Spring football is winding down for most Big Ten schools if it hasn't already finished. There are an abundance of spring games on the docket for this upcoming weekend — Ohio State, Penn State, Indiana and Maryland — while every other school in the Big Ten East wraps up next weekend. Michigan held its spring game April 1.
The Buckeyes are scheduled to play Saturday at Ohio Stadium. We've written at length about the multiple storylines this spring for Ohio State with an abundance of new players. You can get caught up on all of our spring coverage here.
What we haven't had the chance to do yet is catch you up on what's going on around the Big Ten this spring, so that's what we're going to do today. What follows is a quick rundown of some notable spring storylines and developments from the Big Ten East's other six schools.
Michigan
Jim Harbaugh's program was the very first to wrap up spring ball as the Wolverines completed their spring game over one week ago.
- The quarterback battle between John O'Korn and Wilton Speight isn't over, but reports out of Ann Arbor are Speight had the better performance during the spring game. This battle will carry over into fall and if it's anything like last year's quarterback competition, Harbaugh will try and keep it a secret up until the first snap of the first game of the season.
- Jabrill Peppers, Michigan's All-American defensive back a year ago, moved to the Sam linebacker position this spring under new defensive coordinator Don Brown. That's an interesting move for one of the conference's best defensive playmakers and certainly something to keep an eye on.
- Peppers will take one of the linebacker spots, but who fills the other two? It's a position Michigan needs to figure out as Joe Bolden and Desmond Morgan both graduated. Ben Gedeon figures to be in the mix here for some playing time in addition to Peppers.
Michigan State
The defending Big Ten champions are in the middle of their own quarterback battle — it seems like this is the case for most Big Ten East teams outside Ohio State. Michigan State's spring game is scheduled for Saturday, April 23.
- The key question here for the Spartans is, obviously, who replaces Connor Cook at quarterback. It didn't really matter much when Michigan State stunned Ohio State last season in Columbus as Tyler O'Connor and Damion Terry led the Spartans to victory. The two are battling for the starting job this year and head coach Mark Dantonio says, right now, the favorite to get the starting job is the fifth-year senior, O'Connor.
- Michigan State also has two massive holes to fill on its offensive line with the departures of left tackle Jack Conklin and center Jack Allen.
- Running back has no shortage of candidates again, but the Spartans may be best served if they can find a bell cow. L.J. Scott, Madre London and Gerald Homes are all talented, but one needs to emerge and become the running back for Michigan State.
Penn State
We're entering Year 3 for James Franklin at Penn State after a pair of 7-6 seasons to begin his tenure in Happy Valley. The Nittany Lions' spring game is slated for April 16.
- Hey, another quarterback storyline. Penn State lost Christian Hackenberg, so who steps up for the Nittany Lions in 2016? Right now, it appears Trace McSorley has a slight lead over Tommy Stevens for that spot.
- It may not matter who is under center for Penn State if its offensive line can't figure out a way to block someone. The Nittany Lions were brutal up front the last two years and if they don't get things figured out it could be a long season yet again. The offensive line is perhaps the biggest issue for Penn State.
- Penn State also has a few holes to fill on the defensive line as Carl Nassib, Anthony Zettel and Austin Johnson are all gone.
Indiana
For the first time under Kevin Wilson, Indiana made it to a bowl game last season behind one of the Big Ten's scariest offenses.
- Indiana must figure out how to replace Nate Sudfeld at quarterback. Zander Diamont is a name Ohio State fans are familiar with and he's in a race with junior college transfer Richard Lagow and redshirt sophomore Danny Cameron. Diamont is out for spring practice due to injury, but when he returns it's expected he'll be fully in the mix.
- Will Indiana be able to stop anybody? The Hoosiers seem like they've figured the offensive part out, but Indiana's defense needs a massive overhaul this spring.
Rutgers
This would normally be the time everybody stops reading, but there's certainly some interest surrounding the Rutgers program as a familiar face is now leading the Scarlet Knights. The spring game for Rutgers is scheduled for April 23.
- It's Chris Ash at the helm for the Scarlet Knights. Ash replaces Kyle Flood, who had been head coach the past four seasons before getting fired following a 4-8 season in 2015. How will Ash fare in his first season as a head coach? What will he bring with him from Urban Meyer? Will Ash turn the Scarlet Knights into a competitive group in Year 1? It's all interesting.
- Rutgers is running a new offense as Ash is installing more of a spread look like the one he saw during his time as an Ohio State assistant. Who will be the quarterback for the Scarlet Knights, though? Ash said, right now, Chris Laviano may have a slight lead in that department over Hayden Rettig and Giovanni Rescigno.
- Rutgers also lost its best player from a year ago in wide receiver Leonte Carroo. It's probably not realistic to expect a replacement to emerge for a guy like that, but somebody is going to step up and catch passes from whatever quarterback winds up winning the job.
Maryland
Like Rutgers, Maryland is breaking in a new head coach in former Michigan defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin. The Terrapins' spring game is scheduled for April 16.
- Similar to the Scarlet Knights, how will Maryland respond to Durkin in his first season as a head coach. The Terps were pretty bad last season under Randy Edsall so Durkin, like Ash, has quite the rebuild on his hands.
- The Maryland quarterback spot was a mess last season so that's probably the team's biggest question mark right now. Perry Hills reportedly has the lead over Caleb Rowe for that top spot this spring.
