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 return specialists, which feature some of the most dynamic X-factors in the country.
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1. Ihmir Smith-Marsett, Iowa
Smith-Marsette wasn't just the best kickoff returner in the Big Ten last season, he was one of the best in all of college football.
The conference's 2018 Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year, Smith-Marsette was named first-team All-Big Ten by the media after leading the league and ranking second nationally in kickoff return average (29.5).
He capped the year by setting an Outback Bowl record with 150 kickoff return yards on five runbacks. Smith-Marsette is regarded as one of the top all-purpose players in the country going into 2019.
2. Rondale Moore, Purdue
What didn't Moore do for Purdue last season? The first consensus true freshman All-American in Big Ten history, Moore was a first-team all-conference selection as both a receiver and a return specialist (coaches).
While setting Purdue single-game (313) and season (2,215) records for all-purpose yards, Moore finished with 33 kickoffs returns for 662 yards and fielded 12 punts for 82 yards.
What's scary is that the Boilermakers are hoping to get Moore even further involved as a sophomore this season, particularly by getting him on the field as much as possible in kick and punt return roles.
3. Donovan Peoples-Jones, Michigan
A Freshman All-American punt returner in 2017, Peoples-Jones showed more glimpses of his playmaking potential as a true sophomore last season.
He returned 25 punts on the year and averaged 10.0 yards per attempt, including taking back a 60-yard score against Nebraska for the second return touchdown of his career.
Peoples-Jones was a third-team All-Big Ten selection by both the league's coaches and media, and he now enters his junior year as a preseason first-team all-conference pick by Athlon.
4. KJ Hamler, Penn State
Hamler made an immediate impact for Penn State as a true freshman last season, and much of that was his contribution in the return game.
With 1,417 all-purpose yards, Hamler broke Saquon Barkley's freshman school record (1,237), and his 523 kickoff return yards ranked sixth in PSU history. His 26.2-yard kick return average ranked third in the Big Ten among players with 20 or more attempts.
That performance earned him Freshman All-American honors as a return specialist and made him a finalist for the Paul Hornung Award, given to the nation's most versatile player.
5. JD Spielman, Nebraska
A player whose first career college touch was a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, Spielman established himself as one of the Big Ten's most dynamic players from the get-go.
After earning Freshman All-American honors in 2017, Spielman only returned six punts as a sophomore. However, he made the most of the few chances he got, averaging 17.3 yards per return, the highest of any Big Ten player with five or more attempts.
He also took back a 77-yard punt return for a touchdown against Bethune-Cookman, becoming just the eighth Husker ever to have both a kick and punt return for a score. It was also NU's first punt return touchdown since 2014.
