States from which B1G teams get players

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Wow, a lot of B1G teams rely on Florida for out-of-state players

Where do Big Ten teams recruit most often? A closer look at where schools find talent​

Manny Navarro
Mar 27, 2023
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The Big Ten is going to look different in 2024 when USC and UCLA join the conference.
From a recruiting perspective, the addition of two Southern California schools should help open up the West Coast to Big Ten programs looking to import talent.
As it stands, 51 recruits with ties to California high schools have signed with Big Ten teams since 2018. That ranks fourth behind Florida (224), Texas (103) and Georgia (97) among states that aren’t home to a Big Ten school.
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But that’s the future. As our series on recruiting geography continues, here’s a look at the old Big Ten and where its 14 programs have gone for talent over the last six recruiting cycles. (Here are our reports on the ACC and Big 12.)
Illinois

YEAR	SIGNEES	IN-STATE	PCT.	NEXT STATE
2023	23	9	39%	Florida, 5
2022	25	11	44%	Florida, 5
2021	18	4	22%	Florida, 7
2020	13	0	0%	Florida, 7
2019	17	6	35%	Missouri, Texas, 4
2018	27	6	22%	Florida, 10
Total	123	36	29%	Florida, 36

The Illini haven’t had a recruiting class ranked in the top 40 since 2011 (No. 37). They also haven’t had a first-round pick since edge rusher Whitney Mercilus and receiver A.J. Jenkins in 2012. Things are trending in a better direction, though. Thorpe award finalist Devon Witherspoon is a projected first-round pick next month, and Bret Bielema’s first two full recruiting classes ranked 46th (2022) and 43rd (2023) — much better than the previous two classes that placed 73rd (2021) and 88th (2020) in the 247Sports Composite. Bielema signed three blue-chip recruits in the 2023 cycle, the first blue-chippers for the program since 2019.
Illinois’ in-state recruiting numbers have surged with Bielema in charge, with 20 recruits signed from the Land of Lincoln in the last two cycles. Florida remains the other main source for talent, with Missouri coming in a distant third. Three states where Bielema is putting more of an emphasis on than his predecessors are New Jersey, Michigan and Mississippi. As for the portal, Illinois’ 40 transfer additions since 2018 rank second in the Big Ten behind Indiana. The program’s nine junior college additions in the last six cycles rank third in the conference. The Illini have one commitment in the class of 2024: in-state three-star offensive lineman Brandon Hansen.
Indiana

YEAR	SIGNEES	IN-STATE	PCT.	NEXT STATE
2023	15	1	7%	Florida, 4
2022	22	3	14%	Florida, 7
2021	14	5	36%	Georgia, 2
2020	20	6	30%	Georgia, 3
2019	23	4	17%	Florida, 7
2018	28	5	18%	Florida, 8
Total	122	24	20%	Florida, 27

Tom Allen’s hot start on the field and on the trail has slowed significantly, with the team losing 18 of 24 games over the last two seasons and slipping from a program-best No. 25-ranked recruiting class in 2022 to 68th in 2023. Linebacker Dasan McCullough — the program’s highest-ranked recruit in the modern era — left for Oklahoma after one season. Allen has countered by ramping up his use of the portal to a Big Ten-leading 17 transfers in the 2023 cycle. Indiana reeled in 30 transfers combined in the last two cycles and leads the Big Ten with 43 portal additions overall since 2019.
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Only one of the 15 non-transfers signed in the Class of 2023 came from in-state, with Florida continuing to lead the way as the program’s major pipeline for talent. Texas, Georgia and Ohio come next. As a state, Indiana has produced 21 blue-chip recruits dating back to the 2020 cycle. The Hoosiers have signed three of them, most notably McCullough. Indiana’s six NFL Draft picks since 2018 are tied with Rutgers for the second-fewest in the Big Ten, and the last first-round draft pick was receiver Thomas Lewis in 1994. The next longest drought for an NFL first-round selection in the league is Rutgers (2010).
Cockeye

YEAR	SIGNEES	IN-STATE	PCT.	NEXT STATE
2023	22	6	27%	Illinois, 4
2022	18	4	22%	Minnesota, Wisconsin, 3
2021	19	10	53%	Illinois, 3
2020	21	4	19%	Illinois, 5
2019	21	5	24%	Illinois, 5
2018	24	5	21%	Wisconsin, 4
Total	125	34	27%	Illinois, 22

Kirk Ferentz hasn’t had a losing season since 2012, and the Cockeyes have produced 18 draft picks since 2018. But it still stung watching in-state five-star offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor flip to Alabama on signing day in December. It would’ve bumped Cockeye’s recruiting class up from 40th to 31st. Also, Ferentz managed to sign only one of the five blue-chip recruits in-state compared to six of 12 in the three previous cycles.

Cockeye hasn’t been overly dependent on the talent from its backyard. Illinois is another major pipeline (22 signees over the last six cycles), followed by Florida (10), Indiana (10), Wisconsin (nine) and Michigan (seven) over the last six cycles. Cockeye has signed six transfers in the Class of 2023, a significant increase over previous seasons. But Cockeye’s use of the portal (15 transfers since 2018) is tied with Northwestern for the fewest in the league over the last six cycles.

Jack Campbell was an in-state three-star recruit in the 2019 cycle. (Christopher Hanewinckel / USA Today)
Maryland

YEAR	SIGNEES	IN-STATE	PCT.	NEXT STATE
2023	25	9	36%	Florida, 4
2022	21	8	38%	Florida, 4
2021	24	9	38%	Florida, 6
2020	27	4	15%	Floirda, 8
2019	18	7	39%	Florida, Georgia, 2
2018	24	9	38%	Virginia, 5
Total	139	46	33%	Florida, 28

Mike Locksley’s 2021 recruiting class ranked No. 18 nationally — tied for the program’s best of the modern era — but the Terrapins have slipped in the last two cycles, to No. 31 (2022) and No. 36 (2023). Maryland signed three top-150 players in the 2021 class, but two left after one season and the third lasted only two seasons in College Park. Geographically, Rutgers (44 percent) is the only Big Ten school that has signed more in-state talent than Maryland (33 percent) over the last six cycles. Florida (28 signees since 2018) remains the next biggest pipeline, followed by Virginia (10), Washington, D.C. (nine) and Pennsylvania (seven).
As a state, Maryland is a top-15 producer of talent for Power 5 signees. The Terrapins just aren’t getting enough elite players to stay home. Only six of the 48 blue-chip recruits to come out of the state in the last four cycles have signed with Maryland. Among the most notable Maryland natives to leave the state: former Clemson defensive tackle Bryan Bresee, Michigan running back Blake Corum and 2021 Biletnikoff award winner Jordan Addison. Locksley’s use of the transfer portal has ramped up of late. He’s signed 15 transfers in the last two cycles, bringing Maryland’s total to 26 since 2018.

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Michigan

YEAR	SIGNEES	IN-STATE	PCT.	NEXT STATE
2023	24	4	17%	Illinois, Ohio, 4
2022	22	1	5%	California, Florida, 3
2021	22	6	27%	Florida, 3
2020	24	4	17%	Maryland, 4
2019	26	2	8%	Ohio, 6
2018	20	6	30%	3 tied w/ 3
Total	138	23	17%	Florida, 14

Jim Harbaugh probably caught a little too much flak for having the Wolverines’ recruiting class slip to 17th in the 2023 cycle. He’s not only led Michigan to back-to-back Big Ten titles and College Football Playoff appearances, but the Wolverines have produced 30 NFL Draft picks (including six first-rounders) dating back to 2018. As it stands, Michigan’s national brand remains pretty strong. Even though the majority of talent has come from in-state (23 signees since 2018), Michigan has signed double-digit recruits from Florida (14), Ohio (11), California (10) and Georgia (10) over the last six cycles. The Wolverines have pulled some of the best players to come out of their state, including Aidan Hutchinson and Mazi Smith, while signing players like Daxton Hill, David Ojabo and Mike Morris from out of state.

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Harbaugh also beefed up his usage of the portal, signing seven transfers in 2023. Michigan is still one of five programs in the Big Ten that has signed fewer than 20 transfers over the last six cycles, though that is clearly trending in the other direction. The Wolverines are off to a stellar start on the trail in 2024, with six blue-chip players headlining the nine commitments.

Michigan State

YEAR	SIGNEES	IN-STATE	PCT.	NEXT STATE
2023	16	3	19%	Florida, 3
2022	23	6	26%	Georgia, 7
2021	19	5	26%	4 tied w/ 2
2020	22	3	14%	Ohio, 7
2019	19	10	53%	Ohio, 6
2018	22	6	27%	Ohio, 8
Total	121	33	27%	Ohio, 24

Mel Tucker’s last two recruiting classes have been a step up for the Spartans. They finished 23rd in 2022 and 2023 and pulled in 14 blue-chip recruits combined compared to two blue-chippers in the two previous cycles. While recruiting well at home remains a priority (27 percent of MSU’s recruits have come from in-state since 2018), Tucker has turned his focus to signing more players in Georgia, Florida, Texas and California. Ohio, which had been a major pipeline and still ranks second for MSU with 24 signees over the last six cycles, hasn’t produced any players in the last two recruiting classes.

The two 2024 commitments — cornerbacks Jamari Howard and Jaylen Thompson — are four-star recruits from Florida and Tennessee, respectively. As for the transfer portal, few have been as aggressive as Tucker. Michigan State has signed 35 transfers in the last three cycles, including a dozen in 2023.

Minnesota

YEAR	SIGNEES	IN-STATE	PCT.	NEXT STATE
2023	21	7	33%	5 tied w/ 2
2022	18	5	28%	Florida, 4
2021	18	2	11%	Illinois, 5
2020	24	3	13%	Florida, 4
2019	21	3	14%	3 tied w/ 3
2018	25	4	16%	Florida, Georgia 5
Total	127	24	19%	Florida, 19

P.J. Fleck has won at least nine games each of the last three full seasons, but his recruiting classes haven’t cracked the top 40 in the last two cycles. Is that really important, though, since Fleck is winning games on a consistent basis? The Gophers have had 12 players drafted since 2018 — sixth-most in the conference behind Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, Wisconsin and Cockeye. Geographically, Fleck, who arrived in 2017, has beefed up in-state recruiting over the last two cycles. He signed 12 recruits from in-state (equaling the total of the four previous cycles) and picked up one of only two in-state blue-chip recruits in the 2023 cycle in four-star offensive lineman Jerome Williams from Osseo. Two of the five commits in the 2024 class are from in-state.

Still, there’s no doubt Florida (19 signees since 2018) and Georgia (15) remain major pipelines, with Illinois (11), Ohio (10) and Texas (nine) next on the list. Missouri was a state where the Gophers plucked talent from early in Fleck’s tenure, signing seven recruits from 2018 through 2020, but Minnesota has not signed a recruit from the state in its last three classes. Minnesota’s portal usage averages out to seven transfers over the last three cycles.

Nebraska

YEAR	SIGNEES	IN-STATE	PCT.	NEXT STATE
2023	28	8	29%	Texas, 6
2022	19	3	16%	Georgia, Louisiana, 3
2021	20	5	25%	Cockeye, 3
2020	26	2	8%	Florida, 8
2019	28	5	18%	Georgia, 4
2018	24	1	4%	Florida, 8
Total	145	24	17%	Florida, 21

Despite the fact they have not played in a bowl game since 2016, the Cornhuskers have had six top-25 classes over the last seven cycles. The tell-tale sign some of that talent isn’t being maximized (besides the team’s 23-45 record over the last six seasons): Only eight Cornhuskers have been drafted since 2018 and none in the first round since Prince Amukamara in 2011. New coach Matt Rhule is aiming to change that through the portal and by recruiting better in states like Texas where he coached previously.

Half of the 28 signees in the Huskers’ 2023 class came from Nebraska (eight) and Texas (six), and the one commitment in the 2024 cycle is four-star athlete Roger Gradney from Garwood, Texas. Florida (21 signees since 2018) and Georgia (14) remain other major pipelines for Nebraska. One new state to keep an eye on for the Cornhuskers is Pennsylvania. The school did not sign a player from the state from 2013 through 2022 yet signed two in 2023, Rhule’s transition class. As for the portal, Nebraska has turned up the heat there, bringing in 26 transfers in the last two cycles compared to 13 in the four previous.

Northwestern

YEAR	SIGNEES	IN-STATE	PCT.	NEXT STATE
2023	19	4	21%	3 tied w/ 3
2022	16	4	25%	3 tied w/ 2
2021	16	2	13%	Michigan, 4
2020	17	4	24%	Ohio, 5
2019	19	3	16%	Texas, 5
2018	18	6	33%	Texas, 3
Total	105	23	22%	Texas, 14

Northwestern is tied with Cockeye for fewest transfers signed (15) in the Big Ten since 2018. Pat Fitzgerald, who is 110-101 in his 17 seasons with the program, has remained committed to plucking most of the team’s talent from the same three states in the last six cycles: Illinois (23 signees since 2018), Texas (14) and Ohio (13). One state picking up steam for Northwestern: Arizona. The Cats signed three recruits from the Cactus State last cycle. Seven of the eight blue-chip recruits signed by Northwestern in the last six cycles have come from Big Ten country (Michigan, Ohio, Maryland and Illinois), with four-star receiver Jordan Mosley (Alabama) the lone exception.

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The Wildcats recently signed their best class of the modern era, No. 46 in 2023, on the heels of 3-9 (2021) and 1-11 (2022) seasons. Northwestern’s five draft picks since 2018 are the fewest in the Big Ten, but the program did have two recent first-rounders in 2021 — offensive tackle Rashawn Slater (three-star in Class of 2017 ) and defensive back Greg Newsome (three-star in Class of 2018) — and is expected to have another in 2023 (offensive tackle Peter Skoronski, four-star in Class of 2020).

Ohio State

YEAR	SIGNEES	IN-STATE	PCT.	NEXT STATE
2023	20	7	35%	Florida, 4
2022	21	6	29%	Florida, 3
2021	24	6	25%	4 tied w/ 2
2020	25	8	32%	5 tied w/ 2
2019	16	5	31%	Georgia, Indiana, 2
2018	26	5	19%	Florida, 5
Total	132	37	28%	Florida, 15

The Buckeyes have signed four consecutive top-five classes and seven in the last eight years. Having a Big Ten-leading 42 players drafted, including 10 first-round picks, since 2018 helps. As much as Ohio State has reached across the country to pluck elite talent out of Florida, Georgia, California, Texas and Arizona, coach Ryan Day has continued to make keeping the best players in Ohio home a top priority. Ohio State has signed 37 players from its backyard in the last six cycles — 22 more than any other state.

Nine of the 11 top 100-players to come out of Ohio in the last four cycles stayed home and signed with the Buckeyes. The two who did not signed with Penn State: five-star quarterback Drew Allar and four-star receiver Kaden Saunders. That’s not to say Florida hasn’t become an important pipeline. The Buckeyes have signed seven blue-chip prospects from the Sunshine State over the last two cycles. They signed three combined from Florida from 2019 through 2021. Texas (nine signees since 2018) and Georgia (eight) have become minor feeder states.

Three of the four commitments in the 2024 class are blue-chip recruits, headlined by five-star receiver Jeremiah Smith of Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade. The transfer portal usage, meanwhile, has picked up only slightly in the last two cycles. Ohio State’s 16 transfer additions in the last six cycles is one off the pace for the fewest in the league.

 

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Penn State

YEAR	SIGNEES	IN-STATE	PCT.	NEXT STATE
2023	23	6	26%	Virginia, 6
2022	25	10	40%	Florida, 3
2021	18	5	28%	Michigan, 4
2020	27	4	15%	Maryland, Virginia, 4
2019	23	4	17%	New Jersey, 3
2018	23	7	30%	Maryland, 3
Total	139	36	26%	Maryland, Virginia, 16

The Nittany Lions have made plucking the best talent out of their own backyard the priority while digging into Virginia (16 signees since 2018), Maryland (16) and Florida (12) for big chunks of the rest of the roster. Of the eight blue-chip recruits in Pennsylvania in 2023, five signed with Penn State, including the only top-100 prospect in four-star offensive tackle J’ven Williams. In 2022, six of the 12 blue-chippers in the state signed with the Nittany Lions, most notably five-star running back Nick Singleton. The recent success has been a change of direction for the program under James Franklin after all five top-100 recruits in the 2021 cycle left the state, including five-star offensive tackle Nolan Rucci (Wisconsin) and five-star quarterback Kyle McCord (Ohio State). In 2020, Ohio State came into Pennsylvania and plucked five-star receiver Julian Fleming out from under Franklin’s nose. All four commitments in the 2024 class are blue-chippers, with three coming from in state.
What’s also helped Penn State sign top-15 classes in six of the last seven cycles has been its dominance in Maryland and Virginia. Franklin signed five-star defensive lineman Dani Dennis-Sutton out of Owings Mills, Md., in 2022 and four-star offensive tackle Landon Tengwall, the top recruit in Maryland, from Olney Good Counsel in 2021. In the 2023 cycle, Franklin signed the only two top-100 recruits in Virginia in offensive lineman Alex Birchmeier and linebacker Tony Rojas. Use of the portal (16 transfer additions since 2018) remains low compared to other Big Ten teams. Penn State’s 31 NFL Draft picks since 2018 — with four first-rounders — ranks second only to Ohio State.
Purdue

YEAR	SIGNEES	IN-STATE	PCT.	NEXT STATE
2023	16	5	31%	Florida, 4
2022	20	5	25%	Ohio, 4
2021	16	5	31%	Wisconsin, 2
2020	22	2	9%	Michigan, 5
2019	28	4	14%	Ohio, 7
2018	26	4	15%	Kentucky, 5
Total	128	25	20%	Ohio, 18

The Boilermakers have not signed a top-30 class since 2019 class (No. 25). The program beefed up in-state recruiting over the last three cycles, but it’s unclear if new coach Ryan Walters, a 36-year-old Colorado native and CU graduate, is going to continue the trend or spread the love around more. Winning battles for in-state talent hasn’t been easy. The five blue-chip recruits in the state last cycle went to Notre Dame, Ohio State, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Cockeye. The top in-state player the Boilermakers signed was three-star edge rusher Will Heldt, ranked 10th among Indiana products. In the three previous cycles (2020-22), Purdue signed only five of the 16 in-state blue-chip recruits.
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The Boilermakers picked up the pace in Florida last cycle, signing four players from the Sunshine State. They’d signed one recruit from Florida over the previous four cycles. Ohio has been the second-most productive state for Purdue over the last six cycles with 18 signees. The Boilers’ 28 transfer pickups over the last six cycles ranks sixth in the Big Ten.
Rutgers

YEAR	SIGNEES	IN-STATE	PCT.	NEXT STATE
2023	19	5	26%	Florida, 6
2022	20	9	45%	Pennsylvania, 4
2021	22	9	41%	Florida, Ohio, 3
2020	22	12	55%	New York, 3
2019	21	9	43%	Florida, New York, 2
2018	32	16	50%	New York, 6
Total	136	60	44%	Florida, 16

The Scarlet Knights haven’t signed a top-25 class since the 2012 cycle, when Kyle Flood picked up the pieces from Greg Schiano’s departure to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers just days before signing day. That class ranked No. 23 and included six blue-chip prospects. Following Schiano’s return in 2020, Rutgers peaked at No. 33 in 2022 before slipping to No. 57 in 2023. Schiano, though, has picked up the program’s recruiting efforts in the state of Florida. The Sunshine State is where Rutgers brought in its biggest haul of recruits in the 2023 cycle — six signees, one more than New Jersey and two more than New York.
Rutgers signed five blue-chip recruits in the 2022 cycle and three in the 2021 cycle, led by four-star quarterback Gavin Wimsatt of Kentucky. When it comes to winning the battle for the best players in its home state, Rutgers has signed only three of the 25 blue-chip recruits from the Garden State in the last four cycles. Notre Dame leads the way with four. Rutgers’ 36 transfer additions since 2018 rank fifth-most in the league. The program has produced six draft picks over the last six years and hasn’t had a first-rounder since 2010.
Wisconsin

YEAR	SIGNEES	IN-STATE	PCT.	NEXT STATE
2023	15	1	7%	Illinois, 3
2022	15	5	33%	Michigan, 2
2021	21	6	29%	Ohio, 3
2020	20	7	35%	Minnesota, 2
2019	19	3	16%	5 tied w/ 2
2018	20	4	20%	Michigan, 5
Total	110	26	24%	Michigan, 11

Indiana is the only Big Ten team that has used the transfer portal more than the Badgers in the 2023 cycle (13 signees) under new coach Luke #2ndChoice. As a state, Wisconsin falls in the lower tier for producing Power 5 signees, but the hometown Badgers have still found a way to take what is in their backyard and produce NFL talent. The program’s 21 draft picks since 2018 are the fourth-most in the Big Ten.
But it’s not as though Wisconsin is incapable of putting together stellar recruiting classes. The Badgers signed three consecutive top-30 classes from 2019 through 2021, with a high of No. 16 in ’21. In-state talent continues to serve as the the major pipeline, with Michigan (11 signees since 2018), Ohio (nine), Illinois (eight) and Florida (six) serving as their next biggest feeders. Two of Wisconsin’s three 2024 commitments are blue-chip prospects — one from Illinois and one Texas.

 

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2023

23

6

26%

Virginia, 6

That's interesting from Penn St.