One of the reasons the Huskers have been such a dumpster fire for the last half decade has to do with how Nebraska's offensive lines and defensive front 7s matched up vs. the rest of the division. So here is an in depth look at the rest of the division.
(Also, in before "How sad Nebraska has fallen when we are comparing us to the Big Ten West Guy.")
Offensive Lines
Illinois - 3 returning starters, LT, C, and RT, Offensive Guards are both FCS Transfers. One kid is from Wofford. One is from Colgate. - Also inserting a new Offensive Scheme. - LT and C are both future NFL players. RT missed all of 2020 with an injury.
Northwestern - 3 returning starters LT, C, and RT. - LT is a legit NFL Guy. C and RT are below average Big Ten players. Both guards have only a handful of snaps.
Purdue - 2 returning starters, LT (did not play in 2020, but started in 2019), C - Center Hartwig is a good player. LG has very little experience, RG is a transfer from Western Kentucky. RT is a transfer from UTEP.
Iowa - 3 returning starters - C, RG, RT - right side of the line is good. Two future NFL guys at C and RT. Center is arguably the best in the country. LG literally has Zero experience. That's rare going into a season for Iowa.
Wisconsin 3 returning starters - LG, C, and RT. LG is solid. Center play was bad last year as they moved Kayden Lyles to his 3rd different position. - RG Jack Nelson will see his first action, but he literally might be the most talented linemen. This is not the same caliber of offensive line that Wisconsin is used to outside of Nelson who may be a future All-American.
Minnesota - 5 returning Starters - This is the most experienced offensive line in the country. Fleck is going into his 5th season at Minnesota, and LT Sam Schlueter and RG Conner Olson were actually on campus when he arrived. They were Terry Clayes/ Jerry Kill recruits. RT Daniel Faalele opted out in 2020, but started the whole 2019 season.
If you were to rank these units, it would go like this:
1. Minnesota
2. Iowa
3. Wisconsin
4. Illinois
5. Northwestern
6. Purdue
If you wanted to slot Nebraska in amongst these Offensive Lines above, I think Nebraska would fit in between Wisconsin and Illinois.
Defensive Fronts (Nebraska definitely returns the most experience on the D-line in the Big Ten West)
Illinois - 2 returning starters (Shifting to the 3-4, but will be multiple) - Roderick Perry should be a good Nose for Illinois - Jamal Woods has good size for a 3-4 DE, other starting DE has no experience. - Depth will be tested as they likely had to insert 2 freshmen into the 2 deep.
Northwestern - 1 returning starter (from 2019) DE Samdup Miller opted out of 2020 season, but he's a good player and will be back with 18 career starts. The other 3 defensive linemen have started parts of only 4 combined games the last 3 years. This is the least dynamic DL group at NW in years. The loss of Ernest Brown to the NFL and Eku Leota transferring to Auburn really hurt this group. NW lost more than 150 combined starts in their defensive front 7. That's unbelievable.
Purdue - 2 returning starters - (shifting back to the 4-3 after the 3-4 Diaco Debacle) - DE George Karlaftis seriously might be the most talented defensive player in the Big Ten, and he potentially plays on the worst defense. DE Branson Deen is like an Alex Davis returning starter meaning he's terrible. The Defensive Tackles shifted between back up DE's last season and a little bit of Nose. Guess what, Purdue is going to struggle again defensively.
Iowa - 1 returning starter - VanValkenburg, and the most Iowa name ever, is back after a good season where teams had to block the rest of his future NFL defensive line. The two anticipated Defensive Tackles have virtually ZERO game experience. The other DE, John Waggoner, was once a big recruit, but has been a disappointment over the last 4 seasons at Iowa.
Wisconsin - 6 returning dudes who have started, 1 returning full time starter - Nose Keanu Benton is a stud. I think he has a big future in the NFL as a 3-4 Nose. Don't let the 1 returning starter thing mislead you. The Badgers had enough injuries in 2019 and 2020 that every guy in their 2 deep has at least 3 career starts.
Minnesota - 1 returning starter, 1 DT transfer from Clemson with 15 career starts at Clemson. DT Micah Dew - Treadway was a Grad Transfer from Notre Dame in 2018, and he will end up playing 3 years at Minnesota- Kid should have a Doctorate by now. Niles Pinkney is the Clemson Transfer. DE's are new starters but older guys who have played a lot of snaps. Pinckney and Treadway together should provide a pretty good run stopping duo, at least much better than last season for the Gophers.
If you were to rank these units:
1. Wisconsin
2. Minnesota
3. Illinois
4. Purdue
5. Iowa
6. Northwestern
I believe the Huskers do have the top DL in the Big Ten West for the first time since the division realigned. This will also be the 1st time in years that Iowa and Northwestern are rebuilding their D-lines at the same time.
And for good measure, I'm going to add LB Groups. Because offensive lines aren't just going ol vs. dl, its OL vs. the Front 7 as a whole:
Illinois - 2 returning starters, 1 transfer from NC State, 1 converted DE now an OLB - (Shifting to 3-4) - This is definitely the strength of the Illinois Defense- Jake Hansen is a future NFL player at ILB. He will be joined by Calvin Hart who started 7 games at NC State. OLB Owen Carney is a good pass rusher, but kind of a one trick pony vs. the run and no help in coverage. Isaiah Gay was a marginal defensive end. It will be interesting to see how he transitions to the 3-4. Depth will be a concern.
Northwestern - 1 returning starter - SAM LB Chris Bergin has a lot of experience the last two seasons. With his Master's in hand already, you have to assume he will literally always be in the right place at the right time. But the same will be unlikely at the WILL and MIKE Spot where Paddy Fisher and Blake Gallagher started side by side the last 86 games at Northwestern. Fisher's replacement, Peter McIntyre, is a 5th year Senior at Northwestern. And he's never played more than 10 snaps in any game. That's how amazing Paddy Fisher was at Northwestern. Blake Gallagher's little brother will take over his spot.
Purdue - 3 returning starters - (Shifting back to the 4-3) These dudes have been moved all over the field the last two seasons. MLB Jaylan Alexander is a good player and more slated to play inside in the 4-3. Depth is scary for the Boilers. They added Auburn Transfer OC Brothers to the mix, but he only played in 2 games over 3 years at Auburn.
Iowa - 1 returning starter - MLB Seth Benson is a terrific player and will definitely be a future Sunday Player. WILL LB Jack Campbell is a physical specimen. Kid is 6'5 245 and runs a legit 4.6. He's never started a game, but don't let that fool you. He's going to be special. Jestin Jacobs will start at the SAM spot. Kid was a former big recruit for Iowa. He's long and athletic, but has only played sporadically due to inexperience and mistakes. Overall though, this is a very physical and athletic LB group at Iowa.
Wisconsin - 3 returning starters - This is the bell cow of LB Corps in the Big Ten - Their ILBs Sanborn and Chenal are exceptional. I always make comments about the criminal under rankings of Wisconsin's recruiting Classes. Leo Chenal was 6'1 225 lbs at age 17, when he committed to Wisconsin. The kid finished HS as the Wisconsin HS Player of the Year with more than 5,000 total yards and 90 TDs, while also being All-State in Basketball and Track. - But yeah... he was a 5.6 Three Star. - He's now 260 and the Dude will be playing in the NFL. OLB Noah Burks has been causing disruption the last two years. He is a guy who has finished a game with a Sack, a TFL, a FF, a fumble recovery and a INT.. in the same game.
Minnesota - 1 returning starter - This is Minnesota's worst position grouping. - MLB Mariano Sori-Marin is a pretty average Big Ten player and the best of the bunch. The Gophers like to play a lot of Nickel and only use two LBs. They added a transfer from Abilene Christian named Jack Gibbens. He was a tackling Machine at that level, but he's really a MLB. It will be interesting to see if they change things up a bit to get him on the field more. WILL Cody Lindenberg is a product of Minnesota's LB talent. I honestly don't believe he could crack a 2 deep at any other Big Ten West school.
If you wanted to rank the LB Groups:
1. Wisconsin - #1 by a WIDE MARGIN
2. Iowa
3. Illinois
4. Purdue
5. Northwestern
6. Minnesota
I believe the Huskers would slot into the 2nd spot behind Wisconsin.
Some other observations after this deep dive:
- Minnesota is going to start at least 20 dudes with Senior eligibility. I think they will be much better than people think.
- Purdue has issues man. Don't be surprised if they have a miserable season.
- Northwestern loses more combined starts than any other Power 5 program.
- Iowa is overrated, at least for now.
- Nebraska catches a MASSIVE break facing Illinois in game one as they shift to the 3-4. The Huskers get to see every variation of the 3-4 every day. And Illinois does not have the defensive depth to replicate Nebraska's defense in practice.
(Also, in before "How sad Nebraska has fallen when we are comparing us to the Big Ten West Guy.")
Offensive Lines
Illinois - 3 returning starters, LT, C, and RT, Offensive Guards are both FCS Transfers. One kid is from Wofford. One is from Colgate. - Also inserting a new Offensive Scheme. - LT and C are both future NFL players. RT missed all of 2020 with an injury.
Northwestern - 3 returning starters LT, C, and RT. - LT is a legit NFL Guy. C and RT are below average Big Ten players. Both guards have only a handful of snaps.
Purdue - 2 returning starters, LT (did not play in 2020, but started in 2019), C - Center Hartwig is a good player. LG has very little experience, RG is a transfer from Western Kentucky. RT is a transfer from UTEP.
Iowa - 3 returning starters - C, RG, RT - right side of the line is good. Two future NFL guys at C and RT. Center is arguably the best in the country. LG literally has Zero experience. That's rare going into a season for Iowa.
Wisconsin 3 returning starters - LG, C, and RT. LG is solid. Center play was bad last year as they moved Kayden Lyles to his 3rd different position. - RG Jack Nelson will see his first action, but he literally might be the most talented linemen. This is not the same caliber of offensive line that Wisconsin is used to outside of Nelson who may be a future All-American.
Minnesota - 5 returning Starters - This is the most experienced offensive line in the country. Fleck is going into his 5th season at Minnesota, and LT Sam Schlueter and RG Conner Olson were actually on campus when he arrived. They were Terry Clayes/ Jerry Kill recruits. RT Daniel Faalele opted out in 2020, but started the whole 2019 season.
If you were to rank these units, it would go like this:
1. Minnesota
2. Iowa
3. Wisconsin
4. Illinois
5. Northwestern
6. Purdue
If you wanted to slot Nebraska in amongst these Offensive Lines above, I think Nebraska would fit in between Wisconsin and Illinois.
Defensive Fronts (Nebraska definitely returns the most experience on the D-line in the Big Ten West)
Illinois - 2 returning starters (Shifting to the 3-4, but will be multiple) - Roderick Perry should be a good Nose for Illinois - Jamal Woods has good size for a 3-4 DE, other starting DE has no experience. - Depth will be tested as they likely had to insert 2 freshmen into the 2 deep.
Northwestern - 1 returning starter (from 2019) DE Samdup Miller opted out of 2020 season, but he's a good player and will be back with 18 career starts. The other 3 defensive linemen have started parts of only 4 combined games the last 3 years. This is the least dynamic DL group at NW in years. The loss of Ernest Brown to the NFL and Eku Leota transferring to Auburn really hurt this group. NW lost more than 150 combined starts in their defensive front 7. That's unbelievable.
Purdue - 2 returning starters - (shifting back to the 4-3 after the 3-4 Diaco Debacle) - DE George Karlaftis seriously might be the most talented defensive player in the Big Ten, and he potentially plays on the worst defense. DE Branson Deen is like an Alex Davis returning starter meaning he's terrible. The Defensive Tackles shifted between back up DE's last season and a little bit of Nose. Guess what, Purdue is going to struggle again defensively.
Iowa - 1 returning starter - VanValkenburg, and the most Iowa name ever, is back after a good season where teams had to block the rest of his future NFL defensive line. The two anticipated Defensive Tackles have virtually ZERO game experience. The other DE, John Waggoner, was once a big recruit, but has been a disappointment over the last 4 seasons at Iowa.
Wisconsin - 6 returning dudes who have started, 1 returning full time starter - Nose Keanu Benton is a stud. I think he has a big future in the NFL as a 3-4 Nose. Don't let the 1 returning starter thing mislead you. The Badgers had enough injuries in 2019 and 2020 that every guy in their 2 deep has at least 3 career starts.
Minnesota - 1 returning starter, 1 DT transfer from Clemson with 15 career starts at Clemson. DT Micah Dew - Treadway was a Grad Transfer from Notre Dame in 2018, and he will end up playing 3 years at Minnesota- Kid should have a Doctorate by now. Niles Pinkney is the Clemson Transfer. DE's are new starters but older guys who have played a lot of snaps. Pinckney and Treadway together should provide a pretty good run stopping duo, at least much better than last season for the Gophers.
If you were to rank these units:
1. Wisconsin
2. Minnesota
3. Illinois
4. Purdue
5. Iowa
6. Northwestern
I believe the Huskers do have the top DL in the Big Ten West for the first time since the division realigned. This will also be the 1st time in years that Iowa and Northwestern are rebuilding their D-lines at the same time.
And for good measure, I'm going to add LB Groups. Because offensive lines aren't just going ol vs. dl, its OL vs. the Front 7 as a whole:
Illinois - 2 returning starters, 1 transfer from NC State, 1 converted DE now an OLB - (Shifting to 3-4) - This is definitely the strength of the Illinois Defense- Jake Hansen is a future NFL player at ILB. He will be joined by Calvin Hart who started 7 games at NC State. OLB Owen Carney is a good pass rusher, but kind of a one trick pony vs. the run and no help in coverage. Isaiah Gay was a marginal defensive end. It will be interesting to see how he transitions to the 3-4. Depth will be a concern.
Northwestern - 1 returning starter - SAM LB Chris Bergin has a lot of experience the last two seasons. With his Master's in hand already, you have to assume he will literally always be in the right place at the right time. But the same will be unlikely at the WILL and MIKE Spot where Paddy Fisher and Blake Gallagher started side by side the last 86 games at Northwestern. Fisher's replacement, Peter McIntyre, is a 5th year Senior at Northwestern. And he's never played more than 10 snaps in any game. That's how amazing Paddy Fisher was at Northwestern. Blake Gallagher's little brother will take over his spot.
Purdue - 3 returning starters - (Shifting back to the 4-3) These dudes have been moved all over the field the last two seasons. MLB Jaylan Alexander is a good player and more slated to play inside in the 4-3. Depth is scary for the Boilers. They added Auburn Transfer OC Brothers to the mix, but he only played in 2 games over 3 years at Auburn.
Iowa - 1 returning starter - MLB Seth Benson is a terrific player and will definitely be a future Sunday Player. WILL LB Jack Campbell is a physical specimen. Kid is 6'5 245 and runs a legit 4.6. He's never started a game, but don't let that fool you. He's going to be special. Jestin Jacobs will start at the SAM spot. Kid was a former big recruit for Iowa. He's long and athletic, but has only played sporadically due to inexperience and mistakes. Overall though, this is a very physical and athletic LB group at Iowa.
Wisconsin - 3 returning starters - This is the bell cow of LB Corps in the Big Ten - Their ILBs Sanborn and Chenal are exceptional. I always make comments about the criminal under rankings of Wisconsin's recruiting Classes. Leo Chenal was 6'1 225 lbs at age 17, when he committed to Wisconsin. The kid finished HS as the Wisconsin HS Player of the Year with more than 5,000 total yards and 90 TDs, while also being All-State in Basketball and Track. - But yeah... he was a 5.6 Three Star. - He's now 260 and the Dude will be playing in the NFL. OLB Noah Burks has been causing disruption the last two years. He is a guy who has finished a game with a Sack, a TFL, a FF, a fumble recovery and a INT.. in the same game.
Minnesota - 1 returning starter - This is Minnesota's worst position grouping. - MLB Mariano Sori-Marin is a pretty average Big Ten player and the best of the bunch. The Gophers like to play a lot of Nickel and only use two LBs. They added a transfer from Abilene Christian named Jack Gibbens. He was a tackling Machine at that level, but he's really a MLB. It will be interesting to see if they change things up a bit to get him on the field more. WILL Cody Lindenberg is a product of Minnesota's LB talent. I honestly don't believe he could crack a 2 deep at any other Big Ten West school.
If you wanted to rank the LB Groups:
1. Wisconsin - #1 by a WIDE MARGIN
2. Iowa
3. Illinois
4. Purdue
5. Northwestern
6. Minnesota
I believe the Huskers would slot into the 2nd spot behind Wisconsin.
Some other observations after this deep dive:
- Minnesota is going to start at least 20 dudes with Senior eligibility. I think they will be much better than people think.
- Purdue has issues man. Don't be surprised if they have a miserable season.
- Northwestern loses more combined starts than any other Power 5 program.
- Iowa is overrated, at least for now.
- Nebraska catches a MASSIVE break facing Illinois in game one as they shift to the 3-4. The Huskers get to see every variation of the 3-4 every day. And Illinois does not have the defensive depth to replicate Nebraska's defense in practice.
