June is now the busiest month of the recruiting calendar and rivals the weeks leading up to signing day in December. There were 117 commitments for the 2024 class in the Big Ten alone last month and today we start a weeklong series looking at the winners and losers in each Power Five conference. We start with the Big Ten:
WINNERS:
Nebraska, Rutgers, Illinois, Michigan, Purdue
First-year coach Matt Rhule led the way in the Big Ten with 15 total commitments in June and they weren’t just filler as the Huskers landed the top-two in-state players in four-star TE Carter Nelson and four-star WR Dae’Vonn Hall. If both Carter and Hall stick with Nebraska, it would be the first time the Huskers landed the top-two in-state prospects in back-to-back recruiting cycles since 2010-11. Nelson was a huge pickup as Georgia loved him and compared him to Brock Bowers.
Rutgers did not load up with four-stars but getting Long Island’s Korey Duff Jr., the lone four-star so far in the class, to pick the Scarlet Knights over North Carolina was definitely big. Illinois has had a huge June landing 12 pledges (all but three in the entire class) including two four-stars in defensive end Eddie Tuerk and athlete Tysean Griffin, two in-state prospects, but still are sitting at No. 10 in the conference team rankings.
Michigan added seven pledges during June but there’s something to be said for quality over quantity. It was an awesome month for the Wolverines getting wide receiver I’Marion Stewart, defensive tackle Owen Wafle and linebacker Jeremiah Beasley in the fold. All four three-star commits were one notch below four-star status.
Purdue was also a winner in June from the Big Ten. Ten prospects committed including two four-stars in four-star receiver Keonde Henry (a flip from Boston College) and ATH Koy Beasley, a Rivals250 member. Six of the Boilermakers’ three-star commits were ranked one notch below four-stars as well.
*****
LOSERS: Michigan State, Iowa, Wisconsin
The last team to get to 10 commitments in the conference was Michigan State and it happened late on June 30 when three-star QB Henry Hasselbeck committed. Mel Tucker just has not gotten the ball rolling this recruiting cycle as much – although there are still some big names out there that could pick the Spartans. Landing seven commitments in June still puts Michigan State lowest in the conference numbers-wise but getting four-star running back Anthony Carrie out of Tampa (Fla.) Carrollwood Day was a big win.
Iowa had five pledges in June – no four-stars – as the Hawkeyes still have just one four-star in the entire class. Across the country, programs were loading up with players and even across the Big Ten that was the case but it was a ho-hum June for the Hawkeyes, who landed commitments from two tight ends, an in-state receiver, a defensive end from Arizona and an athlete from Illinois, all three-stars.
It was not a miserable month for Wisconsin but it could have been much better. The Badgers landed seven commitments including one from four-star OL Kevin Heywood and high three-star OL Colin Cubberly could be a massive sleeper in this recruiting class but Wisconsin also lost pledges from TE Rob Booker (who flipped to UCLA) and DB Vernon Woodward, who switched to Illinois.
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HOLDING STEADY: Minnesota, Maryland, Indiana, Northwestern, Penn State, Ohio State
Minnesota loaded up with nine commitments including one from four-star OL Nathan Roy as he chose the Golden Gophers over Michigan State and UCLA. Maryland had eight pledges and got former FIU commit Larry Tarver, who has emerged as an elite prospect and is now a four-star defensive back, along with in-state Keyshawn Flowers, who could be underrated.
Indiana had eight commitments out of 12 total but the Hoosiers are still sitting last in the conference team rankings. High three-star defensive back Judah Jenkins was a nice addition there. Northwestern had seven pledges with three-star defensive back Jamir Benjamin out of West Bloomfield, Mich., as the top dog for the Wildcats.
Penn State had a nice month with two four-star pledges in DB Dejuan Lane and flipping four-star receiver Tyseer Denmark from Oregon with seven total commits. And then there is Ohio State, which could’ve ended up on the losers list with only three total pledges but landing four-stars Bryce West and Damarion Witten was huge and the Buckeyes also landed 2025 QB commit Tavien St. Clair.
