Skip to content

Ad Disclosure

3 B1G players make 247Sports’ Top 11 for breakout stars in 2022

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

Each year, there are a handful of college football players who come out from the shadows and flash their talent to the world. Now that the 2021 season is behind us, we can take a look at which prospects have that potential for next fall.

Chris Hummer of 247Sports compiled a list of the 11 players he expects to make a huge impact in 2022 as breakout stars. Three of those stars are from the B1G, all on the offensive side of the ball.

Out of the B1G, Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen, Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy and Ohio State offensive tackle Paris Johnson all made the list. All three are pretty strong candidates.

Allen had an outstanding freshman season in Madison and ended the year as the B1G’s second-leading rusher in yards per game. The Wisconsin back piled up 1,268 yards (105.7 per game) and 12 touchdowns for the Badgers.

There’s no question he looks like the next great Wisconsin running back.

McCarthy was a backup quarterback for Michigan this past year, playing behind Cade McNamara. Still, Jim Harbaugh found ways to utilize the freshman’s talents throughout a B1G championship run.

In 11 games during the 2021 season, McCarthy completed 34-of-59 pass attempts for 516 yards with 5 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He also rushed for 124 yards and 2 more touchdowns.

Johnson is a 6-foot-6, 315-pound offensive lineman who moved from offensive tackle to offensive guard for the 2021 campaign. He’s expected to transition back to his original place along the front line, which should be a major boost for the Buckeyes offense.

Below is Hummer’s complete Top 11:

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB