Introducing the 2018 Big Ten recruiting class rankings

As we begin the 2017 college football season, new faces will try and make a name for themselves and help make an immediate impact for their teams. With four teams ranked in the preseason top ten, all of which are legitimate contenders to compete for the National Championship, the Big Ten is poised to be one of the strongest conferences in the nation again this year.

One of these teams, the Michigan Wolverines, returns just five starters from a year ago, yet are highly ranked to begin the season and considered a dark horse by some to win the Big Ten. This is due in large part to the job head coach Jim Harbaugh has done recruiting; many freshmen are expected to contribute in big ways for the Wolverines.

As the college football season starts getting into the thick of things, it is never too early to start thinking of next year and the impact the class of 2018 will have on not only the Big Ten, but college football as a whole.

Here are the Armchair All-Americans Big Ten rankings for the class of 2018:

1. Penn State Nittany Lions

The Nittany Lions took the college world by storm in 2016, winning the Big Ten in a highly competitive conference. This year, Penn State are picked by many to win the conference again, this time making the College Football Playoff.

The Nittany Lions have one of the bigger 2018 classes in the conference and also the country. Coming off a year where the program signed no five-star players, Penn State will welcome one in 2018 in wide receiver Justin Shorter. The Nittany Lions are making their mark in 2018 with 12 four-stars and 10 three-stars already committed, according to 247 Sports.

Senior season coming soon😤⏳⚪️⚫️ pic.twitter.com/a8VUdrlzZr

— Justin Shorter (@JustinShorter15) August 3, 2017

2. Ohio State Buckeyes

The Buckeyes have been at the top of the conference for years and are one of the country’s few programs with national prominence. Two College Football Playoff appearances and one National Championship since the NCAA went to a four-team playoff are due to Urban Meyer’s ability to bring in big-time talent.

While the amount of prospects coming into Columbus in 2018 is significantly lower than Penn State, the Buckeyes will bring in four five-star recruits, including the No. 13 overall prospect in the country in Taron Vincent.

3. Maryland Terrapins

No one seems to be paying attention to the Terrapins in the Big Ten lately, and deservedly so considering their lack of threat in the league the past several years. However Maryland is beginning to gain traction on the recruiting scene and will welcome 20 new recruits in 2018, ranging from the three to five-star range. The most critical part of the Terps’ 2018 class is that all three of their four-star commits are in-state targets, including the No. 4 overall prospect in Maryland, defensive tackle Austin Fontaine.

This will be the second year in a row the Terrapins have assembled a strong Big 10 recruiting class. In 2017, Maryland ranked No. 4 in the conference, according to 247 Sports.

4. Michigan Wolverines

It is never smart to rule out Jim Harbaugh. By this time next year, there is a good chance the Wolverines’ ranking will be higher, if they aren’t leading the conference. Due to the high volume of recent recruits coming in on scholarship, the priority to get a big class in 2018 is not there, yet up to this point Harbaugh has done a good job of honing in on the “quality over quantity” concept.

An interesting caveat of the Wolverines’ list thus far is that of their five top prospects, none are from the state of Michigan. The Wolverines do have three four-star in-state targets coming in 2018, but the big names are offensive lineman Emil Ekiyor, the No. 1 prospect in the state of Indiana, and linebacker Cameron McGrone, who is the No. 2 player in Indiana behind Ekiyor.

5. Wisconsin Badgers

The interesting thing with the Badgers every year is that they never seem to sign a great recruiting class, yet they are very good year in and year out. That has been the pride of the Badgers for a long time, and if you look at some of the greats to come out of Wisconsin lately- J.J. Watt, Jared Abbrederis, Alex Erickson- all were walk-ons.

Head coach Paul Chryst has already established a solid 2018 class, including many recruits from around the midwest and five from the state of Michigan alone. Imagine what the Badgers can do with a really good class.

6. Minnesota Golden Gophers

Ah, yes- the P.J. Fleck effect is already starting to making waves in the Big Ten. Fleck took the job at Minnesota this past offseason after leading Western Michigan to a near undefeated season before falling to Wisconsin in a close battle in the Cotton Bowl.

Fleck’s presence will make Minnesota an attractive spot for recruits and he is already starting to land a high volume of quality talent. It won’t be for long until Fleck lands a four or five-star player and really gets Minnesota in the national spotlight.

7. Michigan State Spartans

The Spartans will enter 2018 with much-needed help at skill positions, as 2016 was nowhere near what they expected it to be after starting the season ranked in the top ten. This season, the Spartans will likely be somewhat improved after bringing in a middle-of-the-pack class in 2017, but these young guys will need a couple of years to mesh before Michigan State competes for another conference title.

The Spartans will welcome in another middle-tier class in ’18, but with all this talent, it should not be long before the team chemistry starts to rise.

8. Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Coming in at No. 8, the Scarlet Knights will enjoy this ranking more than any of their finishes since joining the Big Ten. Good things are ahead for Rutgers, as 2018 already bodes 20 total commits, 19 of which are three-star talents.

Any move up is a move in the right direction for the Scarlet Knights, who are coming off a winless season in 2016 in the conference. Wide receivers Zihir Lacewell and and EJ Turner are poised to contribute right away to the up-and-coming Scarlet Knights offense.

9. Nebraska Cornhuskers

Quantity is not something that is on the Huskers’ side entering 2018, with just ten prospects on the board at this time. Quality, however, is going well for Nebraska, as six of the ten players committed to Mike Riley are four-star players.

Another team that will likely climb in the rankings as we inch closer to National Signing Day, it won’t take long before newly-acquired coach Riley gets comfortable and establishes some consistency in Lincoln.

10. Northwestern Wildcats

Helping head coach Pat Fitzgerald and the Northwestern Wildcats are their much-needed renovations and upgrades to their athletic facilities.

Case and point:

Are you kidding me with this view? These new Northwestern facilities were done right: pic.twitter.com/7x0JGtM3VK

— Alex Roux (@arouxBTN) August 23, 2017

The Wildcats currently have 20 verbal commits for 2018, including four-star defensive end Devin O’Rourke. Ranked No. 2 in the state of Illinois overall, O’Rourke could be the start of something big if Fitzgerald can land a few more big pieces on the defensive side of the ball.

11. Indiana Hoosiers

It was a really close decision on whether to bestow this rank to Northwestern or Indiana. Both the Wildcats and Hoosiers post similar numbers entering 2018. A total of 20 recruits sit for each team, with one four-star talent on each board.

The Hoosiers have a history of getting real solid talent on the offensive side of the ball and 2018 is no different with the recent commitment of running back Ronnie Walker. Just like the ‘Cats, if the Hoosiers can bulk up on defense, Indiana could be relevant for years to come.

12. Purdue Boilermakers

The Boilermakers are the first of two teams that are in dire need of a marquee commitment. Purdue will not rise in the Big 10 if they cannot improve the job they are doing in recruiting.

One of the biggest challenges for the Boilermakers is competing for in-state talent against the likes of Notre Dame and Indiana. The program was able to secure the No. 12 overall prospect in the state in defensive tackle Branson Deen. Purdue was dead last in 2017 in the Big Ten for recruiting and are hoping to land a few big names to push them up in the conference.

13. Illinois Fighting Illini

The Illini secured a big get in defensive tackle Calvin Avery. With an experienced coach like Lovie Smith running the show, the potential to grab highly recruited players is slowly becoming a reality.

Illinois will be entering 2017 with 27 new faces, or freshman that is, and there is no doubt that there will be some growing pains moving forward. A few four-star athletes in 2018 would greatly complement the wave of young guys Smith and company are working with.

14. Iowa Hawkeyes

It would be nice to think the Hawkeyes are far from done with their 2018 noise, especially after having a nice 2017 class with one five and two four-star names. But the 2018 cycle is off to a slow start as the Hawkeyes rank last in the conference in total recruits committed.

If the Hawkeyes can find a way to replicate the 2017 class and show some consistency over the next couple of years, the big wins we saw in ’16 could become a regular occurrence.

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