The Michigan State Spartans won a Big Ten Championship thanks in big part to the play of their star senior quarterback Connor Cook. Now they will turn to a new face at the quarterback position and after substantial turnover this offseason they will have a much different look. The Spartans will have a tough time defending their title with Ohio State and Michigan among the top teams looking to knock them off in the Big Ten and this year’s class will feature some extremely talented seniors that are set to lead the way for their respective teams. Here is a look at the top Big Ten seniors heading in to the 2016 season.
CB: Desmond King
Iowa Hawkeyes
King’s performance in his junior year was recognized with the Thorpe award, which is given to the nation’s top defensive back. The star cornerback finished last year with eight interceptions and 13 pass breakups. Most importantly, his best plays came in Iowa’s biggest games and were a big reason why the Hawkeyes finished atop the Big Ten West division with a perfect record in conference play. King turned a lot of heads when he opted not to enter the NFL Draft and his return will provide a major boost for the Iowa defense once again. The Hawkeyes have unfinished business heading in to the 2016 season and King will play a major role in how the defense performs once again.
CB: Jourdan Lewis
Michigan Wolverines
Lewis was a big part of the reason why the Wolverines ranked No. 3 in the country in pass defense a year ago and there is every reason to expect another productive season out of him as the leader of the secondary. Lewis had a pair of interceptions to go with 20 pass breakups, which were five more than any other player at Michigan ever recorded in a single season. Lewis doubled as a return man and his production on special teams was nearly as important as what he did on defense. The Wolverines will look to take another step forward as legitimate Big Ten championship contenders this season and they will need their best players including Lewis to step up and play at a high level if they are going to achieve their lofty goals.
TE: Jake Butt
Michigan Wolverines
The 6’6’’, 248-pound tight end proved his elite receiving ability with 51 catches in 2015 including 29 that went for first down. He’s one of the best third-down safety valves in the country. The Wolverines leaned heavily on him a year ago and that is expected to be the case again in 2016 as their offense takes another step in the right direction. Last year was baby steps, so Michigan was finding themselves throughout the year. This year, the bar has been raised and the expectations are much higher. That means that if they play to that level, a guy like Butt will get some national notoriety and could even become a first-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Butt is one of the reasons why Michigan could have the deepest team in the Big Ten this season. It will be hard for opposing defenses to clamp down on him with each of Michigan’s top three receivers from a year ago returning, so look for the Wolverines offense to put up big numbers in 2016.
CB: William Likely
Maryland Terrapins
Maryland is coming off a 3-9 season and while they aren’t expected to contend for a conference title, they certainly have some talented pieces in place. That includes their star cornerback Likely, who had 11 pass breakups in 2015 and has gained a reputation as a shutdown defender. Likely doubled as an excellent return man a year ago and he even contributed on offense with 93 yards on 11 rushes. However, he was mostly lost in the shuffle in terms of national attention as Maryland was such a disaster on the sidelines. Former head coach Randy Edsall essentially ran this program into the ground.
The new coaching staff will lean on him as much as possible in order to maximize his potential in all three phases of the game. This is a rebuilding program and they need him to contribute as much as possible. There is no doubt about his status as one of the top returning seniors in the Big Ten for 2016.
