Big Ten Football Q&A: Who's the B1G's Next Star Head Coach?
Spring games in the Big Ten are nearing their end, with Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan State and Rutgers rounding out the conference's slate of annual exhibitions this weekend.
That means the dead period that is May and June on the college football calendar is upon us—except if this summer is anything like last summer, there won't be much quiet time in the Big Ten in the coming months.
So before Jim Harbaugh sends off another tweet or Cardale Jones starts a feud with an NBA player at a Cleveland Cavaliers game, let's get to this week's Big Ten Q&A. This week, we'll tackle the rising coaching stars in the Big Ten, who stood out at Ohio State's spring game, Iowa's recent recruiting surge and which game in the Big Ten will have the biggest effect on the 2017 College Football Playoff.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
As always, you can tweet me your questions each week @BenAxelrod.
Let's get started.
You may already know his last name, but make no mistake about it: Brian Ferentz's rise in the coaching ranks has little to do with nepotism.
Iowa's 33-year-old offensive line coach and the son of Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz built quite the resume even before joining his father's staff in 2012. Prior to returning to Iowa City, where he played offensive line for Iowa from 2002-05 before a two-year stint in the NFL, the younger Ferentz served as an assistant on Bill Belichick's staff for four seasons in New England, coaching the Patriots tight ends in 2011.
So while Kirk can lay claim to being the reigning National Coach of the Year, Brian can take at least partial credit for the development of Rob Gronkowski. In Ferentz's final season on Belichick's staff, Gronkowski became the first tight end to lead the NFL in touchdown catches, while the duo of Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez set league records for receptions, yards and touchdowns at their position.
Since reuniting with his father, Ferentz has furthered his resume as an offensive line coach, helping develop Brandon Scherff into the No. 5 overall pick of the 2015 NFL draft, Andrew Donnal into a fourth-round pick and both upcoming draft hopefuls Austin Blythe and Jordan Walsh into potential pros. Also the Hawkeyes running game coordinator, Ferentz oversaw a unit that ranked fifth in the Big Ten and 49th nationally in rushing (181.71 yards per game) in 2015.
With Tom Herman, D.J. Durkin and Chris Ash having each recently taken head coaching jobs and Dave Aranda having left Wisconsin to become the defensive coordinator at LSU, Brian Ferentz is the new hot name in the Big Ten when it comes to up-and-coming assistants. Ohio State's Greg Schiano may seem destined to land another head coaching job after this season, but with youth on his side, Ferentz could be the best pick for a team looking to build long-term success.
After all, it certainly won't hurt to be able to sell a relationship with Gronk on the recruiting trail.
"@BenAxelrod who stood out to you yesterday during the spring game other than Burrow ?
— Philly (@aphilly02) April 17, 2016"
The Burrow being referenced here is Ohio State backup quarterback Joe Burrow, who seemingly solidified his status as the Buckeyes' No. 2 signal-caller with an impressive spring game performance last weekend.
But while Burrow seemed to be the star of the game, a number of young OSU players stood out in the Buckeyes' exhibition.
On the offensive side of the ball, it was hard to ignore Torrance Gibson, who served as Burrow's top target on the Gray team with six receptions for 50 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile on the Scarlet squad, tight end Marcus Baugh was the game's overall leading receiver (seven catches, 64 yards), which may be more indicative of what OSU fans can expect in the coming year considering Baugh was playing alongside starting quarterback J.T. Barrett.
As far as running backs go, redshirt freshman Mike Weber may have taken the lead in the race to replace Ezekiel Elliott, as Bri'onte Dunn sat out the scrimmage due to injury. Weber carried the ball just eight times in the pass-happy affair but showed good burst, accumulating 38 yards (4.8 yards per carry) on the day.
Defensively, safety Malik Hooker recorded two interceptions, with his 82-yard touchdown return showcasing the type of freak athleticism members of the Buckeyes staff have been raving about since his recruitment in 2014. It was also hard not to be impressed by sophomore linebacker Jerome Baker's one-handed interception of Burrow, which was like the linebacker version of Odell Beckham Jr.'s 2014 star-making touchdown grab.
As I've learned in my years of covering college football, spring games are relatively meaningless. Two years ago, I watched Barrett and Cardale Jones both struggle mightily just months before leading Ohio State to a national title.
Nevertheless, last weekend seemed to be a positive step forward for the Buckeyes. Even while replacing 16 starters from last season's team, the talent on Meyer's roster is already apparent, as Ohio State appears set up for success both in the short and long terms.
After a 12-0 run in the regular season and being one win in the Big Ten title game away from crashing the College Football Playoff, it may have been surprising to see Iowa wind up with just the nation's 47th-ranked recruiting class in the 2016 cycle.
But in recruiting, it often takes a full year for on-field results to translate into success on the recruiting trail. And if the Hawkeyes' 2017 class is any indication, Iowa is prepared to do just that.
The Hawkeyes currently lay claim to nine commits in their upcoming class, which ranks 12th in the nation. For now at least, that haul includes 5-star defensive end A.J. Epenesa, who according to 247Sports would be Iowa's highest-ranked recruit since 2004 should he ultimately land in Iowa City.
The Hawkeyes' crop of commits also includes 4-star running back Eno Benjamin, a U.S. Army All-American selection who chose Iowa over Michigan, Texas and Baylor. The rest of Iowa's current pledges are 3-star prospects, but Iowa's player development in recent years has spoken for itself.
Of course, there's a difference between having a top-ranked class in April and actually signing one the following February. For a program that's failed to sustain success in recent years, continual on-field results may be necessary in order for an impressive class to collectively put pen to paper.
When it comes to the Hawkeyes' 2017 class, I think it's this simple: Have another successful season, and the highly touted class will follow, if not improve.
Fail to follow up last season's showing with similar results, and be prepared to watch as recruits begin to look elsewhere before signing day.
For the first time in a long time, Iowa's in position to land one of the nation's top classes. The coming season will determine whether or not the Hawkeyes are capable of doing just that.
"@BenAxelrod which regular season big ten game this year will have the biggest impact on the College football playoff?
— TJ (@tmcgarry13) April 19, 2016"
During last week's Big Ten spring football teleconference, I thought Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio made an interesting point when asked whether the conference's new nine-game league schedule would give the Big Ten a tougher route to the College Football Playoff.
"I would look at it the other way," Dantonio said. "I would say the champion of our league would probably get into the playoffs because of it."
And while the Big Ten has already been represented in the playoff in each of the past two seasons, I don't disagree. With the conference as a whole having tougher schedules, it should only help the league's cause when it comes to the playoff, assuming the league champion has two or fewer losses.
But unfortunately for Dantonio, I don't see the Spartans factoring into that equation in the coming season.
I do, however, see two regular-season finales serving as de facto play-in games to the Big Ten title game, which would then in turn become a play-in game for the College Football Playoff. In the East, the battle between Ohio State and Michigan could very well determine division champion, the same of which could be said in the West when it comes to Iowa and Nebraska.
In both cases, I see both participants in each rivalry game entering with two or fewer losses and thus remaining in control of their respective playoff destinies. A year ago, we almost saw that come to fruition between the Buckeyes and Wolverines, but Michigan State ultimately spoiled the party with its upset over OSU a week earlier.
But this year, we could just as easily see not one, but two play-in games to another play-in game in the final week of the regular season. And for a sport that just recently adopted a playoff system, that would make for quite the final stretch leading into the actual postseason.
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.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
