Big Ten Football Recruiting Rankings for 2020 and 2021 Classes

Reviewing where each conference school finished in national team rankings for the most-recent class and this upcoming cycle.

Most everyone is aware that Ohio State, in recent months, has maintained its No. 1 spot in the team rankings for the football recruiting class of 2021. The Buckeyes currently boast 18 commits and are looking to hold off national rivals Alabama, Clemson, Oregon and others moving forward.

Wildly enough, Ohio State has have never finished with the nation’s top class despite being a constant fixture in the top five across the past decade. But, before getting to the College Football Playoff or national championship game, OSU must first make its way through the Big Ten…

Below, we take a look at how all conference schools settled in 2020 (last finish) and where each is now situated in this upcoming cycle (current rank). This list is ordered by average of the two rankings, obtained from the 247Sports composite database.

OHIO STATE
Last Finish: 5
Current Rank: 1

MICHIGAN
Last Finish: 14
Current Rank: 10

WISCONSIN
Last Finish: 26
Current Rank: 17

PENN STATE
Last Finish: 15
Current Rank: 30

MARYLAND
Last Finish: 31
Current Rank: 18

IOWA
Last Finish: 35
Current Rank: 19

NEBRASKA
Last Finish: 20
Current Rank: 39

MINNESOTA
Last Finish: 38
Current Rank: 27

NORTHWESTERN
Last Finish: 47
Current Rank: 44

RUTGERS
Last Finish: 62
Current Rank: 35

PURDUE
Last Finish: 33
Current Rank: 79

MICHIGAN STATE
Last Finish: 43
Current Rank: 74

INDIANA
Last Finish: 58
Current Rank: 59

ILLINOIS
Last Finish: 88
Current Rank: 56

P.J. Fleck and Minnesota are currently 11 spots higher than last year

Takeaways: Obviously, expect these “current ranks” to somewhat change over the coming months before reaching a final resting place. Reputable programs like Penn State, Purdue and Michigan State have some work to do and likely move up a bit, while a school such as Rutgers is currently exceeding expectations.

Check back next week as we launch a new series "Behind Enemy Lines" that further profiles Big Ten opponents and common national rivals.

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