Going to do these piecemeal instead of all at once. Feel free to shout objections and general namecalling in my direction. Also, corrections to rosters, or guys you think will make a big impact. Going to list the top four.
14. Northwestern: Riley Lees, Ramaud Bowman, Berekely Holman, JJ Jefferson
I was all ready to throw Rutgers in this spot for obvious reasons, but I was mildly surprised to see Northwestern dead last in passing yards last season. Riley Lees was the only guy in the top 50 in receiving in the Big Ten last year, and their best receiver, Bennett Skowronek, transferred to Notre Dame. What I'm saying is they are bad. Now, Northwestern is known to figure these things out and put something on the field that isn't quite as craptacular, and with a new OC they might look better. But still, bad.
13. Rutgers: Bo Melton, Isaiah Washington, Paul Woods, Shameen Jones
Rutgers has been a rough place for
football, ahem, receivers. Still, last year they showed a bit of progress on the receiving front, as their receivers combined for five, count 'em, five touchdowns. This was a huge leap from the two in 2017 and the one(!) in 2018. Things will be changing in Rutgers but they do have a good OC now, so they might look better, though it can take a year or two before that stuff bears fruit. One wildcard - Wisconsin transfer Aron Cruikshank is looking for a waiver so he could still be added to the mix this season.
12. Michigan State: Jalen Nailor, Jayden Reed, Tre Mosley, Julian Barnett
Sparty turns the page on their receiving corps, as Darrell Stewart and Cody White are gone and some young bloods will duke it out for playing time. With the uncertainty of MSU's new offense, and uncertainty at quarterback, predicting what this unit will look like is an adventure. There is some talent here - Nailor had injuries last year but was thought to be a possible starter. Reed is a transfer from CMU who had a rather good freshman season for them. Barnett had some plays, though he is also likely to switch to corner. They also signed four freshmen, so there's a pretty good chance we see a lot of different players catching passes.
11. Wisconsin: Danny Davis, Kendrick Pryor, AJ Abbott, Taj Mustapha
Another team turning the corner on a veteran group. Bo Cephus and AJ Taylor are gone, and Aron Cruikshank flew to Schianoland. I gave Wiscy a tick over MSU because they do have some experienced guys returning in Danny Davis and Kendrick Pryor. Davis in particular had a pretty strong 2018 season, but he didn't do much last year with Cephus returning. After those two guys it's a complete mystery - I listed Abbott and Mustapha as those seem to be the guys Wiscy fans are excited about, but neither recorded a reception last year. They also have a couple walk on types in Adam Krumholtz and Jack Dunn who will probably play an expanded role and you just know some walk on will catch like 50 passes for them this year.
10. Maryland: Dontay Demus, DJ Turner, Brian Cobbs, Rakim Jarrett
With Maryland's, let's say active, involvement in the transfer game, it can be difficult to even figure out who is on this team. While the receiver position is no different and multiple guys have left, they aren't actually guys who did much on the field, leaving receiver as one of Maryland's better position groups. Dontay Demus had a pretty good year in 2019 with 41 receptions for 625 yards. DJ Turner pulled a DUI and ended up redshirting last year, but is another experienced guy. I typically don't include much about freshmen in this space, but Rakim Jarrett was a five star recruit with NFL talent, and he will be on the field. You could make a decent case Maryland should be higher, but you have to balance that with the fact that Maryland was not productive passing the ball last year, ranking 12th in the conference.
9. Penn State: Jahan Dotson, Daniel George, Cam Sullivan-Brown, John Dunmore
As BBTS predicted, PSU checks in at #9. They are another team turning over their receiving corps, as KJ Hamler is playing for the Broncos and they didn't really throw to any other receiver besides Jahan Dotson, who was fine last year. No one else returning had more than nine receptions, so the hope for PSU fans is the array of four star type recruits will bubble to the surface, whether it be the guys mentioned above or one of their freshmen. New OC Kirk Ciarrocca has a track record of developing receivers, so they might be a more featured part of Penn State's attack this year. Which ones are actually on the field catching passes is still a developing situation.
8. Illinois: Josh Imatorbhebhe, Donny Navarro, Ricky Smalling, Casey Washington
Unlike many of the teams below them, Illinois returns everyone and should have a pretty strong group. Former USC guy Imatorbhebhe had a strong season as a deep threat last year, getting nearly 20 yards a catch and 9 touchdowns. Ricky Smalling led the group in 2018 but dropped to third last year with the addition of Donny Navarro from Valpo. I listed Washington as fourth, but Trevon Sidney, another former USC guy, could also jump up there. Overall, a talented and experienced group. The downside is last year they only hit 185 yards passing a game, which was 11th in the conference. Also, Lovie shaved his beard, so it just feels like a lost cause for Illinois.
7. Nebraska: JD Spielman, Wan'Dale Robinson, Kade Warner, TBD
Nebraska under Scott Frost has been a bit of one step forward and two back, and so it is with this group. JD Spielman is a very good receiver and was fifth in the conference in yards last year. However, he took an indefinite leave of absence in the spring and it's unclear whether he is coming back. This ranking assumes he does come back, because there ain't much behind him. Robinson is talented but struggled to stay healthy as a freshman, so they might dial back the packages using him as a running back. Warner and McQuitty combined for ten catches last year so who knows what they bring. EDIT: Informed McQuitty has McQuitted out of there, and there is no clear fourth option.
6. Iowa: Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Tyrone Tracy, Brandon Smith, Nico Ragaini
Iowa is in great shape here, and like Illinois return everyone. Smith-Marsette is the headliner and made some big plays, especially in the bowl game last year. Brandon Smith was productive until he broke his ankle last year, and Tracy filled in admirably. Ragaini is the little squirty slot guy who actually led the team in targets and catches as a freshman. This group was good enough that Michigan transfer Oliver Martin barely saw the field, though that may change this year. The question mark on this group is what they look like without 10 year starter Nate Stanley throwing them passes.
5. Indiana: Whop Philyor, Ty Fryfogle, David Ellis, Miles Marshall
The Hoosiers were a prolific passing team last year, just a hair behind Purdue, and return their top two guys in Philyor and Fryfogle. Philyor in particular had a great season with over 1000 yards and was on the All Big Ten team. They do have to replace couple old dogs in Nick Westbrook and Donovan Hale, but the new guys aren't even that new - Ellis and Marshall played in all 13 games last year and each had 16 receptions. The main question marks are probably about what new OC Nick Sheridan does with them.
4. Minnesota: Rashod Bateman, Chris Autman-Bell, Demetrius Douglas, Seth Green
You could do a lot worse than returning the Big Ten Receiver of the Year Rashod Bateman. He's the leading returner in receiving yards, yards per catch, and second in touchdowns. HE's probably the first Big Ten receiver drafted next year. He's good, is what I'm saying. However, because his running mate Tyler Johnson (who led the conference in receiving) caught so many balls and now off in the NFL, what's behind him is somewhat mysterious. The bet is Autman-Bell steps in becomes Johnson Part Deux, but that's asking a lot. I had to scramble to even figure out who the fourth receiver might be. But still, chuck it to Bateman is still a pretty viable strategy.
3. Michigan: Nico Collins, Ronnie Bell, Mike Sainristil, Giles Jackson
Entering 2019 Michigan would have been number one here, with the hype machine in full force. We saw how that worked out - Tarik Black was mostly a nonfactor and Donovan Peoples-Jones mostly excelled in trash talk. They are gone, but what Michigan does have is pretty strong. Nico Collins somewhat surprisingly chose to return - he's on of the better deep threats in the conference. Ronnie Bell developed into a dependable receiver - a guy who can get open all over the field. Both guys finished in the top 12 in receiving. After them they have the normal group of talented but inexperienced guys. Wolverine fans seem most excited about Giles Jackson, one of those little squirty guys who are difficult to tackle. Difficult to project Michigan's offense with their quarterback uncertainty, but it reads here that this group will be improved with a second year in Gattis' system.
2. Ohio State: Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, Jameson Williams, Jaylen Harris
The Buckeyes lost a ton of experience at the receiver position with KJ Hill, Bin Victor, and Austin Mack all departing. Luckily, they return one of the conferences top receivers in Olave, as well as Wilson, who was a true freshman last year but probably the second best receiver on the team by the end of the season. Behind them, there are lots of question marks, though each question mark has an answer in a big time recruit. Jamesone Williams has been compared to Ted Ginn by OSU types. They brought in one of the best receiver classes in history, headlined by top five recruit Julian Fleming. Still, question marks are question marks, and with only one senior at the position (Jaylen Harris, who caught one pass last year), you can't rely on this group like you could have in the past couple years.
1. Purdue: Rondale Moore, David Bell, Amad Anderson, Milton Wright
Purdue, despite a revolving door at injuries seemingly everywhere, led the conference in passing last year. David Bell, as a freshman, had 86 receptions for over a thousand yards, and he's not even the best receiver on the team. That would be Rondale Moore, the freshman sensation from two years ago who had 114 receptions over 1200 yards and 12 touchdowns, but whose season was cut short by a hamstring injury last year. With Bell on the outside and Moore in the slot, the only question is who will be the other receiver whose job it is to be open and catch passes. Anderson and Wright were also freshmen last year but played substantially. The only question marks are, as always with Purdue, health, as well as what's happening at the quarterback position. If they can stay healthy and the quarterback can not fall all over himself, this group will be prolific.
