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Athlon Sports has six B1G WR groups in nation’s top 50
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If you wanted to locate some of the best receiving corps in the country, the B1G may not be your first stop. At least according to Athlon Sports.
On Tuesday, Athlon released its list of the top 50 receiver groups in the country. And while the B1G did have six teams on the list, only two cracked the top 25.
It’s not surprising that the B1G isn’t as well-represented as other conferences in this list. After all, it’s a league that puts a heavy emphasis on running the football and stout defensive play more so than an air strike attack.
The only two teams to rank in the top 25? Penn State and Indiana.
Penn State came in at No. 4 on that list while the Hoosiers sat back at No. 17. Here’s what Athlon Sports had to say about the Nittany Lions receivers:
Chris Godwin left early for the NFL, but quarterback Trace McSorley isn’t hurting for playmakers at receiver. DaeSean Hamilton was the team’s top receiver in 2014 and has thrived in a complementary role the last two seasons. He’s due for an increased role with Godwin catching passes for the Buccaneers, with tight end Mike Gesicki the preferred big-play option after averaging 14.2 yards per catch in 2016. DeAndre Thompkins and Saeed Blacknall combined for 42 receptions last season and will team with Irvin Charles and Juwan Johnson to round out the key threats for McSorley. Junior Brandon Polk missed nearly all of 2016 due to injury and should help as a slot receiver this fall.
Four other B1G receiving corps were mentioned in the publication’s top 50: No. 29 Ohio State; No. 40 Wisconsin; No. 44 Northwestern; No. 47 Michigan.
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