Jul. 31—The Big Ten might be bigger after the westward expansion, but the conference’s best defenses still lie in some of the original programs. Beat writer Scott Richey takes a look at all 18:
The Illini addressed depth and experience concerns on the defensive line and in the secondary by hitting the transfer portal hard at those positions, but the strength of their defense lies in their linebackers. Primarily an outside linebackers group led by a trio of veterans in Seth Coleman, Gabe Jacas and Alec Bryant with help from a JUCO speed rusher in Daniel Brown. Now defensive coordinator Aaron Henry just needs to dial up the pressure from the edge. A necessity given Illinois likely won’t have the same type of interior pass rush with All-American Johnny Newton moving on to the NFL.
Have your roster handy, Hoosiers fans. The 2024 Indiana defense is going to look nothing like the 2023 version. Which isn’t a bad thing given the Hoosiers ranked 101st nationally in points allowed a year ago. It could, however, look like the James Madison defense that ranked 20th in that same statistic last fall. New coach Curt Cignetti brought defensive coordinator Bryant Haines, along with five likely defensive starters, with him to Bloomington, Ind. That group includes seriously productive defensive lineman Mikail Kamara, who had 17 1/2 tackles for loss and 7 1/2 sacks last season for the Dukes.
It’s a shock Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker doesn’t walk with a hunch considering how often his unit has carried the Hawkeyes to winning seasons. Don’t expect anything to be different this season. Iowa will have to replace the likes of Cooper DeJean, Logan Lee and Joe Evans, but the bulk of the defense that ranked fourth nationally in scoring and seventh among FBS programs in total defense last season is back this year. Linebackers Jay Higgins and Nick Jackson return after teaming up to make 281 tackles last season, ranking first and fourth, respectively, in the Big Ten.
Dante Trader Jr. and Glendon Miller are the last men standing from a secondary that was among the best in the country in takeaways and ranked among the top 40 in passing defense nationally now that Tarheeb Still, Beau Brade and Ja’Quan Sheppard are all on NFL rosters. Bowling Green transfer Jalen Huskey, who had six pass breakups and four interceptions last season for the Falcons, will fill at least one of those holes. The Terrapins’ strength lies in linebackers Ruben Hyppolite II (top returning tackler with 66) and Kellan Wyatt (last year’s sacks leader with 4 1/2).
The Wolverines had the best defense in the country last season. First in points allowed. First in yards allowed. Then first at the end of the year as the College Football Playoff champions. Losing the most prolific tackler (Junior Colson) and most productive defensive back (Mike Sainristil) hurts, but new defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale inherits several returning starters — cornerback Will Johnson among the most important — and will benefit from depth created in the secondary by an active offseason in the portal. That the Wolverines essentially ran Martindale’s scheme the last three years also helps.
New Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith raided a Big Ten rival to fill a hole at defensive coordinator when he hired Joe Rossi away from Minnesota. Rossi’s defenses in Minneapolis ranked in the top 10 in total defense nationally three times in his six seasons as coordinator. A transfer-heavy group — there’s a dozen on the depth chart — should help reset a group that finished among the Big Ten’s least effective groups in 2023. Linebacker Wayne Matthews III, who had 135 tackles, 9 1/2 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles at Old Dominion last year, stands out among the newcomers.
Michigan State’s gain was the Gophers’ loss, and new defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman has big shoes to fill as Rossi’s replacement. Hetherman isn’t without experience, though. He spent three seasons as defensive coordinator at James Madison and was the AFCA FCS Assistant Coach of the Year in 2021. Heatherman has some talent to work with, too, with Minnesota returning sacks leader Jah Joyner up front, Danny Striggow off the edge as the runner-up for the team sacks title last fall and leading tackler Jack Henderson at the nickel back.
There’s a mystique about Nebraska defenses. The best really earn the “Black Shirts” title. This year’s group certainly could. The Cornhuskers were a top-15 defense a year ago in the two metrics that matter in that conversation (points and yards allowed) under first-year coordinator Tony White — the best showing by a Nebraska defense in its Big Ten era. Several top players from that unit return this season. Notable among them is leading tackler Isaac Gifford, two of the top three in sacks in Jimari Butler and Nash Hutmacher and the team’s most disruptive defensive back in Tommi Hill.
David Braun was hired to be Northwestern’s defensive coordinator in 2023 before he wound up as head coach after Pat Fitzgerald’s firing. He kept those duties last fall, but has passed the keys to the Wildcats’ defense to the program’s all-time leading tackler (and one-time Illinois assistant) Tim McGarigle. The linebackers coach the past six seasons in Evanston, McGarigle’s top unit will actually be the defensive line with sacks leader Aidan Hubbard returning alongside Richie Hagarty, Najee Story, Carmine Bastone and Jaylen Pate. As a group, they had 13 1/2 sacks in 2023.
The Buckeyes haven’t exactly left wanting offensively, but their national…
The News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Ill.
