Big Ten Football: Weekly 2013 Recruiting Roundup

Every Wednesday here at The Big Ten Blog, we will update you on the latest commits, decommits and rumors in the recruiting world. It's quite the rare week in the Big Ten, as we've got commitments from three different classes of recruits and an April decommit to boot. Let's get right to it.

Commits

- Michigan State bolstered its 2012 class—yes, the one that's coming to campus this fall—by picking up a commitment from Blinn JC TE Jamare Mills, according to the Detroit Free Press. Mills hasn't actually signed yet, but since Mills' signing day was three months ago, this should be made official any day now.

Mills is a big target at 6'5" and close to 250 pounds, and the Spartans could use that help at a position where the two-deep is basically Dion Sims starting and "shrug and a prayer" backing him up.

- Illinois may have picked up its top recruit of the entire 2013 class by securing a verbal from QB Aaron Bailey, a four-star dual-threat prospect with offers from most of the Big Ten (including Ohio State, Wisconsin and Nebraska) and several other BCS-level teams. Bailey, a native of Bolingbrook, IL, has jaw-dropping athleticism in the open field, but his delivery mechanics are actually pretty solid. Highlights to the right.

- Wisconsin kicked off its 2014 recruiting work with a commitment from offensive-line prospect George Panos. If that name sounds familiar, it should; his father, Joe Panos, was a former captain and offensive lineman for the Badgers in the early '90s as Wisconsin began its first surge toward national relevancy in about 30 years. 

Wisconsin also bolstered its 2013 class with commitments from DE Chikwe Obasih and WR Rob Wheelwright. And speaking of familiar names, yes, that's the younger brother of former Minnesota wideout Ernie Wheelwright. Rob stands 6'3" and weighs 185 pounds, and should be the same type of rangy deep threat his older brother was for the Gophers.

Let me also add this: Rob Wheelwright is a great name. I hope you recognize this. There aren't many wide receivers whose names are also basically pass routes, especially after promising Purdue recruit Sluggo Hookandladder was declared both ineligible and fictional by the NCAA.

- Iowa (Iowa of all teams!) picked up its seventh verbal of the 2013 class from linebacker John Kenny. Iowa coaches told Kenny he was their top target at LB, which is a heck of a way to get a verbal. The 6'2", 210-pound prospect from Carmel, IN, also counted offers from Boise State, Arizona and various Big Ten and mid-major schools.

- On Tuesday, Northwestern received a verbal from lineman Blake King of nearby Minooka, IL. King, a 6'5", 270-pound prospect, only had MAC offers to his name at this point, so this was an easy commitment to make. 

Decommits

We've actually got one this week! Lewis Neal, who was one of three Ohio State recruits to commit after the Scarlet and Gray game, quickly found his recruitment back open as he continued to court the advances of LSU after committing to Ohio State. So it goes.

News and Rumors

- One of the most thought-provoking aspects of recruiting came to light with this CSN Chicago profile of RB Ty Isaac, who's one of the top prospects in the nation and lists four Big Ten teams (Michigan, Ohio State, Iowa, Illinois) among his top seven. Isaac has an unfavorable opinion of dealing with recruiting, and he may not take any official visits after taking some unofficials in March.

Maybe his attitude will thaw, but the fact that Isaac is openly disdainful of the whole process should be a warning to football programs (and, um, media outlets) that subscribe to the "more attention is better" formula.

- PA RB/LB prospect Zayd Issah will be camping at Oregon in June, and more offers could follow. The reigning Class AAAA player of the year in Pennsylvania only has Big Ten offers from Penn State and Iowa, but expect that to change soon.