Breaking Down The 2021 Big Ten Recruiting Classes, & Where U-M's Stacks Up
The Michigan Wolverines' 2021 football recruiting class has skyrocketed all the way to No. 6 in the country following the commitment of Detroit Cass Tech four-star center Raheem Anderson yesterday, with five of the Maize and Blue's eight pledges ranking inside the top 140 nationally.
Though it's still relatively early in the 2021 recruiting cycle, classes around the Big Ten are beginning to take shape and separate themselves from one another.
With that in mind, we've taken a look at the recruiting landscape around the Big Ten as a whole below, and have compared how Michigan's hot start stacks up against its league opponents.
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*Note: The number directly to the left of each Big Ten school's name is its national rank
1. Ohio State
Big Ten Rank: 1st
Rivals250 Commits: 13
Class Breakdown: 15 total commits — one five-star, 12 four-stars and two three-stars
Top Commit: Pickerington (Ohio) North five-star defensive end Jack Sawyer
6. Michigan
Big Ten Rank: 2nd
Rivals250 Commits: 5
Class Breakdown: Eight total commits — five four-stars, two three-stars and one two-star
Top Commit: La Grange Park (Ill.) Nazareth Academy four-star quarterback J.J. McCarthy
10. Wisconsin
Big Ten Rank: 3rd
Rivals250 Commits: 2
Class Breakdown: Nine total commits — two four-stars and seven three-stars
Top Commit: Grafton (Wis.) High four-star offensive tackle J.P. Benzschawel
11. Rutgers
Big Ten Rank: 4th
Rivals250 Commits: 0
Class Breakdown: 11 total commits — nine three-stars and two two-stars
Top Commits: Four pledges are rated as 5.7 three-stars (the best a three-star can be rated in the Rivals.com system) — Newark (N.J.) West Side three-star linebacker Khayri Banton, Camden (N.J.) High three-star safety Alijah Clark, Hammonton (N.J.) St. Joseph three-star defensive end Keshon Griffin and Morris Plains (N.J.) Parsipanny Hills three-star athlete Jordan Thompson
13. Penn State
Big Ten Rank: 5th
Rivals250 Commits: 3
Class Breakdown: Seven total commits — four four-stars and three three-stars
Top Commit: Olney (Md.) Our Lady of Good Counsel four-star offensive tackle Landon Tengwall
14. Maryland
Big Ten Rank: 6th
Rivals250 Commits: 2
Class Breakdown: 10 total commits — two four-stars, six three-stars and two two-stars
Top Commit: Gaithersburg (Md.) Quince Orchard four-star linebacker Demeioun Robinson
16. Iowa
Big Ten Rank: 7th
Rivals250 Commits: 1
Class Breakdown: Eight total commits — two four-stars and six three-stars
Top Commit: Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Kennedy four-star offensive tackle Connor Colby
18. Minnesota
Big Ten Rank: 8th
Rivals250 Commits: 0
Class Breakdown: Seven total commits — one four-star and six three-stars
Top Commit: Goodyear (Ariz.) Desert Edge four-star safety Steven Ortiz
T-24. Indiana
Big Ten Rank: 9th
Rivals250 Commits: 0
Class Breakdown: Five total commits — one four-star and four three-stars
Top Commit: Jacksonville Robert E. Lee four-star cornerback Larry Smith
27. Nebraska
Big Ten Rank: 10th
Rivals250 Commits: 1
Class Breakdown: Four total commits — one four-star and three three-stars
Top Commit: Elkhorn (Neb.) South four-star offensive tackle Teddy Prochazka
T-34. Purdue
Big Ten Rank: 11th
Rivals250 Commits: 0
Class Breakdown: Five total commits — five three-stars
Top Commits: Two 5.6 three-stars (the second highest rating a three-star can receive in the Rivals.com system) — Brownsburg (Ind.) High three-star wide receiver Preston Terrell and Dublin (Ohio) Coffman three-star athlete Byron Threats
39. Northwestern
Big Ten Rank: 12th
Rivals250 Commits: 1
Class Breakdown: Four total commits — two four-stars and two two-stars
Top Commit: Lake Forest (Ill.) High four-star linebacker Mac Uihlein
T-51. Michigan State
Big Ten Rank: 13th
Rivals250 Commits: 0
Class Breakdown: Three total commits — three three-stars
Top Commit: Lansing East Lansing three-star offensive tackle Ethan Boyd
T-74. Illinois
Big Ten Rank: 14th
Rivals250 Commits: 0
Class Breakdown: One commit — one three-star
Top Commit: DeSoto (Tex.) High three-star quarterback Samari Collier (he is their only commit)
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