Ranking the Big Ten: Return Specialist
As the 2022 college football season quickly approaches, it is time to look at the top players in the Big Ten Conference.
We conclude our Ranking the Big Ten series by rating the top five returning return specialists in the conference.
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1. Charlie Jones, Purdue
Charlie Jones made a huge splash when he entered the transfer portal in late May. Purdue was the new home for the reigning Rogers-Dwight Big Ten Return Specialist of the Year.
Last season at Iowa, Jones had the highest kick return average in the Big Ten among returners with more than 20 attempts at 26.1 yards. He totaled 653 kickoff return yards and took one to the house against Illinois. The 6-foot-0, 188-pound Jones was also a serviceable punt returner. He averaged 7.3 yards per return.
In 2021, Jones had the second best Pro Football Focus (PFF) return grade in the Big Ten at 74.7. That was only bested by Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka who made 20 total returns on the season compared to 101 from Jones.
Jones is entering his sixth season of college football. He is projected as the No. 6 all-purpose athlete according to Lindy’s and will host his former team on Nov. 5 when the Hawkeyes visit West Lafayette, Indiana.
2. Aron Cruickshank, Rutgers
Aron Cruickshank is a name that has struck fear into the hearts of many a Big Ten special teams coach during the last four years.
He was last year’s top returner in the “Ranking the Big Ten” series but took a big step back in 2021 following strong years in 2020 and 2019. This will be the fifth year for Cruickshank and third at Rutgers after spending his first two seasons with Wisconsin.
Cruickshank’s 2021 PFF return grade was a measly 66.1. That’s quite a drop off compared to his 2020 grade of 84.1 at Rutgers and his 2019 grade of 83.8 at Wisconsin. The last three years have seen a dip in production as well. He averaged 30.4 yards per kickoff return in 2019, but that fell to 27.2 yards in 2020 and plummeted even further to 21.7 yards last year.
The 5-foot-10, 170-pound Cruickshank failed to return a kick for a touchdown last season too. In the past two years, the Brooklyn native had housed at least two returns each season.
One area where Cruickshank has improved is as a punt returner. In eight return opportunities, he racked up 153 yards at 19.1 yards per return and scored a touchdown against Delaware. That made for an 82.2 punt return grade from PFF which was second in the Big Ten.
Cruickshank is on a mission to regain his former glory in 2022 and is the No. 7 all-purpose athlete according to Lindy’s.
3. Jayden Reed, Michigan State
Jayden Reed is making his second appearance in this year’s “Ranking the Big Ten” series. The 6-foot-0, 180-pound wide receiver came in second for that position and here he is third.
There is certainly an argument to be made that he is the best return specialist on this list. He may be the best all-around football player. Undoubtedly, he is the best punt returner based upon last season’s production.
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Reed returned 12 punts for 238 yards at 19.8 yards per return. That last number not only led the Big Ten, it led all of Division-I. His two punt-return touchdowns were the most total return touchdowns of any Big Ten athlete. His first came in the critical moments of the Spartan win over Nebraska and the second a week later against Western Kentucky.
Those two returns accounted for the majority of his production and the 88.9 punt return grade from PFF. Reed earned a total return grade of 74.5. His struggles in the kickoff return department are a large part of why that number is lower than many would expect. The now-redshirt senior averaged 22.5 yards per kickoff return a season ago.
The majority of Reed’s focus this season is likely with his receiving duties, where he has a chance to challenge Jaxon Smith-Njigba as the best in the Big Ten. Yet if he can build of his Second-Team All-Big Ten returner selection in 2021 and his Lindy’s nomination as the No. 2 all-purpose athlete in the country this year, Reed’s 2022 could be truly special.
4. A.J. Henning, Michigan
Michigan’s A.J. Henning is electric.
It’s certainly a prerequisite for the position and he’s not the only one on this list who is, but the speed is something to consider when reviewing Henning’s 2021. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound Henning put that speed on display when he returned a kickoff for a touchdown against Maryland. He averaged 25.6 yards per kickoff return last season.
Henning spent the majority of his time handling punts. There he averaged only 9.4 yards per return with a long of 34 yards. When it comes to his PFF grades, the punt game is his biggest drag. His grade was 54.5 in that category and 60.5 overall as a returner. One stat that comes to the forefront in the punt game is the four muffed punts he had in 2021.
Now as a junior, Henning feels like he could be ready to pop. Last year he had four rushes greater than 15 yards and three of those four were for longer than 25 yards. That shows he has the skillset to be dangerous at this position after earning Third-Team All-Big Ten honors in 2021.
5. Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State
Emeka Egbuka had the best return specialist grade in the Big Ten last season at 80.6. The sample size is the only reason he isn’t higher in this list.
Egbuka only had 20 returns last season for and all of them came in a kickoff setting. He made great use of those 20 opportunities averaging 29.2 yards per attempt. That was the best number in the Big Ten last year and the 10th best nationally. He tallied 583 yards in the return game which was 258 yards more than Aron Cruickshank on just five more attempts and 70 yards fewer than Charlie Jones in five less attempts.
Not too bad for a freshman year.
He also had 191 yards receiving including the gem of a catch in the tweet above. Like many of the guys on this list, he is incredibly versatile and explosive. Yet, it seems that the former five-star recruit has a gear that is just different from the other return specialists featured in this list.
To be fair, he is almost a shot in the dark. If Egbuka seizes 2022 by the horns and makes good on last season’s sample, that shot might just come through.
