Midseason Big Ten All-Americans and where they came from

The 2015 college football season has reached the midway point, meaning midseason All-America teams are being released at a rapid pace.

BTN.com took a look at four of those All-American teams on Wednesday, listing all of the Big Ten honorees from ESPN, CBS, Sports Illustrated and USA Today.

The biggest takeaway from the All-American teams: Penn State star defensive end and former walk-on Carl Nassib is receiving the attention he deserves. The same goes for guys like Wisconsin's Joe Schobert, another former walk-on, and Iowa's Desmond King, a Detroit native who wasn't offered by Michigan and Michigan State.

So, we ask, who are these budding stars and how did they end up in the Big Ten?

How highly were they ranked coming out of high school and did they exceed their recruiting expectations?

Here is a look at those midseason All-Americans and their recruitment.

Pat Elflein, G, Ohio State
Year: 2012
Rivals.com stars: 3
State Ranking: No. 51 player in state of Ohio
National Ranking: N/A

Carl Nassib, DE, Penn State
Year: 2011
Rivals.com stars: Not ranked
State Ranking: Not ranked in top 40 players in Pennsylvania
National Ranking: N/A

Adolphus Washington, DT, Ohio State
Year: 2012
Rivals.com stars: 5
State Ranking: No. 2 player in state of Ohio
National Ranking: No. 25 player in 2012 class

Joe Schobert, LB, Wisconsin
Year: 2012
Rivals.com stars: Not ranked
State Ranking: Not ranked in top 10 players in Wisconsin
National Ranking: N/A

William Likely, PR, Maryland
Year: 2013
Rivals.com stars: 4
State Ranking: No. 33 player in state of Florida
National Ranking: No. 203 player in 2013 class

Desmond King, CB, Iowa
Year: 2013
Rivals.com stars: 3
State Ranking: No. 16 player in state of Michigan
National Ranking: N/A

Taylor Decker, OT, Ohio State
Year: 2012
Rivals.com stars: 4
State Ranking: No. 14 player in state of Ohio
National Ranking: No. 221 player in 2012 class

Dan Feeney, OG, Indiana
Year: 2012
Rivals.com stars: 3
State Ranking: No. 20 player in state of Illinois
National Ranking: N/A

Vonn Bell, DB, Ohio State
Year: 2013
Rivals.com stars: 5
State Ranking: No. 4 player in state of Georgia
National Ranking: No. 32 player in 2013 class

Jourdan Lewis, CB, Michigan
Year: 2013
Rivals.com stars: 4
State Ranking: No. 3 player in state of Michigan
National Ranking: N/A

Jack Allen, OL, Michigan State
Year: 2011
Rivals.com stars: 3
State Ranking: No. 24 player in state of Illinois
National Ranking: N/A

Darron Lee, LB, Ohio State
Year: 2013
Rivals.com stars: 3
State Ranking: No. 33 player in state of Ohio
National Ranking: N/A

Summary: Of the 12 players who were named on these various midseason All-American lists, only two of them were 5-star prospects coming out of high school. In fact, eight of the 12 weren't ranked among the top 250 players in the country. That is incredible.