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Minnesota C earns top PFF grade among Power 5 players at his position
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Week 2 of the 2022 college football season had some big performances, including Minnesota center John Michael Schmitz.
After Saturday’s 62-10 win at home over Western Illinois, Schmitz was graded at 87.8 by Pro Football Focus, the highest graded power five center this season.
He is graded higher than USC’s Brett Neilon, who graded out at 87.5, and Baylor’s Jacob Gall, who graded out at 81.7.
Highest-graded Power Five centers this season:
🥇 John Michael Schmitz, Minnesota – 87.8
🥈 Brett Neilon, USC – 87.5
🥉 Jacob Gall, Baylor – 81.7 pic.twitter.com/RZoyi85VPq— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 16, 2022
Schmitz is a three-year starter for Minnesota and played in all 13 games of the 2018 and 2019 college football seasons. He is one of the most experienced interior offensive linemen in college football.
Schmitz was a three-star prospect from the 2017 recruiting class, where he was rated as the 16th best center and the 25th best prospect from the state of Illinois, according to 247Sports Composite.
Minnesota will need him to keep playing at a high level if they want to compete for a B1G West title. The Golden Gophers play Colorado next in Week 3.