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Big Ten’s Most Impactful Players Returning in 2024-25

Braden Smith is one of the Big Ten's most impactful returning players.

The Big Ten Conference lost a lot of impactful players from a season ago, as most of the top teams in the league lost players due to graduation, or the NBA, and even in some cases the transfer portal. Every one of the 18 teams in the Big Ten felt the loss of an impact player. Some felt the loss way more than others.

Three of the teams favored to win the Big Ten in 2024-25 had some major departures this offseason. They do seem to have players coming back that can fill that void. Those three teams are Purdue, Indiana, and Illinois. The Boilermakers lost one of the best big men that the Big Ten has ever seen, as two-time National Player of the Year, Zach Edey, graduated. Indiana won’t have the talents of Kel’el Ware this season as he entered the NBA Draft. As for Illinois, they lost a big playmaker with the graduation of Terrance Shannon Jr.

The 2024-25 season is going to have plenty of new faces to get used to in the Big Ten, but a lot of the same teams that were the best the league had to offer last season, have some big-time players. Let’s look at some impactful players returning to the Big Ten for the 2024-25 season.

Big Ten’s Most Impactful Players Returning in 2024-25

It will be the first year in the Big Ten for players at UCLA, USC, Washington, and Oregon, but all four have some playmakers ready to showcase themselves on a nightly basis. The first player that comes to mind is none other than the Oregon Ducks rising sophomore guard Jackson Shelstad.

Oregon’s Shelstad Ready to Ignite in Big Ten

Shelstad had some very bright moments for the Ducks in 2023-24 as a freshman and showcased his three-point shooting. In 32 games played last season, Shelstad was able to average 12.8 points per game. He is going to fit well in the Big Ten, especially after the talent he showed against new conference foe Michigan last season. He was a huge part of why the Ducks were able to squeeze out a win against the Wolverines in non-conference action. His 14 points were huge down the stretch in a very high-scoring contest. That also included the game-winning three in overtime.

If Shelstad can replicate what Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard did in the same number three jersey that Shelstad also currently wears for the Ducks, then Oregon could be looking at a bright future.

No Need to Fear Boiler Nation, Braden Smith Is Here

Purdue fans might have some questions about if the Boilermakers can back to the same level as last season when they reached the National Championship game. Yes, Edey is gone, but his partner in crime was point guard Braden Smith. Smith, now entering his junior season, has shown his skills as a scorer and a passer. Smith was the man who stirred the drink for Purdue last season, and he will have to do so at an even bigger level this season. His averages of 12 points and nearly eight assists per game in 2023-24 should increase dramatically this season. Smith certainly looks like he could be in the same category as a point guard as Michigan State’s Cassius Winston who is the Big Ten’s all-time Assist leader.

It’s Time For Ty Rodgers to Show Out

Illinois had a lot of roster turnover, but one player that has been a consistent factor for the Illini has been Ty Rodgers. The 2024-25 season marks his third season in Champaign. After being used as a reserve in his freshman season, Rodgers started all 38 games in 2023-24. It’s now his junior season, and after how highly recruited and touted he was out of high school, it seems fitting that he is starting to make some strides. The Illini have a lot of new talent that can help them contend in the Big Ten, but Rodgers might be the key given his experience with the team.

Malik Reneau Gives Hoosiers Leadership

The Indiana Hoosiers added what may be the best transfer class in the Big Ten, but they still have to look to guys who were already on the roster for leadership. That’s where Malik Reneau has to assert himself. Reneau was impressive in 2023-24 averaging 15.4 points per game. That was despite the Hoosiers having Ware in the center position alongside Reneau. Indiana will have another impressive big from the transfer portal that will fight to have the post touches in 2024-25. Despite this, Reneau’s leadership will be key for Indiana’s Big Ten and national aspirations. He’s certainly in the conversation to be one of the Big Ten’s best players this season.

Jaden Akins is Huge, But Xavier Booker Could Be the Key

Tom Izzo and Michigan State might still have the secret sauce to succeed like they have throughout the career of the Hall of Fame coach. Jaden Akins returns for his senior year, and that is huge especially with how versatile he is. However, he isn’t the player that might be the key to the Spartans’ success. That falls to sophomore big Xavier Booker. Booker showed the signs of his potential in a limited role as a freshman, but there seems to be more that can be unlocked. He showed the best player in the country in 2023-24 that he could hang with him, as he made things difficult for Edey in the Spartans two meetings with the Boilermakers. Booker has put in a lot of work in the offseason, including working with former Spartan Jaren Jackson Jr., who many believe is the blueprint for Booker’s future success.

That work, plus Booker being a sophomore now, makes him among the most impactful returning players in the Big Ten.

As for the Rest of the Big Ten

You can look at every team in the Big Ten and see impactful returning players. The first players that come to mind are certainly Iowa’s Payton Sandfort, who has been one of the best three-point shooters that the Big Ten has seen in recent memory. Minnesota might not be in for a season like they had in 2023-24, but Dawson Garcia is back again, he’s certainly an All-Big Ten kind of player. As for the rest of the league, there are plenty of question marks because Rutgers, USC, and UCLA are going to have to rely on a lot of new faces. Michigan pretty much has a whole new team. It will be interesting to see which guys that are returning Big Ten players can deliver as expected in 2024-25.

Kaleb Kraus

Kaleb Kraus

Kaleb Kraus is a proud graduate of Michigan State Universities School of Journalism. Kaleb strives to use his vast knowledge of sports in any way he can. Kaleb's sports interests include the NFL, NBA, NHL, NASCAR and both College Football and Basketball.

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