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 punter position. Where did Nebraska's Caleb Lightbourn come in on the preseason list?
Previous rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | OG | C | DE | DT | OLB | ILB | S | CB | K
1. Drue Chrisman, Ohio State
It's practically a coin flip you rank the top two returning punters in the Big Ten for 2018.
We gave our preseason nod-to Ohio State's Drue Chrisman, who was the third-team All-Big Ten punter a year ago both by the coaches and media. Chrisman averaged 44.2 yards per punt, placing 25 of his 51 punts inside the 20-yard line, including 15 that went 50 yards or longer.
2. Blake Gillikin, Penn State
When it's all said and done, Penn State's Blake Gillikin will be regarded as one of the best punters in program history.
As a sophomore, he was a consensus second-team All-Big Ten selection by both the coaches and the media. He averaged 43.2 yards per punt, placing 26 of his 52 punts inside the 20-yard line, including 14 that went 50 yards or longer. He currently sits No. 2 all-time in program history with a 43.0 yard per punt average.
3. Joe Schopper, Purdue
Purdue's Joe Schopper will be going into his fourth season as a starter for the Boiler Makers.
In 2017, he averaged 40.5 yards on 73 punts, placing 30 inside the 20-yard line.
4. Caleb Lightbourn, Nebraska
Nebraska's Caleb Lightbourn is poised to make a big jump this season. Lightbourn's consistency improved dramatically, averaging 42. 1 yards in 2017, compared to 39.7 in 2016.
He placed 21 of his 59 punts inside the 20-yard line in 2017, and 21 of his punts went 50 yards or longer. Over his career, 42 of his 124 punts have traveled 50 yards or longer.
If he improves his consistency the next two seasons, he has the ability to kick on Sunday's according to the new Husker coaching staff. They are very excited about his potential.
5. Blake Hayes, Illinois
Rounding out our punter list is Illinois punter Blake Hayes. The Australian native had a very solid freshman season in 2017, averaging 42.0 yards on 77 punts, placing 22 inside the 20-yard line.
There's no question he also got a lot of work though, as with the struggles of Illinois's offense, Hayes had two different games in 2017 with 11 punts. Against Minnesota, he had three punts that traveled over 50 yards.
