Posted by Bryan Fischer

It's the halfway point in the college football season and as part of our midseason look at the sport on CBSSports.com, we'll take a look at the verbal commitments for the Big Ten.


 Illinois (9)

Defensive back Taylor Barton (Orlando, Fla.)
Wide receiver Elliot Faerber (Shawnee Mission, Kan.)
Defensive back TaJarvis Fuller (Fort Myers, Fla.)
Defensive back Zach Jackson (Snellville, Ga.)
Defensive back Cody Quinn (Middletown, Ohio)
Wide receiver Jason "JJ" Robertson (Mokena, Ill.)
Offensive lineman Joseph Spencer (Mason, Ohio)
Offensive lineman Joey Warburg (Louisville, Ky.)
Defensive tackle Vontrell Williams (Chicago, Ill.)

Indiana (19)

Linebacker Jacarri Alexander (Fort Dodge, Iowa/Iowa Central JUCO)
Offensive lineman Jacob Bailey (Carmel, Ind.)
Defensive back Dante Blackmon (Covington, Ga.)
Wide receiver Caleb Cornett (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Linebacker Mike Cotton (O'Fallon, Ill.)
Wide receiver Kevin Davis (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Offensive lineman Dan Freeney (Orland Park, Ill.)
Defensive back Dawson Fletcher (West Chester, Ohio)
Defensive end Shawn Heffern (Carmel, Ind.)
Tight end Tanner Kearns (Lexington, Ohio)
Quarterback Gunner Kiel (Columbus, Ind.), Tom Lemming Top 100 member
Defensive end Adam Kranda (New Castle, Ind.)
Linebacker Nick Mangieri (Dunlap, Ill.)
Offensive lineman Wes Rogers (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Defensive back Sebastian Smith (Pickerington, Ohio)
Tight end Jason Spriggs (Elkhart, Ind.)
Linebacker Darrius Stroud (Streetsboro, Ohio)
Defensive tackle Alex Todd (Streetsboro, Ohio)
Linebacker Jordan Wallace (Indianapolis, Ind.)

Iowa (10)

Athlete Maurice Fleming Jr. (Chicago, Ill.)
Defensive tackle Jaleel Johnson (Westchester, Ill.)
Offensive tackle Mitch Kepyy (Port Byron, Ill.)
Kicker Connor Kornbrath (Bridgeport, W.V.)
Athlete Ruben Lile (Detroit, Mich.)
Athlete Michael Malloy (Sioux City, Iowa)
Defensive end Drew Ott (Giltner, Neb.)
Linebacker Laron Taylor (Detroit, Mich.)
Offensive lineman Ryan Ward (New Lenox, Ill.)
Wide receiver Cameron Wilson (Dublin, Ohio)

Michigan (23)

Offensive lineman Blake Bars (Nashville, Tenn.)
Linebacker Joe Bolden (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Offensive lineman Ben Branden (Rockford, Mich.)
Defensive end Pharaoh Brown (Lyndhurst, Ohio)
Defensive back Jeremy Clark (Madisonville, Ky.)
Tight end Devin Funchess (Farmington Hills, Mich.)
Defensive back Allen Gant (Sylvania, Ohio)
Defensive tackle Matthew Godin (Novi, Mich.)
Running back Sione Houma (Salt Lake City, Utah)
Linebacker Royce Jenkins-Stone (Detroit, Mich.)
Offensive lineman Kyle Kalis (Lakewood, Ohio), Tom Lemming Top 100 member
Offensive lineman Erik Magnuson (Carlsbad, Calf.), Tom Lemming Top 100 member
Defensive end Mario Ojemudia (Farmington Hills, Mich.), Tom Lemming Top 100 member
Defensive tackle Ondre Pipkins (Kansas City, Mo.)
Defensive back Terry Richardson (Detroit, Mich.), Tom Lemming Top 100 member
Linebacker Kaleb Ringer (Clayton, Ohio)
Linebacker James Ross (Orchard Lake, Mich.)
Offensive lineman Caleb Stacey (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Defensive back Anthony Standifer (Crete, Ill.), Tom Lemming Top 100 member
Defensive end Tom Strobel (Mentor, Ohio)
Tight end A.J. Williams (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Defensive back Jarrod Wilson (Akron, Ohio)
Defensive end Christopher Wormley (Toledo, Ohio)

Michigan State (14)

Athlete Riley Bullough (Traverse City, Mich.)
Wide receiver Aaron Burbridge (Farmington Hills, Mich.)
Defensive back Jermaine Edmondson (Canton, Ohio)
Offensive lineman Zach Higgins (Alliance, Ohio)
Tight end Evan Jones (West Lafayette, Ohio)
Wide receiver Kyle Kerrick (Coatesville, Pa.)
Offensive lineman Kodi Kieler (Gibraltar, Mich.)
Wide receiver MacGarrett Kings Jr. (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Linebacker Jamal Lyles (Southfield, Mich.)
Offensive lineman Benny McGowan (Centerville, Ohio)
Quarterback Tyler O'Connor (Lima, Ohio)
Defensive end Se'von Pittman (Canton, Ohio), Tom Lemming Top 100 member
Tight end Josiah Price (Greentown, Ind.)
Running back Nick Tompkins (Snellville, Ga.)

Minnesota (21)

Linebacker Josh Ballesteros (Miami, Fla.)
Linebacker Drew Davis (Raleigh, N.C.)
Defensive tackle Scott Ekpe (Lewisvile, Texas)
Wide receiver Isaac Fruechte (Rochester JUCO/Rochester, Minn.)
Wide receiver Jamel Harbison (Charlotte, N.C.)
Offensive lineman Isaac Hayes (Mendota Heights, Minn.)
Defensive back Tyren Hills (Boutte, La.)
Tight end Samad Hinds (Miami, Fla.)
Defensive tackle Jordan Hinojosa (Miami, Fla.)
Quarterback Mitch Leidner (Lakeville, Minn.)
Linebacker Jack Lynn (Lake Zurich, Ill.)
Linebacker Barrington Morris (Lauderhill, Fla.)
Defensive back Dinero Moss (Surprise, Fla.)
Defensive back Eric Murray (Milwaukee, Wisc.)
Quarterback Philip Nelson (Mankato, Minn.)
Linebacker Brian Nicholson (Miami, Fla.)
Offensive lineman Jonah Pirsig (Blue Earth, Minn.)
Defensive end Dominic Twitty (Mount Holly, N.J.)
Tight end Maxx Williams (Waconia, Minn.)
Running back Rodrick Williams Jr. (Lewisville, Texas)

Nebraska (5)

Quarterback Tommy Armstrong (Cibolo, Texas)
Tight end Sam Cotton (Lincoln, Neb.)
Lineabcker Deion Jones (New Orleans, La.)
Defensive end Greg McMullen (Akron, Ohio)
Linebacker Michael Rose (Kansas City, Mo.)
Offensive lineman Paul Thurston (Arvada, Col.)
Wide receiver Jordan Westerkamp (Lombard, Ill.)

Northwestern (17)

Defenisve back Terrance Brown (Los Alamitos, Calif.)
Offensive lineman Adam DePietro (Lancaster, Pa.)
Offensive lineman Chris Fitzpatrick (Lawrenceburg, Ky.)
Athlete Traveon Henry (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Defensive back Joseph Jones (Plano, Ill.)
Running back Malin Jones (Naperville, Ill.), Tom Lemming Top 100 member
Defensive tackle Greg Kuhar (Concord Township, Ohio)
Defensive end Dean Lowry (Rockford, Ill.)
Offensive lineman Connor Mahoney (Malvern, Pa.)
Wide receiver Mike McHugh (Kirkwood, Mo.)
Offensive lineman Eric Olson (Cambridge, Mass.)
Offensive lineman Ian Park (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Offensive lineman Kenton Playko (Lewis Center, Ohio)
Linebacker Jaylen Prater (Wellston, Ohio)
Tight end Jack Schwaba (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Athlete Dan Vitale (Wheaton, Ill.)
Defensive back Dwight White (Cypress, Texas)

Ohio State (13)

Running back Warren Ball (Columbus, Ohio)
Defensive back De'van Bogard (Cleveland, Ohio)
Offensive lineman Jacoby Boren (Pickerington, Ohio)
Running back Bri'onte Dunn (Canton, Ohio)
Offensive lineman Pat Elflein (Pickerington, Ohio)
Wide receiver Frank Epitropoulos (Upper Arlington, Ohio)
Quarterback Cardale Jones (Fork Union, Va.)
Wide receiver Roger Lewis (Pickerington, Ohio)
Defensive back Najee Murray (Steubenville, Ohio)
Linebacker Josh Perry (Galena, Ohio)
Defensive back Tyvis Powell (Bedford, Ohio)
Linebacker Luke Roberts (Lancaster, Ohio)
Tight end Blake Thomas (Westlake, Ohio)

Penn State (16)

Defensive tackle Derek Dowrey (Winchester, Va.)
Offensive lineman Brian Gaia (Baltimore, Md.)
Tight end J.P. Holtz (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Tight end Jesse James (McKeesport, Pa.)
Defensive tackle Austin Johnson (Richland, N.J.)
Athlete Jake Kiley (New Hampton, N.H.)
Wide receiver Eugene Lewis (Plymouth, Pa.)
Quarterback Skyler Mornhinweg (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Offensive lineman Joey O'Connor (Windsor, Col.)
Defensive back Armani Reeves (West Roxbury, Mass.)
Defensive tackle Tommy Schutt (Glen Ellyn, Ill.)
Offensive lineman Anthony Stanko (Warren, Ohio)
Linebacker Nyeem Wartman (Archbald, Pa.)
Tight end Brent Wilkerson (Hyattsville, Md.)
Linebacker Camren Williams (West Roxbury, Mass.)

  Purdue (20)

Wide receiver Danny Anthrop (Lafayette, Ind.)
Quarterback Austin Appleby (North Canton, Ohio)
Defensive back Anthony Brown (Tampa, Fla.)
Athlete Carlos Carvajal (New Berlin, N.Y.)
Tight end Jonathan Curry (Phenix City, Ala.)
Linebacker Andy Garcia (Hialeah, Fla.)
Quarterback Aloyis Gray (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Kicker Paul Griggs (Charlotte, N.C.)
Linebacker Jimmy Herman (Carmel, Ind.)
Running back Benjamin "BJ" Knauf (Lakeland, Fla.)
Defensive back Steffon Martin (Arizona Western JUCO, Yuma, Ariz.)
Kicker Thomas Meadows (Goochland, Va.)
Tight end Ryan Morris (Barnegat, N.J.)
Wide receiver Cameron Posey (Delray Beach, Fla.)
Offensive lineman Jordan Roos (Celina, Texas)
Defensive back Jordan Shine (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Offensive lineman Devin Smith (Yuma, Ariz./Arizona Western JUCO)
Wide receiver Jordan Woods (Ann Arbor, Mich.)

Wisconsin (11)

Linebacker Vince Biegel (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.), Tom Lemming Top 100 member
Offenisve lineman J.J. Denman (Fairless Hills, Pa.)
Offensive lineman Kyle Dodson (Cleveland, Ohio)
Defensive back Hugs Etienne (Plantation, Fla.)
Defensive tackle Arthur Goldberg (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Quarterback Bart Houston (Concord, Calif.), Tom Lemming Top 100 member
Running back Vonte Jackson (Kenosha, Wis.)
Athlete Reggie Mitchell (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Defenisve back D.J. Singleton (Jersey City, N.J.)
Offensive lineman Dan Voltz (Barrington, Ill.), Tom Lemming Top 100 member
Offensive lineman Walker Williams (Tacoma, Wash.)

Posted by Bryan Fischer

The month of July has come to a close and what better time to take a broad overview of how a conference is doing on the recruiting trail than the first week in August, roughly six months from Signing Day. Today we'll take a look at the verbal commitments for the Big Ten, where Ohio State is off to a slower start than normal given the problems surrounding the program and Nebraska hasn't taken advantage of the move quite yet.


 Illinois (6)

Wide receiver Elliot Faerber (Shawnee Mission, Kan.)
Defensive back TaJarvis Fuller (Fort Myers, Fla.)
Defensive back Cody Quinn (Middletown, Ohio)
Wide receiver Jason "JJ" Robertson (Mokena, Ill.)
Offensive lineman Joseph Spencer (Mason, Ohio)
Offensive lineman Joey Warburg (Louisville, Ky.)

Indiana (15)

Offensive lineman Jacob Bailey (Carmel, Ind.)
Wide receiver Caleb Cornett (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Linebacker Mike Cotton (O'Fallon, Ill.)
Wide receiver Kevin Davis (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Offensive lineman Dan Freeney (Orland Park, Ill.)
Defensive back Dawson Fletcher (West Chester, Ohio)
Tight end Tanner Kearns (Lexington, Ohio)
Quarterback Gunner Kiel (Columbus, Ind.), Tom Lemming Top 100 member
Defensive end Adam Kranda (New Castle, Ind.)
Linebacker Nick Mangieri (Dunlap, Ill.)
Offensive lineman Wes Rogers (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Tight end Jason Spriggs (Elkhart, Ind.)
Linebacker Darrius Stroud (Streetsboro, Ohio)
Defensive tackle Alex Todd (Streetsboro, Ohio)
Linebacker Jordan Wallace (Indianapolis, Ind.)

Iowa (8)

Athlete Maurice Fleming Jr. (Chicago, Ill.)
Defensive tackle Jaleel Johnson (Westchester, Ill.)
Offensive tackle Mitch Kepyy (Port Byron, Ill.)
Kicker Connor Kornbrath (Bridgeport, W.V.)
Athlete Michael Malloy (Sioux City, Iowa)
Defensive end Drew Ott (Giltner, Neb.)
Offensive lineman Ryan Ward (New Lenox, Ill.)
Wide receiver Cameron Wilson (Dublin, Ohio)

Michigan (22)

Offensive lineman Blake Bars (Nashville, Tenn.)
Linebacker Joe Bolden (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Offensive lineman Ben Branden (Rockford, Mich.)
Defensive end Pharaoh Brown (Lyndhurst, Ohio)
Defensive back Jeremy Clark (Madisonville, Ky.)
Tight end Devin Funchess (Farmington Hills, Mich.)
Defensive back Allen Gant (Sylvania, Ohio)
Defensive tackle Matthew Godin (Novi, Mich.)
Running back Sione Houma (Salt Lake City, Utah)
Linebacker Royce Jenkins-Stone (Detroit, Mich.)
Offensive lineman Kyle Kalis (Lakewood, Ohio), Tom Lemming Top 100 member
Offensive lineman Erik Magnuson (Carlsbad, Calf.), Tom Lemming Top 100 member
Defensive end Mario Ojemudia (Farmington Hills, Mich.), Tom Lemming Top 100 member
Defensive back Terry Richardson (Detroit, Mich.), Tom Lemming Top 100 member
Linebacker Kaleb Ringer (Clayton, Ohio)
Linebacker James Ross (Orchard Lake, Mich.)
Offensive lineman Caleb Stacey (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Defensive back Anthony Standifer (Crete, Ill.), Tom Lemming Top 100 member
Defensive end Tom Strobel (Mentor, Ohio)
Tight end A.J. Williams (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Defensive back Jarrod Wilson (Akron, Ohio)
Defensive end Christopher Wormley (Toledo, Ohio)

Michigan State (13)

Athlete Riley Bullough (Traverse City, Mich.)
Wide receiver Aaron Burbridge (Farmington Hills, Mich.)
Defensive back Jermaine Edmondson (Canton, Ohio)
Offensive lineman Zach Higgins (Alliance, Ohio)
Tight end Evan Jones (West Lafayette, Ohio)
Wide receiver Kyle Kerrick (Coatesville, Pa.)
Wide receiver MacGarrett Kings Jr. (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Linebacker Jamal Lyles (Southfield, Mich.)
Offensive lineman Benny McGowan (Centerville, Ohio)
Quarterback Tyler O'Connor (Lima, Ohio)
Defensive end Se'von Pittman (Canton, Ohio), Tom Lemming Top 100 member
Tight end Josiah Price (Greentown, Ind.)
Running back Nick Tompkins (Snellville, Ga.)

Minnesota (11)

Linebacker Josh Ballesteros (Miami, Fla.)
Linebacker Drew Davis (Raleigh, N.C.)
Defensive tackle Scott Ekpe (Lewisvile, Texas)
Wide receiver Isaac Fruechte (Rochester JUCO/Rochester, Minn.)
Offensive lineman Isaac Hayes (Mendota Heights, Minn.)
Tight end Samad Hinds (Miami, Fla.)
Defensive tackle Jordan Hinojosa (Miami, Fla.)
Quarterback Mitch Leidner (Lakeville, Minn.)
Linebacker Jack Lynn (Lake Zurich, Ill.)
Defensive back Dinero Moss (Surprise, Fla.)
Defensive back Eric Murray (Milwaukee, Wisc.)
Quarterback Philip Nelson (Mankato, Minn.)
Linebacker Brian Nicholson (Miami, Fla.)
Offensive lineman Jonah Pirsig (Blue Earth, Minn.)
Defensive end Dominic Twitty (Mount Holly, N.J.)
Tight end Maxx Williams (Waconia, Minn.)
Running back Rodrick Williams Jr. (Lewisville, Texas)

Nebraska (5)

Tight end Sam Cotton (Lincoln, Neb.)
Defensive end Greg McMullen (Akron, Ohio)
Linebacker Michael Rose (Kansas City, Mo.)
Offensive lineman Paul Thurston (Arvada, Col.)
Wide receiver Jordan Westerkamp (Lombard, Ill.)

Northwestern (13)

Offensive lineman Adam DePietro (Lancaster, Pa.)
Offensive lineman Chris Fitzpatrick (Lawrenceburg, Ky.)
Defensive back Joseph Jones (Plano, Ill.)
Running back Malin Jones (Naperville, Ill.), Tom Lemming Top 100 member
Defensive end Dean Lowry (Rockford, Ill.)
Offensive lineman Connor Mahoney (Malvern, Pa.)
Wide receiver Mike McHugh (Kirkwood, Mo.)
Offensive lineman Eric Olson (Cambridge, Mass.)
Offensive lineman Ian Park (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Offensive lineman Kenton Playko (Lewis Center, Ohio)
Tight end Jack Schwaba (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Athlete Dan Vitale (Wheaton, Ill.)
Defensive back Dwight White (Cypress, Texas)

Ohio State (11)

Running back Warren Ball (Columbus, Ohio)
Defensive back De'van Bogard (Cleveland, Ohio)
Offensive lineman Jacoby Boren (Pickerington, Ohio)
Running back Bri'onte Dunn (Canton, Ohio)
Offensive lineman Pat Elflein (Pickerington, Ohio)
Wide receiver Frank Epitropoulos (Upper Arlington, Ohio)
Defensive back Najee Murray (Steubenville, Ohio)
Linebacker Josh Perry (Galena, Ohio)
Defensive back Tyvis Powell (Bedford, Ohio)
Linebacker Luke Roberts (Lancaster, Ohio)
Tight end Blake Thomas (Westlake, Ohio)

Penn State (13)

Offensive lineman J.J. Denman (Fairless Hills, Pa.), Tom Lemming Top 100 member
Defensive tackle Derek Dowrey (Winchester, Va.)
Offensive lineman Brian Gaia (Baltimore, Md.)
Tight end J.P. Holtz (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Tight end Jesse James (McKeesport, Pa.)
Defensive tackle Austin Johnson (Richland, N.J.)
Athlete Jake Kiley (New Hampton, N.H.)
Quarterback Skyler Mornhinweg (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Offensive lineman Joey O'Connor (Windsor, Col.)
Offensive lineman Anthony Stanko (Warren, Ohio)
Linebacker Nyeem Wartman (Archbald, Pa.)
Tight end Brent Wilkerson (Hyattsville, Md.)
Linebacker Camren Williams (West Roxbury, Mass.)

  Purdue (10)

Quarterback Austin Appleby (North Canton, Ohio)
Tight end Jonathan Curry (Phenix City, Ala.)
Linebacker Andy Garcia (Hialeah, Fla.)
Kicker Paul Griggs (Charlotte, N.C.)
Linebacker Jimmy Herman (Carmel, Ind.)
Running back Benjamin "BJ" Knauf (Lakeland, Fla.)
Defensive back Steffon Martin (Arizona Western JUCO, Yuma, Ariz.)
Kicker Thomas Meadows (Goochland, Va.)
Tight end Ryan Morris (Barnegat, N.J.)
Defensive back Jordan Shine (Indianapolis, Ind.)

Wisconsin (8)

Linebacker Vince Biegel (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.), Tom Lemming Top 100 member
Offensive lineman Kyle Dodson (Cleveland, Ohio)
Defensive back Hugs Etienne (Plantation, Fla.)
Defensive tackle Arthur Goldberg (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Quarterback Bart Houston (Concord, Calif.), Tom Lemming Top 100 member
Running back Vonte Jackson (Kenosha, Wis.)
Athlete Reggie Mitchell (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Offensive lineman Dan Voltz (Barrington, Ill.), Tom Lemming Top 100 member

Posted by Bryan Fischer

-- Barry Sanders Jr. would be highly recruited even if he didn't have a famous father.

Offensive lineman Will Adams will choose either Georgia Tech, Louisville or Kentucky today.

They're using social media to their advantage in recruiting at UConn.

 Answering a few questions about prospects in Michigan.

 Defensive end Taiwan Johnson is trying to set up a visit to Arkansas.

 Tight end Kent Taylor enjoyed his visit to Florida for Friday Night Lights.

Commitments:

Indiana picked up a pledge from JUCO linebacker Darrius Stroud.

Mississippi State added three commitments from its recent camp.

 C.J. Moore is onboard Virginia's class of 2012.