As the 2024 college football season quickly approaches, it is time to look at the top players in the Big Ten Conference.
We continue our Ranking the Big Ten series with the league’s best-returning inside linebackers. A mix of established returners and new additions gives the league a strong cast of quarterbacks of the defense.
Ranking the Big Ten: QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | C | DT | OLB/EDGE
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1. Jay Higgins, Iowa
There are defensive ballhawks, and then there is Iowa’s Jay Higgins. After tying the program record with a whopping 171 tackles last season, Higgins established himself as one of the nation’s best at his position.
The fifth-year senior garnered plenty of accolades following his breakout 2023 campaign. He was a first-team All-American by the FWAA, Phil Steele, and Sports Illustrated, and also a consensus first-team All-Big Ten selection.
Expectations are understandably soaring for the Indianapolis native this season. Steele tabbed him a preseason All-American and the national Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
2. Cal Haladay, Michigan State
With 35 starts, 41 appearances, and 2,362 snaps in his career, Cal Haladay has been a pillar of Michigan State’s defense for years. After leading MSU in stops for the third straight season, the fifth-year senior cracked the school’s top 20 with 307 career tackles.
That included racking up 91 tackles (7.6 per game) in 2023 while ranking second in the Big Ten with two fumble recoveries. The Elysburg, Pennsylvania, native is also as opportunistic as they come, as his three career defensive touchdowns tie for the school record.
Haladay already boasts the third-most tackles among all active NCAA players, per Pro Football Focus. He should continue to stockpile those numbers even more this season.
3. Jeffrey Bassa, Oregon
Jeffrey Bassa is coming off the best season of his college career and was critical in Oregon’s defensive turnaround in 2023.
The senior from Salt Lake City ranked second on the team with a career-high 72 total tackles in 2023. He capped his campaign by earning Defensive MVP of the Vrbo Liberty Bowl and second-team All-Pac-12 honors.
Bassa has also emerged as one of the Ducks’ top pass rushers. He scored an 80.3 pass-rush grade by PFF and ranked second among Pac-12 linebackers with 27 total QB pressures.
4. Carson Bruener, Washington
Carson Bruener has only started six games during his four seasons at Washington. Yet he’s still managed to be one of the Huskies’ most productive defenders.
The senior from Woodinville, Washington, has 202 career tackles, including a career-high 86 during UW’s national title game run last year.
He finished third on the team in total stops despite only making one start in 2023. That included 14 tackles in a win over Oregon State, which was the most by any Washington player all season.
5. Ruben Hyppolite II, Maryland
A former four-star recruit who was one of the most coveted linebacker recruits in the 2020 class, Ruben Hyppolite II quickly emerged as a fixture in Maryland’s defense.
The Fort Lauderdale, Florida, native is coming off his best season yet, as he ranked second on the team with 67 tackles. He earned third-team All-Big Ten honors for his efforts.
With 34 starts in 39 career games, Hyppolite returns as the face of the Terrapins defense again in 2024.
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