Akrum Wadley and Maurice Hurst are both expected to be two of the B1G’s best returning players at their respective positions.

To predict that they’ll end up on an All-B1G team isn’t bold at all considering both are battle-tested seniors. Despite that, they technically weren’t starters in their breakout 2016 seasons.

ESPN NFL draft analyst Todd McShay offered up some praise for the Iowa tailback and the Michigan defensive tackle:

Interestingly enough, both granted their coach’s request to return for their senior seasons.

Wadley, who only started one game as a junior, is coming off a season in which he ran for 1,081 yards and 10 touchdowns en route to third-team All-B1G honors. He’s already being billed as one of the top running back prospects in the 2018 class.

A lot of the draft talk for Wadley began after his performance against Hurst’s Michigan squad in Iowa’s upset win last year.

McShay made note of that:

 

Hurst was projected by Mel Kiper Jr. as a possible first-round pick. The senior has 19.5 career tackles for loss, 11.5 of which came last year. The 6-2, 282-pound defensive tackle also recorded eight sacks in 2016.

Both Wadley and Hurst should see their workloads increase significantly as the unquestioned top returners at their respective positions.

Perhaps they’ll be among McShay’s top starters in college football in 2017.