michigan State — 87.553
13. Rutgers — 87.450
14. Wisconsin — 87.017
15. Maryland — 86.506
16. Purdue — 86.018
17. Nebraska — 85.719
18. Northwestern — 85.638
Category: General Sports
