Three Big Ten players primed for breakout seasons

College Football

August 25

With the 2022 college football season nearly upon us, it’s time to look at which players could take a big step into the spotlight.

In the Big Ten, it is competitive as always, with Ohio State and Michigan ranked in the top 10 and Michigan State and Wisconsin rounding out the top 25. Our CFB analyst, RJ Young, named three Big Ten players he expects to have breakout seasons in 2022.

Jack Sawyer, DE, Ohio State

Sawyer is entering his second season with Ohio State following a freshman season where he played all 13 games and contributed 13 tackles, including 3.0 tackles for loss, all on quarterbacks, for a combined total loss of 24 yards. In high school, the 6-foot-4, 267-pound defensive end played quarterback, leading his team to the playoffs.

Young’s thoughts: “He was bred to play defensive end at Ohio State. If you looked at him and thought he was the third Bosa brother, nobody would tell you that you were wrong. He forewent his last year of high school football to get to Ohio State earlier. He’s been there for a full year. Watch out for No. 33.”

Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State

As a freshman at Ohio State last season, Harrison saw limited reps due to the Buckeyes’ plethora of high-level receivers. He played in all 13 games, catching 11 balls for 139 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 12.6 yards per catch. Seventy-one of his receiving yards came from his performance in the Buckeyes’ Rose Bowl victory over the Utah Utes, where he caught all three of his career touchdown passes.

Young’s thoughts: “Marvin Harrison Jr. just keeps getting bigger and bigger and bigger. He is bigger than his old man was as a professional, catching passes from Peyton Manning. He was bigger than him when he got to Ohio State. All he has done is grown into looking like the second coming of David Boston out there.”

Nick Singleton, RB, Penn State

Singleton is a 6-foot, 219-pound running back out of Governor Mifflin High School in Reading, Pennsylvania. He was the top-ranked running back in 2022 and was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year. He was also selected to play in the 2022 All-American Bowl and was Berks County’s MVP as a junior and senior.

Young’s thoughts: “Singleton is out there going after Saquon Barkley’s lifting records. He’s that type of athlete. He’s that type of tailback. They’ve got three tailbacks that they really like at Penn State, but I like Singleton the most.”