| Rk | School | # | Rivals | Scout | ESPN | 247 | Avg. | Avg. Score | Cum. Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohio State | 4 | 4.25 | 4.25 | 4.25 | 4.00 | 4.19 | 120.42 | 1470 | |
| 2 | Maryland | 4 | 4.00 | 4.00 | 4.00 | 4.00 | 4.00 | 118.09 | 1475 | |
| 3 | Illinois | 3 | 3.67 | 3.67 | 3.67 | 3.67 | 3.67 | 92.50 | 1045 | |
| 4 | Northwestern | 4 | 3.25 | 3.00 | 3.50 | 3.25 | 3.25 | 89.49 | 1240 | |
| 5 | Michigan | 4 | 3.25 | 3.25 | 3.00 | 3.00 | 3.13 | 87.04 | 1230 | |
| 6 | Purdue | 3 | 3.00 | 2.67 | 3.33 | 3.00 | 3.00 | 72.86 | 910 | |
| 7 | Rutgers | 2 | 3.00 | 2.50 | 3.00 | 3.50 | 3.00 | 59.33 | 605 | |
| 8 | Indiana | 1 | 4.00 | 4.00 | 4.00 | 4.00 | 4.00 | 59.25 | 370 | |
| 9 | Michigan St. | 1 | 4.00 | 3.00 | 4.00 | 4.00 | 3.75 | 55.04 | 355 | |
| 10 | Iowa | 2 | 3.00 | 3.00 | 2.50 | 3.00 | 2.88 | 53.28 | 555 | |
| 11 | Penn State | 2 | 2.50 | 3.00 | 2.50 | 2.50 | 2.63 | 49.53 | 540 | |
| 12 | Nebraska | 1 | 3.00 | 3.00 | 3.00 | 3.00 | 3.00 | 44.38 | 320 | |
| 13 | Wisconsin | 1 | 3.00 | 3.00 | 3.00 | 3.00 | 3.00 | 43.68 | 315 | |
| 14 | Minnesota | 1 | 3.00 | 3.00 | 2.00 | 3.00 | 2.75 | 37.18 | 280 |
Class of 2014 recruiting swung into full gear recently with the early signing period less than a month away. There are still plenty of high profile recruits that might sign during the early signing period but it felt like a good time to update the 2014 class rankings and see how things are shaking out. There have been 20 Big Ten commitments or decommitments since we last updated the rankings in June. Ohio State and Big Ten newcomer Maryland have emerged at the top of the pack with a host of quality prospects but Illinois., Northwestern and Michigan have reeled in quality classes as well.
After the jump we review all of the action since the last update, the top ten incoming prospects in the conference and go team-by-team to examine every recruiting class.
Action since last update:
- Jun 6, 2013 – Maryland adds commitment from Jared Nickens
- Jun 15, 2013 – Penn State adds commitment from Shep Garner
- Jun 20, 2013 – Rutgers adds commitment from D.J. Foreman
- Jul 4, 2013 – Northwestern adds commitment from Victor Law
- Jul 8, 2013 – Rutgers adds commitment from Mike Williams
- Jul 29, 2013 – Northwestern adds commitment from Gavin Skelly
- Aug 8, 2013 – James Blackmon Jr. decommits from Indiana
- Aug 12, 2013 – Nebraska adds commitment from Jacob Hammond
- Aug 22, 2013 – Maryland adds commitment from Trayvon Reed.
- Sep 1, 2013 – Illinois adds commitment from Leron Black
- Sep 9, 2013 – Northwestern adds commitment from Bryant McIntosh
- Sep 12, 2013 – Illinois adds commitment from Quentin Snider
- Sep 14, 2013 – Purdue adds commitment from Vincent Edwards
- Sep 20, 2013 – Indiana adds commitment from Robert Johnson
- Sep 22, 2013 – Northwestern adds commitment from Scott Lindsey
- Sep 24, 2013 – Iowa adds commitment from Brady Ellingson
- Sep 26, 2013 – Michigan State adds commitment from Lourawls Nairn
- Sep 30, 2013 – Minnesota adds commitment from Josh Martin
- Sep 30, 2013 – Purdue adds commitment from Jacquil Taylor
- Oct 1, 2013 – Michigan adds commitment from Kameron Chatman
- Oct 6, 2013 – Michigan adds commitment from D.J. Wilson
- Oct 11, 2013 – Iowa adds commitment from Dominique Uhl
Cream of the Crop
We ranked the top ten (12 with a three-way tie at No. 10) incoming prospects in the conference by their average weighted score.
| Rk | Name | Team | Position | Rivals | Scout | ESPN | 247 | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-1 | D’Angelo Russell | Ohio State | SG | 21 | 17 | 12 | 30 | 98.75 |
| T-1 | Keita Bates-Diop | Ohio State | SF | 24 | 20 | 22 | 49 | 98.75 |
| T-3 | Kameron Chatman | Michigan | SF | 29 | 23 | 49 | 36 | 95 |
| T-3 | Romelo Trimble | Maryland | PG | 36 | 33 | 37 | 35 | 95 |
| T-3 | Leron Black | Illinois | PF | 41 | 46 | 41 | 37 | 95 |
| T-6 | Quentin Snider | Illinois | PG | 31 | 31 | 35 | 51 | 93.75 |
| T-6 | Dion Wiley | Maryland | SG | 49 | 28 | 48 | 58 | 93.75 |
| 8 | Robert Johnson | Indiana | SG | 42 | 54 | 44 | 53 | 92.5 |
| 9 | Jae’Sean Tate | Ohio State | SF | 75 | 53 | 25 | 75 | 91.25 |
| T-10 | Victor Law | Northwestern | SF | 86 | 70 | 66 | 79 | 90 |
| T-10 | Trayvon Reed | Maryland | C | 96 | 86 | 69 | 68 | 90 |
| T-10 | Jared Nickens | Maryland | SF | 93 | 90 | SG #20 | 107 | 90 |
Ohio State has the two top rated recruits headed to the conference but Maryland checks in with an impressive four of the top 12 – all consensus four-star recruits. Recent Wolverine commitment Kameron Chatman checks in at No. 3 for Michigan, beating out Romelo Trimble and Leron Black due to a slightly higher average rank. Illinois has two prospects on the list while Indiana and Northwestern each notch one prospect in the top group.
Ohio State
| Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN | 247 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keita Bates-Diop | SF | IL | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | ||
| David Bell | C | OH | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | ||
| D’Angelo Russell | SG | KY | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | ||
| Jae’Sean Tate | SF | OH | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
D’Angelo Russell adds a 5th star from Rivals.
Maryland
| Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN | 247 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jared Nickens | SF | NJ | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | ||
| Trayvon Reed | C | GA | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | ||
| Romelo Trimble | PG | VA | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | ||
| Dion Wiley | SG | MD | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Maryland adds consensus 4-star 7-foot-1 center Trayvon Reed. Jared Nickens gets a 4th star from 247.
Illinois
| Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN | 247 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leron Black | PF | TN | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | ||
| Michael Finke | PF | IL | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | ||
| Quentin Snider | PG | KY | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Illinois gets commitments from two consensus 4-stars in Leron Black and Quentin Snider. Michael Finke loses his 4th star from ESPN.
Northwestern
| Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN | 247 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor Law | SF | IL | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | ||
| Scott Lindsey | SG | IL | 3 | NR | 3 | 3 | ||
| Bryant McIntosh | PG/SG | IN | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | ||
| Gavin Skelly | PF | OH | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Chris Collins is off to a fast start as the new headman at Northwestern garnering verbal commits from 4 prospects across the Midwest including a consensus four-star in Victor Law.
Michigan
| Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN | 247 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kameron Chatman | SF | OR | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | ||
| Ricky Doyle | PF/C | FL | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | ||
| Austin Hatch | SG/SF | IN | 3 | 3 | 1 | NR | ||
| DJ Wilson | SF | CA | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Consensus 4-star Kameron Chatman and under the radar DJ WIlson commit to Michigan. Ricky Doyle gets a 3-star ranking from Rivals and 4-star ranking from ESPN. Austin Hatch drops to a 1-star on ESPN.
Purdue
| Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN | 247 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vincent Edwards | SF | OH | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | ||
| Dakota Mathias | SG | OH | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | ||
| Jacquil Taylor | PF | MA | 3 | NR | 3 | 3 |
One-time Michigan target Vince Edwards and Jacquil Taylor commit to the Boilers.
Rutgers
| Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN | 247 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D.J. Foreman | PF | NY | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | ||
| Mike Williams | SG | NY | 3 | NR | 3 | 3 |
Rutgers dips into the local talent pool again to add Brooklyn prospect Mike Williams. D.J. Foreman drops to a 3-star on ESPN.
Indiana
| Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN | 247 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Johnson | SG | VA | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Indiana loses a SG commit in James Blackmon Jr but add another from consensus 4-star Robert Johnson.
Michigan State
| Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN | 247 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lourawls Nairn | PG | KS | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
With the graduation of Keith Appling coming this year, Michigan State gets their PG of the future in Lourawls “Tum Tum” Nairn.
Iowa
| Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN | 247 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brady Ellingson | SG | WI | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | ||
| Dominique Uhl | PF | NJ | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Iowa gets a couple verbal commitments from 3-star recruits Brady Ellingson and Dominique Uhl.
Penn State
| Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN | 247 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shep Garner | PG/SG | PA | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | ||
| Isaiah Washington | SG | PA | NR | 3 | 2 | NR |
No changes for Penn State.
Nebraska
| Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN | 247 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacob Hammond | PF/C | OK | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Nebraska adds some size to their front line with the commitment of Jacob Hammond.
Wisconsin
| Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN | 247 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethan Happ | SF | IL | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Ethan Happ adds a 3rd star from Scout and loses his 4th star from ESPN.
Minnesota
| Name | Position | State | Rivals | Scout | ESPN | 247 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josh Martin | PF | WA | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
Josh Martin is Minnesota’s first commit in 2014.
Ranking Explanations
Every player is given a normalized score on a 100 point scale for each of the three major scouting services. That score breaks down like this:
| Player Score | |
|---|---|
| 100 = | 5* Player |
| 95 = | 4* and top 50 player |
| 90 = | 4* player not in top 50 |
| 85 = | Top 150 player or top 30 at position |
| 80 = | Top 40 at position |
| 75 = | Top 50 at position or 3* player unranked at his position |
| 70 = | Top 75 at position |
| 65 = | Top 100 at position or 2* player unranked at his position |
| 60 = | Top 300 player or 1* player unranked at his position |
| 50 = | Player who has no star rating or position ranking |
That much is relatively simple. Those scores are combined into two cumulative metrics: Class Average Score and Class Cumulative Score.
- Class Average Score: Average normalized scores by service multiplied by the square root of the number of commitments/3.25 (13 total scholarships over 4 years) as well as our additional factor the square root of average ranking over 3.
- Class Cumulative Score: Sum of all normalized score for all recruits based on all services
The system is far from perfect but we favor the current system to generate some sort of consistent, objective basis for comparing classes.
Special thanks to Trent Montemayor for compiling all of the data. Note: Ohio State tops Maryland despite a lower cumulative score because the average ranking is adjusted for the average star rating.
