6 spring football questions we have about the Big Ten
Spring football is upon us, and here is part two of a week-long series on big spring questions for each league. Today, it’s the Big Ten.
The Big Ten is the only Power 5 league that didn’t have a head-coaching change. But there were a number of coordinator changes: Six schools have new offensive leaders, and six have new defensive heads. New coordinators obviously mean questions, but we’re bypassing questions about how new coordinators “fit in” because those are too easy. We’re trying to go deeper.
With that caveat, here are our biggest questions about the Big Ten. We looked at the SEC on Wednesday, and will look at the ACC on Friday, Pac-12 on Saturday, Big 12 on Monday and the Group of 5 and independent ranks Tuesday.
Michigan: Who will provide the pass rush?
The skinny: The Wolverines had the best edge-rush duo in the nation in 2021 in Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo, who combined for 25 sacks; they were the top two sack men in the Big Ten. Alas, both are gone, and what’s on hand doesn’t look near as good. Sort of scary: Michigan had 34 total sacks, so all but nine came from Hutchinson and Ojabo. Taylor Upshaw (whose dad, Regan, was an NFL defensive end) has played in 19 career games, including two starts, and should at least be steady. He is the leading returning sack man, with 2.5. Jaylen Harrell, like Upshaw from the Tampa Bay area, does a nice job setting the edge vs. the run but hasn’t shown all that much as a pass rusher; his spring performance bears watching. Maybe Braiden McGregor, a national top-125 recruit in the 2020 class, is at the point in his development where he blossoms this season. There’s also Mike Morris, though Morris seems more of a run stopper than pass rusher. Michigan’s new coordinator is Jesse Minter, and he and his staff might have to end up scheming around a lack of a consistent edge guy. (Hey, maybe they can call Don Brown for some blitz packages.)
Michigan State: Who’s RB1?
The buzz: RB Kenneth Walker III ended up being an elite portal pickup last season for the Spartans; he led the Power 5 ranks and was second nationally in rushing. But he’s also gone to the NFL. Can lightning strike twice? The Spartans have brought in former Colorado standout Jarek Broussard this time around. He’s not as physical as Walker, but Broussard was the Pac-12 offensive player of the year in 2020 and led the Buffs in rushing each of the past two seasons. He rushed for 895 yards in six games in 2020 (149.2 ypg, third nationally), then for 661 on a bad team in 2021. The Spartans also grabbed Jalen Berger out of the portal. At one point, Berger looked as if he would be the guy at Wisconsin, but he was bypassed on the depth chart and eventually was dismissed. Unlike Broussard, Berger is a physical runner and he does obviously have Big Ten experience. One thing to watch this spring is how the offensive staff will divide the carries. Walker basically was a one-man show last season, but Broussard (5-9, 185) isn’t built to be that. There’s also the issue of the rebuild needed up front: Michigan State lost three starting linemen, including two who were sixth-year players and one who was a five-year guy. The starting five should be OK, but, man, depth looks iffy.
Nebraska: What’s going to happen at QB?
The skinny: Adrian Martinez, who seemingly replaced Eric Crouch as the Huskers’ starter back in 2002, has left for Kansas State via the transfer portal. Not only will the Huskers have a new quarterback, they have a new offensive coordinator in Mark Whipple. Whipple did an excellent job in 2021 with Pitt QB Kenny Pickett. Can he do the same in 2022 with what’s on hand in Lincoln? There are two arrivals via the portal in Casey Thompson (Texas’ starter in 2021) and Chubba Purdy (third-teamer at Florida State whose brother starred at Iowa State). The holdovers are Logan Smothers and Heinrich Haarberg, and freshman Richard Torres has enrolled and will go through spring ball. But this almost certainly will come down to Thompson and Purdy, both of whom chose Nebraska after Whipple was in place. Martinez threw 30 interceptions in four years, and if nothing else, Huskers fans (and, presumably, coaches) wouldn’t mind seeing a quarterback who takes better care of the ball. Thompson’s experience gives him the upper hand; can he seize the job this spring?
Ohio State: Will there be a standout LB?
The skinny: Jim Knowles is the new defensive coordinator, and his defenses at Oklahoma State had extremely productive (and efficient) linebackers. If you saw Oklahoma State play the past two seasons, you always saw Malcolm Rodriguez around the ball. Is there that type of linebacker on the roster at Ohio State? If you saw the Buckeyes play last season, that question should make you go, “Hmmm.” (Or maybe even, “Uh-oh.”) Steele Chambers seemingly has the potential to be that guy. Chambers moved to linebacker from running back last season and showed some good things, playing steady football down the stretch and flashing some big-play potential. Tommy Eichenberg is back after finishing as the Buckeyes’ No. 2 tackler, and keep an eye on Cody Simon (bothered by a shoulder injury late in the season) and Mitchell Melton (missed last season with an injury). Arizona State transfer DeaMonte Trayanum was a running back with the Sun Devils but will move to linebacker. Converted TE Cade Stover and On3 Consensus five-star freshman C.J. Hicks also are worth watching in spring ball.
Penn State: Will the rushing attack be revved up?
The skinny: The Nittany Lions’ best offensive player in 2021 (and one of the best in the Big Ten) was WR Jahan Dotson, who left for the NFL. But even without Dotson, the passing attack should be fine. WR Mitchell Tinsley was an important transfer portal addition from Western Kentucky, and he joins holdovers Parker Washington and KeAndre Lambert-Smith in what should be — at the least — a solid passing attack. The ground game is the issue. In the past two seasons (22 games), Penn State has averaged 135.1 rushing yards per game and 3.54 yards per carry, and scored 26 rushing TDs. Last season alone, 38 FBs teams had 26 rushing TDs. The offensive line has been underwhelming and position coach Phil Trautwein (who is a solid recruiter) has to get his guys playing at a more physical level. The best lineman in 2021 (and that’s sort of damning with faint praise) was OT Rasheed Walker, and he has turned pro. Penn State added touted Cornell OT Hunter Nourzad via the portal and he will help; that help could come at tackle, it could be at guard. The development of second-year man Landon Tengwall bears watching. Five-star freshman RB Nick Singleton — the On3 Consensus top running back in the 2022 class — is enrolled and will go through spring practice. Will he be the starter coming out of spring? And will there have been room to run?
Wisconsin: Will the passing attack move into the modern era?
The skinny: No, that’s not too harsh: Wisconsin’s pass offense has been Neanderthal-like. In the past 10 seasons, the Badgers have averaged more than 200 yards passing in a season just twice; the high-water mark was 228.3 in 2015, and the other was in 2019, when it was 200.1. Only three times have the Badgers ranked in the top 50 in passing efficiency and five times they’ve ranked 80th or worse, including 105th last season. And Wisconsin quarterbacks in that span have averaged 16.3 TD passes but also 11.4 interceptions per season. Seven times, quarterbacks threw double-digit picks and six times threw at least 13. Only twice have there been 20-plus TD passes: 25 in 2017 (with 15 picks) and 22 in 2013 (again, with 15 picks). In the past two seasons, the Badgers threw a combined 21 TD passes and 20 interceptions. The new OC is Mark Engram, who had been tight ends coach with the Baltimore Ravens. When he was hired, Engram talked about adding “my own sense of creativity to what’s already been proven successful here.” Presumably, that means Engram — a former NFL wide receiver — will introduce some different elements this spring to the passing attack. But, man, he and the offensive staff have some to work to do with Graham Mertz, who had 10 TDs and 11 interceptions last season.