Ranking the Big Ten: Outside Linebacker
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 outside linebackers, which feature some of the most fearsome playmakers and pass rushers in college football.
1. Carter Coughlin, Minnesota
There might not be a better pass rusher off the edge in all of college football than Minnesota's Coughlin.
The Eden Prairie, Minn., native was a monster as a junior in 2018, ranking second in the Big Ten in (sacks) and forced fumbles (4) and fifth in tackles for loss (13).
He was a consensus second-team all-conference selection last season after posting an impressive final grade of 88.5 percent per ProFootballFocus. Now he's a second-team preseason All-Big Ten pick by Athlon heading into 2019.
2. Markus Bailey, Purdue
Bailey won a spot on Purdue's starting defense as a redshirt freshman in 2016, and he's done nothing but rack up huge defensive stats ever since.
With 301 total tackles so far in his career, Bailey has a chance to place himself as one of the most productive Boilermaker defenders in program history. He led the team in tackles (115) and sacks (5.5) and finished second with 9.0 tackles for loss last year, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors from the media and third-team accolades from the coaches.
He's led the team in stops twice (2016 and '18) and ranked second ('17) so far in his three seasons in West Lafayette, and there's no reason to think he won't be leading the way once again as a senior in 2019.
3. Micah Parsons, Penn State
Nebraska fans probably remember Parsons well, as the former five-star prospect was one of the most coveted defensive recruits in the country in 2017.
He lived up to that hype right away as a true freshman for Penn State last season, earning Freshman All-American honors after leading the team with 83 tackles. More impressively, Parsons became the first ever freshman (true or redshirt) to lead PSU in stops in a season.
The Harrisburg, Penn., native has already been tabbed as a preseason second-team All-Big Ten pick by Athlon, and the sky is the limit for how good he could be by the time he's done in State College.
4. Malik Harrison, Ohio State
Harrison was only an honorable-mention All-Big Ten selection by the league's coaches and media last season, but he enters his senior season regarded as one of the most important pieces on Ohio State's defense.
Harrison tied for the team lead with 81 total tackles, including 8.5 TFLs, and his 130 career stops also tie for second among all returning Buckeyes. He had a chance to make an early jump to the NFL this offseason but opted to come back for his senior year and gave OSU's defense a major boost in the process.
The Columbus, Ohio, native was named a preseason second-team Preseason All-Big Ten pick by Athlon, and he'll have every opportunity to play himself up to an early-day selection in next year's NFL Draft.
5. Zack Baun, Wisconsin
Few teams in the country lost the amount of talent and production at linebacker as Wisconsin did this offseason, as three of UW's four starting linebackers from 2018 moved on to the NFL.
The one returning starter in the group is Baun, who started all 13 games for the Badgers last year and ranked third on the team with 63 total tackles to go along with 7.5 TFLs, 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble, an interception, and three pass breakups.
The Brown Deer, Wis., native will be counted on to lead Wisconsin's linebacking corps this season, so he'll have ample opportunity to add to those stats in 2019. Baun was a third-team Preseason All-Big Ten selection by Athlon.