Ad Disclosure
Schools from all over swarm into Midwest states in search of football talent.
Sometimes schools close by — but not in the Big Ten — get involved as well.
Notre Dame (four times) and Alabama (three), both in the College Football Playoffs, dominate this list of the top 10 recruits from B1G territory who got away from the conference’s 14 football programs.
Every player on this list signed on Wednesday, the first day of the NCAA’s Early Signing Period which ended Friday. All rankings and recruiting histories are from 247Sports.
DE Antonio Alfano, Alabama (No. 28 recruit overall)
The top-rated prospect in New Jersey was a standout at Colonia High. He became an Alabama commit in May and saw his recruiting rating rise to 5-star status late this season.
DT Jowon Briggs, Virginia (No. 68)
He’s the first of two Cincinnati products on this list; in fact they were rated the city’s top two recruits. Briggs was a surprise win for the Cavaliers in recruiting, especially because so many major programs made him offers.
LB Shane Lee, Alabama (No. 70)
Maryland does not seem to have been on the radar for Lee, a standout at Baltimore St. Frances Academy. He became an Alabama commit in April and made it official this week, signing with the Crimson Tide on Wednesday.
S DeMarcco Hellams, Alabama (No. 94)
DeMatha Catholic in Hyattsville, Md., is noted for churning out a slew of top athletes, and Hellams aims to be the latest to make a name. According to 247Sports, Maryland was the first school to offer Hellams, way back in 2015, but the lure of the Crimson Tide proved too strong.
OT Quinn Carroll, Notre Dame (No. 108)
The top-rated player in Minnesota got away from the Golden Gophers. He’s from their backyard, too, starring at Minneapolis Edina Senior High. Carroll also made an official visit to Penn State but became a Notre Dame commit in May and that was that.
G Zeke Correll, Notre Dame (No. 119)
Cincinnati Anderson High produced Correll, rated the No. 4 prospect in the Buckeye State. The 4-star offensive lineman became a Fighting Irish commit in June and stuck with that decision.
DE Joseph Wete, Oklahoma (No. 175)
Washington D.C., a big part of Maryland’s recruiting base, saw Wete rise to the top of the city’s prospect list. But Oklahoma — boasting back-to-back Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks — was too tempting for Wete, who also considered Michigan and Penn State among others.
OT John Olmstead, Notre Dame (No. 180)
The Fighting Irish struck again, dipping into Metuchen, N.J. to grab one of the the top offensive line prospects in the nation. The Saint Joseph High product had offers from all over, including several Big Ten schools, but Notre Dame was in the lead for a long time and closed the deal.
G Anthony Bradford, LSU (No. 199)
The huge offensive lineman (6 feet 5, 355 pounds) had official visits to LSU and Tennessee before signing with the Tigers. He’s considered a 4-star prospect out of Muskegon, Mich.
OT Andrew Kristofic, Notre Dame (No. 229)
The offensive lineman from Pine-Richland High in Gibsonia, Pa., is rated as the top prospect in Pennsylvania. He became a Notre Dame commit in April and stuck with the Fighting Irish.
Longtime newspaper veteran Jim Tomlin is a writer and editor for saturdaytradition.com and saturdaydownsouth.com.