Big Ten Football: Ranking 10 Best Playmakers for 2016
Penn State wide receiver Chris Godwin, Northwestern running back Justin Jackson and Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett will lead a loaded group of Big Ten playmakers in 2016.
The conference lost a lot of superstars to the NFL draft with the departure of leading receiver Aaron Burbridge, leading rusher Ezekiel Elliott and top-producing quarterbacks Nate Sudfeld and Connor Cook.
But these 10 players are set to lead the way for the league's most explosive offenses this fall.
No. 10: Jake Butt
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This list kicks off with the Big Ten's best tight end.
Jake Butt was phenomenal for Michigan as a junior last season, hauling in 51 receptions for 654 yards (ranking first among Big Ten tight ends) to complement three touchdowns. He was at his best against Rutgers, when he caught four passes for 102 yards, highlighted by a career-best 56-yard reception.
His play was so good, in fact, that he had a decision to make regarding an early departure for the NFL draft. It didn't take him that long to decide, however, as he announced his return to the Wolverines in December.
“My heart and soul is with Michigan, and I’m excited to return for my senior year and play for the most historic university and the greatest coaches in college football,” Butt posted on Twitter. “And to go into battle another year with my friend and teammates."
His return will be a huge boost to a passing attack that also returns top wide receivers Jehu Chesson and Amara Darboh. Butt gets the nod here because he'll be a constant presence down the middle of the field and the perfect safety valve for the first-year starting quarterback who will be replacing Jake Rudock in 2016.
No. 9: Tommy Armstrong Jr.
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Tommy Armstrong Jr. is the first of two quarterbacks to make the cut because of his electric playmaking ability through the air and on the ground.
One of the most experienced quarterbacks not just in the Big Ten, but in the entire country, Armstrong has led the Nebraska offense for three seasons and will be making his 34th career start when the Cornhuskers kick off against Fresno State on September 3.
In his first year under current head coach Mike Riley last season, Armstrong threw for 3,030 yards and 22 touchdowns. He didn't pull it down and run as often as he did under former coach Bo Pelini, running for just 400 yards and seven touchdowns in 2015, as opposed to 705 yards and six touchdowns in 2014.
But he still showcased his ability to burn defenses with his legs, and another year in Riley's system should make him much more dangerous and consistent on a weekly basis this fall.
No. 8: LJ Scott
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Michigan State's offense is annually built around a tough, bulldozing running attack, and that's a big reason why LJ Scott checks in at No. 8.
As a true freshman on a College Football Playoff participant last season, Scott spearheaded a three-man rushing attack with a team-high 699 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was complemented by freshman Madre London and sophomore Gerald Holmes, both of whom will be back this fall, but Scott established himself as a go-to guy down the stretch of the '15 campaign.
In the Big Ten title game against Iowa, the Spartans turned to Scott when they trailed 13-9 late in the game. He helped Michigan State march 82 yards in 22 plays, running the ball 10 of the final 11 plays of the drive that was capped by a one-yard touchdown run that helped give the Spartans a 16-13 lead they wouldn't surrender.
With quarterback Connor Cook and its top two wide receivers in Aaron Burbridge and Macgarrett Kings Jr. off to the NFL, Michigan State will need to lean on its running game this fall. Scott should be the biggest beneficiary of that.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
No. 7: Jordan Westerkamp
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Jordan Westerkamp is known for his Hail Mary and behind-the back catches, but he was Tommy Armstrong's top target last season and has developed into a well-rounded receiver over the last few years.
The 6'0", 200-pound receiver ranked fifth in the Big Ten with 918 receiving yards, hauling in 65 receptions and seven touchdowns. He eclipsed the 100-yard receiving mark four times in 2015, highlighted by a nine-catch, 143-yard, one-touchdown performance in a 39-38 upset of Michigan State.
That output has Westerkamp in position to rewrite some major school records at Nebraska, and with a four-year starter behind center at quarterback, he's got a great chance to put a historic senior season together.
No. 6: Simmie Cobbs Jr.
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When Kevin Wilson was hired as head coach at Indiana before the 2011 season, he brought his high-flying offense to the Big Ten and has been lighting up scoreboards ever since.
Last year was no exception as the Hoosiers averaged 36.5 points, ranking first in the conference.
Simmie Cobbs Jr. was a big part of that success.
As a sophomore last year, Cobbs was supposed to be a complement in the offense, but he emerged as the go-to guy in Indiana's vertical passing attack. He led the way for a deep Hoosiers wide receiver corps, hauling in 60 receptions for 1,035 yards—which ranked third in the conference—and four touchdowns.
Fellow receiver Mitchell Paige knew he was playing with a potential superstar.
“He’s athletic, he’s big, he’s fast, he’s strong," Paige said, according to Manny Randhawa of the Indianapolis Star. "Early in his career, they were saying he was Cody Latimer-esque. Cody was really good, but Simmie can be anything he wants to be.”
Cobbs really came on strong down the stretch of the season, averaging 102.6 yards per game in his final seven outings. He'll be looking to carry that momentum into 2016 with a new quarterback after Nate Sudfeld's departure.
No. 5: Corey Clement
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Wisconsin has become a running back factory over the last two decades, and Corey Clement was supposed to be next in line and follow suit last year after the Badgers lost record-setting ball-carrier Melvin Gordon.
There was so much promise for Clement, who ran for 949 yards and nine touchdowns as a reserve in 2014. But a sports hernia injury in the season opener against Alabama derailed his season, and he missed nine of the Badgers' last 12 games.
But there were signs of life at the tail end of the 2015 campaign. Clement carried the ball 19 times for 66 yards and a touchdown in Wisconsin's 23-21 upset over USC in the Holiday Bowl. Heading into 2016, he's switched numbers (from No. 6 to 24) looking for a fresh start.
"I'm feeling a lot better," Clement said, via Jesse Temple of ESPN.com. "Throughout the season, time wasn't on my side. Now I've got another chance to come back and redeem myself and come back for a stronger season that I hoped to have last year. I get a chance to recuperate, regenerate my mind and look forward to a positive season."
The Badgers return four of five offensive linemen in 2016, so Clement will have a lot of experience paving lanes for him this fall.
No. 4: Saquon Barkley
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Despite loaded recruiting classes from Ohio State and Michigan, Penn State's Saquon Barkley was by far the best true freshman in the Big Ten last year.
The running back out of Coplay, Pennsylvania, came to Penn State as a highly rated 4-star running back, via 247Sports, and he made an instant impact, ranking fourth in the conference with 1,076 yards and seven touchdowns despite playing in just 11 games (one of which he only received one carry).
He was at his best against Ohio State, when he shredded one of the nation's best defenses for a career-high 194 yards on 26 carries.
Off that breakout campaign, Barkley is absolutely dominating Penn State's offseason. When he's not proving himself as the fastest player on the team or setting program lifting records by power-cleaning an insane 390 pounds, he's emerging as a team leader despite being a sophomore.
“Saquon is a once-every-10-years guy," Penn State strength coach Dwight Galt said, according to Jourdan Rodrigue of the Centre Daily Times. "People have asked me what it was like to train (NFL tight end) Vernon Davis. There you go. He’s special in a lot of different areas. You don’t get kids like that very often."
No. 3: Chris Godwin
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Complementing Saquon Barkley and rounding out Penn State's offense on the perimeter will be Chris Godwin, the standout junior who broke out in 2015.
Godwin came into the season as the second receiver behind DaeSean Hamilton, but he emerged as the most consistent threat down the field for Penn State last year. He led the team and ranked second in the conference with 1,101 receiving yards, hauling in 69 receptions and five touchdowns.
"He's an elite player in this league at his position," Penn State receivers coach Josh Gattis said, according to Mark Wogenrich of the Morning Call. "As good as he plays in the games, he's even better in practice."
The Nittany Lions will need Godwin to be even better this fall because they're replacing a three-year starter at quarterback with the early NFL defection of Christian Hackenberg.
No. 2: Justin Jackson
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One of the Big Ten's most explosive playmakers in 2015 was one of its smallest players in Justin Jackson, the 5'11", 185-pound Northwestern running back.
His small stature did nothing to prevent him from ripping Big Ten defenses all season as he finished second in the conference with 1,418 rushing yards and five touchdowns. He also proved to be a valuable pass-catcher out of the backfield, bringing in 21 receptions for 162 yards.
But in an interview with SB Nation's Inside NU, Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald said that Jackson has bulked up this offseason:
"This will make him mad, but I don't care. Down at the Outback Bowl, we were with our hosts and one of the guys goes, "Who's Jackson?" And I go, "It's him." Then he goes, "Really? He's not that big, huh?" No, he's not. That's just an area where he has to get stronger. And he is. He's totally different frame-wise then when he got here.
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If Jackson adds more thunder to his lightning-style running, the Big Ten will have a much harder time corralling the speedy playmaker in 2016.
No. 1: J.T. Barrett
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J.T. Barrett is the Big Ten's top playmaker because Ohio State will need him to be.
The Buckeyes, fresh off a 12-1 campaign and a 44-28 pasting of Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl, are losing their top three wide receivers, their top tight end and do-everything running back Ezekiel Elliott.
In need of a new identity, Barrett is the centerpiece to an offense that has paced the Big Ten since Urban Meyer's arrival in 2012.
The Buckeyes are building around Barrett's ability, moving to an uptempo offense that allows him to make quicker decisions in the passing and running game. That offense was implemented in the final two games of the '15 season, when Barrett averaged 279.5 yards of total offense to complement five total touchdowns in back-to-back routs of ranked Michigan and Notre Dame teams.
Barrett is coming off a disappointing season in which he threw for just 992 yards and 11 touchdowns. Ohio State's quarterback battle between Barrett and Cardale Jones served as a hindrance and impeded his momentum after a breakout freshman campaign, when he piled up 3,772 total yards of offense and 45 touchdowns.
But Barrett is getting a benefit that Ohio State hasn't had since 2013.
"I think it’s easier because you know he’s the quarterback," Ohio State strength coach Mickey Marotti said, according to Austin Ward of ESPN.com. "There’s no guessing or [questioning] who it’s going to be or whatever. He’s the guy. It’s just been great, since we really haven’t had that since, what, Braxton [Miller’s] sophomore year?"
With Barrett at the helm of one of the country's most dangerous offenses, he's on the brink of an enormous junior season.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
