Top 25 Big Ten Defensive Linemen In The Jim Harbaugh Era
There are some landmarks when it comes to coaching careers. College coaches always get judged on their first year, after four seasons when all of "their" players are in place and then usually at five and ten years, if they make it that far. We're at the five-year mark with Jim Harbaugh, so now we can take a look back at how his guys have done compared to the rest of the conference.
Today, we'll take a look at the top 25 defensive linemen in the Big Ten since Jim Harbaugh took over at Michigan.
1. Chase Young, Ohio State
Young was simply dominant during his three years at Ohio State. Last year, he was a team captain and widely viewed as the most dominant defensive player in college football. He was a unanimous All-American in 2019 and won six major individual awards. He was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy becoming just the ninth defensive player out of 159 total finalists since 1982. He won both the Bednarik Award and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, which both recognize the nation’s most outstanding defensive player. He finished his Ohio State career with 98 tackles including 41.5 for loss and 30 sacks. He declared for the 2020 NFL Draft after last year and was taken No. 2 overall by the Washington Redskins.
2. Joey Bosa, Ohio State
Joey Bosa only played against Jim Harbaugh one time but like Young, he was viewed as perhaps the most dominant defensive player in the country during that 2015 season. He finished his junior year with 51 tackles including 16 for loss and five sacks. The sack total was his lowest while at OSU, but that didn't keep him from reeling in big time accolades as a junior. He was a consensus All-American and a first-team All-Big Ten performer that season and led him to being drafted No. 3 overall by the then San Diego Chargers.
3. Shilique Calhoun, Michigan State
Calhoun finished off his Michigan State career in 2015 meaning he only faced Harbaugh's Michigan team one time. During that 2015 campaign Calhoun was a force. He recorded 49 tackles including 15 for loss and 10.5 sacks. During his senior year, Calhoun was named a second-team All-American by the Associated Press, CBS Sports, Football Writers Association of America, Phil Steele, Walter Camp and Football Foundation. He was also a first-team All-Big Ten selection by the coaches and media. He was a semifinalist for the Ted Hendricks Award, the Lombardi Award, the Chuck Bednarik Award and the Lott IMPACT Trophy. In the 2016 NFL Draft, he was drafted by the then Oakland Raiders with the 75th overall pick in the third round.
4. Nick Bosa, Ohio State
Nick Bosa's Ohio State career trailed off in a big way during his third season in Columbus but he was still a major problem for every offense that faced him. He obviously went 3-0 against Jim Harbaugh and finished with 77 tackles including 29 for loss and 17 sacks. Only playing in three games as a junior certainly hurt his overall numbers but an injury and then a decision to shut it down in order to prepare for the draft led to that abbreviated junior campaign. As s freshman, Bosa was a member of ESPN's Freshman All-American team. As a sophomore, he was an All-American and the Big Ten's Smith-Brown defensive lineman of the year. He was also an All-Big Ten first teamer. Even though he only played in three games as a junior, he was still recognized as an honorable mention All-Big Ten. Bosa was selected by the San Francisco 49ers with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
5. Maurice Hurst Jr., Michigan
Hurst played three seasons under Harbaugh and finished with 130 tackles including 32.5 for loss and 12.5 sacks during that stretch. Hurst coming in at No. 5 on this list shows just how good he was. It's tough for an interior player to go toe to toe with a pass rushing defensive end in terms of production and impact but Hurst definitely belongs. Hurst was really good in 2016 but he absolutely blew up in 2017. The 6-2, 280-pounder was a consensus All-American per the Associated Press and Sporting News and was recognized as a second team member by the American Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp and Football Writers Association of America. He was the recipient of the 2017 Bo Schembechler Team MVP award and Defensive Player of the Year award and was a first team All-Big Ten selection by the Associated Press as well. Hurst did it all that year for Michigan and, even though he slid in the draft due to a hear condition discovered during the screening process, ended up being picked by the then Oakland Raiders with pick No. 140 in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
6. AJ Epenesa, Iowa
7. Yetur Gross-Matos, Penn State
8. Taco Charlton, Michigan
9. Kenny Willekes, Michigan State
10. Tyquan Lewis, Ohio State
11. Chris Wormley, Michigan
12. Chase Winovich, Michigan
13. Yannick Ngakoue, Maryland
14. Carl Nassib, Penn State
15. Rashan Gary, Michigan
16. Joe Gaziano, Northwestern
17. Dre'mont Jones, Ohio State
18. Ryan Glasgow, Michigan
19. Jaleel Johnson, Iowa
20. Conor Sheehy, Wisconsin
21. Shaka Toney, Penn State
22. Adolphus Washington, Ohio State
23. Ifeadi Odenigbo, Northwestern
24. Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan
25. Anthony Zettel, Penn State
