The Big Ten is one of the two premier conferences in modern college football, alongside the SEC.
And they have the recruiting prowess to back it up.
So far in the 2026 recruiting cycle, Big Ten teams claim the No. 2 (USC), No. 7 (Oregon), No. 9 (Ohio State), No. 11 (Michigan), No. 16 (Penn State) and No. 17 (Washington) spots in the national recruiting rankings.
That doesn’t account for the fact that several of the aforementioned programs still have plenty of room to climb and Oregon has the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class in terms of “rating per commit.”
Here’s a look at the top pledge for every Big Ten program:
Illinois Fighting Illini
Illinois currently has a 23-man class that is flirting with top-25 status.
That’s good news for Bret Bielema’s program.
The top player?
Morgan Park (Illinois) four-star athlete Nasir Rankin, who is a top-100 prospect nationally.
The 6-foot, 180-pound do-it-all athlete chose Illinois over offers from Iowa, Kansas State, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Oregon, Tennessee, USC and others.
Indiana Hoosiers
Indiana is flirting with a top-25 class – a massive feat for the program following a College Football Playoff appearance last season.
Curt Cignetti appears to have things rolling in Bloomington.
The Hoosiers have five composite four-star recruits.
Best of the bunch?
It’s probably Naperville North (Illinois) four-star defensive lineman Gabe Hill, who generated double-digit offers, highlighted by Illinois, Iowa, LSU, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Wisconsin and others.
Iowa Hawkeyes
Iowa’s 2026 recruiting class is ranked just 52nd nationally, but still has room to grow with 14 commitments.
West (Iowa) four-star offensive tackle Carson Nielsen is the top-rated pledge in the group, as he’s the nation’s No. 240 overall prospect.
The 6-foot-7, 275-pound lineman…
Source link : https://www.sportingnews.com/us/ncaa-football/news/big-ten-football-top-commitment-every-program/2d7ca64e01d604a85953e567
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Publish date : 2025-08-05 18:44:00
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