Ranking 2022 Big Ten teams by average talent rating after the early signing period

There are a few ways to look at which college football teams did the best in any given recruiting class, and that’s the same for the Ohio State football program. You can go by overall score, which is what most use. You can try to determine which programs fit the needs the best based on the current roster, or you can take a look at the average talent of each recruit.

It’s that last one that is often overlooked because of the size of a signing class. Take Ryan Day’s first class for instance. In 2019, Day only signed 17 total commitments for that recruiting cycle because it was never going to be a big one with what the Buckeyes had coming back. As result, it wasn’t a top class for OSU’s historical standards, just No. 14 overall in the country, and third in the Big Ten behind Michigan and Penn State. Those two programs signed 26 and 23 prospects respectively.

However, when looking at average star rating according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, Ohio State was still one of the tops in the country, and THE top team in the Big Ten. That year, the Buckeyes had an average prospect rating of 91.87, ahead of Michigan (90.78), and Penn State (91.01), and were third in the country behind Alabama (94.38) and Georgia (93.32).

This year, Ohio State signed just 18 players through the early signing period, still tops in the Big Ten in total score, and No. 4 overall in the country, but where does that stack up in average talent rating per commitment in the Big Ten?

We’re here to rank each program from worst to first when it goes to looking solely at the average 247Sports talent rating for the 2022 recruiting class after all the early signing period shenanigans are pretty much done.

Illinois Fighting Illini

Sep 17, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema walks off the field after the loss against the Maryland Terrapins at Memorial Stadium. Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Average Star Rating

85.11

Minnesota Golden Gophers

Sep 2, 2021; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Gophers head coach P.J Fleck and his players enter the field prior to the game against the Minnesota Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium. Credit: Harrison Barden-USA TODAY Sports

Average Star Rating

85.77

Purdue Boilermakers

Purdue Boilermakers head coach Jeff Brohm talks to players on the sideline during the fourth quarter of the NCAA football game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021. Credit: USA TODAY Sports

Average Star Rating

85.79

Nebraska Cornhuskers

Nov 6, 2021; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Scott Frost (right) looks onto the field during the second quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Memorial Stadium. Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

Average Star Rating

86.32

Northwestern Wildcats

Oct 16, 2021; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Northwestern Wildcats head coach Pat Fitzgerald looks on in the first half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Ryan Field. Credit: Quinn Harris-USA TODAY Sports

Average Star Rating

86.42

Maryland Terrapins

Oct 1, 2021; College Park, Maryland, USA; Maryland Terrapins head coach Michael Locksley looks on during the second half of the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium. Credit: Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports

Average Star Rating

86.77

Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Rutgers Scarlet Knights head coach Greg Schiano walks on the field during pregame warmups before an NCAA Division I football game between the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021, at SHI Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey. Credit: USA TODAY Sports

Average Star Rating

87.12

Michigan State Spartans

Michigan State’s new head football coach Mel Tucker is greeted by Sparty on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020, at the Capital Region International Airport in Lansing. Credit: USA TODAY Sports

Average Star Rating

87.13

Wisconsin Badgers

Wisconsin head coach quarter Paul Chryst talks to his offensive unit during the fourth of their game against Penn State Saturday, September 4, 2021, at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis. Penn State beat Wisconsin 16-10. Credit: USA TODAY Sports

Average Star Rating

87.41

Indiana Hoosiers

Indiana Hoosiers head coach Tom Allen walks along the sideline during the fourth quarter of an NCAA Division I football game between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021, at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind. Credit: USA TODAY Sports

Average Star Rating

87.74

Iowa Hawkeyes

(Bryon Houlgrave / Des Moines Register – USA TODAY Network)

Average Star Rating

88.09

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Oct 2, 2021; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh walks on the field during warmups prior to the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Average Star Rating

89.90

Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin yells during the fourth quarter of the NCAA football game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Sunday, Oct. 31, 2021. Credit: USA TODAY Sports

Average Star Rating

90.87

Ohio State Buckeyes

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day looks at the clock during the fourth quarter of the NCAA football game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021. Ohio State won 59-31. Credit: USA TODAY Sports

Average Star Rating

94.04

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