Posted by Bill Kurelic
The number of commitments varies widely from school to school in the Big Ten at this early point in the recruiting process. At one end of the spectrum Michigan has 10 commitments. On the other hand, Northwestern and Purdue have yet to land a single commitment for 2010, and the Indiana Hoosiers have just one pledge. Sitting right in the middle of the pack are Ohio State and Penn State with five each.
Who are the future stars headed to the conference? Today we'll look at one headliner for each Big Ten school.
For Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez, ESPNU 150 Watch List QB Devin Gardner (Inkster, Mich.) appears to be the perfect fit for the Wolverines' spread offense. Gardner passed for 1,886 yards and rushed for 1,401 during his junior season, and Rodriguez beat out schools all over the country for Gardner's services, including LSU, Notre Dame and in-state rival Michigan State.
There are two outstanding offensive line prospects in the state of Ohio. ESPNU 150 OT tackle Andrew Norwell (Cincinnati, Ohio/Anderson) has committed to Jim Tressel and Ohio State, and the 6-foot-7, 275-pound Norwell has the potential to be an outstanding right tackle for the Buckeyes.
WR Adrian Coxson (Baltimore, Md./City College) attended Penn State's spring game on April 25, then committed to the Nittany Lions a few days later. Joe Paterno was very happy to welcome in the ESPNU 150 member, who has a chance to become an impact receiver for Paterno.
DB Corey Cooper (Maywood, Ill./Proviso East), another ESPNU 150 prospect, is a dynamic performer at safety, wide receiver and as a return man. Look for the 6-2, 200-pound Cooper to play safety for Fighting Illini Coach Ron Zook.
ESPNU 150 LB Max Bullough (Traverse City, Mich./Saint Francis) is set to continue a Michigan State legacy. His grandfather Hank, father Shane and uncle Charles all played for the Spartans, and Max should be the next Bullough who stars for MSU.
Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz won out over Ohio State, Texas, Penn State and many others for the services of LB Jim Poggi (Baltimore, Md./Gilman School). Providing he stays healthy, Poggi should find himself on the field for the Hawkeyes sooner rather than later. He is a tackling machine and Big Ten fans should get used to hearing his name called at the end of plays.
Running back Lamonte Edwards (Woodbury, Minn.) decided to stay close to home when he selected Minnesota over several other Big Ten scholarship offers. At 6-2 and 210-pounds, Edwards is a physical runner with good size and he qualifies as Tim Brewster's top commitment at this point.
The Wisconsin Badgers and Indiana Hoosiers have just one commitment each. Linebacker Konrad Zagzebski (Schofield, Wis./D.C. Everest) has committed to Wisconsin and defensive back Andre Kates (Orchard Park, N.Y./Erie C.C.) is headed for Bloomington.
Bill Kurelic
Bill Kurelic is a regular contributor to ESPN.com's Midwest Recruiting Blog and is the recruiting analyst for ESPN's Ohio State (