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11 Big Ten Programs Ranked in Top 25 2027 College Football Recruiting Classes

Off three straight CFP titles on the gridiron, the B1G's dominance is moving to recruiting.
Joe Cox|
USC coach Lincoln Riley is one of several Big Ten bosses putting together an impressive recruiting class.
USC coach Lincoln Riley is one of several Big Ten bosses putting together an impressive recruiting class. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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USC TrojansOhio State BuckeyesPenn State Nittany LionsUCLA BruinsMichigan WolverinesOregon DucksMinnesota Golden GophersNebraska Cornhuskers

While the SEC proclaims that its sports just mean more, the Big Ten's football recruiting might be taking the air out of that claim. Fresh off a third straight CFP crown, the Big Ten's top teams have hit the offseason recruiting with a vengeance. No less than 11 Big Ten squads are ranked in the Top 25 of 247sports' 2027 national class rankings.

Sure, the SEC is still around, as that conference can claim seven top 25 classes, including the top two nationally in Oklahoma and Texas A&M. But just about any other metric currently favors the Big Ten. An illustration from Thursday's rankings shows the league's dominance in a visual format.

While the rankings have jumped about over the weekend, all 11 of those Big Ten teams listed in the top 25 on Thursday remain in that spot. The two biggest hitters have been USC and Ohio State, ranked third and fourth nationally in terms of their recruiting classes.

The Trojans have 11 commitments so far for 2027, with six Top 100 played in 247's rankings already planning to be Trojans. The biggest prize of the bunch is 6'1" athlete Honor Fa'alave-Johnson, ranked the No. 22 overall player in the nation.

Ohio State has 10 commitments, with top national recruit DJ Jacobs, a Georgia EDGE star, leading the way. The Buckeyes have three top 100 players' commitments, but Jacobs is the kind of generational talent who should shine in Columbus, while makes getting him out of the south remarkable.

Some of the conference's new coaches are doing some big work in the offseason. Penn State was No. 19 on Thursday, but jumped to sixth after grabbing four more commits. The Nittany Lions and new coach Matt Campbell got a commitment from Ohio corner Kei'Shjuan Telfair, who is the top prospect so far in PSU's class.

Michigan's Kyle Whittingham and UCLA"s Bob Chesney are hanging around the bottom of the top 25, adding significant talent to their new systems.

There are some other surprises. Yes, Oregon (No. 11) continues to recruit well. But so has Minnesota (No. 16) and Nebraska (No. 18). The Huskers have grabbed top 50 QB Trae Taylor, and Minnesota is one of five Big Ten schools that can already claim 10+ commitments.

Of course, it's still early overall for 2027 recruits, with many of the top national recruits still on the board of prospective players to nab. But the Big Ten has started strong and with surprising depth and might be signaling the ultimate changing of the guard across college football.

Campbell
A busy weekend saw Penn State and new coach Matt Campbell climb to No. 6 in the 247 team recruiting rankings for the 2027 class. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Joe Cox
JOE COX

Joe is a journalist and writer who covers college and professional sports. He has written or co-written over a dozen sports books, including several regional best sellers. His last book, A Fine Team Man, is about Jackie Robinson and the lives he changed. Joe has been a guest on MLB Network, the Paul Finebaum show and numerous other television and radio shows. He has been inside MLB dugouts, covered bowl games and conference tournaments with Saturday Down South and still loves telling the stories of sports past and present.

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