Jonathan Franz: Big Ten Recruiting Class Evaluation

Jonathan Franz is one of the contributing writers over on The Rivalry Esq. They are part of the SB Nation (Around the Oval and others), and cover all things Big Ten in their blog. So we got him to talk with us about Ohio State's recruiting class, along with how the Big Ten performed as a conference on the recruiting trail.

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1) What is your overall impression of Ohio State's class?

The scarlet put together a solid—if not spectacular—group of athletes. The raw number of commitments they secured early in the season is a good sign that the coaches got exactly what they wanted. The class of 2009 stands out among recent crops because it represents the first major shift towards a young, Terrelle Pryor-led team.

The departure of 28 seniors—and several juniors—has created a competitive vacuum (The Bleacher Report has a good article on this). The Buckeyes will be forced to rely on the efforts of highly talented, but green underclassmen to carry the banner. The coaches seem to recognize this, opting for leaner athletes like Jamaal Berry with recharge stamina and lateral mobility that can be immediately plugged into a pistol/option offense.

2) What players standout for the Buckeyes in this class?

The easy ones are running back Jamaal Berry, outside linebacker Dorian Bell, and cornerback C.J. Barnett. All are ESPN U 150 guys, with solid scout scores. But I'm particularly excited about Duron Carter—son of legendary Chris Carter. Chris was the first All-American receiver to play for the Buckeyes. Let's hope the adage "like father, like son" holds up. Carter Jr. is nice and tall and has good hand awareness—good traits to help restore the deep ball threat.

3) What is your overall impression of how the Big Ten performed on the recruiting front?

I think we turned in a good showing. A lot has been made about the fact that the SEC and ACC netted larger numbers of premiere-cru (ESPN U 150) athletes, and that the Big Ten only has a single guy in the National Top 25 (the aforementioned Jamaal Berry). The truth is the Ohio/Pennsylvania intersect hasn't exactly been the fertile crescent of talent it's been in the past. That doesn't mean it won't return to its roots, it just means we're having a down year compared to Texas, California, and Florida.

Teams in the rust belt did a good job of commandeering the athletes they did have in their back yards, and top brands ( particularly Ohio State and Michigan) did a nice job of cherry picking roadrunners from the sunshine states.

It's important to remember the significant number of guys that will eventually be household names come in as sleepers. Look no further than Malcolm Jenkins and James Laurinaitis. With that in mind, the pure number of teams in the conference that turned in better-than-average lineups is up compared to previous years.

4) What teams in the conference impressed?

In order: Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State, Illinois, Penn State. You'll notice my list is not exactly a litmus indicator of where the classes ranked nationally, but, rather, is a subjective evaluation of what each team did for its immediate vitality.

To that end, you've got to respect the Michigan Wolverines, who found a venerable two-stroke engine in Tate Forcier, razzle dazzle wideout Je'Ron Strokes, and loaded up their defense like a baked potato with end Craig Roh and safety Isaiah Bell.

Meanwhile, Michigan State quarantined the entire state, landing head-to-head recruiting victories against its big brother (My partner Graham did an article on this a few days ago).

Despite their hot and cold performance metrics, Ron Zook continues to recruit with gusto, landing a solid nose tackle in Lendell Buckner who should help to sew up an otherwise vulnerable run defense.

Penn State did fine. Although, they let a big fish get away in Jelani Jenkins, a slip that stains their Linebacker U reputation.

5) What teams in the conference underachieved?

I'm not going to pick on Indiana; they did the best they could with what they had. I'm actually a little disappointed with Iowa and Wisconsin.

Specifically in the latter's case, the advantage of having a youthful figurehead in Bret Bielema is relatability. Recruits see their potential coach as both a friend and mentor, which is usually is a good way to seal the deal (see Lane Kiffin). With the exception of a bright spot at fullback, Bucky class is largely underwhelming.

6) What players coming into the conference should fans look out for?

I did an article on yesterday on a National Signing Day All-Big Ten Team that pretty much covers the gamut.