Big Ten Football: Biggest Position Battles to Watch in 2016 Fall Camp
A trio of East Division contenders—Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State—are still searching for a starting quarterback, highlighting the Big Ten's biggest position battles heading into fall camp.
The Wolverines, Spartans and Nittany Lions aren't the only teams with pivotal open positions heading into the final stretch of the offseason. Ohio State has a wide-open depth chart after losing 16 total starters from last year's team. And Nebraska, a team many expect to contend in the West Division, has some big question marks along its defensive line.
Here's a breakdown of the conference's biggest position battles.
Michigan: Quarterback
1 of 5
Michigan returns a load of talent with 15 starters back, but to be a true Big Ten and College Football Playoff contender, Jim Harbaugh will need to find a suitable replacement for quarterback Jake Rudock.
Rudock, of course, was a graduate transfer from Iowa who came in and quickly picked up Michigan's system under Harbaugh—a quarterback guru. The former Hawkeye was sensational in his first and only year with the Wolverines, completing 64 percent of his passes for for 3,017 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2015.
Harbaugh is trying to recreate that magic, but he'll have a bit of a head start as the top three candidates for the starting job—John O'Korn, Wilton Speight and Shane Morris—have all been under his tutelage for more than a year.
While O'Korn and Speight finished spring camp neck-and-neck, Harbaugh insisted during media days that each of his signal-callers would have a chance.
"The slate is back clean and open," said Harbaugh, according to Zach Shaw of 247Sports. He later added, "I think all of the guys that could possibly be the starter, whether that's Wilton, John, Shane, Brandon...one of those guys could really rise up."
Ohio State: H-Back
2 of 5
With J.T. Barrett set in stone as the clear-cut starter at quarterback, the Buckeyes' big position battle this fall was supposed to be at running back. Redshirt freshman Mike Weber and redshirt senior Bri'onte Dunn were essentially even coming out of spring practice.
But Weber's status as a starter was solidified when Dunn was kicked off the team two weeks ago.
It remains to be seen whether Weber, who will be seeing his first collegiate action this fall, can carry the load and be a featured back in Ohio State's offense. Head coach Urban Meyer will certainly turn to his H-back position—a hybrid running back and wide receiver role—to alleviate some of that pressure.
That puts the pair of players vying for that position—Dontre Wilson and Curtis Samuel—in the spotlight. Fortunately for the Buckeyes, getting those two involved in the running game has been Meyer's plan since the spring.
“As I see it right now, you've got four guys carrying the ball for us in the fall,” Meyer said, per Tim Shoemaker of Eleven Warriors. “The two running backs and then Dontre and Curtis.”
Now that the Buckeyes are down to just one ready-made running back, that H-back spot will play an even bigger role in the offense. And suddenly, a position that has only made a marginal impact during Meyer's tenure at Ohio State could set the tone for its rushing attack in 2016.
Michigan State: Quarterback
3 of 5
Michigan State has cultivated a culture of tough, hard-nosed football and lock-down defense under head coach Mark Dantonio. But over the last several years, the Spartans have quietly produced some of the conference's most productive quarterbacks.
It started back in 2009 with Kirk Cousins and then transitioned to Connor Cook in 2013. But with Cook's graduation, a new era is on the horizon for the Spartans.
Taking over at quarterback will either be senior Tyler O'Connor or junior Damion Terry.
Terry, an intriguing prospect in the mold of Cook, wants to bring a similar edge to the Spartans offense.
"I learned so much from Connor (Cook), and now Connor is gone and someone has to step up, so we'll see," Terry said, according to Mike Griffith of MLive.com.
But O'Connor has what it takes to lead Michigan State to a championship—something he proved on the road last year when he sprung a shocking upset over undefeated Ohio State while Cook was injured.
Whoever wins the job will have a deep stable of running backs to rely on, but he'll have to build chemistry with a rebuilt wide receiver corps after the Spartans lost their top two wideouts from a season ago.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Nebraska: Defensive Tackle
4 of 5
Nebraska had one of college football's stingiest run defenses last year, allowing just 109.8 rushing yards per game, which ranked ninth nationally and second in the Big Ten.
The reason for those stout numbers was a very strong defensive line that defensive tackles Maliek Collins and Vincent Valentine anchored. Both surrendered eligibility to enter the NFL draft, leaving a gaping hole in the Cornhuskers defense.
Defensive tackle Kevin Maurice is a veteran presence along the line, but he'll be challenged by a pair of redshirt freshmen who happen to be twin brothers: Carlos and Khalil Davis.
"They're going to be real good," Maurice said, according to Brian Christopherson of the Lincoln Journal Star. "They're up for the challenge. They bring a whole bunch of athleticism to the game. Quick as hell. They're going to be a real big asset for us."
If Nebraska can't effectively replace last year's standout defensive linemen, it could prevent them from competing in a wide-open Big Ten West Division.
Penn State: Quarterback
5 of 5
Of all the teams replacing its quarterback in 2016, no one should have as much optimism as head coach James Franklin and Penn State.
That's not a knock on Christian Hackenberg, the former Nittany Lions quarterback who started from 2013-15. The New York Jets recently drafted him in the second round, which speaks to his talent level as a signal-caller.
But Hackenberg wasn't a fit in Franklin's fast-paced spread offense, as he completed just 54.8 percent of his passes and threw just seven more touchdowns (28) than he did interceptions (21) in his final two seasons.
Sophomore Trace McSorley is probably the front-runner to replace Hackenberg, and last time he was on the field, he completed a nearly miraculous comeback against Georgia in the TaxSlayer Bowl. He threw two fourth-quarter touchdowns while leading his team back, but a last-second Hail Mary attempt fell to the turf in a 24-17 loss.
McSorley is the dual-threat option who could take the Nittany Lions offense to the next level, but he'll have to beat out redshirt freshman Tommy Stevens and true freshman Jake Zembiec to earn the starting nod this fall.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
