College football may be deep in the throes of the offseason, but when it comes to Ohio State and other big-time programs, the news and efforts continue year-round. The Buckeyes are currently going through the paces of spring ball so there's plenty of news and observations coming from the Woody Hayes Athletic Center -- and more than that -- the recruiting game never seems to take time off to catch a breath.
In fact, Ohio State has received a flurry of commitments over the last few days, none bigger than 5-star safety, Blaine Bradford's verbal pledge on Monday. The news makes it eight players committed to the Ohio State football 2026 recruiting class as we sit here today, and though things may be off to a bit of a slower start than previous years, the Buckeyes will undoubtedly make waves in the Big Ten and nationally as we see almost every year.
But where does Ohio State stand in relation to all of the other Big Ten teams this early in the cycle? Are the Buckeyes at the top of the league? Where do other teams like Oregon, Michigan, and Penn State land who have historically recruited near the level of the Scarlet and Gray?
Here's a look at all of the Big Ten recruiting team rankings based on the 247Sports Composite Rankings as we sit here at the end of March.
No. 18 - Purdue Boilermakers Big Ten Recruiting Ranking
247Sports 2026 Recruiting Profile
Total Score| 14.78
Total Commitments| 2
5-Star Commits| 0
4-Star Commits| 0
3-Star Commits| 1
National Ranking | No. 83
No. 17 - Northwestern Wildcats Big Ten Recruiting Ranking
247Sports 2026 Recruiting Profile
Total Score| 15.11
Total Commitments| 1
5-Star Commits| 0
4-Star Commits| 0
3-Star Commits| 1
National Ranking | No. 81
No. 16 - Indiana Hoosiers Big Ten Recruiting Ranking
247Sports 2026 Recruiting Profile
Total Score| 17.59
Total Commitments| 1
5-Star Commits| 0
4-Star Commits| 0
3-Star Commits| 1
National Ranking | No. 71
No. 15 - Wisconsin Badgers Big Ten Recruiting Ranking
247Sports 2026 Recruiting Profile
Total Score| 32.94
Total Commitments| 2
5-Star Commits| 0
4-Star Commits| 0
3-Star Commits| 2
National Ranking | No. 62
No. 14 - Nebraska Cornhuskers Big Ten Recruiting Ranking
247Sports 2026 Recruiting Profile
Total Score| 55.82
Total Commitments| 3
5-Star Commits| 0
4-Star Commits| 1
3-Star Commits| 2
National Ranking | No. 47
No. 13 - Michigan Wolverines Big Ten Recruiting Ranking
247Sports 2026 Recruiting Profile
Total Score| 57.75
Total Commitments| 3
5-Star Commits| 0
4-Star Commits| 2
3-Star Commits| 1
National Ranking | No. 45
No. 12 - Maryland Terrapins Big Ten Recruiting Ranking
247Sports 2026 Recruiting Profile
Total Score| 62.67
Total Commitments| 3
5-Star Commits| 1
4-Star Commits| 0
3-Star Commits| 2
National Ranking | No. 43
No. 11 - Michigan State Spartans Big Ten Recruiting Ranking
247Sports 2026 Recruiting Profile
Total Score| 67.55
Total Commitments| 4
5-Star Commits| 0
4-Star Commits| 1
3-Star Commits| 3
National Ranking | No. 40
No. 10 - UCLA Bruins Big Ten Recruiting Ranking
247Sports 2026 Recruiting Profile
Total Score| 75.33
Total Commitments| 4
5-Star Commits| 0
4-Star Commits| 2
3-Star Commits| 2
National Ranking | No. 37
No. 9 - Rutgers Scarlet Knights Big Ten Recruiting Ranking
247Sports 2026 Recruiting Profile
Total Score| 94.88
Total Commitments| 7
5-Star Commits| 0
4-Star Commits| 2
3-Star Commits| 3
National Ranking | No. 31
No. 8 - Washington Huskies Big Ten Recruiting Ranking
247Sports 2026 Recruiting Profile
Total Score| 97.63
Total Commitments| 7
5-Star Commits| 0
4-Star Commits| 1
3-Star Commits| 5
National Ranking | No. 29
No. 7 - Minnesota Golden Gophers Big Ten Recruiting Ranking
247Sports 2026 Recruiting Profile
Total Score| 102.53
Total Commitments| 6
5-Star Commits| 0
4-Star Commits| 2
3-Star Commits| 4
National Ranking | No. 26
No. 6 - Iowa Hawkeyes Big Ten Recruiting Ranking
247Sports 2026 Recruiting Profile
Total Score| 120.83
Total Commitments| 7
5-Star Commits| 0
4-Star Commits| 3
3-Star Commits| 4
National Ranking | No. 20
No. 5 - Illinois Fighting Illini Big Ten Recruiting Ranking
247Sports 2026 Recruiting Profile
Total Score| 157.23
Total Commitments| 10
5-Star Commits| 0
4-Star Commits| 2
3-Star Commits| 8
National Ranking | No. 11
No. 4 - Penn State Nittany Lions Big Ten Recruiting Ranking
247Sports 2026 Recruiting Profile
Total Score| 168.77
Total Commitments| 9
5-Star Commits| 0
4-Star Commits| 6
3-Star Commits| 3
National Ranking | No. 9
No. 3 - Ohio State Buckeyes Big Ten Recruiting Ranking
247Sports 2026 Recruiting Profile
Total Score| 170.73
Total Commitments| 8
5-Star Commits| 2
4-Star Commits| 5
3-Star Commits| 1
National Ranking | No. 7
No. 2 - Oregon Ducks Big Ten Recruiting Ranking
247Sports 2026 Recruiting Profile
Total Score| 174.10
Total Commitments| 8
5-Star Commits| 2
4-Star Commits| 3
3-Star Commits| 3
National Ranking | No. 6
No. 1 - USC Trojans Big Ten Recruiting Ranking
247Sports 2026 Recruiting Profile
Total Score| 259.24
Total Commitments| 17
5-Star Commits| 1
4-Star Commits| 9
3-Star Commits| 6
National Ranking | No. 1
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