Big Ten Spring Football: Which Early Enrollees Will Make an Impact in 2012?

Every season, multiple incoming freshmen to Big Ten football programs forgo their last winter semester of high school and graduate early to join their college teams for spring practices. Although these players must give up things like senior prom and graduation ceremonies, they usually gain a legitimate chance to play in their first seasons on campus instead of redshirting or seeing limited time, if at all.

Although not every early enrollee will make an immediate impact that fall, some certainly will. The advantages of an extra six months to work with teammates, learn a playbook and go through extra practices has proven to be a major advantage over the past few seasons.

In addition, junior college transfer players typically enroll early and look to get up to speed quickly to take advantage of their final two years of eligibility at a new program.

So which of the recently signed recruiting classes will feature early-enrolled players likely to make an immediate impact on the 2012 Big Ten season? Let's take a look:

Illinois

Of the 19 players in the 2012 recruiting class, only two enrolled early for spring practices.  Although TE Daniel Rhodes may see playing time, thanks to turnover caused by the coaching change, the real impact player of these two is defensive back Tajarvis Fuller.

Fuller, who was a three-star recruit and the 44th-ranked player at his position, is a speedy athlete who will look to keep the play of the Illini defense at a high level in 2012. Assuming Fuller sees some significant playing time, he should be one of the more exciting defenders in the conference and someone an offense always needs to account for.

Indiana

Although none of the freshmen in Kevin Wilson's recruiting class will take part in spring practice, six junior college transfers will be in spring practices looking to have a quick start with the team. The only offensive player in the bunch is QB Cameron Coffman, who was a three-time all-state selection at high school in Missouri.

Five defensive juco players will try to reload a defense that struggled mightily last season. Of these five players, DL Justin Rayside is the most likely to start for the Hoosiers in 2012 after leading his junior college team with 12 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks last season.

Iowa

Kirk Ferentz brought in a class of 21 recruits, two of which are junior college transfers already on campus.  One of these early enrollees is QB Cody Sokol, who played a pro-style offense in Arizona and will push incoming starter James Vandenberg for the starting spot this fall.

OL Eric Simmons is also joining the Hawkeyes for spring practice. Sokol could be the most notable of the new players enrolling early because he has a legitimate shot to win the starting job and determine how far Iowa can climb in the Legends Division in 2012.

Michigan

Coach Brady Hoke spent no time dominating the recruiting landscape and filling the coffers of Michigan Stadium with a plethora of highly rated recruits.  After featuring four freshman on a revamped defense in 2011, three defensive players will join the Wolverines at spring practice this year.

Each of these players is rated four stars by recruiting services: LB Joe Bolden, LB Kaleb Ringer, and safety Jarrod Wilson. Bolden was one of the ESPNU 150 and is the most likely to make a big splash in an up-and-coming defense following a strong high school career in the Cincinnati area, a hotbed of football talent.

Michigan State

Including Tennessee transfer WR DeAnthony Arnett, the Spartans will welcome 18 new players into the fold this fall. In addition to Arnett, WR Kyle Kerrick will be in spring practice as an early-enrolled player.

Kerrick may not be one of the best players in the class coach Mark Dantonio assembled, but he will have a huge advantage in trying to fill in one of the two open starting receiver spots in 2012. Look for Arnett and Kerrick to see more playing time than the other incoming receivers, thanks to this early exposure.

Minnesota

Coach Jerry Kill filled some gaps in previous recruiting classes as well as the current class with 31 new players coming in, six of which are junior college transfers who are already on campus. Two of the 25 freshmen signees also will join the Gophers for spring practice, making for a huge infusion of new talent on a team that really struggled but improved in 2011.

WR Scott Ekpe brings to the Gophers some speed and explosiveness from Texas, although he was only ranked as a two-star recruit.  Homegrown QB Philip Nelson hopes to make the jump from Mankato, Minn., to leading his favorite childhood team. Given the struggles at quarterback, Nelson will be one to watch for some playing time in 2012.

Nebraska

Nebraska only graduated 12 seniors in 2011, so a limited class of 17 is what coach Bo Pelini and his staff brought in this recruiting season. Nebraska also relies on massive walk-on classes, and this year is no different with at least 19 athletes trying to improve the overall depth of the Cornhuskers without a guaranteed scholarship.

Of the 2012 recruits, two junior college transfers will be on campus this spring: LB Zaire Anderson and DB Mohammed Seisay.  Pelini confirmed that both will have immediate opportunities to play, but Anderson in particular will command attention as Nebraska reloads the middle of the defense with bigger players for the more physical Big Ten style.

Northwestern

Coach Pat Fitzgerald has long been the least likely coach to have early-enrolled freshmen in spring practice, as he does not put much emphasis on getting to school early and playing early. Thus, only transfers will be making an impact based on spring ball.

That being said, there are two solid recruits who will likely make an immediate impact despite not enrolling early. USC transfer WR Kyle Prater will fill an immediate need in the Wildcats offense, assuming his NCAA waiver to play next season is granted (and he is enrolling early after spring break). The biggest get in the class was ESPNU 150 DE Ifeadi Odenigbo, who will anchor the defensive line, perhaps as a starting true freshman.

Ohio State

What could have been a recruiting disaster turned into a top-five recruiting class for new coach Urban Meyer. Not only does Meyer have a reputation for avoiding redshirts and playing good players as freshmen, he has a whopping seven early-enrolled players in spring practice.

Although it is hard to limit the impact players to two, the most likely big impact players for the Buckeyes will likely be RB Bri'onte Dunn  and DE Se'Von Pittman. Dunn was the 13th-ranked running back recruit in the country and will have ample opportunity to get a lot of carries thanks to the top two running backs. Pittman was the 14th-ranked defensive end and will certainly be in the two-deep rotation for Meyer's defensive line in 2012.

Penn State

Of the 19 recruits that new coach Bill O'Brien managed to hold onto despite coaching to a Super Bowl with his former employer and the turmoil in Happy Valley, only one will be on campus for spring practice.  That one player is Jesse James, a tight end out of McKeesport, Penn.

James is coming in as a three-star recruit and has a 6'8", 243-pound physical frame.  Considering that James will likely bulk up a bit, like most college players, look for him to perhaps end up playing lineman as well as tight end. James will be a welcomed addition to an offense that struggles in the passing game and could use a safety outlet or another strong lineman.

Purdue

Purdue has now filled the roster with Danny Hope recruits as the coach brought in 25 recruits in his fourth year of recruiting.  Hope amassed a nationwide class with players from 13 states, including as far as California, Maryland, Arkansas and Alabama.

Two recruits enrolled early and will be present for spring football: DE Greg Latta and TE Carlos Cavajal. Latta is more likely to see some immediate playing time as a junior college transfer coming in to fill a hole on the Purdue defensive front. Although Latta will need to prove himself in the fall, he definitely possesses the potential to be one of the best rushing ends in the conference.

Wisconsin

Wisconsin took a page from Nebraska's playbook and will bring in seven "preferred" walk-ons to join a small recruiting class of 12. Although coach Bret Bielema had his eyes and his verbal commitments from some other big-name recruits, the small class he ended up putting together will serve the Badgers well in 2012 and beyond.

Three of the 12 recruits signed and enrolled early: CB Hugs Etienne, RB Vonte Jackson, and OL Dan Voltz. Etienne was the 31st-rated cornerback in the class and will bring a special brand of Florida speed to the Badgers backfield, perhaps immediately considering the breakdowns late in games from 2011. However, Voltz is probably one of the best two recruits in the class, earning a four-star rating from ESPN and playing at a position that Wisconsin is always looking for depth and talent.

Final Thoughts

Each team in the Big Ten has a few new faces in spring practice, and some of these players will make an immediate impact in the conference race in 2012. Especially at Ohio State and Michigan, the benefits of strong recruiting classes may be clear right away. 

As spring football continues, look for some of these names to make headlines, only the first of many to come over the next two or four years. Thanks for reading!