Recruiting Graphic Shows Huge Disparity Among Power Five

When it comes landing to five-star recruits, the Big Ten Conference came up woefully short in 2023.

The Big Ten conference featured two teams in the 2022 College Football Playoff, but managed to land just one five-star recruit in the 2023 class. 

In a somewhat shocking graphic shared by Fox College Football, fans can see the clear disparity that exists among the Power Five group when it comes to signing the nations top recruits.

The @SEC leads the way with the most 5-star recruits from the class of 2023 ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/U4u5hbqOle

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) February 2, 2023

The SEC signed 21 five-star recruits in the 2023 class, which is three times the amount of the next closest conference, and more than all of the other four Power Five conferences combined 

1. SEC: 21
2. Big 12: 7
3. PAC-12: 5
4. ACC: 4
5. Big 10: 1

When it comes to Top 100 recruits by Power Five programs, the SEC is once again head and shoulders above the rest. 

🐘 @AlabamaFTBL landed the most top 100 recruits this year 💪

How many are coming to your school? pic.twitter.com/SXHi51XZEL

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) February 2, 2023

1. SEC: 46
2. Big 12: 17
3. Big 10: 13
4. PAC-12: 11
5. ACC: 9

For College Football analyst Joel Klatt, the disparity in the rankings boils down to one thing: NIL. In the clip below, Klatt explains how some conferences have fully embraced what NIL brings to college football, while others are still reluctant to use it as a tool to land highly-rated recruits. 

"Programs around the country are approaching NIL very differently."@JoelKlatt explains that conferences' approach to NIL could explain the discrepancy of 5-stars between them ⬇️

(Via @JoelKlattShow)
pic.twitter.com/7VBLwKEtWB

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) February 2, 2023

When it comes to Michigan specifically, the Wolverines failed to land a single five-star or Top 100 recruit in 2023. Michigan finished the cycle with the No. 18 ranked overall recruiting class nationally, and the No. 3 ranked class within the Big Ten conference (behind Ohio State and Penn State). 

Although it's puzzling that Michigan didn't have a better showing on the trail given the programs recent success, things aren't necessarily as bad as they seem - particularly when factoring in Michigan's success with the transfer portal. 

Over the last month, the Wolverines were able to land several experienced targets from the portal - including center Drake Nugent (Stanford), OL Myles Hinton (Stanford), OL Ladarius Henderson (Arizona State), LB Ernest Hausmann (Nebraska), and EDGE Josaiah Stewart. All five players bring a significant amount of experience at the collegiate level, and all are expected to make meaningful contributions immediately - with some even pushing for a starting role.