We at Last Word On College Football are getting you ready for the 2023 campaign by ranking the best returning players, by position, for every conference. We already worked our way through the Big 12 and now we’re heading to the Big 10. Quite a few of the top specialists have graduated, however, there’s tons of talent to go around. Let’s begin our countdown of the top returning Big Ten Specialists, starting with the kickers.
Top Returning Kickers
Last year’s top two placekickers, Jake Moody of Michigan and Maryland’s Chad Ryland are now in the NFL with the 49ers and Patriots respectively. In addition, five more of the top ten in field goals made either graduated or transferred. Furthermore, for our purposes, we aren’t counting players who transferred in. So you won’t see Parker Lewis or Nathanial Vakos.
3- Jude McAtamney– Rutgers- The native of Dublin, Ireland played Gaelic Football in his native land before coming to America. After spending one year at Division II Chowan State in North Carolina he transferred to Rutgers. As a junior, he led the Scarlet Knights with 59 points on 23 of 24 extra points and 12 of 18 field goals. That tied him for ninth in the league.
2- Caleb Griffin– Illinois- As a junior Griffin was named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten and pre-season third team by Athlon Sports. In 2022 he made all 32 extra points and 14 of 19 field goals. The 14 made field goals placed him seventh in the conference. In addition, he recorded 34 touchbacks on 51 kickoffs. His best game came in a 41-3 win over Northwestern where he made both field goal attempts and five extra points.
1- Drew Stevens– Iowa- Coming in as a freshman Stevens connected on all 24 extra points and 16 of 18 field goals. His 89 percent rate put him number one in the Big 10 and 16th in the nation. He nailed a 54-yarder against Northwestern, seventh longest in school history. He starts 2023 on most preseason lists as the best kicker and he tops our list as well.
Continuing on with our Top Returning Big Ten Specialists let’s move over to the punters.
Ranking The Best Returning Punters
3- James Evans– Indiana- The New Zealand native ranked fifth in the Big 10 and 21st in college football averaging 44.3 yards per punt. During his sophomore season, he landed 30 of his 75 punts inside the 20-yard line. In addition, he had 24 punts of 50 yards or more. Evans ranks as the Hoosiers’ all-time leader with 43.1 yards per kick.
2- Jesse Mirco– Ohio State- When you think of punting the Buckeyes aren’t the first team that comes to mind. However, they have a great one in Mirco. The Australia native finished third in the Big 10 and 14th in the nation averaging 45.4 yards per punt. 17 of his 49 punts landed inside the 20-yard line with five going for over 50.
1- Tory Taylor– Iowa- Another Australian punter, Taylor got lots of practice for the “offensively challenged” Hawkeyes. He led not only the Big 10 but the nation with 82 punts. Taylor finished second in the conference and 10th in the nation with a 45.4 yard average per punt. He had an amazing 38 punts inside the 20-yard line and 27 kicks of over 50 yards. Taylor was a star of the Music City Bowl win over Kentucky. In that contest, he averaged 48.2 yards on eight punts, with a long of 59 yards and six punts inside the 15 and four inside the 10.
As we finish up our top returning Big Ten specialists let’s count down the best return men.
Ranking The Return Men
3- Nicholas Singleton– Penn State- Winner of the Thompson Randle-El Award Award for newcomer of the year and third-team All-Conference running back, Singleton also starred on special teams. All of this came during his freshman campaign. He averaged 25 yards per return on 14 kicks. That ranked him fourth in the league. In addition, he had a 100-yard return for a touchdown during the Nittany Lions 55-10 win over Rutgers.
2- A.J. Henning– Michigan- If there’s a return stat for the Big Ten then you’ll see Henning’s name on the leaderboard. He led the league in punt return yards with 201 and was third in average. Henning took one 61 yards to the house against Connecticut. In addition to being a great punt returner, Henning placed 10th in the Big Ten in kickoff returns. As a result, he made second-team All-Big Ten.
1- Jaylin Lucas– Indiana– As a freshman Lucas was named first-team All-Conference. In addition CBS Sports, Pro Football Focus, USA Today and Walter Camp all named him a first-team All-American. He led the league in both kickoff return yards (591) and average (28.1.) His two touchdown returns for a score tied for tops in the nation. Lucas had his best game in a 39-31 win over Michigan State where he averaged 42 yards per return and took one 88 yards to the house.
Thanks for checking out our countdown of the Top Returning Big Ten Specialists here at Last Word On College Football. Agree or disagree with our picks? Leave a comment in the section below.
Photo courtesy: Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK
