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The Big Tens best recruiting class so far is...

Written by Duane Long | 01 August 2009

Penn State. I am hearing so much about the Penn State class. I went around and took a look. Paul Jones is a player I am surprised there is not more chatter about. Penn State is putting together a nice stable of athletic quarterbacks. They get this kid and Robert Bolden, a better quarterback than Devin Gardner, in the same year. Last year they get Kevin Newsome. That is the best stable in the Big Ten. Adrian Coxson is a bigtime receiver. He has good size and knows how to use his body. Strong and has good speed. Tom Ricketts impresses me. Miles Diffenbach doesn't. I have not looked at the DTs nationally but seeing Evan Hailes down at #18 on the Rivals rankings makes me want to look at them soon. He is a nice player. Explosive and strong. Finds the ball very well. Size is what prevents Mike Hull from being a five-star. He has the game of an inside linebacker, run and hit, but is not ideal sized. I think he is a little tight to be an outside linebacker. Kyle Baublitz is the 2econd best tight end in the region. Better than Alex Smith and Alex Welch. Dakota Royer reminds me of Nate Williams. It is a great looking class. It is the kind of class that will help the Big Ten rid itself of the out of conference/bowl demons.

Ohio State is #2 but I think it is much closer to an argument for #1 than most do. I think the Ohio State class is undervalued. I think Penn State and Michigan are both pretty accurate, with the few exceptions I noted. Rod Smith is a five-star kid. The best back in the country. Andrew Norwell is not a five-star kid? This is not shaping up like a great year at tackle now that I am looking at more players. Some good top end guys but not alot of depth. Norwell is one of those elite kids. David Durham is not a three-star end. He might not be an end at all but he is surely a four-star kid no matter where he lines up. It has been pointed out that the best quarterback gurus in the college game offered Taylor Graham. I have seen more of Scott McVey than others in this business. He is such a great player. Top drawer instincts and much underrated quickness. I think he has the potential to change the Star position here because he is bigger. He is not a player you are going to be nervous about him being on the field on third and three. He can stand up to it but is such a natural in pass coverage. He can do it all, and he is a player that you must block every down or he will make a play. Numbers are a bigger problem than talent. Ohio State has 9. Take Penn States best 9. I think we match-up.

I liked Michigans alot early on. Still do, but they have gotten out in front of themselves a bit. I really like D.J. Williamson but I don't know if he is a Michigan player right now. He might be after this season but right now he is not. That could be an offer that makes it worthwhile to secure a foothold in Ohio with a program that has put a few players in maize and blue. Christian Pace is another player I would put in that category. I am not sold on Gardner as a passer. He is not a four-star kid in any other system. He is a run first quarterback. When in trouble he tucks it and goes. Watching Pryor in a full game as a senior is where I became convinced he is a quarterback. When the pocket broke down he still kept his head up, looking for a receiver. In the Michigan offense the QB tucking and running is not plan B. On the other hand I think Antonio Kinard could be a steal. He is a big athletic kid who can run. I think it more likely he makes his mark as a DE than an LB. He is highly likely to get a good deal bigger. Courtney Avery is a steal. flat out. No could be in there for him. Ken Wilkins is not the most athletic kid but he has really good straight line speed, strong and has a great body. He is a really good looking strong side DE prospect. Ricardo Miller and Jerald Robinson are big time athletes. Rivals has a four-star on both and it is well earned.
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