Big Ten Football: Power Ranking the Top 25 Players for 2011
With spring football on the horizon, it's time to look at the players who are coming back for a new season of football.
This year produced the largest number of underclassmen declaring for the NFL Draft, some of whom are from the Big Ten, including Iowa's Tyler Sash and Indiana's Tandon Doss.
But there is still a large amount of talent left in the Big Ten as far as veterans are concerned.
Heading into 2011, and including newcomer Nebraska, here is a power ranking of the 25 best players in the Big Ten as of this moment.
25. Roy Roundtree, WR, Michigan
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Denard Robinson's favorite receiver last season was Mr. Roundtree, who led the team in receptions, yards and receiving TDs.
Roundtree, who made a living in the slot in 2010, had close to 1,000 yards and seven TDs, including a pair of 70-plus yard TD receptions.
He will certainly be a favorite of Robinson's in Brady Hoke's offense because he has shown top-receiver ability.
Roundtree will need to be big early on if Hoke's first year is to be a success.
24. Michael Mauti, LB, Penn State
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Linebacker U did not really have a standout player in that position last season, although one guy has a chance to bust out in Michael Mauti.
Mauti was one of PSU's best defensive players and turned in a strong performance in his first season back from offseason ACL surgery.
Despite still struggling with injuries, Mauti will be expected to be the face of the back seven in Penn State's defense and he will have to use his athleticism to make some big plays in his senior season.
23. Nathan Scheelhaase, QB, Illinois
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Replacing Juice Williams at QB was a tough job for Nathan Scheelhaase, but the young dual-threat QB did a solid job in filling in for the four-year starter.
Scheelhaase threw for just over 1,800 yards and ran for over 850 yards with 22 total TDs and better than a 2-to-1 TD-to-INT ratio.
With another year of experience in Ron Zook's offense, Scheelhaase could have another good year and build on his 2010 successes.
However, he will have to do it without star back Mikel Leshoure.
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22. DeVier Posey, WR, Ohio State
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Though OSU's DeVier Posey is one of five Buckeyes suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season, when he is on the field, he is more than capable of making the big play.
Posey has had back-to-back 800-yard receiving seasons for OSU and he will be the No. 1 guy in the passing game when he returns from suspension.
He does sometimes have a case of the drops, but he is as close to a home-run threat as you can find in the Buckeyes' passing attack.
Look for him to get targeted heavily in the second half of the season.
21. Ralph Bolden, RB, Purdue
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A knee injury that kept Ralph Bolden off the field in 2010 is no reason to keep him off of this list.
When healthy in 2009, Bolden was a strong back who ran for over 900 yards and nine TDs for the Boilermakers.
His loss had a major impact on the team last year, as their two leading rushers combined for just over 1,000 yards and seven TDs.
If healthy in 2011, Bolden could surpass those numbers by himself.
20. Dan "Boom" Herron, RB, Ohio State
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Like Posey, Boom Herron will miss the first five games of 2011 pending appeal.
Boom had a less-than-impressive 2009 but made up for it big time in 2010 by rushing for over 1,100 yards and 16 TDs.
While Ohio State has a full stable of backs that should be able to handle the load in Boom's absence, his experience could prove to be invaluable as the team tries to make a run at the BCS title game.
He has vision and surprising strength which makes him a tough customer to deal with.
19. Jerel Worthy, DT, Michigan State
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Among all of the players that made Michigan State great last season, Jerel Worthy may have been one of the most underrated players on that team.
From the DT position, Worthy had eight tackles for loss and four sacks in 2010, which gives him a total of 8.5 sacks and 17 TFLs in his two-year career.
If Michigan State expects to come close to duplicating its stunning 11-2 season, Worthy will need to elevate his game from the interior of the line.
But he still remains one of the more underrated defensive players in the conference with his athleticism and strength.
18. Alfonzo Dennard, DB, Nebraska
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CB Alfonzo Dennard, the heir to Prince Amukamara as the No. 1 DB on Nebraska's roster, has the ability to be almost as good as his predecessor.
Dennard has a good amount of speed and physicality and was selected all-Big 12 second team with four interceptions and 28 solo tackles from the other corner spot.
Him and Amukamara combined to put up one of the best pass defenses in the country the past two seasons, and he no doubt has the ability to be a leader in the secondary his senior season.
The only difference for Dennard is that this year he is going up against a new group of receivers that he has never played against.
But he has enough skill to perform at a high level this season.
17. Damarlo Belcher, WR, Indiana
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With the early departure of Tandon Doss, Damarlo Belcher will be the favorite target for whoever is Indiana's QB next season.
The 6'5" WR has totaled over 1,600 yards in his previous two seasons with nine touchdowns while being a key contributor of what was a potent passing attack for the Hoosiers.
With Doss gone, Belcher will be the favorite target for whoever starts at QB for new coach Kevin Wilson.
As he starts his senior season, look for the big man to make a huge impact and continue his football career into the NFL.
16. Mike Martin, DT, Michigan
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Michigan's 2010 defense was very porous, but the Wolverines do have a budding star on the line in Mike Martin.
In Greg Robinson's 3-4 scheme, Martin played with a lot of energy and power as the NT, which earned him the notch as UM's best defensive linemen two years in a row.
Heading into 2011, Martin will be the focal point of new coordinator Greg Mattison's defense in his senior season.
Despite playing on bad defenses, Martin has been a diamond in the rough and a great player in his career.
15. Chris Borland, LB, Wisconsin
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After a promising freshman season for Wisconsin, Chris Borland suffered a shoulder injury three games into his sophomore season.
The 2009 Big Ten Freshman of the Year put up 54 tackles and five sacks in his first year of college football.
Borland is expected to start this season for a Wisconsin defense that is losing a lot of talent from a team that went to the Rose Bowl in 2010.
His size and toughness make him quite a handful for opposing offenses to deal with.
14. Dan Persa, QB, Northwestern
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Even with a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered after a win against Iowa, Dan Persa's spectacular 2010 earned him first-team All-Big Ten honors.
Persa threw for over 2,500 yards and rushed for over 500 yards with 24 total TDs in just 10 games for the Wildcats, as he led the team to a 7-3 record.
But the 'Cats lost three straight after the Persa injury, which shows how important he was to the success of his team.
As he returns as the starter for 2011, Persa remains the heart and soul of a strong Northwestern offense which has plenty of home-run ability.
13. Edwin Baker, RB, Michigan State
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True sophomore Edwin Baker truly had a breakout season in 2010, rushing for over 1,200 yards with 13 TDs while receiving All-Big Ten first-team honors.
Baker and LeVeon Bell were very instrumental in the Spartans having a balanced-and-dangerous offensive attack that helped propel them to new heights in 2010.
His combination of power and quickness made him quite a threat in the backfield for Mark Dantonio's team.
Baker is on a mission coming into 2011 to prove his sophomore year wasn't a fluke. Plus, it helps having a good QB in Kirk Cousins to take pressure off of the young back.
12. Taylor Martinez, QB, Nebraska
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With Nebraska having major struggles offensively in 2009, in stepped redshirt freshman Taylor Martinez who came into college football with a bang.
Martinez came close to a 1,000-1,000 season in passing and rushing, throwing for 1,631 yards with 10 TDs and rushing for 12 more scores and 965 yards.
He struggled heavily in the second half of the season due to injuries, and dealt with many rampant rumors of a potential departure from the Huskers football program.
Hopefully for Nebraska, Martinez is healthy and ready to light up Big Ten defenses both in the air and on the ground.
11. John Simon, DT, Ohio State
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Not too often are defensive tackles considered the most dominant players on a defensive line.
But for Ohio State this season, with the departure of Cameron Heyward, Johnny Simon will be poised to take on the role of being the dominant force up front.
Simon has been fantastic in his two seasons for the Buckeyes, showcasing his incredible combination of strength and quickness which creates havoc for offensive lines.
His fierceness translates excellently from his freakish workout ethic to the football field, where he creates so many problems for interior offensive linemen.
10. B.J. Cunningham, WR, Michigan State
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Every good QB needs a good WR to create a strong passing game. And for MSU's Kirk Cousins, he has a talented senior wideout in B.J. Cunningham to work with this season.
With the departure of Mark Dell to graduation, Cunningham steps in as the No. 1 wideout after back-to-back 600-plus yard seasons in 2009 and 2010, including nine TD receptions in 2010.
Cunningham missed the Capital One Bowl with a broken foot, and he is just 10 receptions away from being the Spartans' all-time leader in receptions.
With three years of experience under his belt, Cunningham may be the most talented WR in the Big Ten and should be the focal point of the Spartan aerial attack in 2011.
9. Jack Crawford, DE, Penn State
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When it comes to defensive ends in the Big Ten, most of the talented ones from last season are all gone.
But the best of the ones that still remain might just be Penn State's Jack Crawford.
Crawford's pure athletic ability makes him a dangerous end, but his 2010 season saw a drop in his production due to foot injuries that kept him out of a few games.
Heading into his senior season, Crawford will need to be the guy up front for Penn State, but he certainly has the ability to put up big numbers.
8. Lavonte David, LB, Nebraska
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Lavonte David's 2010 season was a big-time breakout campaign for Nebraska's newest stud at LB.
David racked up all sorts of awards, including first-team All-Big 12 and first-and-second-team All-American status from multiple media outlets.
His pure speed allows him to fly down the field and make big plays, getting 145 tackles in 2010 before the Holiday Bowl, which put him second all-time behind Barrett Ruud in tackles for a single season.
David has a great combination of a high football IQ and speed which makes him a monster for the Blackshirts and he will look to continue his high level of play in the Big Ten.
7. Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State
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It took him three years, but highly-touted OT Mike Adams might finally be finding the form that earned him tremendous praise in high school.
One of OSU's suspended players, Adams was named first-team All-Big Ten by both the coaches and media and proved to be a great LT.
He is not the next Orlando Pace, but he may be one of the best offensive lineman the Buckeyes have had in the Jim Tressel era.
Adams has a shot to become a first-round pick in 2012 despite the suspensions. He'll have a shot to show that he was worth all of the high school hype and more.
6. James White, RB, Wisconsin
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The Big Ten Freshman of the Year award has resided in Madison for the past two seasons—this past year it went to Florida-transplant James White.
The young back stepped right into the offense and he was spectacular, rushing for 1,052 yards and 14 TDs for the Badgers.
White was one of three backs over or just near 1,000 yards in 2010 and he was a big reason for the Badgers plowing a road to Pasadena.
It will be his challenge in 2011, with a new QB and a mostly-new offensive line, to prove that his freshman season was no fluke.
5. Montee Ball, RB, Wisconsin
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Debating about which Badgers back is the best is not important because both White and Montee Ball are great runners.
But Ball gets the small edge just based on experienced and a higher TD total than White.
Ball rushed for 996 yards on 163 carries and racked up an amazing 18 TDs, including 11 in the last three games of the Big Ten season.
He will most likely be the featured back in 2011 and he will split most of the carries with James White.
Bret Bielema and company will need Ball to be in top form for the Badgers to get a shot to return to the Rose Bowl this season.
4. Kirk Cousins, QB, Michigan State
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Of all of the QBs in the Big Ten this season, the best pure passer of the bunch may reside in East Lansing.
Kirk Cousins, now a third-year starter, will look to build off an amazing 2010 season after leading Sparty to an 11-2 mark.
He put up 2,825 yards and 20 TDs in 2010, though, like most of his team, he struggled against Alabama in the Capital One Bowl.
With his senior season on the horizon, Cousins, who is MSU's all-time leader in completion percentage, can break a lot of the school's passing records and try to take the Spartans to Indianapolis in December.
3. Jared Crick, DT, Nebraska
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After playing second fiddle to Ndamukong Suh in 2009, Jared Crick proved in 2010 that he was a dominant force himself.
Crick, who was first-team All-Big 12 and was on the AP's second-team All-America list at DT, recorded 9.5 sacks in both 2009 and 2010 and he was the anchor of another stout Blackshirt defense.
He made the tough decision to bypass draft eligibility and certain first-round status to return to Lincoln and he will now be creating problems for Big Ten offensive lines.
Crick is the anchor and focus of a powerful Nebraska defense, and he will look to have a Suh-esque end to a fantastic collegiate career.
2. Denard Robinson, QB, Michigan
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Michigan may not be running the spread in 2010, but the Wolverines still have one of the most dominant playmakers in the country with Denard Robinson.
His 2010 season blew away almost everyone in the country, becoming the first QB in all divisions of the NCAA to run and throw for 1,500 yards in a single season.
In total, Denard threw for 2,570 yards with 18 passing TDs and rushed for 1,702 yards and 14 rushing TDs.
Robinson was a runaway Heisman favorite through September, but he will need to play that way in the Big Ten season to prove he is legit.
And while it will be tough for him to adjust to a pro-style attack under Brady Hoke, Robinson can still be a dominant force for Michigan in 2011.
1. Terrelle Pryor, QB, Ohio State
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It may have taken Terrelle Pryor three seasons, but it finally seems like the prize of the 2008 recruiting season has arrived.
The 2010 Rose Bowl and 2011 Sugar Bowl MVP, Pryor has shown the ability to win big games with only four career losses as a starter in three seasons, and he seems to understand how to make big plays at the college level.
Pryor threw for a career-high 2,772 yards and 27 TDs to just 11 INTs, and he rushed for 754 yards and four scores.
Leg injuries forced Pryor to be a passer in the middle of the season, which reduced his rushing totals.
And with him suspended for the first five games, the player Buckeye fans call TP will need to jump in and get back into Sugar Bowl form right away, because his first game of his senior season is at Nebraska.
It's not an easy task for anyone, but Pryor has the ability to win this type of game as much as anyone.
For more college football news and updates, visit The BCS Blitz and follow me on Twitter @bielik_tim.
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