The Big Ten remains on top of the college football world and that’s continued to bleed onto the recruiting trail. Three of the top five classes in the 2026 cycle — per the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings — landed in the conference.
USC, still new to the league, finished with the nation’s No. 1 class, while Ohio State and Oregon finished at No. 3 and 4, respectively. Looking at the 2027 cycle, those three programs are all in the top 10 of the team rankings early on.
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Other programs like Nebraska and Washington are making some noise on the trail thus far, too. As of April 7, eight Big Ten teams have a top-25 recruiting class in the cycle.
Rivals is taking a look at the top-ranked commitment in the Big Ten at every position. Rankings are courtesy of the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all major recruiting media companies.
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 59 NATL. (No. 5 QB)
School: Carmel Catholic (Ill.)
Taylor on his commitment: “I want to go there and create my own name. I don’t want to go there and try to be somebody else,” Taylor told Rivals. “It is about going there, having my name up on the wall, winning a national championship and bringing another Heisman back to Nebraska.”
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Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 175 NATL. (No. 8 RB)
School: Tyler (Texas)
McMiller on his commitment: “I really like the school,” McMiller told Rivals. “Nobody else showing me love like Oregon … I’m a run hard running back. I’m not doing all that dancing. I’m straight downhill into somebody’s face.”
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 17 NATL. (No. 3 WR)
School: Big Walnut (Ohio)
About: The five-star pass-catcher has already been committed to Ohio State for well over a year. He made his pledge on Nov. 23, 2024 and has shown no signs of backing off since, even with the departure of Brian Hartline. The Buckeyes inked five-star WR Chris Henry Jr. after a long-standing commitment and they’ll now hope to do the same with Brown. He’s the top-ranked prospect in Ohio.
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Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 170 NATL. (No. 8 TE)
School: Iola-Scandinavia (Wisc.)
Loken on his commitment: “I just love the program,” Loken told Rivals. “You can tell that everybody there wants to win. The coaches, they really want to be the best they can. They want to win games and the players work hard every day. I’ve gone down there to practice a couple of times and they really got that iron sharpens iron mentality. You can tell everybody there wants to turn this program around and start winning games.”
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 131 NATL. (No. 14 OT)
School: Servite (Calif.)
Fielder on his commitment: “I really loved Oregon, this wasn’t anything against them,” Fielder told Rivals after flipping from Oregon. “USC is the only school I would have de-committed for. This is a dream opportunity for me and one I just couldn’t pass up. Ever since I was a kid, USC was the dream for me. I’ve talked about it before, my dad went there and my grandfather and great uncle won a National Championship as well. Not many players get to live out their dream but I do so I’m obviously very excited right now.”
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Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 60 NATL. (No. 5 IOL)
School: Liberty Center (Ohio)
Scouting Summary: “Wymer is an elite athlete on the offensive line. I think there’s a case to be made that he might be the most natural mover and explosive mover of all the offensive linemen nationally. He can really, really scoot at the second level. This is a guy who is at his best when he’s pulling and getting on linebackers and he runs like a tight end. There’s a ton to like there, and we feel like as he continues to get bigger and stronger, there’s just so much upside just with his natural athleticism and movement skills.”
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 3 NATL. (No. 1 EDGE)
School: Blessed Trinity Catholic (Ga.)
Scouting Summary: “Athletically gifted EDGE defender who thrives as an edge setter in the run game and is a multi-faceted pass rusher. Verified 6-foot-5, 235-pound defender with excellent bend and hand usage. In the run game, he is violent with his hands when shocking blockers at the point of attack. As a rusher, he wins with a great burst off the line of scrimmage that lets him get vertical in a hurry to blow by tackles with speed. But he can also convert that speed to power and bull pass protectors into the quarterback. He will need to continue harnessing his ability to gain leverage due to his below-average length, but Jacobs has the physical tools and tenacity to be an immediate impact player the moment he steps on campus. Possesses the play strength and athleticism to develop into a dominant three-down defender at the next level that can stand up or play with his hand in the dirt along the defensive front.”
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Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 100 NATL. (No. 11 DL)
School: Guyer (Texas)
Rowe on his commitment: “Coach Lanning’s whole backstory, how he got into coaching and then earned the head coaching job — that speaks volumes. That’s a lot of great resilience on his part; he knows what it feels like to be at the bottom and work your way up,” Rowe told Rivals. “Their scheme and they’re playing with big ends, and I really enjoy that, and also their scheme versatility. Along with the academics and outside part, my mom and dad feel really comfortable with me going to Oregon.”
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 187 NATL. (No. 17 LB)
School: Millbrook (N.C.)
Cypher on his commitment: “I love the coaching staff at Ohio State. Coach Patricia’s defense is great, and he’s a former NFL coach with Super Bowl rings and so much knowledge. Coach Day is a great head coach — he’s a winner and a great guy,” Cypher told Rivals. “Then, Coach Laurinaitis is one of the best. He played the game, he played at Ohio State, and he knows the game. Playing for a guy like him will help me a lot.”
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Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 71 NATL. (No. 9 CB)
School: Dothan (Ala.)
Hall on his commitment: “I didn’t think I’d commit this early,” Hall told Rivals. “It is a school I liked when I was younger, but they really shocked me. They care about attention to detail. They play freshmen and develop guys — they say if you’re good enough, you’re old enough. And they’re real about everything, the good and the bad. Those things and how I felt on the visit let me know I was ready.”
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 55 NATL. (No. 3 S)
School: Millard North (Neb.)
About: The consensus top recruit in Nebraska, Pittman headlines what is currently a top-10 class for Matt Rhule and the Huskers. He gave his pledge back in August 2025 to NU over Miami, Notre Dame, and a host of other programs. And now they’ll have to hold onto the Omaha Central standout, who finished his junior campaign with 68 tackles and three interceptions. On the offensive side, he hauled in 16 passes for 277 yards and a whopping seven touchdowns.
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Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 18 NATL. (No. 1 ATH)
School: Cathedral Catholic (Calif.)
Scouting Summary: “Fa’alave-Johnson is one of the more unique athletes to come out of the West in some time and could legitimately play four positions at the college level. He was recruited primarily as a running back and safety but we’ve seen him play receiver and corner and he’s very capable at those two positions as well. He’s a true home run threat at running back with explosive speed and 22.76 MPH on the GPS as a junior. He has some power to him as well, excellent contact balance and can run through would be tacklers. At safety, he’s smart, rangy, has excellent ball skills and plays with a mean streak. He has an edge in his game and is one of those players you love on your team but hate to play against. He brings special teams value as a return man as well and has all the talent to compete for playing time immediately at the college level.”
