As the 2018 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 Ranking the Big Ten series today with the kickers, a group that could play a big role in how the conference standings shake out this season.
Previous rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | OG | C | DE | DT | OLB | ILB | S | CB
1. Rafael Gaglianone, Wisconsin
Gaglianone has already put together one of the most productive careers of any Wisconsin kicker, and he enters this season with a chance to etch his name as arguably the best to ever play in Madison.
He made 16 of 18 field goals as a junior and has converted on 26 of his last 29 since the 2015 Holiday Bowl. With another stellar season in 2018, he could leave Madison as statistically one of the best kickers in school history.
With 16 more makes, Gaglianone would move into second place all-time at UW, and 22 more would pass the school record for career field goals.
He’s also currently second on Wisconsin’s career list with a .772 field goal percentage (.776 is the record), and has already knocked in four game-winning kicks, two more than any other Badger.
2. Sean Nuernberger, Ohio State
Nuernberger has taken a long and unusual road at Ohio State, playing immediately as a true freshman in 2014 and then redshirting two seasons later in 2016.
He impressed in his OSU debut by making all 89 point-after attempts and setting seven school records and three Big Ten marks for true freshmen kickers. But he ended up losing his starting job in 2015 and redshirted the following year.
Things finally got back on track for Nuernberger last season, as he reclaimed the Buckeyes’ placekicker job and extended his school-record streak of consecutive made extra points to a whopping 177.
He has never missed an extra point in his career, and coming off a solid 17-of-21 mark on field goals last year, Nuernberger is ready to hold down his job for good in 2018.
3. Quinn Nordin, Michigan
Nordin boasts one of most powerful legs in all of college football and was rated as the No. 1 kicker coming out of high school in the 2016 class.
Michigan thought so highly of him during his recruitment that Jim Harbaugh actually spent the night at his house following an in-home visit.
Nordin lived up to that billing by drilling 19 field goals - tied for second all-time on UM’s single-season list - including six makes of 40 yards or longer.
The issues for him has been consistency and accuracy, as he missed three of his final four attempts over the Wolverines’ last six games of the regular season. If he can level those two aspects out, Nordin has a chance to skyrocket up the Michigan record books.
4. Matt Coghlin, Michigan State
Coghlin took over as Michigan State’s starting kicker last season as a true freshman and immediately proved he belonged.
He made 15 of his 19 field goals, including hitting his final eight attempts of the year, and converted all 38 of his extra points to earn honorable mention All-Big Ten as well as a spot on the BTN All-Freshman Team.
Coghlin’s 15 made field goals tied for the most ever by an MSU freshman kicker, and the biggest of those came on a 34-yard game-winner as time expired to give the Spartans a 27-24 win over No. 7 Penn State.
5. Miguel Recinos, Iowa
Recinos took over Iowa’s full-time placekicker duties last season immediately thrived in the role, making 11-of-13 field goals and all 44 of his point-after attempts.
What made him additionally valuable to the Hawkeyes was his ability to float kickoffs inside the 20, helping Iowa rank as the No. 2 kickoff coverage team in the Big Ten last season.
Given the Hawkeyes’ small senior class, Recinos might actually be considered one of the team’s top senior NFL prospects going into 2018.
