National signing day is here, and who better to break down the Big Ten recruiting scene than Tom Luginbill , national recruiting director for ESPN Scouts Inc. I recently checked in with Luginbill, and here are some of his thoughts on this year’s Big Ten recruiting crop. Generally, how do you think the Big Ten did in recruiting this year? Grant Tom Luginbill: The obvious team to focus on is Ohio State. I don’t think there’s any surprise by that. I believe it’ll be one of their stronger classes overall. They’re going to lead the pack, there’s no doubt about it. And with such a young defense, there may be some guys like Doran Grant who play right away and have nice roles. The team that has made up some ground that I was really concerned about two months ago is Penn State. They don’t have a lot of numbers, which is more a reflection of available scholarships than anything else. That’s not a bad thing; it just means the bulk of their roster is returning. They’ve really upgraded in the offensive line and made some headway there closing down the stretch. Michigan State is another program I think has done a really, really nice job overall. I believe Lawrence Thomas , who’s their top-rated guy, will probably end up either being an inside linebacker or defensive end. I don’t think he can play on the outside. The quarterback that’s intriguing and stands out to me in the conference is the kid that’s going to sign with Iowa, Jake Rudock . He is the quintessential, perfect Iowa QB. He fits everything that they’re about and what they want out of their quarterback. They’re getting a steal on him because not enough BCS schools paid close enough attention to him in my opinion. If there’s a team where you’ve got to be really impressed with what they’ve been able to do, it’s Northwestern. The top one-third to even two-thirds of their class far exceeds what people expect Northwestern to be able to go out and get. With Penn State, you mentioned all the heat they took early on. Do people make too much of the Joe Paterno factor and everything around it, or were those concerns legit? TL: It was before all that. The offseason, the summer, even the early part of the season, they just didn’t have a lot of guys and the guys that they had weren’t guys you would think would be Penn State-caliber guys. What you want to attribute it to, that can be debated, but we always say recruiting’s a marathon, it’s not a sprint. What’s happened down the stretch with them to be able to make up some ground is just further proof that it’s a process. Paterno’s going to be as involved as he feels he needs to be in recruiting. With what happened last year in recruiting — I thought they had a fantastic class — and then this year on the field when they played so many young guys, I think it’s going to pay off down the road. I think they’ve got a chance to be really good the next couple of years. With Iowa and Wisconsin, what would you say is the ceiling for those programs in recruiting? Can they take another step? TD: Wisconsin certainly can. They probably have more upside to do that than Iowa as far as closing the gap with Ohio State. Wisconsin very clearly can not only compete with Michigan State but surpass them. But keep in mind with Wisconsin, it’s every bit as much about the right player and what that guy gives as it is the great player. They’re recruiting a certain type of guy. If there’s ever a team in college football where you’re looking for a certain fit for an identity, it’s Wisconsin. So they’re going to take some guys other people didn’t recruit, not because other people didn’t think they’re good players, but because it doesn’t fit what they are.

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Tom Luginbill talks 2011 Big Ten recruiting