The Big Ten's top wideouts are back.
Rashod Bateman and Rondale Moore will both hear their names called in the first two rounds of next month's NFL draft. Despite losing two of its biggest names, the Big Ten has plenty of firepower returning for what should be another exciting season at wideout.
Last year was a weird one for countless reasons, so any sort of statistical breakdown has to factor in the number of games each program was able to play. Still, the Big Ten is returning its seven top yardage leaders from the 2020 season. There are going to be several new faces at quarterback, but a talented group of wideouts can help to ease in a new signal-caller. Ohio State fans don't have to look far for the league's top storyline.
Hartline Has Nation's Most Talented Room
Thanks to his recruiting prowess that is second to none, Brian Hartline has an embarrassment of riches at his disposal. Chris Olave's surprising decision to return means that he'll once again partner with Garrett Wilson to form what will be the nation's top one-two punch. Whether it ends up being C.J. Stroud, Jack Miller, or Kyle McCord, that's certainly a welcome sight for the next Buckeye quarterback.
Even if Olave and Wilson once again dominate the target share, at least one of the second-year wideouts should do big things in 2021. Junior Jameson Williams should still provide the major speed element, but Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Julian Fleming, and Gee Scott Jr. will have plenty of opportunities in year No. 2. One of the more interesting things to watch will be how the new signal-caller shares the wealth compared to what Fields did last season.
Dotson. We've Got Dotson Here.
Penn State's Jahan Dotson enjoyed a breakout junior season in 2020. We all watched as the 5-foot-11, 180-pounder tore Shaun Wade and the Buckeye secondary apart in Happy Valley. Dotson caught eight passes for 144 yards with three scores; including one of the highlight-reel variety. It was really the first problematic sign of what would turn out to be the biggest issue on Ryan Day's team.
Sean Clifford is once again playing quarterback for the Nittany Lions, and he should once again prove to be a pretty average player who doesn't strike fear into opposing defenses. Despite all of that, he has to know where his bread is buttered, and Pat Freiermuth has moved on to the NFL. Dotson will be plenty busy as a senior and may very well be the league's best receiver outside of Columbus. Sevyn Banks and Cam Brown will have their hands full when the Nittany Lions come to town on Oct. 30.
Weapons Aplenty for Brohm's Boilers
Rondale Moore played in just seven games after his phenomenal 2018 freshman season. His absence allowed a few other Boilermaker playmakers to burst onto the scene. If it weren't for the Buckeyes, Purdue would probably have the best wide receiver room in the conference.
David Bell and Milton Wright both held Ohio State offers in high school. The duo arrived in West Lafeyette back in 2019 and wasted little time making an impact. Bell caught 86 passes for 1,035 yards and seven touchdowns as a true freshman. Wright took a little more time to get going as he hauled in 18 for 288 and one score in his first season. During their abbreviated sophomore year, the two combined for 930 yards and 10 touchdowns in six games.
Jeff Brohm and his wideouts will look for more consistent quarterback play in 2021. Aidan O'Connell and Jack Plummer both return after they each started three games last season. UCLA grad transfer Austin Burton is also in the mix for the starting spot. Ohio State hosts the Boilermakers on Nov. 13. We won't talk about what happened the last time the two teams met.
| PROGRAM | WIDEOUTS TO WATCH |
|---|---|
| Ohio State | Olave, Wilson, Williams, Smith-Njigba, Fleming, Scott Jr., etc. |
| Wisconsin | Kendric Pryor, Danny Davis, Chimere Dike |
| Penn State | Jahan Dotson, KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Parker Washington |
| Indiana | Ty Fryfogle, Marshall Miles, D.J. Matthews |
| Michigan | Ronnie Bell, Giles Jackson, A.J. Henning, Xavier Worthy |
| Northwestern | Bryce Kirtz, Malik Washington, Wayne Dennis |
| Iowa | Tyrone Tracy, Keagan Johnson, Nico Ragaini |
| Maryland | Dontay Demus, Rakim Jarrett, Jeshaun Jones |
| Nebraska | Oliver Martin, Samori Toure, Zavier Betts |
| Minnesota | Chris Autman-Bell, Daniel Jackson, Michael Brown-Stephens |
| Purdue | David Bell, Milton Wright, Anthrop Jackson, Maliq Carr |
| Michigan State | Jalen Nailor, Jayden Reed, Ricky White, Tre Mosley |
| Rutgers | Bo Melton, Aron Cruickshank, Shameen Jones |
| Illinois | Brian Hightower, Jafar Armstrong |
Fab Freshmen for East Division Foes
Ohio State and Michigan's wide receiver rooms are in two completely different places. It's going to be a struggle for a number of five-star players to see the field in Columbus. As for Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines? They're in serious need of some playmakers.
Nico Collins had a couple of fairly productive seasons before opting out in 2020. We all know about Donovan Peoples-Jones and how he never lived up to the five-star billing. Now, guys like Ronnie Bell and Giles Jackson are at the forefront of the Wolverine wide receiver room. A.J. Henning also should have a shot to provide a spark as a sophomore playing in more of the slot role.
The biggest story in Ann Arbor is going to be the quarterback race. But another interesting piece will be true freshman wide receiver Xavier Worthy. The California native was one of the fastest players in the 2021 recruiting class, and Nick Saban was working hard to pull off a late flip. Instead, the 6-foot-1, 160-pounder brings his 10.55 100-meter time to the Big Ten. We'll see if the speedster can quickly build up a rapport with Cade McNamara and J.J. McCarthy.
Worthy was the nation's No. 8 wideout in the Class of 2021 and the second-best newcomer in the Big Ten. The country's top-rated receiver was unsurprisingly another one of Brian Hartline's prized signees in five-star Emeka Egbuka. The path to playing time is going to be a far greater challenge for the Washington native. However, a more typical offseason and a full slate of games will give him more of an opportunity than what we saw for the previous class.
The league has a talented crop of wideouts returning even if doesn't feature a bunch of big names outside of Columbus. Here's to hoping something can be said about having to face the best of the best in practice each and every day. Kerry Coombs' defensive backfield will be doing just that while preparing for what the Big Ten has to offer in 2021.
