Big Ten Football: Which 2015 Recruiting Class Will Transform Its Team Next Year?

College football recruiting isn't quite like it was in the old days.  Sure, there's plenty of talent out there—maybe even more so these days—but like never before, college programs are willing to take a chance on putting some of these youngsters on the field very early in their collegiate careers.  That, of course, opens the door for some immediate impacts from the true freshmen coming in with the class of 2015.

We've only barely moved past the halfway point of the 2014 college football season, but don't fool yourself into thinking that coaches around the Big Ten and the nation don't have one eye focused on the upcoming 2015 recruits.

We've already seen a plethora of verbal commitments around the Big Ten, including 32 4-star recruits and a 5-star prospect.  So which Big Ten programs could benefit the most from the instant impact these players could have?  Let's take a look.

Unless otherwise noted, quotes or references to quotes were obtained firsthand by the writer.

All recruiting star ratings and team rankings are from 247Sports.com, unless otherwise noted.

Michigan State

AJ MAST/Associated Press

We'll start off with one of the teams vying of the 2014 Big Ten title, defending champion Michigan State.  The Spartans are off to a solid 6-1 start this season, and with a Top 10 ranking in tow, MSU could find itself in a fairly comfortable position heading down the stretch toward the inaugural College Football Playoff.

But the coaching staff has been busy on the recruiting trail, too.  No longer is MSU a distant second to Michigan in attracting top talent from in and around the Great Lakes State.  Mark Dantonio and his staff have already received verbals from 13 players for 2015 (compared to Michigan's 10), including solid 4-star running back prospect Larry Scott from Ohio.

Just how impressive of a "get" is this for MSU?  Scott turned down offers from Alabama, Auburn and home-state Ohio State to play in East Lansing.

With MSU's two top ball-carriers currently enjoying their senior campaign, Scott could be arriving at just the right time for the Spartans.  He'll have big shoes to fill, however, as Jeremy Langford and Nick Hill are combining for more than 162 rushing yards per game this season.

Nebraska

Nati Harnik/Associated Press

There's no doubt Nebraska has an offensive attack worthy of recognition this season.  The Cornhuskers have the No. 3 total offense in the Big Ten (523.3 yards per game behind only Ohio State and Michigan State), and starting quarterback Tommy Armstrong is in just his sophomore season.

Sure, the Huskers will lose Ameer Abdullah after 2014 is all said and done, but we're confident in Bo Pelini's ability to keep the momentum going on the offensive side of the ball in Lincoln.

One of the Cornhuskers' soft spots, however, has been—somewhat surprisingly—on the defensive side of the football.  Before joining the Big Ten, Nebraska was highly touted for its defensive prowess.  Huskers fans have quickly found out, however, that what passes for a good defense in the Big 12 is only serviceable in the Big Ten.

So far in 2014, the Huskers are just sixth in the conference in total defense.  While that puts Nebraska in the top half, it's still a ways off from championship caliber.

Don't think the coaching staff at Nebraska hasn't noticed.  Nebraska's top two verbal commits for 2015, both 4-stars, are both defensive players.

Safety/Athlete Avery Anderson has great ball-hawking skills in the defensive backfield and is among the top 25 athlete recruits.  He also comes out of Colorado as the No. 2 overall recruit in the state.

So who's the top overall recruit out of Colorado?  It's fellow Nebraska commit Eric Lee.  With a plethora of offers from the speed-happy Pac-12, Lee opted instead for Nebraska, where he'll likely continue his exploits at the corner slot.  Like Anderson, Lee is also a top-25 recruit at his position, coming in as the No. 16 cornerback, nationally.

Michigan

Tony Ding/Associated Press

We mentioned earlier that Michigan State has made great strides against Michigan on the recruiting front, and based on MSU's 5-1 record against UM over the past six seasons, those gains are showing up on the field, too.

But don't worry, Michigan fans.  Sparty hasn't actually caught Michigan just yet.

That being said, MSU is awfully close and absolutely any talk about Michigan's future right now has to come with a big, fat asterisk next to it.  Despite still having an impressive list of commits for 2015, the turmoil in Ann Arbor has had some early costs for the Maize and Blue.

And they're not small losses, either.

Both 5-star running back Damien Harris and 5-star wide receiver George Campbell have decommitted from a Michigan offense that is in dire need of a talent influx.

Michigan has also lost Darian Roseboro and Shaun Crawford.  All this, even with Michigan head coach Brady Hoke's rule forbidding prospects to take official visits after verbally committing to Michigan.

We could go on and on about how this rule might be a dumb idea, considering it forces prospects into a decision to decommit if they simply want to visit another program. 

But all is not lost for the Wolverines.  There's still a solid core of talent that is (as of now, anyway) still committed to playing football for Michigan.

Despite the loss of the aforementioned 5-stars, UM still has a whopping eight 4-star prospects verbally committed to the program.  With all of the trouble Michigan has had on both sides of the football in 2014, we're not only confident Hoke and his staff will be able to find some instantly usable talent in the class of 2015, we're positive he'll have to find some instant talent to stay relevant—and employed.

Ohio State

GAIL BURTON/Associated Press

No one should be surprised that Ohio State finds itself on a list of Big Ten programs that can turn recruit success into instant on-field success.  The Buckeyes have done it before, and all signs point to them doing it again in 2015.

With Michigan's two 5-stars decommitting, Ohio State now stands alone as the only Big Ten program with a 5-star commit still hanging in there.  Justin Hilliard, a linebacker from Cincinnati's St. Xavier, is the top recruit from talent-rich Ohio and the No. 2 national outside linebacker.

Ohio State isn't necessarily the place for true freshmen who want to see the field in Week 1, but there's no question Hilliard is a special athlete that is capable of convincing head coach Urban Meyer that he should be one of the select few first-year players to earn a roster spot in Columbus.

But Hilliard isn't the only big name heading to Ohio State next year.  The Buckeyes have added six 4-star recruits already, including top-10 defensive end and top Minnesota recruit Jashon Cornell and national top-10 corner Eric Glover-Williams.

In fact, Ohio State has already landed six prospects who rank in the top 10 nationally in their respective positions and 10 prospects who are among their home state's top 10 overall recruits.

With that much talent coming in, we're sure there will be somebody who will step up and make a contribution next season.  But did you expect anything less from Ohio State?

Penn State

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Is there anyone out there who still doubts the impact James Franklin has had on Penn State?  Just take a look at how Franklin's first recruiting class is shaping up: 18 verbal commitments by the middle of October, 11 of which are 4-star prospects.

With those numbers, is it any wonder the Nittany Lions are currently sitting atop the recruiting mountain of the Big Ten?

Of those 18 prospects, 13 rank among the top 25 in their respective positions, and 15 are among their home state's top 10 overall recruits.

But why put Penn State in our top slot among Big Ten teams who might be transformed by the 2015 recruiting class overnight?  

Simple: Penn State's NCAA sanctions have been lifted, including the limit on available scholarships.  It's hard to find a new junior or senior standout to reward with a scholarship; those guys are already playing FBS football somewhere.  But there are plenty of fresh-faced freshmen-to-be ready to take advantage of the Nittany Lions' now-full complement of scholarships.

Over the next couple of seasons, we'll see a concentration of talent in the youngsters on the Lions roster, and that's why we believe Penn State might be transformed by its already impressive recruiting class of 2015.

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