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          On The Trail

          Best of the college football recruiting visits: Big Ten

          • Tom VanHaaren, ESPN Staff WriterOct 18, 2015, 08:00 PM
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            • ESPN staff writer
            • Joined ESPN in 2011
            • Graduated from Central Michigan
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          Michigan suffered a shocking last-second loss to Michigan State on Saturday, but the weekend wasn’t all bad news for the Wolverines.

          Coach Jim Harbaugh and his staff picked up a commitment from 2017 running back Kurt Taylor, who was visiting for the weekend.

          Taylor joins tight end Carter Dunaway and defensive back Benjamin St-Juste in Michigan’s 2017 class.

          Despite the loss, it was also an exciting atmosphere for the visiting prospects. Recruits typically aren’t impacted by one game and since this one was close, down to the wire between two top-15 teams, it left a good impression on those in attendance.

          That included ESPN 300 athlete David Long, who took an official visit from California.

          ESPN Junior 300 defensive back J’Marick Woods tweeted out a video pregame to give a look from the recruit’s perspective from the stands.

          Ohio State held a blackout in the Horseshoe for the game against Penn State and was able to land a running back prospect of its own.

          ESPN 300 running back Antonio Williams decommitted before his visit for this game and decided to pledge to the Buckeyes while on the trip.

          Outside of Williams it was a big visitor list in what ended up being a high-scoring game for Ohio State’s offense.

          That likely pleased Florida receiver prospect Sam Bruce, who is currently committed to Miami.

          The game gave ESPN Jr. 300 defensive back Jaylen Kelly-Powell a chance to see a few familiar faces in former high school teammates Mike Weber and Joshua Alabi, who now play for Ohio State.

          Wisconsin also hosted a few important prospects, including a 2017 target with an outstanding football name in Griffin Hammer.