So this can be a difficult group to rank, mostly because outside of the best guys it's hard to judge the quality of tight ends. So please tell me about your tight ends and how you feel about them.
14. Northwestern: Trey Pugh, Charlie Mangieri
Not too difficult to put Northwestern last, as with their "super back" role they didn't have a tight end on the roster last year. The change in offensive coordinators is changing that, and they will have to draft a couple super backs into a tight end role. Pugh and Mangieri fit the description, though last year they combined for 7 catches for 30 yards. Going to be a work in progress.
13. Rutgers: Matt Alaimo, Jonathan Lewis
Another team in transition, it's unclear how new OC Sean Gleeson will utilize tight ends for the Scarlet Knights. Not a whole lot of options here, though the cupboard isn't completely bare. Matt Alaimo started at UCLA before heading to Rutgers. He was the only tight end to record a catch last year, and he only had 6. Lewis is a converted quarterback who missed all of last season to injury, but the scuttle is he is a quality athlete who could turn into something. This is a group who might end up ranking higher at the end of the season.
12. Minnesota: Jake Paulson, Bevyn Spann-Ford
The Gopers' group isn't necessarily bad, but were hardly ever targets for the past few years. Both of these guys had 4 catches last year and were mostly used to road mash people in the run game, which worked out fine. The year before, Gopher tight ends combined for six catches, so there was a theme there. New OC Mike Sanford comes from Utah State, and they did utilize their tight ends more in the passing game, so we might hear a bit more about Gopher tight ends this fall.
11. Purdue: Payne Durham, Kyle Bilodeau
This will probably look silly at the end of the year, but like I said, ranking tight end groups is tough. Purdue will use a tight end, as Brycen Hopkins and his 61 catches are headed to the Rams. In his place is sophomore Payne Durham, who scored 4 touchdowns last year on 9 catches. The main issue is that there just isn't much returning production here (Bilodeau is a redshirt frosh), which is not the case for most other B1G teams, so more or less by default they hit #11.
10. Maryland: Chigoziem Okonkwo, Malik Jackson
Maryland, as you might expect, is a bit in flux at the position. They do return Okonkwo, an athletic guy who can make big plays if given the chance. He was actually Maryland's third leading receiver last year, though that ain't saying much. The year before, he scored both receiving and rushing. Behind him is a question mark. I listed Jackson, though Noah Barnes was the only other returning tight end to record a catch last year, and he had one. There is an expectation that Maryland will add a transfer to the mix.
9. Michigan State: Matt Dotson, Trenton Gillison
Sparty returns a pair of guys who gave them some production last year. Dotson was the starter going into 2019 but suffered an achilles injury in November. Obviously the hope is he will be back and healthy this fall, though I haven't found much confiming that. Gillison played sparingly until the Pinstripe Bowl, when both Dotson and departed TE Matt Seybert were out, and he had 4 catches for 88 yards.
8. Nebraska: Jack Stoll, Austin Allen
Tight end wasn't a major source of production for Nebraska last year, but they return everyone, and Stoll is a dependable senior. It's a solid group for the Cornhuskers, and expectations are they will have alot of depth at the position. Both Allen and Kurt Rafdal caught passes last year, and they've added Rutgers transfer Travis Vokolek, who is expected to get some snaps.
7. Illinois: Daniel Barker, Luke Ford
Lovie's team is in pretty good shape here. Daniel Barker was the third leading receiver last year, and Sparty fans might remember him catching a game winning touchdown. Further, the saga of Luke Ford is about to include playing time. If you don't recall, Ford was a big time recruit in 2018 who went to Georgia. He transferred to Illinois after a year to be closer to his ill grandfather, and publicly battled with the NCAA to become eligible (which failed). He sat out his year and is now eligible and I imagine will get to play.
6. Michigan: Nick Eubanks, Luke Schoonmaker
Michigan in a bit of flux here. Nick Eubanks returns as a fifth year senior who should get a lot of opportunity. Behind him is a bit of a mystery, Schoonmaker got a few more catches last year, though Erick All was a more highly rated recruit. It's also unclear how much Michigan will use their tight ends - they veered away under their new offense, though with the receiver room less crowded they might go back in that direction.
5. Iowa: Shaun Beyer, Sam LaPorta
Iowa was in flux last year, losing two tight ends to to the first round, and it showed on the field. They targeted their receivers much more, and Beyer wasn't much of a factor. However, by midseason they rolled the dice with true freshman LaPorta, who ended up leading the room in receptions despite only being a factor for half a year. This year, the transition is over and you might see an uptick in catches for these guys as they develop a new quarterback.
4. Indiana: Peyton Hendershot, Matt Bjorson
So comes the difficulty with these rankings. Peyton Hendershot was a big part of the Hoosier offense last year with 52 catches and 622 yards, he was third team all B1G, and he is a guy on NFL boards. But he's also a guy facing various charges related to breaking into his ex-girlfriend's apartment, grabbing her neck, and stealing her phone. He was suspended indefinitely, though apparently he is with the team in a "modified" way. No real clue what that means, but in the end, he's real good and Indiana is good if he plays. Not much experience behind him - only 12 catches last year among other tight ends on the team, though Hoosiers think Bjorson will turn into something.
3. Wisconsin: Jake Ferguson, Cormac Sampson
Sort of Indiana without the headaches. Jake Ferguson had some injuries but played well enough to be Wiscy's second leading receiver and draw some draft interest. He returns and will likely be an even bigger part of the offense with the uncertainty at receiver and running back. Sampson was more of the extra o-lineman type of tight end - he returns. Last year the Badgers were rolling mostly with these two guys - they should have better depth this year.
2. Ohio State: Luke Farrell, Jeremy Ruckert
A sneaky group. OSU doesn't target their tight ends much, but Farrell was third team Big Ten by the coaches last year and is mentioned by NFL types as well. Not bad for having 7 catches last year. Ruckert had double that and is clearly more of a receiving weapon. It remains to be seen whether OSU will target their tight ends more given the lack of experience at wide receiver and the abundance of experience here (Buckeyes also have 5th year senior Jake Hausmann), but it's good to have options.
1. Penn State: Pat Freiermuth, Zack Kuntz
No surprise here, as "Baby Gronk" is the top returning B1G tight end and is typically listed among the top NFL prospects if not the top NFL prospect for 2021. It remains to be seen what Penn State's new offense looks like and how they use their tight ends (Minnesota didn't target them much last year), but with the question marks at receiver and the talent at running back and tight end for PSU, seems like we should expect some beef for them this year.
