The early signing period has come and gone and the Ohio State football program put together another fantastic class, what almost all recruiting services have as the top-rated class in the Big Ten.
But the Buckeyes weren’t the only Big Ten program to bring in some really good prospects. Oregon had a very fine day, as did Penn State, and Michigan to a lesser degree. However, each class has its crown jewel that you can build around, and while not all of them pan out, the central piece of each recruiting class can really make or break the future of a program at certain positions.
Not all recruiting classes are created equal, but it’s worth taking a look at each conference program’s top rated recruit is according to the 247Sports Composite rankings to follow careers from here through their amateur careers.
Here’s a look at all eighteen Big Ten programs and the guy rated as the best in their 2024 recruiting class after the end of the early signing period. We’ll start from the last rated class to the best.
Northwestern Wildcats
No. 7 is a bit of a surprise!
Qayvier Johnson took an official visit to Northwestern in December but hadn't announced anything publicly.
NU's class now projected to be 15 https://t.co/8TIwsL5Ljh
— Matthew Shelton (@M_Shelton33) December 20, 2023
Patrick Schaller
Recruiting Bio
Position | Tight End
Hight/Weight | 6-foot, 5-inches/ 210 pounds
Hometown | Northbrook, Illinois (Glenbrook North)
247Sports Composite Rankings | No. 47 tight end, 920th overall
UCLA Bruins
Committed @UCLAFootball 🐻💙💛 pic.twitter.com/HEJ1DCVFV3
— marquise thorpe-taylor (@ThorpeMarquise) May 20, 2023
Marquise Thorpe-Taylor
Recruiting Bio
Position | Offensive Tackle
Hight/Weight | 6-foot, 5-inches, 315 pounds
Hometown | Tacoma, Washington (Mount Tahoma)
247Sports Composite Rankings | No. 41 OT, 529th overall
Indiana Hoosiers
Welcome to Indiana, Tyler Cherry ‼️#IUFB | @_tylercherry pic.twitter.com/PX0HIUqZob
— Indiana Football (@IndianaFootball) December 20, 2023
Tyler Cherry
Recruiting Bio
Position | Quarterback
Hight/Weight | 6-foot, 5-inches, 205 pounds
Hometown | Greenwood, Indiana (Center Grove)
247Sports Composite Rankings | No. 17 QB, 263rd overall
Michigan State Spartans
Detroit's finest! 🏙️@NickMarsh_11 x #GoGreen pic.twitter.com/MCkzx4AXRz
— Michigan State Football (@MSU_Football) December 20, 2023
Nick Marsh
Recruiting Bio
Position | Wide Receiver
Hight/Weight | 6-foot, 3-inches, 200 pounds
Hometown | River Rouge, Michigan (River Rouge)
247Sports Composite Rankings | No. 20 WR, 115th overall
Illinois Fighting Illini
The physicality up front just went up a notch. @andrewdennis_08 // #Illini // #HTTO // #famILLy pic.twitter.com/7R6NJs3H3F
— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) December 20, 2023
Andrew Dennis
Recruiting Bio
Position | Offensive Line
Hight/Weight | 6-foot, 5-inches, 275 pounds
Hometown | Mount Pleasant, Michigan (Mt. Pleasant)
247Sports Composite Rankings | No. 14 IOL, 271st overall
Maryland Terrapins
Wrote plays in his own book
Shakera Jordan and Brandon Jacob Sr. tell you about their son, Brandon Jr. pic.twitter.com/oTWTfyFaxU
— Maryland Football (@TerpsFootball) December 20, 2023
Brandon Jacob
Recruiting Bio
Position | Safety
Hight/Weight | 6-foot, 2-inches, 170 pounds
Hometown | Orlando, Florida (Evans)
247Sports Composite Rankings | No. 27 S, 262nd overall
Minnesota Golden Gophers
Safety Koi Perich spurns #OhioState and signs with #Minnesota.https://t.co/Fq9DITyTn5 pic.twitter.com/I7yE9L954g
— Bucknuts (@Bucknuts247) December 20, 2023
Koi Perich
Recruiting Bio
Position | Safety
Hight/Weight | 6-foot, 1-inch, 195 pounds
Hometown | Esko, Minnesota (Lincoln Secondary)
247Sports Composite Rankings | No. 10 S, 114th overall
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Rutgers nationally-ranked 4-star commit Antonio White @TonioWhite2 is officially a Scarlet Knight
Story here: https://t.co/NE5PQB8UId pic.twitter.com/BKJtjM9LBr— ScarletNation.com (@RUscarletnation) December 20, 2023
Antonio White
Recruiting Bio
Position | Wide Receiver
Hight/Weight | 6-foot, 2-inches, 170 pounds
Hometown | Lilburn, Georgia (Parkview)
247Sports Composite Rankings | No. 40 S, 384th overall
Washington Huskies
Dream come true🙏🏾 https://t.co/TOEAcdxwm5
— Noah Carter (@3noahcarter) December 21, 2023
Noah Carter
Recruiting Bio
Position | Edge
Hight/Weight | 6-foot, 3-inches, 225 pounds
Hometown | Peoria, Arizona (Centennial)
247Sports Composite Rankings | No. 23 EDGE, 264th overall
Iowa Hawkeyes
The best in Iowa play at Iowa.@DerekWeisskopf x #Swarm24 pic.twitter.com/pAU5QiA4ll
— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) December 20, 2023
Derek Weisskopf
Recruiting Bio
Position | Linebacker
Hight/Weight | 6-foot, 3-inches, 200 pounds
Hometown | Williamsburg, Iowa (Williamsburg)
247Sports Composite Rankings | No. 29 LB, 344th overall
Purdue Boilermakers
Welcome aboard, Koy Beasley!https://t.co/cay1qrcQtz
— Boiler Upload (@BoilerUpload) December 20, 2023
Koy Beasley
Recruiting Bio
Position | Safety
Hight/Weight | 5-foot, 10-inches, 170 pounds
Hometown | Cincinnati, Ohio (LaSalle)
247Sports Composite Rankings | No. 11 S, 124th overall
Wisconsin Badgers
BREAKING: Four-Star DL Ernest Willor tells me he has Committed to Wisconsin!
The 6’4 255 DL from Baltimore, MD chose the Badgers over Miami & Ohio State
Willor is the highest-ranked recruit in Wisconsin’s Top 25 ‘24 Classhttps://t.co/8mtgN6AFer pic.twitter.com/dMXrFQOSRX
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) December 20, 2023
Ernest Willor Jr.
Recruiting Bio
Position | Defensive Line
Hight/Weight | 6-foot, 3-inches, 255 pounds
Hometown | Cincinnati, Ohio (LaSalle)
247Sports Composite Rankings | No. 17 DL, 116th overall
Nebraska Cornhuskers
OFFICIAL: Dylan Raiola has flipped his commitment from Georgia to Nebraska@BarstoolHusker pic.twitter.com/9Imul96Kyf
— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) December 18, 2023
Dylan Raiola
Recruiting Bio
Position | Quarterback
Hight/Weight | 6-foot, 3-inches, 230 pounds
Hometown | Buford, Georgia (Buford)
247Sports Composite Rankings | No. 2 QB, 6th overall
USC Trojans
Welcome HOME Jason ✌️@JasonZandamela pic.twitter.com/6ehjBQeLnu
— Trojan Football (@TrojanFBx) December 20, 2023
Jason Zandamela
Recruiting Bio
Position | Offensive Line
Hight/Weight | 6-foot, 3-inches, 285 pounds
Hometown | Clearwater, Florida (Clearwater Academy International)
247Sports Composite Rankings | No. 2 IOL, 100th overall
Michigan Wolverines
Guess Who Signed…. MEEEE 💛💙#Born2Play4Michigan #GoBlue @UMichFootball pic.twitter.com/SahIEMaFNU
— Jordan Marshall (@J_MARSH2024) December 20, 2023
Jordan Marshall
Recruiting Bio
Position | Running Back
Hight/Weight | 5-foot, 10-inches, 193 pounds
Hometown | Cincinnati, Ohio (Archbishop Moeller)
247Sports Composite Rankings | No. 6 RB, 83rd overall
Penn State Nittany Lions
🦁SIGNED🦁
5 ⭐️ TE Luke Reynolds
Ranked as the #1 TE in the nation, PSU saw Reynolds’ potential before nearly anyone else. Already a solid receiver and route runner, he’ll be able to develop the rest of his game behind some talented TE’s before seeing the field. #WeAre🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/ctUgIA0ltG
— Penn State Talk (@PSURecruitTalk) December 20, 2023
Luke Reynolds
Recruiting Bio
Position | Tight End
Hight/Weight | 6-foot, 4-inches, 220 pounds
Hometown | Cheshire, Connecticut (Cheshire Academy)
247Sports Composite Rankings | No. 6 TE, 74th overall
Oregon Ducks
Sco Ducks 🦆🦆🦆 pic.twitter.com/z20BcHz6Xc
— Elijah Rushing (@elijah_rushing) December 20, 2023
Elijah Rushing
Recruiting Bio
Position | Edge Rusher
Hight/Weight | 6-foot, 6-inches, 251 pounds
Hometown | Tucson, Arizona (Salpointe Catholic)
247Sports Composite Rankings | No. 4 EDGE, 37th overall
Ohio State Buckeyes
Jeremiah Smith – Fresh off a Senior campaign that saw him rewrite record books in South Florida and culminated with a State Championship, JJ and his elite skillset land in Columbus looking to add to the legacy of elite Buckeye Wide receivers of the past. Welcome to THE… pic.twitter.com/F9I6Dx3wy1
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) December 21, 2023
Jeremiah Smith
Recruiting Bio
Position | Wide Receiver
Hight/Weight | 6-foot, 3-inches, 198 pounds
Hometown | Opa Locka, Florida (Chaminade-Madonna Prep)
247Sports Composite Rankings | No. 1 WR, 1st overall
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