Top 20 Big Ten Tight Ends 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 20 tight ends in the Big Ten since Jim Harbaugh took over at Michigan.

1. Mike Gesicki, Penn State

Over the past five years, no tight end has been as dominant as Penn State's Mike Gesicki. His two year stretch of 105 catches for 1,242 yards and 14 touchdowns isn't quite the most of anyone on this list, but he was dynamic and an absolute game changer for the Nittany Lions during those two seasons.

2. Brycen Hopkins, Purdue

Hopkins isn't the most popular tight end on this list but you simply cannot argue with his production. During a three-year stretch at Purdue, Hopkins had 120 catches for 1,762 yards and 12 touchdowns. When Rondale Moore went down last year, Hopkins became receiving threat No. 1 for the Boilermakers and still had a 61-catch, 830-yard and seven-score season.

3. Noah Fant, Iowa

Fant didn't quite have the catch or yardage numbers of Gesicki or Hopkins, but he piled up 18 touchdowns over just a two-year span. Those scores, coupled with his 69 catches and 1,013 yards puts him at No. 3 on this list.

4. TJ Hockenson, Iowa

Fant's teammate at Iowa, Hockenson also put together two very solid seasons. During those two campaigns, Hockenson had 73 grabs for 1,080 yards and nine scores. He wasn't quite the downfield threat that Fant was but he was a much better blocker. That's what led to him being drafted No. 8 overall by the Detroit Lions in the 2019 NFL Draft.

5. Jake Butt, Michigan

As good as Jake Butt was at Michigan, his 2015 and 2016 seasons just don't quite stack up against the four guys ahead of him. With 97 catches for 1,200 yards and seven touchdowns, Butt was a little more present as a receiver, but wasn't the blocker that Hockenson was.

6. Pat Freiermuth, Penn State

7. Troy Fumagali, Wisconsin

8. Josiah Price, Michigan State

9. George Kittle, Iowa

10. Jake Ferguson, Wisconsin

11. Zach Gentry, Michigan

12. Peyton Hendershot, Indiana

13. Brandon Lingen, Minnesota

14. Ian Thomas, Indiana

15. Marcus Baugh, Ohio State

16. Tyler Hoppes, Nebraska

17. Louis Dorsey, Illinois

18. Cole Herdman, Purdue

19. Henry Krieger-Coble, Iowa

20. Cethan Carter, Nebraska