Big Ten Q&A: What's the B1G's Most Important Position Battle in 2016?
After a month of #QuietTime (shoutout to Jim Tressel), it's about to get much louder in Big Ten country as June brings the start of satellite camp season across the conference.
And it didn't take long for Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh to find himself back in the headlines either, with his not-so-subtle shot at Alabama head coach Nick Saban's criticisms of his controversial recruiting practice:
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
OK, Jim. How do you really feel?
With satellite camp tours in full force and Harbaugh back atop the college football news cycle, only three months remain until the start of the 2016 season. With that in mind, let's get to this week's Big Ten Q&A, where we'll tackle the conference's most important position battle, the ceiling of one of Michigan's star players, the importance of satellite camps and Ohio State's Achilles' heel.
As always, you can send me your questions each week on Twitter @BenAxelrod.
Let's get started.
While there is certainly no shortage of position battles to be found in Piscataway this offseason, it'd be hard to refer to any of their outcomes as "the most important" in the Big Ten. That would imply any one of Rutgers' position battles is capable of affecting the conference's championship picture, which simply isn't a reality in the first year of the Chris Ash era.
There is, however, at least one position battle in the Big Ten that could determine whether or not a program remains a consistent contender or begins to play the role of pretender.
In fact, it's a competition being held by the reigning Big Ten champions, as Michigan State looks to find a replacement for Connor Cook as the Spartans' starting quarterback.
While most of the league's preseason hype has pertained to Michigan and Ohio State, few seem to remember it's Michigan State that lays claim to the conference crown. That's because with Cook now a member of the Oakland Raiders, the Spartans find themselves without their most accomplished quarterback in program history in a year where their two biggest divisional rivals could each be considered national title contenders.
Only the same could realistically be said of Michigan State this year, should the right signal-caller emerge to take Cook's place in the starting lineup. Right now, fifth-year senior Tyler O'Connor looks like the odds-on favorite, after Cook's former backup completed 10 of his 16 pass attempts for 138 yards in the Spartans' spring game—an unspectacular but steady effort reminiscent of his win over the Buckeyes in place of Cook last November.
Behind O'Connor, intriguing options remain in junior Damion Terry and true freshman Messiah deWeaver. But it will be up to head coach Mark Dantonio to pick the right player for his team, in a decision that could ultimately have far-reaching implications in the Big Ten title race.
When I wrote last week that Michigan's 2016 defense possessed the potential to go down as one of college football's all-time greats, it was met with plenty of skepticism—most of which came from Ohio State fans.
The Scarlet and Gray faithful's primary argument: How can a defense be as great as I said the Wolverines could be if Michigan's linebackers remain such a question mark?
My response: Just wait until you see Jabrill Peppers at linebacker.
Don't take my word for it. Just take a look at the numbers of the past four players to play the role Peppers is preparing to occupy in defensive coordinator Don Brown's defense:
| 2011 | UConn | Sio Moore | 86 | 16 | 6.5 |
| 2012 | UConn | Sio Moore | 72 | 15.5 | 7.5 |
| 2013 | Boston College | Kevin Pierre-Louis | 108 | 10.5 | 6 |
| 2014 | Boston College | Josh Keyes | 66 | 11.5 | 4 |
| 2015 | Boston College | Matt Milano | 60 | 17.5 | 6.5 |
Three of those players now find themselves in the NFL, while Matt Milano enters his senior season at Boston College as one of college football's top returning linebackers. And none of them possessed nearly as much natural talent as the former 5-star prospect Peppers brings to the table heading into his sophomore season.
As for Peppers' ceiling, think former Ohio State linebacker Darron Lee, who the New York Jets just selected with the 20th overall pick of the 2016 NFL draft. Peppers, however, already has better cover skills and more versatility than his former rival, who also began his college career primarily playing safety.
Already one of college football's biggest names, a potential Heisman run has also been mentioned in connection to Peppers, even by this Big Ten writer. As far-fetched as it might seem for a defensive player to win college football's most prestigious individual award, Peppers has all the tools necessary to be considered a serious candidate.
And with his new role, he should soon have the numbers to match as well.
From the actual camps themselves?
Honestly, probably not much.
At a program like Michigan—and especially with a coach like Harbaugh—your top targets are already zeroed in on, and what happens on one day in the summer probably isn't going to overshadow fall visits or unofficial trips taken at a prospect's discretion. Add in that the Wolverines are sharing several of their camps with other schools and that rivals like Ohio State are now taking advantage of the loophole as well, and it's hard to imagine Michigan gaining a tangible advantage, even with 40 camps slated for this summer.
But as far as the spectacle Harbaugh has created is concerned, that's where the real edge from all of this comes from. After all, since returning to Ann Arbor at the end of 2014, no coach has found himself in the headlines more consistently than Harbaugh, and satellite camps have been a big reason why.
The aforementioned shot at Saban? That stemmed from satellite camps. And don't think for a second he didn't know what he was doing and the attention it would bring to both his brand and program.
"The publicity is something he's obviously gaining from this for sure," Rivals.com National Director of Recruiting Mike Farrell told me. "From a marketing and publicity standpoint, he is an absolute genius. This is going to play out very very well for him."
In fact, it already has, with Michigan laying claim to the nation's fifth-ranked class in 2016, with another top haul in 2017 likely on its way. When it comes to the camps themselves, there will be plenty of buzz, even if they end with little in terms of tangible results.
But that buzz counts for something, and it's what Harbaugh has built his already successful tenure with the Wolverines on thus far.
What's so crazy about this year's Ohio State team is that with all the talent lost from last year's squad, so much remains unknown about the Buckeyes entering 2016.
And that includes their weaknesses.
Point to any position group on the OSU roster aside from quarterback, and you could make a compelling case for that becoming the Buckeyes' downfall in the coming year. In total, Ohio State finds itself replacing three starting offensive linemen, three wide receivers plus a tight end, the reigning Big Ten MVP at running back, three defensive linemen—including No. 3 overall pick Joey Bosa—two linebackers, a first-round cornerback in Eli Apple and both starting safeties.
It's also worth noting the Buckeyes will be breaking in a new defensive coordinator, although Greg Schiano should be a more than suitable replacement for Chris Ash.
And for as well as Urban Meyer has recruited in Columbus, it wouldn't be surprising if at least one position group fell short of Ohio State's standards in 2016. If forced to pick one, however, I'd go with the wide receivers, given their overall lack of experience and vitality to the Buckeyes offense.
With the losses of Michael Thomas, Braxton Miller and Jalin Marshall, the Buckeyes find themselves replacing 118 receptions, 1,599 receiving yards and 17 touchdown catches from last year's team. In their place will be a corps of inexperienced players with high upsides in Noah Brown, Curtis Samuel, Johnnie Dixon and Torrance Gibson—players who have shown flashes, but not much else at this point in their college careers.
The wild card of the bunch is Austin Mack, a true freshman who enrolled early and put together a promising spring before looking every bit like the first-year player he is in the Buckeyes' spring game. But if Mack can continue to accelerate his development and a player like Gibson can realize his potential, Ohio State's passing game shouldn't miss a step in the coming year.
At the moment, that seems like a lot of "ifs" to rely on. But the Buckeyes' track record with player development speaks for itself and will be paramount to Ohio State's success in 2016.
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. Recruiting class rankings courtesy of 247Sports' composite.
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