Big Ten East Stars of the Class 

Indiana 
DE Jacob Robinson, 6-3, 217 – If Indiana has to step up the defense – a constant concern – it has to step up the talent level, and it’s doing that with several good safeties and defensive linemen. Keeping Robinson close to home was the big get with the smarts and speed to become the pass rusher to star up front. He needs to bulk up and he needs to keep his quickness, but he’s an active outside force with the talent to work as a hybrid or a pure end depending on the scheme and situation. Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois were the top suitors, but Kevin Wilson was able to get him early in the process. 

Maryland
DT Adam McLean, 6-1, 293 – The Terps need to beef up the defensive front to handle the Big Ten East running games, and McLean has the potential and bulk to be the anchor and one to work everything around. The recruiting class is strong overall with a variety of nice positions coming in, and it’s McLean who’ll be the capper with great pop into the backfield like he knows the snap count before it’s coming. Strong and tough, he’s a true run stopper who can also be a disruptive force – there’s no dog in his game always going 100 miles per hour. Ohio State, Alabama, Florida State, Florida, Clemson and Notre Dame were among those on the radar, but the Terps locked him up early. 

Michigan
WR Brian Cole, 6-2, 210 – It might not be an epic class for Jim Harbaugh – for a variety of reasons – but he was able to keep the main man for the receiving corps. Ohio State, Tennessee, Nebraska, Michigan State and Wisconsin wanted him, but he’s Harbaugh’s. Very big and very fast, he looks the part with the deep speed ability to take the top off a defense and the toughness to go across the middle. It might take him a little while to be a true receiver after seeing time at defensive back and running back in high school, but he’ll be a terror once he puts it all together. 

Michigan State
RB L.J. Scott, 6-1, 227 – Michigan State hasn’t exactly become underrated when it comes to running backs, but with Le’Veon Bell and Jeremy Langford tearing it up over the last few seasons, it’s become a good place for good backs to go. The big, tough Scott was ripped away out of Ohio and away from Ohio State, Alabama, Tennessee and Auburn to be the main man for the Spartan rushing attack. Even though he’s not a blazer, he’s physical and shifty with all the tools to put up huge yards. With good hands, he can be a three down back, too. 

Ohio State
LB Justin Hilliard, 6-0, 225 – Urban Meyer got more than his share of superstar prospects again, but it’s Hilliard who could be the one who turns into the team’s heart-and-soul. He might not be the be-all-end-all talent like some of the other big-star recruits coming in, but he’s a tough-as-nails hitter who can work inside or out, getting in on every tackle and with the pop to get behind the line from time to time – he’ll be a statistical superstar who’ll lead the team in tackles at some point. Name the top program and he could’ve gone there, but he committed in the middle of last summer and didn’t waver. 

Penn State
OT Paris Palmer, 6-8, 284 – James Franklin’s phenomenal class is getting a little something for everyone with RB Saquon Barkley, DE Kamonte Carter and CB John Reid all among the key gets, but Palmer is the one for right now. If you have a potential NFL franchise quarterback in Christian Hackenberg, you have protect him, and the massive JUCO transfer is just the guy to help the cause at either tackle spot. Long enough and athletic enough for the left tackle job, he might be better suited to the right side early on. Franklin was able to pry him away from Ohio State, South Carolina, Miami, Arizona State and Baylor. 

Rutgers
DE Marques Ford, 6-4, 220 – Is he going to be an outside linebacker or a hybrid defensive end who turns into a pure pass rusher? The Scarlet Knights came up big on the defensive line with several good prospect, and it’s Ford who leads the way with his excellent quickness off the ball and closing ability. The Florida native might not look the part quite yet, but he can easily add 20 pounds of good weight and be a terror on the front four. A true national recruit, he was wanted from California to Wisconsin to Miami, and everywhere in between. 

Big Ten West Stars of the Class 

Illinois
OT Gabe Megginson, 6-5, 290 – A tremendous get for the program – Wisconsin, Michigan State and Nebraska were all in – Megginson has the ready-made size to step in and shine early on, but he also has the frame to get a little bit bigger and become a dominant tackle. He’s a pure pass protector with great athleticism, but he needs some time in the weight room and a little bit of seasoning. Once that happens, look out – he could be the anchor of the offense for three years. 

Iowa
C James Daniels, 6-4, 285 – It’s Iowa, so the offensive line is going to get its share of great prospects. The program knows how to crank out good centers, and it has a great one in Daniels, a versatile good-sized blocker who could grow into an option anywhere up front, but should be the quarterback up front with the right size and the right frame to function well in any situation. Good enough to get Alabama, Ohio State, Penn State, UCLA and Wisconsin interested, he committed early in the process and became a key get for Kirk Ferentz. 

Minnesota
S Ace Rogers, 6-1, 205 – QB Demry Croft might turn out to be the key to the class, and safety Dior Johnson was a terrific get for the future, but it’s Rogers who could make the fastest splash with great hitting ability and the speed to be all over the field against the pass – he’s more of a free safety than a strong. While he wasn’t a top-shelf prospect out of Iowa Western CC, he’s the right guy for the Gopher secondary. 

Nebraska 
CB Eric Lee, 5-11, 170 – The new coaching staff was still able to do some decent work, getting G Jalen Barnett and DT Carlos Davis as key parts to the lines, and landing Lee out of Colorado. A pure speed corner, he’s as fluid as they come and he can move with any type of receiver. With good enough size to get by, he’s a true erase-the-No. 1-guy coverman who should grow into a ball-hawker and intimidating force. He’d have been perfect for Michigan State, and Kansas State, Colorado and Arizona State wanted him, but he’ll be a star for the Huskers. 

Northwestern
DL Jordan Thompson, 6-3, 246 – Trying to find top-shelf defensive linemen are always a problem area for Northwestern – it gets production, but it doesn’t always land the top bodies for the front. While Thompson is an undersized tackle, he can play inside or out as a pass rusher no matter where he plays. The problem will always be his lack of bulk, and he might only top out at around 265 once he hits the weights, but he’s a talented pickup snagged away from Notre Dame, Michigan State and Iowa. 

Purdue
QB Elijah Sindelar, 6-4, 200 – It’s a big class for Purdue that’s all about bringing in bodies, but Sindelar was a key get out of Kentucky who committed immediately in the process. With NFL size and the mobility to be more than just a statue, he’s a runner who can make big plays designed for him. He needs to develop more as a passer, and he needs lots and lots of reps and not just be a baller, but once he figures it out and once he’s refined, he could be a terror. He blew of Ole Miss and Kentucky to Boiler Up. 

Wisconsin
RB Jordan Stevenson, 5-10, 203 – Is he the next great Badger back? Wisconsin signed on a few options, and got a few top talents for the offensive line and the secondary, but it’s Stevenson who could end up getting all of the accolades at some point with the blazing speed and patience to work perfectly in the system. He might not be a tough, pounding runner, but when he gets one cut – voom. He fits the mold, and someday he should be a statistical superstar after choosing Bucky over Alabama, Ohio State and Texas.