The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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124 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW Top 25 Players In The Big Ten 1. RB Jonathan Taylor, So., Wisconsin Taylor had perhaps the greatest season of any freshman running back in the history of college football last year, racking up 1,977 yards (third most in the country) and 13 touchdowns, breaking former Okla- homa star Adrian Peterson's freshman record of 1,925 yards in 2004. The sophomore's outstanding season earned him consensus first- team All-Big Ten honors, second-team All-America accolades and a sixth-place finish in the Heisman Trophy voting. 2. QB Trace McSorley, 5th-Sr., Penn State McSorley will return for one final go-round in 2018, after leading the league last year in completion percentage (66.5), passing yards per game (274.6) and total yards per game (312.4) while placing second in touchdown passes (28). His performance earned him second-team All-Big Ten recog- nition from the coaches and media, and the fifth-year senior should not only be the best quarterback in the Big Ten in 2018, but a legitimate Heisman contender as well. 3. RB J.K. Dobbins, So., Ohio State Dobbins' 1,403 rushing yards were the second-most in the league in 2017, while his 7.2 yards per carry led the conference and ranked seventh nationally. He was named a second-team All-Big Ten performer by both the coaches and media. Despite expecting to share carries with red- shirt junior Mike Weber, he figures to be the go-to guy in Columbus once again. 4. DE Nick Bosa, Jr., Ohio State Bosa racked up 16 tackles for loss (fifth most in the league) and 8.5 sacks (second most) in 2017, and with the majority of OSU's defensive line contributors either graduated or off to the NFL, he now appears to be the clear leader of the unit. The 2017 first- team All-Big Ten selection will likely be one of the best defensive ends in the country in 2018. 5. LB T.J. Edwards, 5th-Sr., Wisconsin The veteran has started 39 of the 40 games he has played in during his Wisconsin career, and was a consensus first-team All-Big Ten pick in 2017, as well as a first-team All-American by the Associated Press, ESPN and USA Today. 6. DE Chase Winovich, 5th-Sr., Michigan Winovich turned in some of the best defensive numbers of any line- man in the Big Ten in 2017, racking up 18 tackles for loss (second in the league) and eight sacks (tied for third most) in a breakout campaign. The media tabbed him first-team All-Big Ten as a result, and then he shunned the NFL to return to Michigan for a fifth season. 7. LB Devin Bush Jr., Jr., Michigan Bush excelled as a first-year starter in 2017, racking up 9.5 tackles for loss and five sacks en route to first-team All-Big Ten accolades from the coaches and second-team All-America recognition by Walter Camp. 8. LB Khaleke Hudson, Jr., Michigan Like the aforementioned Michigan defensive players on this list (Bush and Winovich), Hudson's numbers were off the charts in 2017 — 18.5 tackles for loss (most in the Big Ten) and eight sacks (tied for third most), earning third-team All-Big Ten honors from the coaches in the process. 9. CB Lavert Hill, Jr., Michigan Hill helped lead a U-M secondary that only surrendered a 48.8 completion percentage to opposing quarterbacks (third lowest nationally) in 2017. The junior also picked off two passes, recorded seven passes broken up and reeled in second-team All-Big Ten accolades from the coaches. 10. CB David Long, Jr., Michigan Long and the aforementioned Hill may be viewed as the top cornerback duo in the country heading into 2018. After intercepting two passes last year, Pro Football Focus revealed that opposing quarterbacks tallied just an 11.9 passer rating when targeting Long in 2017, the lowest of any cornerback in the country and the best single-season mark since they started grading the college game. He also led the country with a paltry 0.36 yards allowed per coverage snap (88 total). QB — Trace McSorley, Penn State (overall rank: 2)* RB — Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin (1)* WR — Stanley Morgan, Nebraska (17)* TE — Noah Fant, Iowa (not in top 25) OL — David Edwards, Wisconsin (14)* DL — Nick Bosa, Ohio State (4)* LB — T.J. Edwards, Wisconsin (5)* DB — Lavert Hill, Michigan (9) * On Michigan's regular-season schedule The Wolverine's Top 25 Players By School School Offense Defense Total Michigan 1 6 7 Ohio State 4 2 6 Michigan State 2 1 3 Penn State 3 0 3 Wisconsin 2 1 3 Nebraska 1 1 2 Northwestern 0 1 1 11. DE Rashan Gary, Jr., Michigan 12. QB Shea Patterson, Jr., Michigan 13. QB Brian Lewerke, R-Jr., Michigan State 14. OT David Edwards, R-Jr., Wisconsin 15. LB Joe Bachie, Jr., Michigan State 16. OT Isaiah Prince, Sr., Ohio State 17. WR Stanley Morgan, Sr., Nebraska 18. WR Juwan Johnson, R-Jr., Penn State 19. LB Paddy Fisher, R-So., Northwestern 20. RB LJ Scott, Sr., Michigan State 21. LB Dedrick Young, Sr., Nebraska 22. RB Mike Weber, R-Jr., Ohio State 23. RB Miles Sanders, Jr., Penn State 24. QB Dwayne Haskins, R-So., Ohio State 25. LB Tuf Borland, R-So., Ohio State Best In The Big Ten By Position T.J. Edwards compiled 75 tackles (11 for loss) and four interceptions as a redshirt junior in 2017, while helping Wisconsin rank No. 2 in the country for total defense. PHOTO BY DAVID STLUKA/WISCONSIN ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS