Ranking the Big Ten: Guard
As the 2019 season draws nearer by the day, it’s time to start taking a look at some of the top players to watch in the Big Ten Conference.
We continue our annual Ranking the Big Ten series today with the guards, a group ready to pave the way in 2019.
1. Ben Bredeson, Michigan
A two-time second-team All-Big Ten selection the past two seasons, Bredeson returns as the most accomplished guard in the conference this season.
Having played in 37 career games with 33 starts a left guard, the senior from Hartland, Wis., was voted a captain by his teammates for the second year in a row.
2. Steven Gonzalez, Penn State
Gonzalez has been a fixture on the interior of Penn State's offensive line for the past seasons.
He was a first-team All-Big Ten choice by ProFootballFocus as a sophomore in 2017, and he followed that up by earning honorable mention all-conference honors by the league's coaches and media last year.
3. Michael Onwenu, Michigan
Onwenu took over as the starting right guard during his sophomore season in 2017, starting 21 games over that span.
The 6-foot-3, 350-pound native of Detroit was a third-team All-Big Ten pick by the league's coaches and earned honorable mention from the media after starting all 13 games as a junior in 2018.
4. Brandon Bowen, Ohio State
Bowen hasn't seen action since suffering a leg injury in the sixth game of the 2017 season vs. Maryland. But now that he's fully recovered, he's expected to pick up where he left off as a feature piece of Ohio State's offensive line.
Prior to his injury, the Draper, Utah, native led the Buckeyes with 388 snaps over 19 career games - including five starts - and he's back as OSU's top right guard entering his senior campaign.
5. Jonah Jackson, Ohio State
The rich get richer, as Ohio State filled a big need on its offensive line by landing one of the most coveted guard transfers in the country in the former Rutgers' starter Jackson.
A team captain for the Scarlet Knights last season, Jackson was an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection by the league's coaches and media in 2018. Now he's set to start opposite Bowen and shore up the Buckeyes' interior line this season.