Big Ten Football Signing Day Rankings: Ducks wield top class

In the world of college football recruiting, it's the SEC and the Big Ten. That point was driven home on Early Signing Day. The two leagues made up the entire top 10 school rankings of recruiting classes (per 247sports.com). The Big Ten certainly picked up its share of major players. Here's the league standings in a rundown of the top classes.

Big Ten Early Signing Day Rankings

Oregon's Dan Lanning landed the Big Ten's top recruiting class. (Photo Credit: IMAGN)

Big Ten Rank	Team
1	Oregon
2	Ohio State
3	Michigan
4	USC
5	Penn State
6	Nebraska
7	Washington
8	Wisconsin
9	Maryland
10	Rutgers
11	Iowa
12	Illinois
13	Indiana
14	UCLA
15	Minnesota
16	Michigan State
17	Northwestern
18	Purdue

The league did nab three of the top 10 classes, as noted above, with Oregon (3rd), Ohio State (5th) and Michigan (7th) being the Big Ten teams. Eight of the top 25 teams came from the Big Ten.

Oregon National Recruiting

Oregon won the Big Ten recruiting crown with four five-star players, all ranked within the national top 30 players. The Ducks managed seven top 100 players, with another 16 four-star players signing, including 17 in the nation's top 250.

The most impressive player of the class is Texas wide receiver recruit Dakorien Moore, who was ranked the No. 8 player in the nation and the top wide receiver prospect. A 5-foot-11 speedster with track skills, Moore picked the Ducks back in July and stayed firm in his commitment. Even on an athletic Oregon team, Moore should stand out from day one.

The other three five-star signees are equally geographically diverse. The Ducks invaded Alabama for cornerback Na'eem Offord, Florida for wide receiver Dallas Wilson and Maryland for cornerback Brandon Finney.

Obviously, Oregon went all in on skill guys. Offord switched over late from Ohio State, while Wilson committed to Oregon in January 2023.

Ohio State National Recruiting

The Buckeyes nabbed two of the top five players in the nation and seven top 100 recruits in a stellar class. Ohio State added 14 four-star signees to the class, which included eight in-state signees. It's a typically tall and athletic group of new Buckeyes who have been added.

QB Tavien St. Clair could be the centerpiece of the group. The No. 3 recruit in the entire nation, St. Clair is a big (6-foot-4, 225 pounds) passer who chose OSU early. He was a June 2023 commit and as an in-state guy, OSU didn't struggle to keep him in the fold.

St. Clair passed for nearly 4,000 yards and 37 touchdowns in his senior season of high school and has all the tools for stardom.

Likewise, CB Devin Sanchez is a star in the making. He was the No. 5 recruit in the nation and the top cornerback in the class. A 6-foot-2 athlete from Texas, Sanchez was another player who settled on OSU early, committing in January.

Sanchez's father played college football and his mother was a sprinter, and suffice it to say, he appears to have gotten both sets of skills.

Tackle Carter Lowe is another important Buckeye. At 6-foot-5 and 290 pounds, he's a rugged blocker who OSU kept in-state. Another January commit, Lowe is a massive mauler up front with loads of potential.

Michigan National Recruiting

Michigan flipped the nation's top recruit and ended up signing eight of the country's top 125 players. Only four in-state recruits dotted the class, but those did include Bryce Underwood, the aforementioned top recruit. Michigan picked up an influx of talent and athleticism.

Underwood is the big story. Flipped from LSU two weeks before Signing Day, the 6-3 passer has arm strength, pocket awarness and legitimate speed. He threw 44 touchdowns against three interceptions in his senior season of high school.

While the Wolverines might seek a one-and-done transfer portal addition to give Underwood seasoning, he's the future of the program.

Five-star offensive tackle Andrew Babalola will be tasked with protecting Underwood. The nation's No. 11 recruit, the 6-6, 280-pound blocker from Kansas has great athletic tools. Babalola picked the Wolverines in late October and is a significant building block for the future.

Four-star cornerback Shamari Earls was a late flip from Georgia. The 6-2 Virginia defender could see early playing time for UM. He was certainly a significant late addition to the class.

What do you think of the Big Ten's top recruiting classes? Share your thoughts below in our comments section!