Big Ten Football: Power Ranking Every Team's QBs Post-Spring Practice
Spring football has come and gone in the Big Ten, and each team in the conference knows a lot more about itself now than it did just a month ago.
That should ring especially true when it comes to the quarterback position, as 15 offseason practices can go a long way in the development of a signal-caller.
For some Big Ten teams, this spring was about furthering along a veteran quarterback or having him gel with less experienced teammates. For others, it was about preparing a first-time starter for a crucial season in his career.
And for at least a few teams in the conference, this spring was just about figuring out who the starting quarterback will be.
It's not a coincidence that a team's success is often tied to the production of its most important position. With that in mind, let's power rank where each Big Ten team's quarterback—or quarterbacks—stands following this past spring practice.
14. Purdue
1 of 14
Entering this offseason, the assumption in West Lafayette was sophomore quarterback David Blough would reclaim his role as Purdue's starting quarterback after an up-and-down—but sometimes promising—freshman campaign.
But following a shaky spring for Blough, particularly in the Boilermakers' spring game, that no longer seems like a certainty.
Leading the Gold team in a losing effort, the one-time Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week's stat line of 17-of-28 passing for 226 yards and a touchdown was overshadowed by not only a pair of interceptions, but his counterpart on the Black team. Leading his squad to a 23-17 victory with a game-winning 65-yard drive, redshirt freshman Elijah Sindelar stole the show in Purdue's spring game with a 16-of-30, 248-yard, two-touchdown passing day.
The battle between Blough and Sindelar will now carry into the offseason, as Darrell Hazell's decision on the matter will ultimately play a pivotal role in what will be a crucial season for the fourth-year Boilermakers head coach.
The good news? He may well have two viable candidates to be his starting quarterback.
The bad? With flaws apparent elsewhere on the Purdue roster, it may not ultimately matter.
13. Rutgers
2 of 14
Another offseason, and Chris Laviano once again finds himself in a quarterback competition in Piscataway.
This time, the junior signal-caller is not only attempting to fend off Hayden Rettig, but also Giovanni Rescigno. First-year Rutgers head coach Chris Ash declared Laviano and Rettig even heading into the spring game, where each turned in ho-hum performances.
The result is a quarterback battle that will continue into the summer, where a new competitor will be added to the mix in true freshman Tylin Oden. Given his experience, however, Laviano is still the odds-on favorite to be the Scarlet Knights starter when they open the season on Sept. 3 at Washington.
"He understands the offense," Ash said of Laviano, per Dan Duggan of NJ.com. "He has protected the football. Not as good as we want to, but he's probably protected it better than the other quarterbacks."
But if Rutgers arrives at Big Ten play without confidence in Laviano or Rettig, Oden could find himself starting by season's end. Considering the Scarlet Knights are facing a rebuild that will likely take multiple years, that could ultimately be the smartest play for Ash in his first season as a head coach.
12. Maryland
3 of 14
While new head coach D.J. Durkin is ushering in a new era at Maryland, Terrapins fans can expect more of the same when it comes to their quarterback position. After a season-long battle between Perry Hills and Caleb Rowe resulted in a 3-9 record a year ago, the two signal-callers are back at it in a competition to be Durkin's first starter in College Park.
Coming out of the spring, Hills seems to be the favorite to resume his starting role from a year ago, although neither player performed particularly well in Maryland's spring game.
That's particularly alarming, considering the Terrapins' passing attack ranked 109th in the country and 13th in the Big Ten in 2015. At the very least, an increase in tempo with new offensive coordinator Walt Bell in charge could lead to more opportunities for Maryland's underwhelming stable of signal-callers.
With his dual-threat ability, that could give Hills an edge in this offseason's ongoing quarterback battle, which might once again carry into the season itself. But for now, the numbers speak for themselves and don't bode well for a bounce-back season for the Terrapins quarterbacks.
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11. Penn State
4 of 14
Although he seemingly regressed in each season of his college career, the loss of quarterback Christian Hackenberg, a second-round selection of the New York Jets in this year's NFL draft, looms large at Penn State.
Now it will be up to Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin to groom his successor in a race between Trace McSorley and Tommy Stevens.
Exiting spring football, McSorley appears to have a leg up in the competition after a particularly impressive spring game performance. The redshirt sophomore excelled in new offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead's uptempo offense, as he completed 23 of his 27 passes for 281 yards and four touchdowns in a 37-0 victory for the Blue team.
Despite the impressive performance, Franklin declined to name McSorley his team's starter heading into the remainder of the offseason.
"We're going to go to camp, we'll let those guys compete, and see what happens," Franklin said, per Joe Juliano of Philly.com. "But right now, I feel like we've got two quarterbacks we can win with."
Playing against an actual opponent is of course a lot different than performing well in a glorified exhibition. But if the Penn State spring game was any indication, life after Hackenberg in Happy Valley might just be OK after all.
10. Illinois
5 of 14
After unexpectedly taking over Illinois a week before spring practice was scheduled to start, head coach Lovie Smith faces no shortage of uncertainty in his first season in Champaign.
But at the very least, the longtime NFL head coach knows who the Fighting Illini's starting quarterback will be in 2016, with three-year starter Wes Lunt returning for his final season at Illinois.
"I'm very impressed with Wes," Smith said on the Big Ten spring teleconference. "When you come into the program, you like to have a little bit of veteran [leadership], a few upperclassmen. He's poised. He's under control. He can throw the football. He's had success in our conference."
Perhaps not as much success as he would've liked, with the Oklahoma State transfer yet to enjoy a winning season with the Fighting Illini. But with an NFL coaching staff now in place, the best could be yet to come for the 6'5", 225-pounder, whose pro-style skill set could shine under the direction of new offensive coordinator Garrick McGee.
9. Indiana
6 of 14
One of the bigger holes in all of the Big Ten to fill, Indiana is searching for a replacement for four-year starter Nate Sudfeld, whom the Washington Redskins selected in the sixth round of last weekend's NFL draft.
And in order to do so, Hoosiers head coach Kevin Wilson tried out five different quarterbacks in Indiana's spring game, with a sixth in Zander Diamont set to return from injury later this offseason.
While Wilson's yet to name Sudfeld's successor, the favorite appears to be Richard Lagow, a junior college transfer who arrived in Bloomington this past offseason. According to the Indianapolis Star's Zach Osterman, the former Oklahoma State signal-caller completed an unofficial 11 of his 17 passes for 135 yards in the Hoosiers' spring game, with two touchdowns coming in red-zone-specific drills.
"Richard started very well, and I was pleased with his poise, dealing with pressure, getting rid of the ball," Wilson said, per Osterman. "I didn't think he forced a lot of things."
Now it will be up to Lagow to carry that momentum into the remainder of the offseason in order to ultimately win Indiana's quarterback job. But for now, he seems to be the player to beat in Bloomington—and he could have one of the higher upsides of any quarterback in the Big Ten with Wilson's pass-happy offense.
8. Wisconsin
7 of 14
With four-year starter Joel Stave headed to the NFL—he recently signed an unrestricted free-agent deal with the Minnesota Vikings—Wisconsin finds itself with a void at quarterback entering 2016.
And while he's yet to officially be named Stave's successor, fifth-year senior Bart Houston appears to have the inside track to the Badgers' starting job.
In fact, some thought Houston should have supplanted Stave last season, after he performed admirably while filling in due to injury during a 24-13 win over Illinois. In the only significant action of his college career, Houston completed 22 of his 33 pass attempts for 232 yards and two touchdowns.
Nevertheless, Houston has yet to be handed the starting job, instead battling it out with redshirt freshman Alex Hornibrook this spring. Hornibrook closed the gap on Houston with an impressive spring game outing, but it'd be a surprise if the elder statesman isn't Wisconsin's No. 1 signal-caller at the start of the season.
"That's the goal," Houston said of potentially winning Wisconsin's starting job, per Jason Galloway of the Wisconsin State Journal. "We have very high goals of winning championships. My goal has to start a little bit lower. Win the job, then we can win a game, then we can win a championship."
7. Minnesota
8 of 14
On the one hand, Mitch Leidner possesses one of the more extensive track records in the Big Ten as he enters his third season as Minnesota's starting quarterback.
But on the other, the Golden Gophers' signal-caller has plenty left to prove in the final season of his college career.
After helping put Minnesota in a position to compete for the Big Ten West title two years ago, Leidner didn't make the jump in 2015 many expected him to as the Golden Gophers endured a 5-7 regular season. As a result, Minnesota head coach Tracy Claeys opted not to renew the contracts of Matt Limegrover and passing game coordinator Jim Zebrowski in favor of hiring Louisiana-Lafayette's Jay Johnson as his new offensive coordinator.
Now Johnson will be tasked with bringing out the best in the 6'4", 236-pound Leidner, who ended his 2015 campaign on a high note with an MVP performance in the Gophers' Quick Lane Bowl win over Central Michigan. Offseason foot surgery kept Leidner limited throughout the spring, meaning he'll need to be a quick study under Johnson in order to make the most of his final season in Minneapolis.
If Leidner is forced to miss significant time, it will be up to Conor Rhoda, Demry Croft and/or Seth Green to fill the void after each received significant reps in his absence throughout the spring.
"They all make mistakes and they all make plays—probably where they should be after as many practices as we've had, with the new offense," Claeys said, per CBS Minnesota. "But they do continue to get better."
6. Northwestern
9 of 14
A year ago, Clayton Thorson was just a redshirt freshman in the midst of a quarterback competition to replace Trevor Siemian as Northwestern's starting quarterback.
Now Thorson returns to Evanston as The Man after leading the Wildcats to a surprising 10-2 regular season in the first official year of his college career.
And boy, what a difference a year makes.
"You guys can probably see talking to him. A year ago, he was like, 'Shucks, golly gee, I hope so,'" Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald said of his sophomore signal-caller, per InsideNU.com. "To now it's, 'Absolutely, let's go, here's the things we need to do.'
"Even though he's a redshirt freshman, he's a wily veteran going through 13 battles of highs and lows, and good play and bad play, and wins and losses. It's exciting, but he knows he's got a lot of things to improve in his game, and I know they're working on it."
That work includes improving a Wildcats offense that ranked last statistically in the Big Ten, thanks in large part to a run-heavy attack that did its best to protect its inexperienced quarterback. But as teams continue to load the box on running back Justin Jackson, it will be up to Thorson to make them pay with his arm.
Whether or not he proves capable of doing just that will likely go a long way in determining if the Wildcats can ultimately build on last year's breakout campaign and remain a threat in the Big Ten West.
5. Nebraska
10 of 14
2015 was a mixed bag for Tommy Armstrong Jr. in his first year under head coach Mike Riley at Nebraska.
At times, Armstrong's ability in Riley's pro-style system was apparent, as he ranked second in the league in yards per game (252.5) and third in touchdown passes (22). But inconsistency still plagued the 6'1", 220-pounder, as he threw a conference-high 16 interceptions and completed just 55.2 percent of his passes.
Entering his senior season, Armstrong has one last chance to make the most of his time in Lincoln, although he struggled at times throughout the spring. In the Cornhuskers' spring game, the dual-threat signal-caller still looked much more confident as a runner than as a passer, as he rushed for 120 yards on just six carries, whereas his footwork while passing was still lacking.
"The weapon that Tommy has as a runner," Riley said, per Tom Shatel of the Omaha World-Herald. "The vision going forward looks pretty good. We have to find some dropback passing game that we have to have. But we get a clear picture of what this has to be."
With Nebraska returning 94 percent of its offensive production from 2015, according to Bill Connelly of SB Nation, the pieces are in place for Armstrong to continue his progress in the coming year. But he'll have to find the right blend of being both a passer and runner in order to truly show that he can be the right fit in Riley's pro-style offense.
4. Michigan
11 of 14
With Jake Rudock headed to the NFL as a sixth-round pick of the Detroit Lions, Michigan's starting quarterback job is there for the taking.
But after 15 practices this spring, no candidate has grabbed hold of the job just yet.
Originally thought to be the front-runner to be Rudock's replacement, Houston transfer John O'Korn finds himself in a heated battle with sophomore Wilton Speight entering the remainder of the Wolverines offseason. Shane Morris, Alex Malzone and even true freshman Brandon Peters find themselves in the picture as well, but for now, this appears to be a two-man race.
"I think they kind of had the mindset that it was going to be Rudock last year during camp," Speight said, per MLive.com's Nick Baumgardner. "But this year it's anyone's job."
Exiting spring, Speight appears to have a slight advantage after leading two impressive touchdown drives in Michigan's spring game. But don't count out the upside of O'Korn—the 2013 American Athletic Conference Freshman Player of the Year who's now eligible to play at his new school.
Regardless who winds up starting for the Wolverines this fall, one thing's for certain: He'll have one of the best quarterback mentors in the country aiding his development in Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh.
3. Michigan State
12 of 14
Entering the 2016 offseason, Michigan State figured to be the home of one of the Big Ten's more interesting quarterback competitions as a four-man race to replace Connor Cook ensued.
But coming out of spring football, that no longer seems to be the case.
That's because senior Tyler O'Connor appears to have all but locked up the Spartans' starting job, although head coach Mark Dantonio's not yet ready to make that announcement. Entering the Michigan State spring game as the clear-cut favorite, O'Connor didn't do anything to dispute that notion, completing 10 of his 16 pass attempts for 138 yards and a touchdown while also matching a game-high 28 rushing yards.
Nevertheless, Dantonio remains insistent on keeping the competition going throughout the remainder of the offseason as the Spartans aim to repeat as Big Ten champions.
But at this point in the offseason, the writing already appears to be on the wall.
"It ensures that no one gets complacent, for sure," O'Connor said, per Chris Solari of the Detroit Free Press. "To me, and I believe for every other quarterback, we have to play with the mindset that we’re the guy, that we're going to go out there and be the No. 1. If I was anyone else, I would say that as well."
2. Iowa
13 of 14
When it comes to the Big Ten West—and perhaps the conference overall—there's not a quarterback in the league entering 2016 with less question marks attached to his name than Iowa's C.J. Beathard.
After leading the Hawkeyes to a 12-0 regular-season record before suffering back-to-back losses in the Big Ten title game and Rose Bowl, Beathard is back for his senior season on a loaded Iowa team looking to repeat as Big Ten West champs. And while offseason sports hernia surgery kept him limited throughout the spring, the second-team All-Big Ten quarterback still managed to make progress, according to Hawkeyes offensive coordinator Greg Davis.
"C.J. has had a heck of a spring," Davis said, per the Des Moines Register's Chad Leistikow. "You can tell he's totally in charge, in terms of what's going on, decisions that he has to make."
That should bode well for a quarterback who completed 61.6 percent of his pass attempts for 2,809 yards, 17 touchdowns and just five interceptions a year ago. He added 237 yards and six scores on the ground in 2015. As a whole, the Hawkeyes still have work to do to make the jump from Big Ten title contender to national title contender, but all indications are they have the right quarterback in place to do just that.
1. Ohio State
14 of 14
Although it may seem like he's been at Ohio State for a decade now, for the first time in his college career, J.T. Barrett spent the spring knowing he'll be the Buckeyes' starting quarterback in the coming season.
And without the distraction of a looming quarterback controversy serving as a distraction, the 2014 Big Ten Quarterback of the Year should return to Heisman Trophy candidate form.
In fact, one could argue Barrett already did that with his impressive performances in wins over Michigan and Notre Dame to close the 2015 season. Totaling a combined 559 yards and five touchdowns against the Wolverines and Fighting Irish, the Wichita Falls, Texas, native provided a glimpse of what the OSU offense may look like under his direction in the coming year
"I want more of a balance, like we were in 2014," Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer said following his team's win over Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl. "We need to throw the ball. J.T. threw it 31 times. That's more what I'm looking for."
With a full spring healthy and entrenched as OSU's starter under his belt, Barrett's continued to make progress despite being surrounded by an inexperienced group of skill-position players. Redshirt freshman Joe Burrow has firmly asserted himself as the Buckeyes' backup quarterback and will provide a strong insurance policy should anything happen to Ohio State's once-again Heisman hopeful.
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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