Spring games are good for a variety of things.

Besides the obvious that they give coaches a chance to evaluate young players, they can also serve a recruiting purpose. There will be no shortage of recruits attending B1G spring games, some of which could take in multiple scrimmages.

Before that unfolds, now is a good time to evaluate where each B1G class stands before a busy month in the recruiting world:

ILLINOIS

  • 247sports B1G rank — N/A
  • 247sports national rank — N/A
  • Total commitments — 0
  • Top committed recruit — None

On the horizon — Lovie Smith didn’t get off to a fast start in 2018, but he has plenty of time. Illinois hosted in-state safety and top target Greg Newsome earlier in the month. Houston Griffith, the son of former Illini star and Big Ten Network analyst Howard Griffith, attended Illinois’ junior day earlier in the month. If the Illini somehow got a commitment from the four-star cornerback, it would be Smith’s biggest pledge yet.

INDIANA

  • 247sports B1G rank — 11
  • 247sports national rank — 76
  • Total commitments — 1
  • Top committed recruit — Three-star safety Jordan Jusevitch

On the horizon — The biggest strength Tom Allen brought was his ability to recruit in Indiana. Landing a couple of top-10 in-state recruits like Bloomington South (IN) tailback Kristian Pechac and Hamilton Southeastern (IN) defensive end Madison Norris would be a nice step in that direction. The in-state recruits should start piling up once the season kicks off.

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IOWA

  • 247sports B1G rank — 9
  • 247sports national rank — 42
  • Total commitments — 3
  • Top committed recruit — Three-star outside linebacker Dillon Doyle

On the horizon — The Hawkeyes aren’t off to the start they were in 2017 after early commitments from A.J. Epenesa and Eno Benjamin (he later de-committed). Still, Iowa did just land Doyle, who’s a homegrown linebacker that ranks No. 3 among Iowa recruits. It looks like it’ll be another heated battle for the state’s top recruit. After four-star West Des Moines (Iowa) defensive end John Waggoner visited Iowa in March, he took unofficial visits to Florida, Minnesota, Notre Dame and Ohio State. Like Oliver Martin, Waggoner won’t be easy to keep in Iowa.

MARYLAND

  • 247sports B1G rank — 10
  • 247sports national rank — 74
  • Total commitments — 1
  • Top committed recruit — Three-star defensive end Durell Nchami

On the horizon — After all the late damage DJ Durkin did with his 2017 class, the 2018 class is in its infancy. The good news is that, as always, there’s no shortage of talented uncommitted DMV prospects. Maryland would get a nice early boost by getting top DMV recruits like Anthony Lytton, Austin Fontaine and PJ Mustipher to come out for the spring game on April 22.

MICHIGAN

  • 247sports B1G rank — 7
  • 247sports national rank — 25
  • Total commitments — 3
  • Top committed recruit — Four-star guard Emil Ekiyor

On the horizon — After back-to-back big classes, Michigan will likely be a bit more selective in 2018. The Wolverines already have three four-star recruits committed, including four-star Georgia recruit Otis Reese. As Tom VanHaaren outlined in this ESPN.com story, Harbaugh is making a major push in Georgia after landing Aubrey Solomon. Top Georgia recruits Myles Sims and Chris Smith could continue that pipeline. The Wolverines are also hosting Michigan’s top recruit, four-star offensive guard Marquan McCall, for the spring game.

RecruitingUpdateDantonio

MICHIGAN STATE

  • 247sports B1G rank — 6
  • 247sports national rank — 24
  • Total commitments — 4
  • Top committed recruit — Four-star tight end Trenton Gillison

On the horizon — Despite all of the turmoil in East Lansing, the Spartans only lost one 2018 pledge. Having commitments from a talented in-state quarterback and two four-star recruits is a nice start. The question is if MSU’s ongoing sexual assault investigation involving suspended recruiting coordinator Curtis Blackwell will hurt the Spartans’ 2018 class. MSU’s recruiting efforts might be on the back burner until the investigation concludes.

MINNESOTA

  • 247sports B1G rank — 5
  • 247sports national rank — 15
  • Total commitments — 7
  • Top committed recruit — Three-star defensive tackle Elijah Teague

On the horizon — As expected, P.J. Fleck hit the ground running with his 2018 class. Only two B1G teams have more commitments than the Gophers, which already have commitments from two of the top three recruits in the state. Fleck’s efforts in the Midwest will be an interesting storyline to follow. Keep in mind that Minnesota had just one top 50 recruiting class in the last eight years. Finishing at their current No. 15 ranking might not be in the cards, but early signs point to Fleck greatly improving Minnesota’s incoming talent.

NEBRASKA 

  • 247sports B1G rank — 8
  • 247sports national rank — 29
  • Total commitments — 3
  • Top committed recruit — Four-star tight end Cameron Jurgens

On the horizon — It’s always good when a coach lands a commitment from the consensus top 2018 recruit in the state before he’s even coached a game. Jurgens is rock-solid with the Huskers, as is No. 2 Nebraska recruit Masry Mapieu. As always, the question is how much damage Mike Riley can do in California. He already got a commitment from four-star receiver Eric Fuller. The big California/IMG Academy (Fla.) target is four-star defensive back Brendan Radley-Hiles, who appears to be favoring Nebraska. He’s already throwing the bones like a Blackshirt.

NORTHWESTERN

  • 247sports B1G rank — 4
  • 247sports national rank — 13
  • Total commitments — 7
  • Top committed recruit — Four-star defensive end Devin O’Rourke

On the horizon — Northwestern is rated ahead of Alabama?!?!? That’s about all you need to know about March recruiting class rankings, which are based mostly on size. While Northwestern does boast seven commitments, landing an early four-star recruit like O’Rourke was key, especially as an in-state kid. The Wildcats are set to host Illinois’ top cornerback Craig Newsome on Thursday. If Northwestern got a commitment from him, it would have pledges from three of the state’s top 10 recruits for the first time since landing Justin Jackson, Clayton Thorson and Parrker Westphal in 2014.

OHIO STATE

  • 247sports B1G rank — 3
  • 247sports national rank — 12
  • Total commitments — 4
  • Top committed recruit — Five-star safety Jaiden Woodbey

On the horizon — Maybe the best news the Buckeyes got was from four-star dual-threat quarterback pledge Emory Jones after his Alabama and Auburn visits. The Georgia native told AL.com after his visit that even if he didn’t play football, he’d still want to go to Ohio State. That’s good news for OSU, as was five-star defensive tackle Taron Vincent’s insistence that he’s down to OSU and Florida State. Not as good news for the Buckeyes was what five-star Fairfield (Ohio) offensive tackle Jackson Carman said after his Clemson visit. But hey, it’s early.

PENN STATE

  • 247sports B1G rank — 1
  • 247sports national rank — 2
  • Total commitments — 12
  • Top committed recruit — Five-star defensive end Micah Parsons

On the horizon — After sprinting out to that dominant start, Miami (FL) passed Penn State in the rankings. Fortunately, however, that wasn’t because of any de-commitments. Penn State’s next top target is four-star Philadelphia safety Isheem Young, who took an unofficial visit to PSU last month. The Lions are expected to have a big showing of fans and recruits at the spring game on April 22. Perhaps Penn State will add another top-100 recruit, which would already give the 2018 class more than the last two classes combined. As long as their top committed recruit naming his puppy after Ohio State’s mascot doesn’t mean anything, the Lions are set up for a historic class.

PURDUE

  • 247sports B1G rank — N/A
  • 247sports national rank — N/A
  • Total commitments — 0
  • Top committed recruit — None

On the horizon — The Jeff Brohm era didn’t start with a wave of 2018 commitments. As expected, Purdue’s 2018 class will develop a bit later in the recruiting cycle. The Boilermakers did just host Indianapolis cornerback Elijah Ball, and the No. 8 Indiana recruit, Madison Norris, took a visit to West Lafayette last month. It doesn’t look likely that the Boilermakers’ 2018 class will take shape until the season kicks off.

RUTGERS

  • 247sports B1G rank — N/A
  • 247sports national rank — N/A
  • Total commitments — 0
  • Top committed recruit — None

On the horizon — The NCAA Notice of Allegations Rutgers was given might have a small impact on the commitment goose egg. Chris Ash will still be able to recruit and sign some of the top New Jersey players. Rutgers hosted top-five New Jersey recruits Jahan Dotson and Dorian Hardy multiple times in 2016. What’s the good news for Rutgers? Only five of the state’s top 30 recruits are committed. Ash still has plenty of time.

WISCONSIN

  • 247sports B1G rank — 2
  • 247sports national rank — 11
  • Total commitments — 8
  • Top committed recruit — Four-star linebacker Jack Sanborn

On the horizon — Wisconsin, which prides itself on not needing top recruiting marks to succeed, has the B1G’s second-best class. The Badgers are ahead of the likes of Alabama and Ohio State in the class rankings thanks to eight early commitments. Last week, Wisconsin landed a commitment from Sanborn, a four-star Lake Zurich (Ill.) linebacker. Four-star Fairfield (Ohio) defensive end Malik Vann put the Badgers “very high” on his list after taking an unofficial visit to Madison last week. On top of that, the Badgers recently hosted No. 2 tight end Jeremy Ruckert, who has offers from basically every school in the country. That’s not a bad start for Paul Chryst.