Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1505736
4 0 S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 1. Marvin Harrison Jr. | WR |Ohio State The conveyor belt at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center just keeps churning out elite wide receivers. With Jaxon Smith-Njigba injured for much of last sea- son, Harrison stepped into a starring role, ranking second in the Big Ten with 72 catches for 1,157 yards and 12 touchdowns. Smith-Njigba is now gone, meaning that all eyes will be on Harrison heading into his junior year. He'll be the biggest name in an Ohio State offense that figures to rank among the nation's best, after which he will likely follow in the footsteps of his All-Pro father by entering the NFL as a first-round draft pick. 2. Olumuyiwa Fashanu | OT | Penn State The Nittany Lion junior could very well be the first offensive lineman off the board in next year's NFL Draft. He would likely have been one of the first line- men off the board this past year if he had chosen to leave, an option he con- sidered before announcing in December that he would return for one more season at Penn State. Fashanu has started only nine games at the college level, but as a draft- worthy left tackle, he'll be sophomore quarterback Drew Allar's best friend this fall. In eight games as a sophomore, Fashanu didn't give up a single sack on 299 pass-blocking snaps. 3. Blake Corum | RB | Michigan If he hadn't suffered what amounted to a season-ending injury last Novem- ber against Illinois, Corum might have approached 2,000 rushing yards. He still finished with 1,463 yards and 18 touchdowns despite playing only a handful of snaps in Michigan's last three games. Running behind a top-notch offensive line, the 5-foot-8, 213-pound senior will have a chance to replicate or improve upon those numbers this fall. If he doesn't, it may only be because the Wolverines want a more equitable split between Corum and their other elite running back, junior Donovan Edwards. 4. Emeka Egbuka | WR | Ohio State Egbuka might have been overshadowed by Harrison last year, but his numbers weren't far off his teammate's pace. The 6-foot-1, 205-pounder ranked fourth in the Big Ten with 66 catches for 1,039 yards and 9 touchdowns as a sophomore. The Buckeyes will be breaking in a new quarterback this year, but with Harri- son and Egbuka on the receiving end, it's tough to imagine the offense slipping too far. 5. J.J. McCarthy | QB | Michigan One of the reasons Michigan has turned the tables on Ohio State lately is that the quarterback disparity between the two programs has shrunk. For years, the Wolverines fielded journeymen, while Ohio State countered with future first-round draft picks. Last year, however, McCarthy threw for 263 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 45-23 victory at the Horseshoe. Now a junior, and the unquestioned leader of Michigan's offense, he appears headed for his best year yet. 6. Taulia Tagovailoa | QB | Maryland Now preparing for his fourth starting season in College Park, Tagovailoa will have a large hand in whether the Terrapins are able to put together the break- through campaign they've been seeking ever since joining the Big Ten in 2014. He's coming off a junior year in which he completed 67 percent of his passes for 3,008 yards to rank third in the league. 7. Braelon Allen | RB | Wisconsin The Badgers are probably going to look a lot different on offense under new coach Luke Fickell, but they'd be wise to get the ball into Allen's hands as much as possible. He's the Big Ten's second-leading returning rusher, having amassed 1,242 yards and 11 touchdowns as a sophomore last season. 8. Zak Zinter | G | Michigan Zinter was a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten selection last year. The 6-foot- 6, 322-pounder could have gone pro but instead opted to return to lead a Michigan offensive front that will be vying for its third consecutive Joe Moore Award. 9. Nicholas Singleton | RB | Penn State Singleton's game-breaking potential was on full display as a freshman. He had 9 carries of 30 or more yards, including an 87-yard touchdown bolt against Utah in the Rose Bowl. Like Corum, Singleton has a backfield mate who will need to get his touches, too — fellow sophomore Kaytron Allen. But no matter how PSU partitions the carries, Singleton has a chance to firmly establish him- self as one of the nation's top running backs. 10. Brevyn Spann-Ford | TE | Minnesota At 6-foot-7, 270 pounds, Spann-Ford is a super-sized super senior. He was one of the Big Ten's most productive tight ends last season, leading the Go- phers with 42 receptions for 497 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Top Offensive Players Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. was second in the Big Ten with 72 catches last year, finishing with 1,157 yards and 12 touchdowns. PHOTO COURTESY OHIO STATE ATHLETICS