Looking back at every B1G team's top recruit in last five years
With National Signing Day upon us, I thought it’d be fitting to re-examine the previous five years in B1G recruiting. It’s always interesting to look back at the guys who lived up to the hype, and the situations that maybe didn’t work out so well.
Here’s a look at each B1G team’s top recruit from 2011-15, according to the 247sports composite rankings:
ILLINOIS
Top recruit: Four-star dual-threat QB Aaron Bailey
Class: 2013
National ranking: 164
Position ranking: 3
How it worked out: It didn’t. Bailey saw the writing on the wall at Illinois. Bill Cubit came in and ran a more pro-style offense with Oklahoma State transfer Wes Lunt and Reilly O’Toole, both of whom were ahead of him on the depth chart. Bailey transferred to Northern Iowa after his second year in Champaign after playing sparingly in relief for the injured Lunt.
INDIANA
Top recruit: Four-star lineman Darius Latham
Class: 2013
National ranking: 224
Position ranking: 16
How it worked out: The Indianapolis product was a Wisconsin flip who proved to be one of IU’s few defensive standouts in recent memory. The athletic defensive tackle proved his worth this year by earning All-B1G honorable mention honors after recording 10 tackles for loss, four sacks, two blocked kicks and an interception. He did serve two suspensions in 2015. But with Latham off to the NFL early, he’ll be one of the tougher pieces to replace in the B1G.
IOWA
Top recruit: Four-star OG Jordan Walsh
Class: 2011
National ranking: 138
Position ranking: 5
How it worked out: Walsh certainly lived up to the billing. A three-year starter, he saved his best for last. He earned first-team All-B1G honors after plowing the way for Iowa’s unbeaten regular season. Iowa averaged 181 yards on the ground and had three different tailbacks record games of 195 yards or more. The Hawkeyes’ path to Pasadena was cleared thanks in large part to Walsh and the Iowa offensive line.
MARYLAND
Top recruit: Five-star WR Stefon Diggs
Class: 2012
National ranking: 8
Position ranking: 2
How it worked out: The versatile Diggs was Maryland’s highest-rated recruit in program history. He showed flashes of living up to those high expectations, but mostly as a true freshman. Injuries prevented him from reaching to his enormous potential, but he did earn second-team All-B1G honors as a junior before departing for the NFL. Diggs became the first player in NFL history to start his career with four games of at least 87 receiving yards and he earned All-Rookie honors.
MICHIGAN STATE
Top recruit: Five-star DT Malik McDowell
Class: 2014
National ranking: 32
Position ranking: 3
How it worked out: Arguably the biggest recruiting victory in the Mark Dantonio era — he chose MSU over Michigan and Ohio State — has paid dividends so far. Fittingly, McDowell was one of the critical pieces that led MSU past Michigan and Ohio State to the College Football Playoff this year. The All-B1G selection could be a preseason All-American in his third season in East Lansing. So yeah, it’s working out pretty well.
MICHIGAN
Top recruit: Five-star ATH Jabrill Peppers
Class: 2014
National ranking: 3
Position ranking: 1
How it worked out: Perhaps the most underrated recruiting job of Jim Harbaugh’s tenure in Ann Arbor was keeping Peppers after Brady Hoke was fired. Hoke’s prized recruit’s highly anticipated freshman season was put on hold when he was hurt in non-conference play and he elected to redshirt. In his second season, Peppers lived up to the Charles Woodson comparisons and earned first-team All-B1G honors. He could easily wind up as a Heisman Trophy candidate next year, especially if he emerges even more on the offensive side.
MINNESOTA
Top recruit: Four-star RB Jeff Jones
Class: 2014
National ranking: 60
Position ranking: 9
How it worked out: Unfortunately it never worked out for Jones at his home-state school. He had issues academically and he couldn’t settle into a position on the field, either. After redshirting as a freshman, Jones only played in three games in 2015 and announced his plans to transfer to Iowa Western Community College at season’s end. Tracy Claeys did say that if Jones gets it together and earns his two-year degree that he would welcome him back to Minnesota for his final two years of eligibility.
NEBRASKA
Top recruit: Four-star RB Aaron Green
Class: 2011
National ranking: 31
Position ranking: 5
How it worked out: Green probably wouldn’t have committed to Nebraska had he known the player classmate Ameer Abdullah would become. Instead of splitting carries with Abdullah and Rex Burkhead as a sophomore, Green transferred to TCU after one season in Lincoln. He eventually found a home with the Horned Frogs, and he produced the seventh-highest single-season rushing total in program history as a senior in 2015. Green became one of the better running backs in the country, though he likely wouldn’t have been a feature back in Lincoln until 2015.
NORTHWESTERN
Top recruit: Ifeadi Odenigbo
Class: 2012
National ranking: 65
Position ranking: 4
How it worked out: Northwestern’s first ever top-100 recruit was still raw coming out of high school. The athleticism is there, but he still hasn’t shown that he can be anything more than a pass-rushing specialist. Odenigbo has 13.5 career tackles for loss, 12.5 of which were sacks. His 2015 start was a main reason why the Wildcats took the college football world by storm, but he faded down the stretch. Odenigbo will be relied on to do be a steady presence with the loss of Deonte Gibson and Dean Lowry.
OHIO STATE
Top recruit: Five-star DE Noah Spence
Class: 2012
National ranking: 5
Position ranking: 1
How it worked out: The story of Spence has been well-documented. The consensus five-star recruit was ruled ineligible after multiple failed drug tests. After two seasons in Columbus — the second of which he recorded eight sacks — Spence was ineligible for the 2014 season, which led to him transferring to Eastern Kentucky in 2015. His turnaround was one of the better stories of the college football season. The co-Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year impressed at the Senior Bowl and could be one of the more intriguing prospects in the upcoming NFL draft. Still, Buckeye fans will always wonder what could’ve been with Spence and Joey Bosa rushing off the edges.
PENN STATE
Top recruit: Five-star QB Christian Hackenberg
Class: 2013
National ranking: 13
Position ranking: 2
How it worked out: What ever happened to that Hackenberg guy? In case you haven’t consumed Penn State football in three years, here’s a brief rundown. He broke 11 freshman records in his first season under Bill O’Brien and was tabbed as a possible future No. 1 overall pick. But he never gelled with James Franklin and neither of his two seasons in State College lived up to the high bar he set as a true freshman. But Hackenberg still passed for 8,457 yards and 48 touchdowns, he started every game at Penn State, and he helped keep the 2013 recruiting class together in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. A bust, he was not.
PURDUE
Top recruit: Four-star DE Ryan Watson
Class: 2012
National ranking: 196
Position ranking: 8
How it worked out: Watson didn’t develop into the run-stopping force Purdue hoped he would be. He led the team with four sacks in 2014, but he didn’t earn a spot as a regular starter until his senior year. Jake Replogle was far more productive at the position, recording 14 tackles for loss compared to Watson’s two. Watson did block a pair of kicks, too. Unfortunately, he never became an All-B1G lineman that Purdue could’ve used during a rough three-year stretch.
RUTGERS
Top recruit: Five-star DE Darius Hamilton
Class: 2012
National ranking: 23
Position ranking: 2
How it worked out: Hamilton turned down Miami (FL) to join his home-state team after a decorated high school career. The second-highest rated recruit in program history was a leader on the defensive line as a sophomore and junior, which made him a preseason All-B1G pick in 2015. But a knee injury led to a medical redshirt senior season. Assuming he’s healthy, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if Hamilton returned to form and earned All-B1G honors in his fifth year in Piscataway.
WISCONSIN
Top recruit: Four-star OG Dan Voltz
Class: 2012
National ranking: 100
Position ranking: 8
How it worked out: The Barrington, Illinois native has been a critical force of some dominant Badger offenses. As a redshirt freshman, he started six games at center for a group that set a school record with 480.6 yards per game. Voltz followed that up in 2014 by helping Melvin Gordon run for the second-most yards (2,587) in FBS history. In 2015, his absence was felt by a young offensive line when he was lost for the year against Illinois. Entering 2016, Voltz will be arguably the B1G’s top center. It’s safe to say he lived up to his highly touted status as a recruit.
