OSU, MSU, Illinois highlight 2015 Big Ten early-signing classes

Ohio State signed what many believed was the top 2014 recruiting class in the Big Ten. Thad Matta is at it again with the best collection of early-signees for the Class of 2015, according to Scout.com basketball recruiting analyst Brian Snow.

?I give a slight edge to Ohio State over Michigan State,? Snow said. ?They have a four-man class of all four-star recruits that is headlined by Austin Grandstaff, a scoring wing out of Texas.

?They also have a guard from Dayton in A.J. Harris who is only about 5-8 or 5-9 but is a tough as nails and is an athlete. They have a shot blocker/rebounder in Daniel Giddens out of Georgia. And they have Mickey Mitchell, a unique do-it-all combo forward whose best skill is passing.?

Scout.com has the Buckeyes? early haul ranked No. 10 in the nation. Joining OSU in Scout.com?s Top 25 is Illinois? at No. 12 and No. 13 Michigan State. The early signing period ran from Nov. 12-19.

The Big Ten has 12 early signees who rank among Scout.com?s top 100 players in the Class of 2015. Ohio State leads the way with three. Illinois and Michigan State each have two.

?The star for Illinois is Jalen Coleman-Landis, who is one of the best pure shooters in the country,? Snow said. ?He also can play some point. He?s a solid athlete and big-time shooter who has a good feel for the game.

?They also got a couple Illinois kids. D.J. Williams is a combo forward from Simeon who is a high-level athlete and skilled. He just hasn?t had his production match his potential. In terms of upside, he may be one of the best in the conference. Aaron Jordan is also from the Chicago area. He?s a good shooter. He?s a great mid-range player with good 3-point range. He has good size at 6-5 with long arms.?

Michigan State got the Big Ten?s most highly-ranked signee in Deyonta Davis, No. 29 in the nation according to Scout.com.

?The key for Michigan State is it got Davis, an athletic and high-upside power forward from Michigan,? Snow said. ?This is a kid who kinda burst onto the scene late. But he has the potential to be as good as anyone in the country. He just has to put it all together.

?(Tom) Izzo also brought in two shooters. One from Ohio in Kyle Ahrens, who had a broken leg as a junior. He?s recovered now. He?s a good athlete and shooter. And Matt McQuaid might be the best pure shooter in the country.?

Nebraska and Penn State are two schools who surprised Snow with their early hauls.

?Nebraska got Glynn Watson, one of the best pure point guards in the county out of Chicago,? Snow said. ?They also got a Nebraska legacy out of Chicago in Ed Morrow, Jr. He?s an athletic and tough power forward who is slightly undersized but plays with an elite motor. Those are guys Tim Miles prioritized from Day One. The fact he got them done is really big news.

?Penn State got a four-star kid in Josh Reaves from the Washington, D.C., area who is a wing who can do a lot of things. And they got a mobile big guy in Mike Watkins, who has the potential to come in and start. He can rebound and has a nice scoring touch down low. This was a big class for Penn State.?

Indiana?s early signees weren?t headliners, but there?s still time for the Hoosiers and others to add to their classes during the spring signing period.

?(Tom) Crean got a solid player in Juwan Morgan,? Snow said. ?He?s an athletic power forward who is slightly undersized but runs the court well. O.J. Anunoby is an under-the-radar kid who is also from Missouri. He?s raw but has prototype size for a small forward and is a good athlete with long arms, but he?s gonna take some time. Just two for now, and neither is a top-50 recruit. But IU is in on some big kids for the spring.?

Ohio State, Minnesota and Iowa signed the biggest early classes with four in each. Michigan had no early signees. The spring signing period runs from April 15-May 20, 2015.

Scout.com?s ranking of Big Ten early-signing classes

1. Ohio State
2. Illinois
3. Michigan State
4. Minnesota
5. Wisconsin
6. Nebraska
7. Penn State
8. Rutgers
9. Iowa
10. Indiana
11. Northwestern
12. Purdue
13. Maryland
14. Michigan

Big Ten early signees ranked among Top 100 recruits

1. PF 6-9 Deyonta Davis, Muskegon, Mich./Michigan State (No. 29 in the nation)
2. SG 6-3 Jalen Coleman-Landis, LaPorte, Ind./Illinois (No. 35 in the nation)
3. SG 6-5 Austin Grandstaff, Rockwell, Texas/Ohio State (No. 46 in the nation)
4. SG 6-3 Brevin Pritzl, De Pere, Wis./Wisconsin (No. 48 in the nation)
5. C 6-11 Daniel Giddens Marietta, Ga./Ohio State (No. 50 in the nation)
6. SF 6-7 D.J. Williams, Chicago/Illinois (No. 55 in the nation)
7. PG 5-11 Glynn Watson, Westchester, Ill./Nebraska (No. 63 in the nation)
8. SG 6-5 Matt McQuaid, Duncanville, Texas/Michigan State (No. 72 in the nation)
9. PG 5-9 A.J. Harris, Dayton, Ohio/Ohio State (No. 79 in the nation)
10. PG 5-11 Kevin Dorsey, Upper Marlboro, Md./Minnesota (No. 84 in the nation)
11. PG 6-2 Corey Sanders, Lakeland, Fla./Rutgers (No. 91 in the nation)
12. PF 6-7 Juwan Morgan, Waynesville, Mo./Indiana (No. 98 in the nation)

EARLY SIGNEES FOR EACH SCHOOL

Illinois

4-star SG 6-3 Jalen Coleman-Landis, LaPorte, Ind.
4-star SF 6-7 D.J. Williams, Chicago
4-star SF 6-4 Aaron Jordan, Plainfield, Ill.

Indiana

3-star SF 6-7 Ogugua Anunoby, Jefferson City, Mo.
4-star PF 6-7 Juwan Morgan, Waynesville, Mo.

Iowa

3-star SF 6-6 Brandon Hutton, Chicago
3-star SG 6-5 Andrew Fleming, Oak Hill, Va.
3-star SF 6-7 Ahmad Wagner, Huber Heights, Ohio
3-star SF 6-5 Isaiah Moss, Chicago

Maryland

NR PG 5-10 Jaylen Brantley, Odessa, Texas

Michigan

none

Michigan State

4-star PF 6-9 Deyonta Davis, Muskegon, Mich.
4-star SG 6-5 Matt McQuaid, Duncanville, Texas
4-star SF 6-4 Kyle Ahrens, Versailles, Ohio

Minnesota

4-star PG 5-11 Kevin Dorsey, Upper Marlboro, Md.
4-star SG 6-4 Dupree McBrayer, Bel Aire, Kan.
3-star PG 6-1 Jarvis Johnson, Minneapolis
3-star C 6-9 Jonathan Nwankwo, Mt. Vernon, N.Y.

Nebraska

4-star PG 5-11 Glynn Watson, Westchester, Ill.
3-star PF 6-7 Edward Morrow, Chicago
3-star PF 6-8 Michael Jacobson, Waukee, Iowa

Northwestern

3-star PG 6-2 Jordan Ash, Chicago
3-star PF 6-8 Dererk Pardon, Cleveland
3-star PF 6-7 Aaron Falzon, Newton, Mass.

Ohio State

4-star SG 6-5 Austin Grandstaff, Rockwell, Texas
4-star C 6-11 Daniel Giddens Marietta, Ga.
4-star SF 6-7 Mickey Mitchell, Plano, Texas
4-star PG 5-9 A.J. Harris, Dayton, Ohio

Penn State

4-star SF Josh Reaves, Fairfax, Va.
3-star SF Detvidas Zemgulis, Leonardtown, Md.
4-star C Mike Watkins, Philadelphia.

Purdue

3-star SG 6-4 Ryan Cline, Carmel, Ind.
2-star PG 6-2 Grant Weatherford, Arcadia, Ind.

Rutgers

NR SG 6-1 Justin Goode, Chatham, Va.
3-star SF 6-6 Rejuan Johnson, Chatham, Va.
4-star PG 6-2 Corey Sanders, Lakeland, Fla.

Wisconsin

3-star PF 6-9 Alex Illikainen, Grand Rapids, Minn.
4-star SG 6-3 Brevin Pritzl, De Pere, Wis.
3-star PF 6-8 Charlie Thomas, Clarksville, Md.