Ranking Every Big Ten Coach by Their Recruiting Skills
National signing day for the 2016 recruiting cycle is already in the books, which means that the eyes of coaching staffs across the country have already turned toward 2017.
And if this past signing day was any indication, the Big Ten appears poised to make some noise, with the conference fresh off a cycle that saw five programs sign Top 25 classes.
While much of the league's collective success on the recruiting trail can be attributed to each program's respective value, it's also worth noting that two Big Ten teams—Penn State and Nebraska—managed to ink Top 25 hauls despite enduring subpar 2015 seasons on the field. That especially speaks to their ability on the recruiting trail, where the conference has seen a spike in success in recent years.
With two new coaches entering the fold this year, both of whom possess impressive track records at attracting talent, this could very well be the best collection of coaches the conference has seen when it comes to recruiting skills.
With that in mind, let's rank the Big Ten's best recruiters based on the resumes that they've put together in their entire coaching careers.
14. Darrell Hazell
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While Darrell Hazell's track record at Purdue speaks for itself with a 6-30 overall record and a 2-22 mark in Big Ten play in the past three seasons, what's perhaps been most alarming during Hazell's tenure in West Lafayette has been the Boilermakers' lack of success on the recruiting trail.
After partially inheriting a class that ranked 62nd nationally in 2013, Hazell has been responsible for classes that have ranked 69th, 65th and, most recently, 76th. More simply put, on each of Hazell's four signing days at Purdue, the Boilermakers have found themselves with the lowest-ranked team in the Big Ten.
While Purdue may not be the easiest place to recruit high-level prospects, Hazell's struggles to attract talent have come as a surprise given the on-field success he found at Kent State (16-10 total record in two years, including an 11-3 mark in 2012) and the talent he was able to lure as Ohio State's wide receivers coach from 2004-2010. None of that, however, has translated to success of any sort in West Lafayette, whether it be on the field or the recruiting trail.
With that in mind, it may take a dramatic turnaround on the field in the coming year for Hazell to make it to Purdue's next signing day.
And if he doesn't, his first four will be a big reason why.
13. Tracy Claeys
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After health issues forced Jerry Kill to retire midway through the 2015 season, Minnesota opted to promote Tracy Claeys to head coach, removing the interim tag from his title at the end of the year.
In doing so, the Golden Gophers turned their program over to a coach who will be learning on the job as both a head coach and a top-level recruiter.
With 11 of Minnesota's 20 commitments in its 2016 class committing to the Golden Gophers after Kill's departure, Claeys had a heavy hand in recruiting a class that ranked 48th nationally. Previously Minnesota's defensive coordinator, Claeys served as the lead recruiter on five prospects in his 2016 haul, including 3-star quarterback Seth Green, the 10th-ranked dual-threat signal-caller in his class.
But before that, Claeys' track record on the recruiting trail is spotty, at least as far as his resume as a lead recruiter is concerned. From 2012-2015, Claeys failed to sign more than a single prospect he was the primary recruiter for in each Golden Gophers class.
Given the situation he was forced into, so far, it's seemingly been so good for Claeys as a head coach when it comes to recruiting. But he still has plenty to prove as he approaches his first full cycle in his new role.
12. Bill Cubit
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Given his circumstances, there may not be a coach in the Big Ten tougher to evaluate as a recruiter than Bill Cubit.
After taking over for Tim Beckman a week before the start of the 2015 season, Cubit had the interim tag removed from his title as Illinois head coach, but he was only given a two-year extension, already casting a cloud of uncertainty over his future in Champaign.
"Bill has stepped in during an extremely difficult period and done an outstanding job in leading our football program since August," interim athletics director Paul Kowalczyk said in a release. "Our student-athletes have responded in a positive manner, and we feel he is the best person at this time to be the head coach."
As far as what he's accomplished thus far, Cubit was the head coach for the Fighting Illini when 19 of the 25 prospects who made up their 71st-ranked 2016 class committed, including the haul's highest-ranked prospect, 3-star tight end Zarrian Holcombe. Cubit also served as the lead recruiter on 3-star quarterback Eli Peters, who committed to Illinois five months before Beckman's departure.
Prior to arriving in Champaign, Cubit spent eight years as the head coach at Western Michigan, where he routinely signed some of the Mid-American Conference's better classes, including the MAC's second-ranked haul in 2011.
But finding similar success with the Fighting Illini will prove to be a tall task, which will only be made tougher by Illinois' perceived lack of commitment to its new head coach.
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11. Kevin Wilson
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Recruiting at a perceived basketball school like Indiana is always a tough sell, especially with the Hoosiers' lack of tradition and success on the gridiron.
But Kevin Wilson has done as well as anyone could have asked him to on the recruiting trail at Indiana—but even that hasn't been good enough.
After routinely securing the signings of 4-star prospects as the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma, recruiting highlights have seemingly been few and far between for Wilson since arriving in Bloomington in 2011 when comparing the Hoosiers to the rest of their conference. After Wilson enjoyed a spike in 2013 and 2014, signing a pair of Top 50 classes, Indiana's classes have dipped back into the 50s in the past two national signing days.
But while the overall quality of his hauls may not show it, Wilson has actually been one of the better recruiters that Indiana has seen. Of the program's all-time recruits dating back to 2000, Wilson has been responsible for signing eight of the top 10.
And although it's unfair to punish Wilson for the handicaps that come along with recruiting for the Hoosiers, it'd be equally unfair to reward him for them either. Perhaps Wilson will be able to capitalize on what was his best season at Indiana in 2015 and defy the low expectations that have been placed on his program when it comes to attracting top-level talent.
10. Chris Ash
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One of two unknowns when it comes to Big Ten head coaches on the recruiting trail in 2017, Chris Ash has a tricky history to evaluate on the recruiting trail, as his ascent up the coaching ranks has led to the new Rutgers head coach having spent the past five national signing days at four different schools.
Most recently, the former Ohio State defensive coordinator helped finish off a Scarlet Knights 2016 class that ranked 75th nationally. Of Rutgers' 17 signees, Ash was responsible for helping recruit 10 of them after being hired in December, including 3-star quarterback Tylin Oden, the No. 30 pro-style signal-caller in the 2016 class.
At Ohio State, Ash was only a part of just one full recruiting cycle, but he did successfully lead the recruitments of 4-star receiver K.J. Hill and 3-star defensive back Damon Arnette in 2015. At Wisconsin, his claim to fame was inking 4-star offensive lineman Dan Voltz in 2012.
How Ash will fair in Piscataway remains to be seen. Recruiting in the ultra-competitive Big Ten East while defending his home turf of New Jersey, the first-year Scarlet Knights head coach certainly has his work cut out for him, despite a track record that suggests he's capable of recruiting top-level talent.
But at the moment, the only fair grade to give Ash on the recruiting trail is an "incomplete."
9. Pat Fitzgerald
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Another recruiter whose ability is tough to evaluate, this time due to the academic requirements of his school, Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald has done an admirable job on the recruiting trail as he enters his 11th season as the head coach of his alma mater.
In his first decade on the job, the former Wildcats linebacker has seen ebbs and flows in his classes, peaking with the nation's No. 47 class in 2014. But for the most part, Northwestern's classes have consistently been ranked in the 50s and 60s nationally, with his most recent haul measuring in at No. 52.
Still, it's tough to tell whether the Wildcats' lack of success on the recruiting trail is an indictment of their head coach, who has a personality that would seemingly thrive at a big-time school, or just the reality of the program's standards. It's worth noting, however, that in his 11 signing days in Evanston, Fitzgerald has signed six 4-star prospects, including his starting quarterback, Clayton Thorson, and running back Justin Jackson.
But as a coach who doesn't use academic standards as a crutch for on-field performance, perhaps that should apply to recruiting too. Maybe Fitzgerald does deserve a curve to be graded on, but based on results alone, it's hard to justify ranking him in the top half of Big Ten recruiters.
8. Mike Riley
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Despite enduring a 5-7 regular season in 2015, Mike Riley wound up ending his first year at Nebraska on a high note—and not just with a win over UCLA in the Foster Farms Bowl.
Even with his team coming off a lackluster campaign, Riley managed to ink a Top 25 class in his first full recruiting cycle in Lincoln, signing the nation's No. 24 class this past signing day.
That was good for Riley's highest-ranked recruiting class since 2004, when he signed the country's No. 27 class in his first full cycle at Oregon State. While coaching the Beavers, Riley signed 5-star offensive guard Isaac Seumalo in 2012 but was otherwise short on inking high-profile prospects.
His 2016 class could be the sign of something promising, or the start of an alarming trend, with his classes' ranking slipping into the 50s and sometimes 60s after that initial bang during his time at OSU.
Only time will tell how he'll perform in the long run with the Cornhuskers, but at the very least, he's off to a promising start—at least on the recruiting trail.
7. Kirk Ferentz
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The Big Ten's longest-tenured active coach, Kirk Ferentz has seen his fair share of ups and downs since taking over at Iowa in 1999.
On the one hand, Ferentz has been responsible for successfully recruiting six 5-star prospects to Iowa City, as well as several high-profile 4-star prospects, including Bryan Bulaga, Keenan Davis and Jake Christensen. On the other, after recruiting the nation's seventh-ranked class in 2005, Ferentz saw his annual class ranking fall to as low as 67th in the country just four years later in 2009.
At the moment, however, the Hawkeyes' recruiting appears to be on an upswing, with Ferentz inking the nation's No. 46 class this past signing day. Iowa also already has a commitment from 2017 5-star defensive end A.J. Epenesa, who would be Ferentz's second highest-ranked recruit in his 17 years at Iowa.
But if the Hawkeyes' history has shown anything, it's that you can't count on a Ferentz hot streak lasting for long. For now, however, he appears to have rediscovered his footing on the recruiting trail, which makes him once again one of the better talent collectors in all of the Big Ten.
6. D.J. Durkin
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While he's yet to do it as a head coach, there may not be a coach in the Big Ten with a recruiting track record as impressive as D.J. Durkin's has been throughout his career as an assistant coach.
During stops at Bowling Green, Stanford, Florida and Michigan—and having split his career coaching under now-Big Ten rivals Urban Meyer and Jim Harbaugh—Maryland's new head coach has routinely and successfully recruited some of the nation's top players. His resume with the Gators included attracting 5-star prospects Jonathan Bullard and D.J. Humphries, while with the Wolverines he helped put together what would be the nation's fifth-ranked class in 2016.
Now with the Terrapins, Durkin will get to be the closer rather than the lead recruiter, and he's already gotten off to a strong start. Despite not being hired until December, Durkin inked the nation's No. 42 class this past signing day, even as Maryland found itself coming off of a 3-9 campaign.
Durkin did, however, also receive a "Welcome to the Big Ten" head coaching moment when his former boss, Meyer, flipped two of his key commitments in January. Recruiting in one of college football's toughest divisions will certainly be difficult, but Durkin's history shows he's plenty capable of luring blue-chip players wherever he is.
5. Paul Chryst
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Having gone from Barry Alvarez to Bret Bielema to just two seasons of Gary Andersen, it's been rare for Wisconsin to have a head coach who has already proven his recruiting acumen somewhere else.
But in Paul Chryst, the Badgers have just that, as the second-year Wisconsin coach previously spent three seasons as the head coach at Pitt from 2012-2014, where he was one of the ACC's better recruiters.
While in charge of the Panthers, Chryst showed a strong prowess on the recruiting trail, inking the nation's No. 32 class in his first full recruiting cycle as a head coach in 2013. After signing another Top 50 class in 2014, Chryst returned to Madison in 2015, where he previously served as the Badgers offensive coordinator under Bielema and was primarily responsible for the quarterback recruiting, inking the likes of Scott Tolzien, Curt Phillips and Joel Stave.
Following the unexpected departure of Andersen at the end of the 2014 season, Chryst helped sign the nation's No. 40 class in 2015, before inking the country's 32nd-ranked class this past signing day. Recruiting appears to be looking up in Madison, which is a promising sign for the Chryst era at Wisconsin.
4. Mark Dantonio
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While Michigan State has won two of the past three Big Ten championships and appeared in last season's College Football Playoff, the Spartans have largely been built on developing talent rather than recruiting it under Mark Dantonio.
That's been evident in recruiting classes that have ranked as low as 35th nationally, as recently as 2013.
But in the past few years, Dantonio has been picking up the pace on the recruiting trail, signing his highest-ranked class in East Lansing this past recruiting cycle as he inked the nation's No. 22 class. The 10th-year Michigan State head coach has also signed two 5-star prospects with the Spartans in defensive ends William Gholston (2010) and Malik McDowell (2014).
And now that their head coach's recruiting has improved, it will be interesting to see how the program's player development is affected. After building a foundation on getting the most out of 3-star players, Dantonio will now get to see what it's like to do the same with 4- and 5-star prospects on a regular basis.
3. James Franklin
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While he's still yet to find consistent on-field success at Penn State, James Franklin has already brought the Nittany Lions into the modern age of college football recruiting.
In two full cycles in Happy Valley, Franklin has inked two impressive classes, including the nation's No. 15 class in 2015 and the 19th-ranked class this past signing day.
The talent Franklin has attracted speaks for itself, beating out Ohio State for 4-star offensive tackle Sterling Jenkins and signing the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Saquon Barkley, last year; plus he inked 5-star prospect and the nation's No. 1 running back, Miles Sanders, in 2016.
But while Franklin has already proven to be one of the conference's top recruiters in just two years, it remains to be seen whether or not his lack of on-field success will catch up to him on the recruiting trail. Penn State already possesses two 4-star prospects in its 2017 class, but it may need a breakthrough 2016 campaign to maintain its momentum when it comes to attracting talent.
2. Jim Harbaugh
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In just 13 months at his alma mater, Jim Harbaugh has already turned the competition into himself, his chief rival and everyone else when it comes to recruiting in the Big Ten.
Inking the nation's fifth-ranked class in his first full recruiting cycle since arriving in Ann Arbor, Harbaugh has already returned Michigan to college football's elite—at least as far as the recruiting trail is concerned. In his 2016 class alone, the second-year Wolverines head coach managed to sign the nation's No. 1 prospect in 5-star defensive tackle Rashan Gary, a potential quarterback of the future in Brandon Peters and one of Ohio State's former top commits, running back Kareem Walker.
Harbaugh's past, which includes signing Andrew Luck at Stanford in 2008, speaks for itself and his future in Ann Arbor appears to be following a similar path. In its 2017 class, Michigan already possesses commitments from five players, including 4-star quarterback Dylan McCaffrey, the country's second-ranked pro-style passer, and 4-star offensive tackle JaRaymond Hall.
While he's become known for his unorthodox tactics, Harbaugh has already proven that there's no shortage of substance to match his eccentric style. After a 10-3 debut campaign under their new head coach, the Wolverines' future already appears bright and will only get brighter as Harbaugh continues to attract the nation's top talent to Michigan.
1. Urban Meyer
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If the Big Ten has become Urban Meyer, Jim Harbaugh and everyone else, then college football at a national level has become Nick Saban, Urban Meyer and the rest.
Dating back to Meyer's days at Florida, only Saban can match what he's done when it comes to recruiting success, which Meyer has found plenty of since arriving at Ohio State in 2012. In his first five recruiting classes with the Buckeyes, Meyer has signed the Big Ten's best class each time, with no class ranking lower than seventh nationally.
After successfully recruiting the likes of Tim Tebow, Percy Harvin and the nation's top classes in 2007 and 2010 during his time in Gainesville, Meyer has already inked six 5-star prospects in five classes in Columbus, with two more committed to his 2017 haul—which currently ranks first in the nation. The results on the field have followed, including three total national championships for Meyer and a 50-4 start to his career with the Buckeyes.
Although Harbaugh has made waves, he's yet to match what Meyer's done on the recruiting trail in terms of either quantity or quality. There simply aren't many who have done it better than Meyer in the history of college football, and Ohio State's fifth-year head coach hasn't shown signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten lead writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. All statistics courtesy of CFBStats.com. Recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports.
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