Big Ten Teams Hit Hardest By COVID-19 Attrition

Though the Big Ten will not be playing football this fall, there is considerable momentum around the possibility that a winter or a spring season could take place. Now, if this were to happen, numerous teams across the Big Ten would be entering play shorthanded due to athletes that have chosen to opt out of athletics this year or have decided to start preparing for the 2021 NFL Draft. With that reality in play, Wolverine Digest took a look at which schools across the conference have been hurt the most by COVID-19-related decisions.

1. Michigan

In the last week, Michigan lost two of its key players-- one on each side of the ball -- when offensive tackle Jalen Mayfield and cornerback Ambry Thomas declared for the 2021 NFL Draft.

This year, Mayfield was poised to assume a leadership role as the only returning starter on the O-Line, and Thomas was set to be in a similar position as one of the elder statesmen in the secondary. Now, Michigan will be forced to field an even younger squad when it returns to the field without the help of either player.

So far, several teams across the conference have lost one star player, but U-M looks to be the only team to lose a pair of significant contributors from what was already a young team overall. Running back Christian Turner also chose to opt out early on, though that was for a possible fall campaign.

2. Penn State

Given the state of the Nittany Lions' defense, Penn State could have had one of the nation's most feared front seven groups and would've been led by standout linebacker Micah Parsons. However, Parsons announced he would be opting out of the 2020 campaign early on for the NFL Draft, effectively removing himself from Penn State's heralded pass rushing unit.

However, PSU is relatively deep at the linebacker spot, and head coach James Franklin also has several quality defensive linemen to help create pressure without Parsons, but his loss is the type that can single handedly remove a team from playoff or even conference title discussion.

3. Purdue

Like Penn State, Purdue only lost one player as a result of COVID-19, but that one player was a doozy in Rondale Moore. Last year, Moore was severely limited from a production standpoint, only playing four games, but the dynamic wide receiver is as talented as anyone at the position.

As a freshman, Moore snagged 114 receptions during the 2018 season, and that type of performance in an offense like the Boilermakers possess is enough to warrant national attention. Moore was tabbed for another dominant campaign this fall before deciding to declare for the NFL Draft.

4. Minnesota

In the lead-up to the 2020 season, Minnesota was tabbed by many as a darkhorse school that could challenge for a conference championship and sneak into a playoff bid if everything went correctly.

Head coach P.J. Fleck has built quite a bit of momentum for the Golden Gophers, and much of that relied on the Tanner Morgan to Rashod Bateman connection. Last fall, Bateman eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark, and he was expected to turn in another strong performance this fall before the coronavirus interrupted those plans. Now, Bateman will enter the 2021 NFL Draft along with Moore, Parsons, Thomas and Mayfield.

5. Maryland

The amount of Maryland players that decided to sit out the season was a bit surprising. QB Josh Jackson is joined by defensive lineman Jalen Alexander, defensive back Vincent Flythe, offensive lineman Austin Fontaine, offensive lineman Johnny Jordan and linebacker T.J. Kautai. While these players may have varying degrees of importance to the Maryland program, losing that many athletes is sure to put a dent in any team's season, assuming that the Terps actually get on the field this year.

6. Michigan State

Like Maryland, the Spartans had a handful of players decide to sit out the 2020 season in lieu of the expected health risks. So far, Michigan State has dealt with opt outs from linebacker Marcel Lewis, defensive end Jacob Panasiuk, offensive lineman Jordan Reid and offensive lineman Justin Stevens. From that group, Panasiuk and Reid are both starters and were slated to be important elements of MSU's team this fall. It remains to be seen with the Spartans and Terrapins if the players would sit out a winter season.

7. Northwestern

So far, Northwestern's biggest COVID-19-related loss comes in the form of offensive lineman Rashawn Slater. The 6-4, 308-pounder has started well over 30 games for the Wildcats in his career, so he was viewed as a reliable and effective blocker for Northwestern entering the 2020 season. And in light of reduced recovery time even if the Big Ten plays in the winter or the spring, Slater feels that it would be a better decision to prep for the NFL Draft, which is what he's chosen to do.

8. Illinois

As one of the first players in the country to opt out, Ra'Von Bonner cited an asthma condition as his primary reason for sitting out the 2020 season. Bonner was not expected to assume a starting role this year, so his loss is not exactly a devastating blow to the Fighting Illini, it is still notable since he could've been pushed into playing time due to injuries.

9. Rutgers

Wide receiver Everett Wormley also made the call to step back from the 2020 season in light of the health situation he'd be placed in. At Rutgers, Wormley has snagged five receptions in 20-plus career games, so he does not qualify as an impact maker for the Scarlet Knights, but the move does thin out the wide receiver room and could shift which players see the field on special teams.

10. Ohio State, Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska and Indiana

These five schools can be placed in any order to round out the list as none of these programs have suffered defects related to the coronavirus pandemic as of yet. In fact, Ohio State football players and parents have been on the forefront of an effort to play football either in the Fall, Winter or Spring and have done so in a unified stance without anybody opting out. However, OSU and Wisconsin both have a multitude of talented players on the squad, so the fact that they have not even had players declare for the draft yet is a bit surprising. Still, these five schools have not lost any ground yet, so they very well could be at full strength if and when the Winter football season rolls around.

What are your thoughts on the players that have chosen to opt out of the 2020 season? Are they making the right person season or should it be viewed as turning their back on their team? Let us know!