Big Ten Football: 10 Best Seniors for 2016
Spring practice is in full gear in Big Ten country, and while the makeup of every team is different each year, most are still determining who to lean on for leadership on their rosters.
Some programs more than others, however, will enjoy the benefit of returning experienced seniors on whom they already know they'll be able to rely both on and off the field.
And while the Big Ten will be well-represented in the upcoming draft, including players who opted to forego their final years of eligibility, the conference will be returning one of its more talented crops of seniors in recent memory in 2016.
From All-American cornerbacks to quality quarterbacks to perimeter playmakers and dangerous defensive weapons, the Big Ten certainly won't be lacking in known commodities across the conference in the coming year.
With that in mind, let's take a look at the top 10 seniors returning to the Big Ten in 2016.
10. Jordan Westerkamp
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One of the Big Ten's more intriguing offenses in 2016, Nebraska returns all three of its starting wide receivers and its starting quarterback from a season ago, as the Cornhuskers look to take a step forward in their second season under Mike Riley.
No player on the Nebraska offense, however, is as important as wide receiver Jordan Westerkamp, who proved to be one of the Big Ten's most reliable wideouts in 2015.
Catching 65 passes for 918 yards and seven touchdowns, Westerkamp set the Cornhuskers' single-season receptions record and came close to topping Johnny Rodgers’ 1972 school-best mark of 942 yards. With his 129 career receptions and 1,948 receiving yards, the 6'0", 200-pounder enters 2016 ranked sixth and third, respectively, on each Nebraska career list.
"People bring it up to me here and there, but that’s not my goal," Westerkamp said in December, via Brian Rosenthal of the Lincoln Star Journal. "It means a lot to me, and it’s an honor being up there with all those greats. It’d be awesome to break those records, but like I said, it’s not my ultimate focus."
Even with an average 2016, Westerkamp will go down in the record books as one of the most prolific receivers in Cornhuskers history. But a big senior season would mean even more for the Lombard, Illinois, native, as he looks to end his statistically storied career on a high note.
9. Riley Bullough
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The brother of former Michigan State great Max Bullough, Riley Bullough began his college career with an well-known name in Spartans lore.
But as the door begins to close on the younger Bullough's college career, he's managed to carve out a legacy for himself in East Lansing.
Tallying 106 tackles, 7.5 of which came for a loss, and four sacks, Bullough served as the leading tackler and one of the top defensive playmakers on the Big Ten champion Spartans throughout their run to the College Football Playoff.
With MSU returning just two other members of its front seven from a season ago, the presence of its middle linebacker will be even more important in 2016 than it was a year ago.
But as the 6'2", 230-pounder has shown, he's more than capable of holding his own. After all, last season he became the first Spartan to tally 100 or more tackles in a single season—since his older brother did it in 2012.
8. Jake Butt
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Perhaps in past years, Jake Butt would be preparing for the NFL draft and not his senior season at Michigan right now.
But when Jim Harbaugh wants players back in Ann Arbor, they seem to listen, which is exactly what happened when the reigning Big Ten Tight End of the Year contemplated foregoing his senior season of eligibility.
"I was leaning toward staying the whole way, but I wanted to stick with the '50-50' in case [Harbaugh] told me I'd be crazy to stay or something like that," Butt said, via MLive.com's Nick Baumgardner. "But he didn't."
With that, the Wolverines will return one of the conference's most reliable offensive targets in Butt, who tallied 51 receptions for 654 yards and three touchdowns in 2015. Playing in his second season in Harbaugh's pro-style offense, those numbers only figure to rise in his senior season as he prepares for a now-delayed jump to the professional ranks.
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7. Corey Clement
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After rushing for 949 yards and nine touchdowns as a backup in 2014, Wisconsin running back Corey Clement figured to fill in seamlessly following the departure of Heisman Trophy finalist Melvin Gordon III.
But after a disappointing 2015, Clement finds himself returning to Madison and now wearing a new jersey number as he attempts to move on from the injuries—and off-field issues—that plagued his junior campaign.
"Twenty-four is kind of a new start," Clement said via Connor O'Gara of Saturday Tradition of his move from No. 6 to No. 24. "I’m not letting No. 6 go entirely. I’m just seeing how it goes throughout the spring."
While Clement said that Badgers head coach Paul Chryst teased him that he may not be ready for such a "workload" number, that's precisely what the 5'11", 219-pounder is looking for. After attempting 48 carries for 221 yards and five touchdowns in 2015, Clement appears determined to return to his sophomore form in his senior season—he'll just be wearing a different jersey number while doing so.
6. Dawuane Smoot
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Taking over a football program that hasn't enjoyed a winning season since 2011, new Illinois head coach Lovie Smith has his work cut out for himself.
But in his debut season in Champaign, the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears head coach won't be without a focal point for his defense, which will come in the form of pass-rusher Dawuane Smoot.
Recording team highs of 15 tackles for loss and nine sacks as a junior in 2015, Smoot contemplated entering the upcoming NFL draft before ultimately returning to the Fighting Illini for his senior year. In doing so, he'll be the Big Ten's returning leader in sacks in the coming season, with possibly even bigger numbers on the horizon.
With the addition of Smith's defensive system and Auburn transfer Gimel President, Smoot's production in 2016 may only increase under the tutelage of his pro-style head coach. That's a scary thought for the rest of the Big Ten West and could ultimately lead to a big payday when the 6'3", 265-pounder does head to the pro level a year from now.
5. Pat Elflein
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With nine underclassmen declaring for the NFL draft and 16 starting spots up for grabs, Ohio State finds itself in the midst of enduring a mass exodus of talent from a roster that compiled a 50-4 record over the course of the past four seasons.
One starter who will return with no shortage of experience, however, will be fifth-year senior Pat Elflein, who will be sliding over from right guard to center on the Buckeyes offensive line in the coming year.
While offensive linemen don't often receive the credit they deserve, Elflein's presence as the new apex of the OSU offense could prove especially valuable on a unit that will be breaking in three new starters in 2016. A first-team All-Big Ten selection in 2015, Elflein has already started in several big games throughout his college career, including the entirety of the Buckeyes' run to the inaugural College Football Playoff championship in 2014.
Already named a captain by head coach Urban Meyer, the 6'3", 300-pounder will be one of the most important players on Ohio State's roster in 2016. And while he waited a year to declare himself eligible, he already finds himself on the radar of NFL teams, with WalterFootball.com projecting him to be a first-round pick in the 2017 draft.
4. Jehu Chesson
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After an up-and-down start to his college career, Jehu Chesson emerged in his first season under Harbaugh as one of the Big Ten's biggest playmakers—and Michigan's MVP.
"I really feel like Jehu has everything it takes to be a great player, a great pro player," Harbaugh said via Nick Baumgardner of MLive.com. "The only thing he was missing was tracking the deep ball and making those deep-ball catches."
As he returns to Ann Arbor for his senior season, that's clearly no longer an issue.
Hauling in 50 catches for 764 yards and nine touchdowns, the 6'3", 200-pound speedster averaged 15.28 yards per catch—the seventh-best per-catch average in the Big Ten in 2015. And with his nine scores giving him the most of any wideout returning in the conference in 2016, Chesson, along with Butt and Amara Darboh should help give the Wolverines' new starting quarterback plenty of options to rely on in the coming year.
3. C.J. Beathard
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With a group of quarterbacks who are largely inexperienced—and Ohio State's J.T. Barrett being just a junior—there's not much question as to who the top senior signal-caller in the Big Ten is entering 2016.
Earning second-team All-Big Ten honors in his first full season as a starter, Iowa's C.J. Beathard put together an impressive junior campaign while leading the Hawkeyes to within a Big Ten title game win of the College Football Playoff. In 14 games, Beathard tallied 2,809 yards, 17 touchdowns and just five interceptions while completing 61.6 percent of his passes.
Also adding 237 yards and six touchdowns on the ground, the 6'2", 209-pounder proved to be a playmaker in more ways than one while leading Iowa to an unexpected Big Ten West title. Of the conference's returning quarterbacks, Beathard is the leader in completion percentage, yards per attempt (7.8) and passer rating (139.52).
Whether or not Iowa will be able to replicate its success from its breakthrough season in the coming year remains to be seen. But if it does, Beathard will be a big reason why, as he'll likely only grow in his second season as a starter in Iowa City.
2. Jourdan Lewis
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Although he only recorded two interceptions, it was hard to watch Michigan play in 2015 without noticing the difference made by cornerback Jourdan Lewis.
That was reflected in other spots on Lewis' box scores, where he recorded 20 pass breakups and 22 passes defended—the second-most in the conference in each category last season. The 5'10", 175-pounder also totaled 52 tackles, five of which came for a loss, and a sack in his junior campaign.
"In all aspects, you see him blossoming," Harbaugh said last October. "It's really a great experience. There's so much that he can do. I think he's finding out right now all the things he's capable of and the ways that he can help a football team."
A 2015 first-team All-Big Ten selection, Lewis will be the focal point of a strong Wolverines secondary that will also include Jeremy Clark, Delano Hill and safety/linebacker Jabrill Peppers. In one year under Harbaugh, he's already proved to be one of the Big Ten's best, and now he'll attempt to show the same to the rest of the nation, as the spotlight over Ann Arbor will only increase in 2016.
1. Desmond King
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The reigning Thorpe Award winner, Desmond King wasn't recognized as just the best defensive back in the Big Ten, but in the entire country, in 2015.
That's why it was such a surprise that the Iowa cornerback opted to return to Iowa City for his senior season instead of declaring for the NFL draft after the Hawkeyes' impressive 2015 campaign.
"Personally, I think it's the best thing for him on all levels," Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said of King's return, via Luke Meredith of the Associated Press. "I just think it's a great, great thing."
It's an even greater thing for the Hawkeyes, who will now unexpectedly be returning a cornerback responsible for eight interceptions last season—the second-highest total of any player in college football in 2015.
With Beathard doing the same on offense, King is expected to anchor the Iowa defense as the Hawkeyes attempt to repeat as Big Ten West champs. For any team, sustaining success is often easier said than done, but Iowa has the pieces on both sides of the ball to do just that in the coming year.
Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten lead writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. All statistics courtesy of CFBStats.com. Recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports.
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