Breaking down the Big Ten's recruiting rankings in December

In the midst of the early signing period for the 2020 class, BadgerBlitz.com looks broader at the Big Ten Conference and how the rest of the league shapes up here in mid-December.

Please note, rankings are as of Thursday morning, Dec. 19.

The first full recruiting class under head coach Ryan Day appears to not have dropped a notch after Urban Meyer left Columbus for his current cozy gig with FOX. The Buckeyes can boast that they have three of the four five-star commits signed by Big Ten programs in this recruiting cycle -- offensive lineman Paris Johnson, Jr., and wide receivesr Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Julian Fleming.

Rivals ranks Johnson, Jr. and Fleming as the best players in the 2020 class at their respective positions. The Buckeyes also added four-star quarterback C.J. Stroud on Wednesday.

Jim Harbaugh continues to sell the Michigan brand well.

A few names in the Wolverine's recruiting cycle may look familiar to Badgers fans. That includes former targets Blake Corum, Kalel Mullings and Makari Paige. Mullings officially visited Wisconsin in June on the same weekend as current UW commit Nick Herbig.

For that matter, Michigan signees Nikhai Hill-Green and Herbig's high school teammate, wide receiver Roman Wilson, also held Wisconsin offers.

The Big Ten East division sweeps the top three spots within the conference.

Nittany Lions signees that held Wisconsin offers include inside linebacker Curtis Jacobs, defensive tackle Cole Brevard, and wide receiver Parker Washington.

Washington officially visited Wisconsin on the same weekend as over a handful of commits and tight end Cam Large. The Badgers' coaching staff batted .500 with the two previously uncommitted players on campus, as Large chose UW while Washington eventually chose Penn State.

Nebraska won some recruiting battles against Wisconsin this recruiting cycle, most notably with defensive tackle Nash Hutmacher and running back Sevion Morrison. Hutmacher officially visited the Badgers in early June before eventually choosing the Huskers, while Morrison received a UW offer in August just days before committing to Scott Frost's program.

Other big names for Nebraska in this class include wide receiver Zavier Betts and offensive lineman Turner Corcoran with the latter holding an offer from Wisconsin.

For that matter, two four-star players from South Florida -- wide receiver Marcus Fleming and defensive back Jaiden Francois -- joined the Huskers on Wednesday.

Maryland made some moves in mid-December. Its signed the Big Ten's only other five-star recruit -- wide receiver Rakim Jarrett -- and added four-star running back Isaiah Jacobs as well. Those two prep standouts join a class that includes four-star signees Ruben Hyppolite and Peny Boone.

Five of the Terrapins' 24 verbal commits came from within the state, though based on Rivals' state rankings, other programs have swooped in to take its top 20 players.

Jeff Brohm brings in two more four-star wide receivers, this time Michigan's Maliq Carr, and former Northwestern commit Adbur-Rahmaan Yaseen,-- the latter of whom just flipped between Big Ten West foes -- along with a four-star quarterback in New Jersey native Michael Alaimo.

Waukesha (WI) Catholic Memorial's Ben Kreul, teammate to Wisconsin 2020 commit Cole Dakovich, committed to the Boilermakers in January of this year.

Headliners for Kirk Ferentz's 2020 class include four-star products Deuce Hogan and Deontae Craig. Iowa also dipped across state lines to receive a verbal commitment from Elkhorn's Michael Lois.

Obviously, BadgerBlitz.com has divulged much of its coverage on this new crop of players. Based on class size, Wisconsin tied for the fourth fewest amount of commits during the early signing period compared to other Big Ten programs.

However, UW received very good news on Wednesday morning when four-star outside linebacker Kaden Johnson signed.

Its average star rating ranks fifth in the Big Ten -- ahead of Purdue, Iowa and Maryland , which all are technically "ahead" of Wisconsin in the Rivals rankings.

The Gophers only have one four-star commit in this class, but it won a key recruiting battle over the Badgers this cycle when wide receiver Daniel Jackson announced his decision to play college football in Minnesota. The high three-star wide out and former teammate of Wisconsin true freshman quarterback Graham Mertz officially visited UW in June.

Wisconsin native, linebacker Lucas Finnessy, also committed to play for P.J. Fleck and his program back in April.

Minneapolis athlete Terry Lockett, who just announced his decision on Dec. 15, is the lone four-star recruit in Mark Dantonio's 2020 class during the early signing period.

Another name that likely looks familiar is Kentwood, Mich., offensive lineman Dallas Fincher, a former high school teammate of Wisconsin 2019 signee Logan Brown. Fincher held an offer from Wisconsin but committed to MSU in February.

Wide receiver Rashawn Williams currently holds as the Hoosiers' lone four-star commit. The Detroit product also received offers from Michigan, LSU, and Ohio State during his recruiting process.

Five of Tom Allen's 18 commits hail from within the Hoosier State. According to Rivals' state rankings, that includes three of the top 10 prep players and six of the top 15 from Indiana.

Pat Fitzgerald's class held two four-star candidates until Yaseen flipped to Purdue, but there is still offensive lineman Peter Skoronski. Northwestern is tied with Rutgers currently for second fewest commits after the first day of the early signing period.

Since Greg Schiano arrived in Piscataway, the Scarlet Knights have picked up nine verbal commitments in an attempt to jump start the program.

We will see just where four-star running back and Wisconsin target Jalen Berger plans to play college football after the early signing period when he announces during the All-American Bowl in January. Schiano will have an opportunity to make a big wave early on in the recruiting process.

Illinois has the smallest class so far during the early signing period, but one big recruiting victory came with the commitment of 2020 four-star running back Reggie Love. The St. Louis native held an offer from Wisconsin before shutting it down and deciding to play for Lovie Smith and the Fighting Illini in April.