In this new era of roster building, June and July are now the most active months on the recruiting calendar. The majority of prospects in the Class of 2026 — including some who have already issued commitments — will soon be on campuses for official visits.

Let’s check in and see where each Big Ten program stands before things pick up in the coming weeks and months.

Editor’s note: All rankings are from the 247Sports Composite.

USC’s impressive start

It’s still early in the 2026 cycle, but so far — I repeat, so far — USC has put itself in position to have a strong class. The Trojans have 15 commitments — the most in the country — and the class ranks No. 1 nationally.

While the class size is a factor in the ranking, the Trojans also have a strong average player rating of 92.72. At the moment, USC holds commitments from eight top-150 prospects.

The Trojans bolstered their 2026 class with three blue-chip commitments last week, headlined by top-100 defensive lineman Jaimeon Winfield, a Texas native. Four-star Trent Mosley, a local product from Santa Margarita Catholic, and four-star offensive lineman Esun Tafa, from Utah, also pledged to the Trojans.

This is the first cycle at USC for new general manager Chad Bowden, who has made it clear that recruiting Southern California will be a priority — something that hasn’t been the case in recent years. He also said USC will sign more high school players than ever, and it will be very aggressive with name, image and likeness.

It all sounds good on paper, but USC has to finish the cycle strong. Can the Trojans sign a top-five class? Riley has never done so as a head coach, at Oklahoma or USC, and the Trojans haven’t finished with a top-five class since the 2018 cycle. That was the last time they truly had a stranglehold on Southern California.

What does Oregon have in store?

The Ducks have finished in the top five in the past two cycles. They’re third, but it’s been a quiet few months for Oregon, which has landed just one commit since Jan. 1. The class includes six blue-chip commitments, with five ranking in the top 150 nationally.

We know Oregon will be heard from a lot more during this cycle, particularly at quarterback. The Ducks are a finalist, along with Georgia, for the nation’s top QB recruit, five-star Jared Curtis, who plays for Nashville (Tenn.) Christian School. And they’re in the mix for five-star Ryder Lyons out of Folsom (Calif.) High, who is essentially a 2027 commit because he’s likely to take a Mormon mission.

Oregon has routinely landed some of California’s best recruits under Dan Lanning. It’ll be worth watching to see if a more aggressive USC can make those battles more competitive in this cycle.

Maryland is swinging big

It’s a pretty extraordinary cycle for the state of Maryland, home to two of the top four prospects in the country. When Mike Locksley was hired, the hope was that he’d lock down what is an underrated state for talent.

But Maryland hasn’t signed the top player in the state since 2019. This cycle has the chance to be different. In December, the Terrapins scored an extremely important recruiting win by receiving a commitment from five-star in-state edge rusher Zion Elee (No. 4 overall player in the class). There’s still a long way to go, but Elee announced in February that he is shutting down his recruitment.

My recruitment is closed.

And the Terps are firmly in the mix for five-star offensive tackle Immanuel Iheanacho, the No. 3 player in the cycle. It’s going to be a battle against some of the nation’s most high-profile programs. Iheanacho told On3’s Steve Wiltfong that “Maryland is my No. 1.”

We’ll see if that lasts. He has an official visit scheduled to Maryland on June 20. The Terrapins had a top-25 class in the 2025 cycle, a positive step for Locksley. Can they build on that by keeping some of the state’s best at home?

What’s next for Ohio State?

Ohio State started strong in the 2025 cycle and had one of the top classes in the country through most of the spring before finishing at No. 4.

The Buckeyes haven’t been as active early in this cycle. Their season ended much later, with a national championship win on Jan. 20, and the coaching staff has been in transition. Ryan Day has brought in a top-five class each of the past six cycles, so it’s safe to assume they’ll make a sizable jump in the coming months.

Ohio State ranks 21st nationally with just five commitments (all blue-chip prospects). Four-star, in-state offensive tackle Maxwell Riley committed to the Buckeyes last week, just their second commitment of 2025.

Five-star receiver Chris Henry Jr. (No. 9 nationally) is the crown jewel of the class. Henry has been committed since July, but several programs are still trying to make a push for him. Note to the competition: It’s not wise to bet against Buckeyes offensive coordinator/receivers coach Brian Hartline in a competition for a top receiver recruit.

Can Indiana capitalize on CFP appearance?

In the past, when a non-traditional power made the four-team College Football Playoff, there was a belief that the program’s recruiting efforts would get a significant boost. However, the evidence never really demonstrated that.

Indiana was one of the best stories in college football last season, racing out to a 10-0 start and earning a spot in the CFP. Last cycle, the Hoosiers’ class ranked 47th and included 25 signees (only one blue-chipper). It’s important to note the majority of the class committed before Curt Cignetti coached a game at IU.

If Indiana were to receive any recruiting boost, it would likely come in this cycle. But the Hoosiers have just one commitment right now.

Cignetti and his staff worked wonders in the portal last offseason and brought in 20 transfers from the most recent cycle. It’s difficult to consistently rely on the portal to win, but that’ll have to be the path for the Hoosiers in 2025.

What about Penn State and Michigan?

The Nittany Lions’ class ranks seventh nationally and includes eight commitments. Penn State has received only one pledge in the first several months of 2025, but like several other programs, the staff put in some early work with this class in the fall.

The Nittany Lions have the foundation for a solid offensive class with commitments from four-star quarterback Troy Huhn, a Southern California native, and a pair of teammates at Harrisburg (Pa.) High — four-star running back Messiah Mickens and four-star offensive lineman Kevin Brown. Brown is the top player in the state and ranks No. 43 nationally.

Penn State hasn’t signed a top-10 class since the 2022 cycle.

As far as other brand-name Big Ten programs go, Michigan — much like last year — is off to a slow start with just three commitments and none ranked in the top 200 nationally.

The Wolverines picked it up over the summer and closed the 2025 cycle with a flurry, landing commitments from five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood and five-star offensive tackle Andrew Babalola down the stretch to finish with the No. 6 class. Can the Wolverines do the same this time around?

Elsewhere in the Big Ten …

Illinois: To repeat a familiar refrain, it’s still early in the cycle, but the Fighting Illini have the No. 6 class in the country. It would be a shock if that holds — Illinois hasn’t signed a top-30 class since 2009 — but the Illini have solid momentum after winning 10 games in 2024. The headliner of the class is four-star corner Victor Singleton from Toledo, Ohio, who ranks No. 81 nationally. Illinois has not signed a top-100 prospect since the 2019 recruiting cycle.

Iowa: It’s no surprise that the Hawkeyes’ two highest-rated recruits are linemen — four-star offensive tackle Carson Nielsen and four-star defensive lineman Hudson Parliament. What’s more interesting is that Iowa went to California for a quarterback this cycle — three-star Cash Herrera, who plays for The Bishop’s School in La Jolla.

Michigan State: Jonathan Smith will likely never be a coach who builds programs through highly ranked recruiting classes. He was successful at Oregon State, but it was through evaluation and development. His first full class at Michigan State ranked 56th nationally and included only one blue-chip prospect. The Spartans have four commitments for 2026, headlined by four-star quarterback Kayd Coffman from Grand Rapids, Mich. It’s always good to build a class around an in-state four-star quarterback.

Minnesota and UCLA: The Golden Gophers received a pledge last month from four-star corner Justin Hopkins from Nashville, Tenn. He was their first commitment since last July.

The Bruins are in a similar boat. Like Minnesota, they have four commitments. UCLA is 33rd in the recruiting rankings. The Golden Gophers are 34th. The Bruins haven’t received a commitment since November. Here’s an oddity: All four of UCLA’s commitments are wide receivers.

Washington and Rutgers: These programs signed big classes last year (27 prospects each). The Huskies finished 23rd nationally, and the Scarlet Knights ranked 33rd. While their classes were both big on numbers, they were relatively short on high-end talent. Washington signed just eight blue-chippers, while Rutgers signed just three.

Both programs have six commitments but only three blue-chip pledges between them (two for Rutgers, one for Washington). That needs to improve.

Nebraska: The Cornhuskers haven’t received a 2026 commitment since November (top-150 safety CJ Bronaugh). Nebraska’s three-man class also includes quarterback Dayton Raiola, the younger brother of current starter Dylan Raiola. Dayton is ranked No. 988 nationally.

Northwestern, Purdue and Wisconsin: These schools have yet to get rolling in the 2026 class. Wisconsin has just two commitments, while Northwestern and Purdue have just one each.