Blue White Illustrated

came away feeling good about his choice. "I really like Coach Strollo," Wilk- erson said. "He's made it clear that the best players are going to see the field next year, and he likes a few things about what I can bring to the table." Wilkerson received 16 verbal offers, including offers from Clemson, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Rutgers, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. After making 15 recep- tions for 300 yards this past season, he was a second-team Washington Post All-Metro selection. PHIL'S ANALYSIS One of the most under- appreciated members of Penn State's class, Wilkerson has 4.8-second 40- yard speed and was a two time All- Catholic and All-Met performer. He has the size to become a physical pass- blocking tight end and should fit per- fectly into O'Brien's offensive philos- ophy at Penn State. Trevor WILLIAMS WR, 6-2, 190 Towson, Md. Calvert Hall High Like his friend Da'Quan Davis, Williams was originally committed to West Virginia. He was still a member of the Mountaineers' class as of mid- January, but on Jan. 22, a little more than a week before national signing day, he changed his mind. Three West Virginia assistant coach- es left to take jobs at Arizona, and the new Penn State coaching staff made a late push to land both Williams and Davis. Once they took their official vis- its, the atmosphere around campus rekindled a love for the Nittany Lions. Said Williams, "Growing up, I just al- ways wanted to be part of Penn State football." So after receiving offers from Bryant, Morgan State, Toledo and West Vir- ginia, Williams decided to switch his commitment to the Nittany Lions while he was still on campus. He is joining Davis, a friend since middle school, and also is reuniting with Adrian Amos, a Calvert Hall alumnus who played cornerback for the Nittany Lions as a true freshman this past sea- son. Like Amos, Williams was selected to play in the Maryland Crab Bowl. He finished the game with two catches for 60 yards, including a 20-yard touchdown reception. During his senior season, he finished with 99 catches for 1,180 yards and 15 touchdowns. PHIL'S ANALYSISWilliams boasts 4.4-sec- ond 40-yard speed, has good hands and runs excellent routes. Because of his size, he has the ability to create mismatches in the pass game, and he knows how to use his body to make the catch and screen off defenders. He re- minds me of former Penn State wide receiver Bryant Johnson. B I G T E N R A N K I N G S RIVALS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. Ohio State Michigan Nebraska Purdue Iowa Penn State Michigan State Wisconsin Northwestern Illinois Indiana 12. Minnesota SCOUT 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Ohio State Michigan Michigan State Iowa Northwestern Penn State Nebraska Purdue Indiana 10. Wisconsin 11. Minnesota 12. Illinois City, Mo., are the Wolverines' top recruits from outside of Michigan and Ohio. Dar- boh, Magnuson and Pipkins are all rat- ed four-star players by Rivals. The fact that Nebraska ended up hav- ing the Big Ten's third-best recruiting class has to be considered a major sur- prise. That's because the Cornhuskers signed only 17 prospects. Among the players Bo Pelini was able to land were five four-star recruits and nine three-star recruits. The Corn- huskers' four-star recruits are junior G&W REPORT 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Purdue Penn State 10. 11. Michigan State Northwestern Wisconsin Illinois Indiana 12. Minnesota college All-American Zaire Anderson of Riverside (Calif.) Community College, defensive end Greg McMullen of Akron, Ohio, defensive back Mohammed Seisay of Eastern Arizona Community College, offensive lineman Paul Thurston of Avarda, Colo., and wide receiver Jordan Westerkamp of Lombard, Ill. The Big Ten school that made the biggest improvement in recruiting was Purdue. The Boilermakers land- ed 25 recruits. Among those players are two four-star recruits and 21 Ohio State Michigan Nebraska Iowa three-stars. The two four-star signings are athlete Carlos Carvajal of New Berlin Milford Academy in New York and defensive tackle Ryan Watson of Olney, Md. A major reason for Purdue's improve- ment was its emphasis on Florida. The Boilermakers signed eight Florida prospects, all of whom are rated as three-star players. Except for Penn State, Wisconsin probably had more recruiting disap- pointments than any Big Ten team. The Badgers signed only 12 players, three of whom were ranked by Rivals as four- star recruits. Those four-star players are linebacker Vince Biegel of Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., running back Vonte Jack- son of Kenosha, Wis., and offensive line- man Dan Voltz of Barrington, Ill. A school that can't be overlooked is Iowa. Its class is ranked 41st in the country and sixth in the Big Ten by Ri- vals. It consists of 24 players, includ- ing four four-star recruits: defensive end Faith Ekaktie of Lake Forest, Ill., running back Greg Garmon of Erie, Pa., defensive lineman Jaleel Johnson of Westchester, Ill., and offensive line- man Ryan Ward of New Lenox, Ill. After Iowa, there's not much good news for the Big Ten. Between them, North- western, Illinois, Indiana and Minneso- ta didn't sign a single four-star recruit. Of the 44 four- and five-star recruits who signed with Big Ten schools this year, 16 are going to Ohio State and 11 M A R C H 2 , 2 0 1 2 21 to Michigan. The concentration of talent should be good for the Buckeyes and Wolverines, but it figures to pose some challenges for the Big Ten as a whole. During the past two seasons, Big Ten teams have combined to win only three January bowl games. The league went 1-4 following the 2010 season, with Ohio State supplying its only vic- tory, a 31-26 win over Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl. This past season, the Big Ten's only two winners were Michigan, which de- feated Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl, 23-20, and Michigan State, which outlasted Georgia, 33-30, in the Gator Bowl. One wonders whether this year's re- cruiting haul will change the Big Ten's postseason fortunes or rein- force the status quo.

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