Ad Disclosure
5 B1G questions I have a week from the start of the Early Signing Period
Published:
I know. I’m stunned, too.
Somehow, the Early Signing Period is just a week away. We’re probably going to find that even more recruits are signing on the dotted line in December instead of February, and the vast majority of B1G recruiting classes will be locked in.
But even with each B1G class likely already looking pretty much set, there are still a few key questions worth asking with the Early Signing Period just a week away:
1. How strong will Ryan Day finish after Urban Meyer’s retirement?
It says a lot about the Ohio State brand that following the announcement of Meyer’s retirement, the Buckeyes didn’t lose a single verbal commitment. How the transition to Ryan Day impacts the short and long-term future, however, remains to be seen. Day can still close with a top-10 class, especially if Ohio State lands 5-star in-state defensive end Zach Harrison.
Day likely still has some work to do to ensure that Ohio State’s 2019 class doesn’t suffer any late changes of heart with Meyer moving on. And even with Harrison, it’s not likely that this year’s group will approach the top-3 staple that the Buckeyes usually are.
Still, there will be plenty of incoming talent in Columbus.
2. What will Scott Frost’s first full class look like?
Considering the massive roster turnover via transfer/upperclassmen we saw after Frost was hired, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that his 2019 class would be a big one. It’s at 22 and counting. Nebraska is also still trying to make a late push to land 4-star Arizona defensive back Noa Pola-Gates.
But for the most part, Frost’s class looks like it’s mostly in place and set to sign next Wednesday. Besides just overall quantity, it’s interesting that a whopping 14 states are represented in this group. And for all the talk about Frost’s connections he established at UCF, not a single verbal pledge is from Florida.
He doesn’t have a quarterback committed, either, though that’s not a big surprise given how well Adrian Martinez played as a true freshman this year. If Frost can land Pola-Gates or another 4-star recruit, Nebraska could get through the Early Signing Period with its first top-20 class since 2011.
3. Will Michigan’s late de-commitment trend continue?
Maybe losing 2 blue-chip recruits doesn’t count as a trend, but it’s at least significant. Since the calendar turned to December, Michigan lost commitments from the likes of 4-star running back Eric Gray and 5-star safety Daxton Hill, who flipped his pledge to Alabama.
Yeah, that stings, especially this late in the game. Michigan isn’t trending in the right direction heading into the Early Signing Period, just like last year. But unlike the 2018 class, the Wolverines have solid depth. They have pledges from 12 4-star recruits (they only had 7 last year) and 2 of them are ranked in the top 100 (they didn’t have any last year).
Anything can happen, but Michigan isn’t expected to lose top-100 recruits Chris Hinton or Zach Charbonnet, who hail from Georgia and California, respectively. The last thing Jim Harbaugh wants is a repeat of Otis Reese flipping to in-state Georgia on signing day last year.
Michigan, if it can avoid any more major de-commitments, will have a chance at a top-10 class.
4. Does No. 4 overall recruit Zach Harrison pick Michigan or Ohio State?
Perhaps Harrison will decide which B1G team finishes the Early Signing Period with the top-ranked class. The latest 247sports Crystal Ball still favors Michigan to land the nation’s top-ranked defensive end, but the Buckeyes could be trending in the right direction with Day in place.
Harrison is the top-ranked recruit in the state of Ohio since Ted Ginn in 2004. And for all the talent that Meyer brought to Columbus, he never landed a top-4 recruit in a given class.
This could have a Mike Weber-like feel to it, where both rival schools are battling until the last minute. It’s clear that with both teams needing to replace key pieces on the defensive line, Harrison would certainly have a path to some immediate playing time.
Getting a commitment from a recruit like Harrison would certainly ease a bit of the pain for Harbaugh after the way the season ended in Columbus.
5. Will Purdue and Wisconsin both pull off rare top-25 classes?
Don’t look now but there could be as many as THREE B1G West teams who pull off top-25 classes. Stunning, I know.
It’s at least stunning for Purdue and Wisconsin, neither of whom have had top-25 classes since 2004 and 2001, respectively. Times are indeed changing.
That’s especially true in West Lafayette, where Jeff Brohm’s decision to stay helped set up what looks like as good of a recruiting class as the program has had in the 21st century. Brohm has verbal commitments from 4 recruits rated 4-stars or better, including longtime local pledge Georgia Kariaftis. Even after the Early Signing Period closes, Purdue could get some more good news if U.S. Army All-American David Bell gives his pledge to the Boilers next month.
Wisconsin might not have as many 4-star recruits, but a longtime verbal pledge from 5-star offensive lineman Logan Brown is fueling Paul Chryst’s push for his top-ranked class yet (it baffles me that more 5-star offensive linemen don’t sign with Wisconsin, but that’s another discussion for another time). That, plus highly-touted quarterback Graham Mertz, will have Badger fans excited for the 2019 class to sign on the dotted line.
Neither class is expected to get a big new addition next week, so their rankings just inside the top-30 might hold until February. Even if they do, though, that’d be quite the accomplishment for both B1G West programs.
Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Tradition. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.