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Football
The Best of the Rest; Football Signing Day Around the Big Ten
By Tony GerdemanSince we’ve already talked about Ohio State and Michigan’s recruiting classes, we thought it would be a good idea to just give a brief rundown of some key notes from the rest of the Big Ten’s haul this year.
Also included are some names you might want to file away for future reference, or for future pointing and laughing as 85% of the guys I mention transfer to Division II.
(This piece is far from all-inclusive, as is everything I do.)
Illinois (21 signed)
After gaining fame in past years as a tremendous recruiter, Ron Zook seems to have lost the only magic he ever knew. And don’t just take my word for it--according to Rivals, the highest-ranked recruit signed by the Illini is four-star quarterback Chandler Whitmer (who is already enrolled). The rest of the class is comprised of two-star and three-star kids. Perhaps the sleeper of the class, however, will be linebacker Jonathan Brown. Rivals’ 24th-best linebacker in the nation, Brown was an all-state performer in Tennessee and held several SEC offers.
Indiana (25 signed)
It’s an Indiana recruiting class, so don‘t get too excited. This class is more defensively-weighted, with 15 of the 25 commits slated for defense initially. The best get is probably cornerback Andre Kates, who was a junior college All-American from Brooklyn. One kid I’m looking forward to keeping an eye on is quarterback/athlete Kofi Hughes. Rivals considers Hughes a two-star athlete, but this 6’2” 200-lb Indianapolis native would seem to be a nice fit in Bill Lynch’s offense. He passed for 1,584 yards and 19 touchdowns and rushed for 1,552 yards and 22 touchdowns last year. The Hoosiers made Kellen Lewis a star fairly quickly and maybe the same can be done with Hughes.
Iowa (21 signed)
Like Indiana, the Hawkeyes focused on defense with this class and signed 13 players on that side of the ball. Perhaps the marquee name of the class, however, is quarterback A.J. Derby. While he isn’t quite the team’s highest-ranked recruit, Kirk Ferentz couldn’t let a talented quarterback from Iowa City High School sign anywhere but Iowa. On the other side of the ball, and given the way Iowa finds defensive linemen, you might want to watch Donavan Johnson. He is a three-star kid from Texas who is already as big (6’3” 265) as a typical Hawkeye defensive tackle.
Michigan State (21 signed)
The Spartans had a fairly balanced class, signing ten kids on defense, ten on offense and a kicking specialist. Of their 21 commits, 17 of them came from Michigan or Ohio--including three from the Columbus area. The biggest--and most recognizable--name is defensive end William Gholston, who is Vernon Gholston’s cousin. And while William wants to play linebacker--and has been told he will--his size (6’7” 237) makes that ultimately seem unlikely. The key signee on the offensive side of the ball is quarterback Joe Boisture. He is a big kid (6’5” 195) who was selected to play in the Army All-American game, but had to sit out due to injury.
Minnesota (25 signed)
Despite only having two starters returning on defense in 2010, the Gophers split their signings almost down the middle, signing 13 offensive and 12 defensive players. The best get appears to be offensive lineman Jimmy Gjere. Already 6’7” 300-lbs, Gjere looks like you’d expect a Big Ten left tackle to look. The staff likes his wingspan and athleticism. The Gophers beat out Wisconsin and Tennessee for his services. Defensively, the pickings are slim, but the lone source of luminescence looks to be defensive back James Manuel (6’2” 190), who chose Minnesota over Cincinnati, Iowa and Michigan State.
Northwestern (17 signed)
Pat Fitzgerald signed a relatively small class this year, but Rivals considers all but one of the signees a three-star recruit, which is a pretty good haul for Northwestern. The most exciting prospect may be quarterback Trevor Siemian (6’3” 185), who is from Florida and owns the Orange County record with 6,133 passing yards and 53 touchdowns in his career. The Wildcats only signed about seven defensive recruits, but the one to watch may be defensive tackle Will Hampton from Texas. He’s 270+ lbs and runs a sub-5.0 forty. He chose Northwestern over Stanford, Nebraska and TCU.
Penn State (20 signed)
After signing their quarterback of the present (Kevin Newsome) last year, the Nittany Lions brought in two more top ten quarterbacks this season in Robert Bolden (6’4” 205) and Paul Jones (6’3” 223). Both are in the Darryl Clark mode (as is Newsome). One of the two should redshirt this season. Defensively, Penn State is looking to carry on its antiquated moniker as Linebacker U, and they certainly have a shot by bringing in Scout’s #1 middle linebacker Mike Hull (6’0” 220) and their #11 outside linebacker Khairi Fortt (6’2” 221).
Purdue (25 signed)
Tresselball would have approved of Danny Hope’s class. The Boilers signed thirteen defensive players, two kicking specialists and a long-snapper. Key among those defenders is defensive tackle Bruce Gaston (6’2” 315), who chose Purdue over offers from Notre Dame, Penn State, Wisconsin and Iowa. Another recruiting battle that Hope won was for wide receiver O.J. Ross (5’10” 175). Hope went into Florida and got a commitment from Ross. When LSU and Michigan came with offers later on, they were rebuffed. The Boilermakers are expecting both Gaston and Ross to be on the field this fall.
Wisconsin (24 signed)
Bret Bielema didn’t wow anybody with his class, but then Wisconsin doesn’t really wow anybody at anything ever…until after the fact, of course. Defensive tackle Beau Allen (6’3” 307) from Minnetonka, Minnesota is probably the biggest name in the class. Allen also had offers from Michigan, Notre Dame and Stanford. This being a Wisconsin class, you’d also be wise to pay attention to the running backs who have signed. The one that caught my eye is James White (5’11” 195) from St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Having seen Aquinas on television a few times, White would always stand out, and I’d find myself asking where this kid was going and whether or not he was an underclassman. He may have to sit for a year or two due to the depth, but watch our for him in the future
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