Big Ten East Division Shines on Recruiting Trail
Big Ten East coaches making waves on the recruiting trail.
If having talent equals success, the Big Ten East Division’s future is looking brighter than ever.
A few weeks back, I wrote that the conference is in a better position now than it has been for two decades.
Urban Meyer, Jim Harbaugh, Mark Dantonio and James Franklin have significantly raised the Big Ten’s credibility on and off the field.
Joining them in the East are a two bright, young defensive-minded coaches, D.J. Durkin at Maryland and Chris Ash at Rutgers, who are both part of Meyer’s coaching tree.
It is not surprising that Durkin is crushing it on the recruiting trail. He learned from the best.
The outlier is Tom Allen at Indiana who boasts a strong resume, but lacks experience as the head man. Kevin Wilson laid a solid foundation for the program. Allen should gain the benefits.
This is not to discredit the West Division which is improving too. Its depth is just weaker than the East.
The chart below reflects the changes in recruiting rankings for the teams in the Big Ten East over the last three years compared to 2013. The class rankings are averages from Rivals, Scout and 247sports.
| Team | 2013 | 2016-2018 Current | Difference |
| Ohio State | 2 | 2 | Same |
| Michigan | 4 | 9 | -5 |
| Penn State | 40 | 13 | +27 |
| Maryland | 40 | 27 | +13 |
| Michigan State | 42 | 29 | +13 |
| Rutgers | 38 | 57 | -19 |
| Indiana | 43 | 63 | -20 |
Ohio State and Michigan are dominating right now. Harbaugh’s 2018 class might not reach the same level as his first two classes, but he still has the bar set high. The 2017 NFL Draft will pay dividends for his program in the coming years.
Dantonio is typically in the middle of the road in terms of class rankings mostly relying on finding quality players that his staff can develop into great players.
He is raising his prowess though. Winning two Big Ten Championships and a Rose Bowl will do that. It will be interesting to see how last season’s nosedive and the off-the-field issues this spring impacts his program. Given his stature, I doubt he’ll see much of a dip.
With Penn State’s sanctions and scandals deep in the rearview mirror, the program is once again stable. Like Meyer, Franklin is an excellent recruiter and he has laid a solid foundation. The Nittany Lions are poised to give Michigan and Ohio State a run every year now.
Maryland is beginning to reap rewards from its construction of a $155 million new football facility. It still needs to figure out a way to drive up attendance. Durkin’s the real deal and better play should help.
Rutgers and Indiana are the laggards with classes dropping well below the 2013 class. It is too early to determine how each coach will fare on the recruiting trail.
I suspect some improvement, especially for Allen as he can promote the stadium and facility upgrades that are in process.
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He can also tout the back-to-back bowl seasons and playing competitively against Michigan and Ohio State as measures of progress.
Ash has a more talent-rich state to mine, but he must contend with Meyer, Harbaugh and Franklin who consistently raid his backyard for New Jersey’s top players.
While it is difficult to say the Big Ten East is the best division in college football, it is close. The ACC Atlantic reigns supreme, but another playoff title this year by Ohio State or Penn State would swing the pendulum back in the East’s favor.
It is funny how the Big Ten and ACC were ridiculed for years as being second-tier conferences standing in the shadow of the SEC. That is no longer the case.
Outside of Alabama, the SEC West is becoming soft. The “grind” of the conference schedule is no longer persuasive.
Last season did not end well for most of the teams in the Big Ten East. I think that was a minor blip due to inexperience. Most of the teams return a bevy of talent.
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More importantly, J.T. Barrett, Trace McSorely and Wilton Speight all return giving the top three teams a sizable advantage behind center. Coupled with the talent around them, all three teams are playoff contenders.