State of the Big Ten: Questions in Columbus, Next Wave Set to Take Over After League's Top Defensive Backs Head to the NFL

A number of Big Ten defensive backfields fell on some tough times in 2020. The upcoming season is going to feature plenty of new names mixed in with a few mainstays as the league – and the rest of the college football world – returns to normalcy. Today, we're looking at some of the conference's top storylines in the secondary. 

Injuries, Question Marks in Columbus

After finishing No. 122 nationally in pass defense, Kerry Coombs obviously needs to turn things around in 2021. Shaun Wade and the rest of the secondary were torn apart against teams like Indiana and Alabama, and it remains to be seen how much of an impact the pandemic may have played on the performance. The issue this time around? Wade is gone and the team's top two corners have been hit with the injury bug. 

The expectation is for Sevyn Banks and Cameron Brown to lead the way at corner. Banks is unavailable this spring and Brown is still recovering from the torn Achilles he suffered last season against Penn State. The silver lining to this is that it gives more opportunity to second-year players like Ryan Watts, Lejond Cavazos, Lathan Ransom, and Cameron Martinez. Watts was on the field for 28 snaps as a true freshman. Neither Cavazos nor Martinez saw action in the secondary. Ransom saw more playing time than any of the newcomers. He played 61 snaps from his slot corner/cover safety role. 

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Josh Proctor is expected to man the free safety spot. He's had his share of ups and downs during his career, so the hope is that he can put it all together in his fourth season. Kourt Williams' return will be a welcome sight as we wait to find out the fate of Marcus Hooker. He's currently suspended after being placed under arrest for OVI and it'd probably be wise to temper any expectations for the upcoming season.

Then there's the talented group of 2021 signees. Denzel Burke was viewed as more of a project since a lot of his prep action was on the offensive side of the ball. His early arrival could help him push for early playing time at corner. Jantzen Dunn is already on campus and lining up at safety. More help is on the way this summer when Jordan Hancock, Jakailin Johnson, Andre Turrentine, and Jaylen Johnson come to town. Hancock and Jakailin Johnson should be viewed as the most likely candidates to play early on. 

Say what you will about last season's play, Coombs did a heck of a job restocking the talent in the backfield. A more typical offseason should go a long way in turning things around in the secondary. 

One All-American Out, One Returning For Wildcats 

Pat Fitzgerald had one of the nation's top-20 pass defenses last season, and the unit was the best in the Big Ten. That kind of thing can happen when you've got a defensive-minded head coach and a pair of All-Americans in the backfield. We got a first-hand glimpse of that in Indy when Justin Fields completed just 12 of 27 passes for 114 yards and two interceptions. 

"OH MY GOODNESS, IS THAT AN INTERCEPTION?!"

Brandon Joseph almost had Gus Johnson speechless.

The @NUFBFamily corner just pulled off pick No. 6 of the season, and none were better. pic.twitter.com/AlFDxM6sky

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) December 19, 2020

Greg Newsome II and Brandon Joseph both earned All-America honors following the 2020 season. Newsome is now projected to be a first-round pick at corner while Joseph is returning as a redshirt sophomore safety. Earning first-team All-American honors as a redshirt freshman is quite the feat. Joseph led the nation with six interceptions during the abbreviated season. Pat Fitzgerald is surely thrilled to have him back in what may be his final season in Evanston. 

A Similar Story in Bloomington 

Indiana's pass defense wasn't as strong as Northwestern's as it checked in at No. 75 in the nation. Still, Tom Allen actually had some solid talent in the secondary. All-Big Ten safety Jamar Johnson is off to the NFL after leading the Hoosiers with four interceptions (with two of those coming off of Justin Fields) and finishing second in tackles. At 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, he ran a 4.58 forty at the Indiana pro day and is projected to go as early as the second or third round. 

The good news is that All-American cornerback Tiawan Mullen is back for his junior season. At 5-foot-10, the Florida native weighed just over 150 pounds when he arrived in Bloomington back in 2019. He's put on about 25 pounds and will be one of the league's best defenders in 2021. Mullen became just the second Hoosier cornerback to earn All-American honors. You don't see too many stars at the position for Indiana, but he's absolutely one of them.

New Michigan Staff Lacking Star Power 

Former five-star prospect Daxton Hill is heading into his junior season in Ann Arbor. He's one of the Wolverines' top defenders even though he probably hasn't lived up to his lofty high school ranking. Hill has recorded 80 tackles, two interceptions, and a pair of fumble recoveries since his arrival in 2019. We'll see how a new defensive backs coach and defensive coordinator could impact his play and the overall scheme.

Gemon Green listed DJ Turner, Vincent Gray, Dax Hill, RJ Moten and Brad Hawkins as the defensive backs running with the 1s right now.

— Zach Shaw (@_ZachShaw) April 9, 2021

Outside of Hill, there's not a whole lot to love in the Michigan secondary. He and Brad Hawkins are going to be the starting safeties, but the cornerback spot is expected to be an ongoing battle to determine who will be the starters. Gemon Green and Vincent Gray struggled last year, though perhaps some of that can be attributed to the previous coaching staff. There is some depth here, but it's usually not an ideal situation when a safety is better in coverage than any of your cornerbacks. Michigan played six games in 2020 and ranked 90th in pass defense.

Rutgers: Surprisingly Not Bad 

Maybe this shouldn't be a surprise given Greg Schiano's area of expertise, but Rutgers is actually in a pretty good spot in the secondary; at least at corner. The Knights return the three top corners from a season ago, and they've added North Carolina grad transfer Patrice Rene. He started 22 games for the Tar Heels before tearing his ACL back in 2019. Rene is originally from Canada and was a player Ohio State offered back in the Class of 2016. As a transfer, he sided with the Knights over the likes of Oklahoma and Auburn.

Rene joins up with Tre Avery, Max Melton, and Avery Young to form an experienced group of corners. Tre Avery was third-team all-conference in 2020 after breaking up eight passes and recording an interception. Peyton Powell is another familiar name in Piscataway. Schiano recruited him to Ohio State, but Powell ended up signing with Baylor so he could play quarterback. He then announced he was transferring to Utah but instead sided with Rutgers as a cornerback. He's made the move from corner to safety and should provide some needed depth.

Even without Justin Fields, Ohio State should once again have one of the country's best passing attacks. An early matchup with the Ducks will be interesting as the new quarterback will be making just his second start. Oregon cornerback Mykael Wright is probably entering into his final season before heading to the NFL. Dontae Manning will likely take over the other corner spot. Manning was a five-star prospect in the Class of 2020.