Ranking the Top 25 B1G players in 2021

The Big Ten doesn’t have as much high-end talent as in past years, when guys like Justin Fields, Chase Young, Jeff Okudah, Nick Bosa and Saquon Barkley were in the conversation to be among the first few picks.

In fact, the first B1G player on Todd McShay’s mock draft is all the way down at No. 8 (Aidan Hutchinson) and the first B1G player on Dane Brugler’s is down at No. 15 (Garrett Wilson).

Make no mistake, though, the Big Ten is still loaded with talent. It is the No. 2 conference in the country behind the SEC (though the ACC looks like it will be solid as well this year).

The best part about this year is that the Big Ten’s best players will actually be playing! With all due respect to Rashawn Slater, Micah Parsons and Rashod Bateman, the opt-outs were no fun for fans (though understandable from a player perspective).

So, let’s get into the conference’s top players for 2021.

Disclaimer: This is an inexact science. Your list is probably different than mine. I’m basing my rankings partly off past performance and partly off what I think they’ll be this year.

25. QB Tanner Morgan (Minnesota)

Morgan is in need of a bounce-back season after a subpar 2020. It couldn’t have been easy working with a new offensive coordinator during the pandemic, but that won’t be an excuse for Morgan in 2021. He recently mourned the passing of his dad, so he’ll be playing with a heavy heart. Let’s see if Morgan can get back to his 2019 form, when he had 30 touchdown passes and 4 interceptions.

24. LB Jake Hansen (Illinois)

Hansen had a bit of a down season in 2020, though he still was one of the league leaders in tackles for loss (10), tackles per game (8.5) and interceptions (2). His PFF grade was the 25th-best among qualified linebackers. I’d bet he will bounce back and regain his form as one of the league’s best linebackers.

23. QB Graham Mertz (Wisconsin)

Mertz dealt with the normal growing pains that a freshman starter would endure. He was reportedly playing with an injured shoulder, which would explain why his performance dipped from that ridiculous 2-game start against Illinois and Michigan. It also wasn’t fair to evaluate Mertz without his starting wideouts for pretty much all season.

22. DE George Karlaftis (Purdue)

Last season was basically a waste for Karlaftis, who only played in 3 games due to COVID and didn’t look great when he was in there. The expectation here is that he’ll get back to his 2019 form, when he tallied 7.5 sacks as a true freshman.

21. RB Tyler Goodson (Iowa)

Goodson took over as the lead back in 2020, and his production skyrocketed. In Iowa’s 6-game winning streak to close the season, he had 100-yard outings in 4 of them, and the other 2 he had 92 and 78.

20. S Jaquan Brisker (Penn State)

Brisker has lived up to the hype since transferring from junior college, and he is firmly entrenched as one of the league’s top defensive backs entering his third season with Penn State. Of note, he is an excellent tackler, with just 1 missed tackle in 60 attempts last season, per PFF.

19. QB C.J. Stroud (Ohio State)

Whichever of Ohio State’s 4 bluechip QBs wins the job deserves a spot somewhere on this list because he will have beaten out a trio of players who would start at nearly every other team in this conference. But until we see them in action in a real game, it’s hard to put them higher than this. The guess is that it’ll be Stroud who wins the job, as he is the clear frontrunner.

18. LB JoJo Domann (Nebraska)

Is Domann really a linebacker? Technically, because that’s what Nebraska lists him as, but who cares? All that matters is he is a really good football player. He is terrific in coverage, which is why he primarily lines up in the slot. He is also an improving run stopper.

17. WR Ty Fryfogle (Indiana)

Fryfogle seemingly came out of nowhere in his 4th season of college football. He torched Ohio State and Shaun Wade for 7-218-3, part of a ridiculous 3-game stretch in which he caught 25 passes for 560 yards and 6 TDs. He only had 6 catches for 79 yards in the final 3 games (2 of which were without QB Michael Penix Jr.), so we’ll see what he has in store for 2021.

16. LB Olakunle Fatukasi (Rutgers)

Fatukasi led the Big Ten in tackles (101), was second in tackles for loss (11) and also added 3 sacks. He is the centerpiece of an improved Rutgers defense.

15. DE Zach VanValkenburg (Iowa)

VanValkenburg is ready for a big season along an inexperienced defensive line. Year after year, Iowa reloads up front, and VanValkenburg will be the key to that. He had 3.5 sacks last season, but he could take over the production of departed Defensive Player of the Year Daviyon Nixon.

14. LB Jack Sanborn (Wisconsin)

Sanborn still struggles in coverage from time to time, but his ability to stop the run and also get to the QB is about as good as it gets in the Big Ten.

13. WR Jahan Dotson (Penn State)

Dotson’s emergence was one of the few bright spots of last season for Penn State, as he replaced KJ Hamler’s production and then some with 6 games of 94 yards or more. He ran circles around Ohio State’s defense with 8 catches for 144 yards and 3 TDs, including one of the top catches of the year over Shaun Wade. He is extremely valuable as a punt returner, too.

12. CB Tiawan Mullen (Indiana)

Mullen is arguably the Big Ten’s top corner. He tallied 3 interceptions in 2020, but that’s only part of what makes him special, as he is a terrific at blitzing and also is great against the run.

11. WR David Bell (Purdue)

Bell broke out in the 4th game of 2019 against Minnesota (the game Rondale Moore got hurt), and he hasn’t looked back. He has gone over 100 yards in 10 of the last 15 games and is the focal point for every defensive game plan. He is truly a joy to watch and will make any college football fan think twice about flipping the channel when Purdue has the ball.

10. LB Micah McFadden (Indiana)

McFadden’s formula for success was simple last year — get to the QB and make plays. There was no one better at that in the Big Ten last season, as he racked up a B1G-best 6 sacks to go along with 10.5 tackles for loss. He also had 2 interceptions.

9. DL Aidan Hutchinson (Michigan)

Hutchinson should be one of the conference’s top defensive players after only playing in 3 games last season due to a fractured leg. New defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald is going to use him as a traditional defensive end, but also as a stand-up rusher. Already excelling against the run, the goal will be to move Hutchinson around and allow him to attack the QB from a variety of angles to pump up those sack numbers. He should be a 1st-round pick in 2022.

8. DT Haskell Garrett (Ohio State)

The tackle is back to anchor the defensive line, and he should get a lot more credit this year. He was somehow only Third Team All-B1G, even though he was a First Team All-American. Garrett’s return is big for an Ohio State defense that only has 5 starters back. He was outstanding in the middle, even after he had to recover from a gunshot wound through the cheeks last summer that he sustained while breaking up a fight.

7. WR Garrett Wilson (Ohio State)

Wilson has been slightly overshadowed by Chris Olave, but the true junior has lived up to the 5-star hype. Ever since he was on the receiving end of that iconic TD pass from Justin Fields against Michigan, he has seemed destined for super stardom. He had 4 straight 100-yard games to open last season, then failed to break 60 in the last 4.

6. S Brandon Joseph (Northwestern)

Joseph came out of nowhere as a redshirt freshman to lead the country in interceptions with 6 (and none prettier than the one in the end zone against Justin Fields in the Big Ten Championship Game). He was voted preseason Defensive Player of the Year by the media. He’ll look to repeat as an All-American in 2021 on a defense that returns just 4 starters.

5. OT Thayer Munford (Ohio State)

It was a big surprise to see Munford back, so much so that super recruit Paris Johnson is unexpectedly moving inside after being expected to take over for Munford at tackle. The super senior played at an elite level last season, allowing just 3 pressures on 264 pass-rushing snaps, according to PFF. His pressure rate allowed was half a percentage point lower than any other Power 5 left tackle.

4. RB Mohamed Ibrahim (Minnesota)

Ibrahim is just a bulldog, plain and simple. His endurance is special. In an era in which coaches commonly rotate 2 or 3 running backs, Ibrahim rarely takes a break. His 28.7 attempts per game easily led the country, and his 153.7 yards per game were second nationally. Running behind an offensive line that returns all 5 starters, it would be shocking if Ibrahim isn’t producing similar numbers in 2021. He’s a stud.

3. C Tyler Linderbaum (Iowa)

The switch to center was a career-changer for the former defensive tackle. After making the move to offense in 2019, he quickly became one of the best in the country. In 2020, he was the best center. PFF, which had him for only 3 pressures allowed in 280 pass-blocking snaps, called him the best offensive lineman in college football. High praise, indeed!

2. QB Michael Penix Jr. (Indiana)

The fact that Penix elevated the Hoosiers all the way into the top 10 and still wasn’t even at his personal best speaks volumes about this guy’s ability. Penix completed only 56 percent of his passes in 2020, down from 69 percent in 2019. Expect the completion percentage to climb back close to 2019 levels. Maybe the best part about Penix is how he is unfazed in the biggest moments, whether it be the miraculous comeback against Penn State or how he torched Ohio State’s defense for almost 500 yards. The guy is a gamer, plain and simple. He would probably be No. 1 on this list if not for suffering season-ending injuries 3 years in a row.

1. WR Chris Olave (Ohio State)

Olave arrived as an unheralded 3-star recruit, and now he is the best player in the Big Ten. He would’ve been a 1st-round pick had he left for the NFL after last season, when he had 5 100-yard outings in just 7 games. The Ohio State offense was lost without him in the Big Ten Championship Game against Northwestern. The Buckeyes’ leading receiver the last 2 years, he will be a lifeline to CJ Stroud or whoever wins the starting job.