Big Ten Spotlight: Notable pipelines to high school talent factories
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A major part of recruiting is coaching staffs getting their foot in the door at high school programs that annually produce multiple high-level, Power Four players. And once a coaching staff can create a pipeline at these high school football factories, it can be one of the biggest built-in recruiting advantages every year.
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This week, we are taking a look at which Power Four programs have an established pipeline at certain high school football factories. Next up is the Big Ten.
THIS SERIES: Notable SEC pipelines to high school powerhouses | ACC | Big 12
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CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
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ORCHARD LAKE (MICH.) ST. MARY'S - MICHIGAN STATE
This one is a very unique situation that coach Jonathan Smith would love to see continue as he gets the Michigan State program turned around. There isn't a huge historical component to this pipeline. But the Spartans brought in five prospects from Orchard Lake in the 2025 recruiting class.
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Three-star tight end Jayden Savoury was one of the top prospects in the Spartans' class for 2025 on offense. Three-star linebacker Charles White was one of the best gets for the team on defense. Bryson Williams, a three-star athlete, and offensive lineman Antonio Johnson also signed with the team. Michigan State even landed a preferred walk-on running back from the school with Darrin Jones Jr.
Smith hopes to keep this pipeline flowing into the future. The team has already made several offers to underclassmen at the school including early 2027 four-star wide receiver prospect Chad Willis.
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CLEVELAND (OHIO) GLENVILLE - OHIO STATE
Glenville High School, located in Cleveland, has a large reputation as a major pipeline for Ohio State football. Since 2002, Glenville has produced over 21 Buckeyes, with the highest number of players sent to Ohio State in the last decade among all high schools.
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Notable Tarblooders who went on to wear the scarlet and gray includes Ted Ginn Jr., Donte Whitner, Cardale Jones and Marshon Lattimore. Those are some of the most decorated players in recent Buckeyes history.
In more recent years, class of 2023 linebacker Arvell Reese and 2024 cornerback Bryce West signed to play their college football in Columbus. Four-star linebacker Cincere Johnson is a major Buckeyes target for the 2026 recruiting class and hails from Glenville.
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PHILADELPHIA (PENN.) IMHOTEP INSTITUTE CHARTER - PENN STATE
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Imhotep Institute Charter High School has always been good historically to Penn State. However, in recent years the Nittany Lions have had a foothold on talent from the school. There are currently four players on the Penn State roster that are alums of the school.
Wide receiver Tyseer Denmark, cornerback Kenny Woseley Jr., defensive end Enai White and linebacker Keon Wylie all made their way to the Nittany Lions. A fifth recent alum of Imhotep, running back Jabree Wallace-Coleman was a class of 2025 four-star signee and will join the team this summer.
Imhotep is one of the top football programs in Pennsylvania. James Franklin has made sure that the pipeline to his program has remained open.
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MATER DEI (CALIF.) SANTA ANA - USC
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There are not going to be many pipelines that are better in the entire country than Mater Dei to USC. Historically, dozens of Mater Dei alumni have played for the Trojans, including several high-profile quarterbacks and NFL Draft picks.
Matt Leinart, Matt Barkley and JT Daniels are just three of the quarterbacks that have gone to USC from Mater Dei. Current Detroit Lions star wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown came to USC from Mater Dei. Last season, there were five Mater Dei alumni on the USC football roster: Kyron Ware-Hudson, Raesjon Davis, Josiah Zamora, Corey Nerhus and Solomon Tuliaupupu.
In the last few cycles, Oregon and Alabama have increased their presence at Mater Dei and slowed down USC's pipeline. But I expect that to turn back to USC's favor with new leadership in the recruiting department.
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