2024 pressing questions for every Big Ten team this spring

Ohio State and Northwestern took to the practice field this week, while the rest of the Big Ten will start spring practice sometime over the next two weeks. 

Earlier this week, I outlined pressing spring questions for every team in the SEC, so now it’s the Big Ten’s turn. 

After an offseason dominated by storylines off the field, it will be nice to dive into individual teams, players and narratives over the next six weeks. Spring practices rarely provide finite answers, but they can offer valuable clues about what’s to come in the fall. 

The Big Ten now has 18 teams, stretching coast to coast. There are a bevy of quarterback battles taking place within the conference, and the league features some of the most interesting new coordinator changes across the country, too.

So here’s a key question I’m curious about for all 18 Big Ten teams this spring:

Illinois — Can Luke Altmyer show more in Year 2 with the Illini?

Former Ole Miss transfer Luke Altmyer didn’t inspire a ton of confidence in his first season as Illinois’ starting quarterback. He had 13 touchdowns to 10 interceptions and had seven games with less than 210 yards passing. He was benched by season’s end, losing his job to super-senior John Paddock, who widely outplayed him too (1,278 yards passing and nine touchdowns in three starters). 

Altmyer is back this spring though, and the job is again his to lose. So can he show signs of improvement? Illinois lost top wideout Isaiah Williams, so Altmyer will need to find a go-to target as well.

Indiana — How much juice can Curt Cignetti squeeze out of a new-look offense?

The Hoosiers had one of the worst offenses in the country last season (just 20.2 points per game), but new head coach Curt Cignetti actually inherited some intriguing pieces from sophomore quarterback Brendan Sorsby to wideouts Donaven McCulley and Omar Cooper. Former MAC standout quarterback Kurtis Rourke is now in the program as well, and he’ll battle Sorsby for the starting job. 

Iowa — What changes will Tim Lester bring to the Hawkeyes’ offense?

Iowa won 10 games last season despite fielding an offense from the 1960s. The Hawkeyes averaged just 3.9 yards per play and they won four games where they scored at most two touchdowns. Kirk Ferentz was forced fire his son Brian, and then he made a shoulder-shrug hire in former Western Michigan head coach Tim Lester. 

But maybe the move will work? Perhaps Lester can infuse Iowa’s offense with some new ideas. Aside from bringing in 5-star Alabama transfer Kadyn Proctor, the personnel is the same, which isn’t great. So what will Lester do to get the most out of an uninspiring group?

Maryland — Can the Terps find some OL answers this spring?

With Taulia Tagovailoa out of eligibility, the Terps will be starting a new quarterback for the first time in five years, and the expectation is NC State transfer MJ Morris will be the guy in 2024. The goal over the next six weeks is for Maryland to establish a first-team offensive line that must replace all five starters from last season. 

Michigan — Is Sherrone Moore confident his 2024 starting quarterback is in the building?

The Wolverines are effectively starting from scratch offensively this spring. They bring back just a single starter, are down seven rotational offensive linemen and have a major void at quarterback. 

Is Alex Orji the guy? Or will it be seventh-year senior Jack Tuttle or Jayden Denegal? Where does freshman Jadyn Davis fit into the plans? Moore has options, but it’s unclear for now which way he is leaning. If Michigan goes through spring practice and Moore isn’t satisfied with the team’s quarterback play, the Wolverines would immediately become the most attractive destination for a transfer in the second portal window.

Michigan State — Can Joe Rossi put his deodorant on a stinky Spartans’ defense?

New Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith made a strong hire this offseason when he swiped defensive coordinator Joe Rossi away from Minnesota. Despite major talent disadvantages within the Big Ten, Rossi managed to field very serviceable defenses with the Gophers the last three seasons before a slippage in 2023. What can he do with better players who have underachieved the last two seasons with the Spartans?

Despite Mel Tucker’s defensive background, Michigan State allowed over 30 points per game in Big Ten play in 2022 and 2023. The unit does return eight starters, so Rossi inherits a group with some experience at least.

Minnesota — What are the early returns from transfer quarterback Max Brosmer?

PJ Fleck moved on from Athan Kaliakmanis in the offseason, bringing in University of New Hampshire transfer Max Brosmer to take the reigns at QB. Brosmer led the FCS in total offense and passing yards in 2023, and the hope is he can ignite a Gophers aerial attack that averaged just 6.0 yards per attempt. 

With a brutal schedule (including games against North Carolina, USC, Wisconsin, Penn State, Iowa, Michigan), Fleck needs Brosmer to not only be an upgrade over Kaliakmanis but a legitimate difference-maker. If he’s not, the Gophers face the real possibility of missing a bowl game for the first time since 2020.

Nebraska — Will Dylan Raiola exit as Nebraska’s starter by the end of spring practice?

Optimism is once again sky-high in Lincoln, as Matt Rhule looks to make a Year 2 leap at yet another program. The Cornhuskers return eight starters on a defense that allowed just 18.1 points per game, and they also held on to DC Tony White. 

Naturally, all eyes will be on 5-star quarterback Dylan Raiola. He explicitly flipped from Georgia to Nebraska to be the guy at his father’s alma mater, but how fast will his time come? Rhule has made it clear Raiola is in a competition with fellow freshman Daniel Kaelin and incumbent starter Heinrich Haarberg. Can Raiola grab the job over the spring or will the Cornhuskers enter fall camp with another QB competition?

Northwestern — What sorts of stamps will David Braun put on his program this spring?

David Braun did a marvelous job navigating a very difficult situation last summer, taking over the program a couple of months before the season and then winning seven games to earn the full-time promotion to head coach.

Now he’ll guide Northwestern through his first spring practice. What sort of tweaks will be made to a team that lost a lot of pieces from year ago? The Wildcats also have a new offensive coordinator and must replace quarterback Ben Bryant.  

Ohio State — Is Will Howard the cemented starter in Columbus?

The Buckeyes have five quarterbacks taking reps this spring, with many presuming that ex-Kansas State starter Will Howard will be the team’s starter in the fall. That remains the likeliest outcome with his experience and dual-threat abilities, but Howard isn’t some all-conference quarterback who should be guaranteed a job. 

Former 5-star Devin Brown is finally healthy and is adamant that he is competing to be the Buckeyes’ starter, while 5-star freshmen Julian Sayin and Air Noland could enter their name into the mix, too. How new OC Chip Kelly manages the Buckeyes’ quarterback room will be quite interesting. 

Oregon — Have the Ducks reloaded enough in the secondary?

Technically, transfers Dillon Gabriel and Dante Moore will battle for the starting job during spring, but while Moore is a former top recruit, it would be a shock if the former Oklahoma and UCF standout wasn’t the Ducks’ QB1 in 2024. 

So I’m more curious about the other side of the ball. We know Oregon is going to score lots and lots of points, but for the Ducks to be on the shortlist of national championship contenders, Dan Lanning’s defense can’t take a step backward next season. Oregon is replacing the majority of its secondary that led the Pac-12 in pass defense last season. The Ducks signed four transfer corners, including Washington’s Jabbar Muhammad. How will the group come together? Will Lanning need to dip into the portal for more help post-spring?

Penn State — How will Andy Kotelnicki utilize quarterback Drew Allar?

While the Nittany Lions will break in three new coordinators this spring, the storyline in Happy Valley this offseason is how Andy Kotelnicki plans to jumpstart Penn State’s plodding offense. Sophomore quarterback Drew Allar had an impressive 25-2 touchdown-interception ratio, but he completed less than 60% of his passes and averaged only 6.8 yards per attempt. PSU also ranked just 97th in plays over 20 yards last season.

In steps Kotelnicki, who did wonders with Jalon Daniels at Kansas. Will the former Jayhawks OC creatively employ Allar, who is an athletic 6-5, 240, in the QB run game? Can he get the most out of a green wideout room?

Purdue — Did the Boilermakers do enough in the portal to avoid the Big Ten basement?

Ryan Walters saw many of his best players leave the program this offseason, so Purdue’s second-year head coach did his own portal’ing, bringing in 16 newcomers from the likes of Georgia, Notre Dame, Kentucky, UCLA, Louisville and Colorado. 

Former blue-chip corner Nyland Green headlines the group, but the question is how much more help is needed for Purdue to even compete next season? They have their quarterback in Hudson Card, but are there still talent deficiencies across the rest of the roster that need addressing in the post-spring window? 

Rutgers — Who holds the edge at quarterback between Gavin Wimsatt or Minnesota transfer Athan Kaliakmanis?

The Scarlet Knights went bowling in 2023, and Greg Schiano aims to take his program to the postseason again this fall. Rutgers returns a veteran defense (eight starters) that allowed just 21.1 points per game last season and it has a very manageable Big Ten schedule (no Ohio State, Oregon, Michigan or Penn State).

The key will be quarterback play — a black hole for Scarlett Knights all these many years. Gavin Wimsatt is back after starting all 13 games last season, but the junior completed just 48% of his passes and averaged only 6.0 per throw. Schiano grabbed former Gophers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis to compete for the starting spot, but like Wimsatt, he also had a bad 2023 season (53% passing, 6.3 per attempt with nine interceptions). Will one emerge as the guy this spring?

UCLA — Could Eric Bieniemy actually improve the Bruins’ offense?

Chip Kelly stunned some with his decision to leave UCLA for the offensive coordinator job at Ohio State, but the Bruins’ brass quickly tabbed beloved alum DeShaun Foster as the team’s next head coach. Foster then made a very interesting OC hire, dipping into the NFL for former Kansas City Chiefs and Washington Commanders assistant Eric Bieniemy. 

Bieniemy is a polarizing figure in football circles, but there’s no doubting his Xs and Os acumen. Could he get the best out of quarterback Ethan Garbers? Can Bieniemy make UCLA more balanced offensively (1st in the Pac-12 in rushing, 10th in passing) where the unit is better overall compared to Kelly’s?

USC — What do the Trojans’ philosophical changes on defense actually look like?

Lincoln Riley made the most critical hire of his head coaching career this offseason, axing much-maligned defensive coordinator Alex Grinch for UCLA hot-shot coordinator D’Anton Lynn. He also made couple of other headliner staff changes bringing former North Dakota State head coach Matt Entz and former Houston defensive coordinator Doug Belk. That’s a lot of new brainpower for USC’s defense, so what will it all look like?

Are they practicing differently? Are they tackling more? Are they emphasizing fundamentals at a higher rate? The Trojans’ personnel still needs improving, but Lynn & Co., do have some new pieces to work with including UCLA transfer defensive backs Kamari Ramsey and John Humphrey.

Washington — Is Jedd Fisch ready for another rebuild?

Jedd Fisch has already proven he can build a house from scratch, but the former Arizona head coach probably didn’t think he’d have to do it again — especially after taking over a program that just played in the national championship. 

And yet, 2024 Washington looks nothing like the 2023 Huskies. They have zero starters returning offensively, and their defense was mostly wiped out, too. Fisch brought 10 former Wildcats with him to Seattle, but namely, Noah Fifita and Tetairoa McMillian remained in Tuscan. On a roster with so many holes, the spring should provide Fisch a better idea of what the team needs in the second portal widow to be somewhat competitive in Year 1 of the Big Ten.

Wisconsin — Will Tyler Van Dyke find his mojo again in Madison?

Three years ago, Tyler Van Dyke was generating real NFL Draft buzz after throwing for nearly 3,000 yards at 9.0 per attempt with 25 touchdowns and just six picks. But the ex-Miami quarterback had a forgetful last two seasons, batting injuries, a lack of confidence and turnover woes. 

He transferred to Wisconsin this offseason in hopes of a fresh start. Will he find it? He’s in another ‘Air Raid’ offense working with Phil Longo, so learning a similar scheme shouldn’t be a problem. Can he develop chemistry with a wideout room that lacks stars? Has he cleaned up his carelessness with the football?