The Detroit News' top 25 returning Big Ten football players in 2020

Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota: Bateman teamed up with Tyler Johnson to form one of the nation’s top receiving tandems last season. He earned All-Big Ten and All-America honors after catching 60 passes for 1,219 yards and 11 touchdowns, with the latter two statistics setting a sophomore program record. The 6-foot-2, 210-pounder excels down the field, in traffic and after the catch, as evidenced by his 20.3 yards per reception. With Johnson moving on to the NFL, Bateman will be the go-to option in Minnesota’s passing attack.

David Bell, WR, Purdue: The Big Ten's freshman of the year wasted little time making an impact with the Boilermakers a year ago, hauling in a 49-yard touchdown reception for his first collegiate catch. By the end of the season, Bell recorded eight total touchdowns, tallied 1,035 receiving yards and finished with 86 catches, which tied for the most in the conference. He'll look to build off a stellar first year where he posted six 100-yard receiving games and averaged a league-best 7.2 receptions per contest.

Journey Brown, RB, Penn State: Brown got off to a slow start in 2019 before ending the season on a tear. Over the final five contests, he ran for 593 yards and nine touchdowns, highlighted by his 202-yard, two-score performance against Memphis in the Cotton Bowl. Even though the closing stretch accounted for a large chunk of his season totals, Brown is explosive (eight rushes of 30-plus yards) and averaged a whopping 6.89 yards per carry, the fifth-best mark ever by a Nittany Lion.

Eric Burrell, S, Wisconsin: Burrell thrives in coverage and his playmaking skills are among the best at his position. Over the past two seasons, he has accumulated a coverage grade that ranks among the 10 best in all of college football, according to Pro Football Focus. Last year, Burrell was targeted 25 times in coverage and allowed only 10 receptions while tallying six pass breakups and three interceptions. Opposing quarterbacks will likely try to avoid throwing in his direction in 2020.

Elijah Collins, RB, Michigan State: There weren’t many bright spots for the Spartans on offense last season, but Collins was one of them. The University of Detroit Jesuit product emerged as a workhorse back and carried the rock 222 times for 988 yards, a rushing total that ranked fourth in the Big Ten. After falling 12 yards short of becoming Michigan State's first 1,000-yard rusher since Jeremy Langford in 2014, Collins appears poised to shoulder the load again.

Wyatt Davis, G, Ohio State: Davis moved into a full-time starting role at right guard in 2019 and established himself as one of the top interior linemen in the country. According to Pro Football Focus, he didn’t allow a single sack or quarterback hit on 459 pass-blocking snaps and didn’t allow a quarterback hurry in five of 14 games. He also graded out as one of the top five run-blockers at his position, per PFF. The consensus All-American will headline what should be one of the nation's best offensive lines.

Keith Duncan, K, Iowa: Duncan set a program and Big Ten single-season record with 29 field goals in 2019, a mark that was tops in the nation and ranks sixth all-time in the NCAA. On top of that, he connected on 85.3% of his field-goal attempts, had 14 makes come from at least 40 yards, and trailed only Wisconsin's Jonathan Taylor and Ohio State's J.K. Dobbins in points scored per game by conference players. He's quite the weapon for a team to have at its disposal.

Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State: Fields, a Georgia transfer, starred in his first season with the Buckeyes, completing 67.2% of his passes for 3,273 yards, rushing for 484 more and recording 51 total touchdowns. He became the first quarterback in Big Ten history with 40 passing touchdowns and 10 rushing scores in the same season, and his 41-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio was tops in the country. After finishing third in the 2019 Heisman Trophy voting, Fields is among the favorites to win it this year.

Paddy Fisher, LB, Northwestern: The fifth-year senior has earned All-Big Ten honors throughout his stay in Evanston and, at one point, was viewed as a potential first-round pick. But after posting two straight 100-tackle seasons, his numbers regressed and he "only" recorded 89 tackles with two forced fumbles in 2019. Despite the down year — by his standards — Fisher is a premier inside linebacker who will once again anchor the middle of Northwestern's defense.

Pat Freiermuth, TE, Penn State: The 6-foot-5, 259-pounder has drawn comparisons to Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Rob Gronkowski and for good reason. He’s mobile. He’s a mound of muscle. And he can score. In just two seasons, Freiermuth has already tied the program record for touchdowns scored by a tight end with 15 and has cracked the top 10 on the Nittany Lions' all-time list for touchdown receptions. He's rated the top tight end prospect for the 2021 NFL Draft.

Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Michigan: The former Dearborn Divine Child standout broke out last year as a sophomore and showed a knack for getting into the backfield. He tallied 68 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, six pass breakups and two forced fumbles to go along with 46 pressures and 28 run stops. Hutchinson is the Big Ten's highest-graded returning edge defender, per Pro Football Focus, and is expected to be one of Michigan's main defensive contributors.

Alaric Jackson, OT, Iowa: The Detroit Renaissance alum has been an impact player for the Hawkeyes since earning the starting left tackle job in 2017, and he likely would’ve left early for the NFL if he hadn’t suffered a knee injury in the season opener last year. Despite missing three games and never playing above 70% when he returned to action — an admission he made to reporters after the season — he still earned All-Big Ten honors. If Jackson can stay healthy, it’s not difficult to believe he could become Iowa's next All-American lineman.

Rondale Moore, WR, Purdue: There aren't many players who are as electric and versatile as Moore. In 2018, he led all of college football with 37 broken tackles on 114 catches, per Pro Football Focus, and set a program record with 2,215 all-purpose yards as a dynamic pass-catcher, ball carrier and kick returner. Despite being undersized (5-foot-9, 180 pounds) and coming off an injury-ruined season, he's still one of the top offensive threats in the country.

Tanner Morgan, QB, Minnesota: In his first full season as a starter last year, Morgan completed 66% of his passes for 3,253 yards and 30 touchdowns, all single-season program records. On top of that, he earned the eighth-best passing grade and produced the second-highest pressured passing grade — trailing only No. 1 pick Joe Burrow — in 2019, according to Pro Football Focus. That bodes well for Morgan and the Golden Gophers moving forward.

Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State: Defenders had trouble keeping up with the speedy Olave, who led the Buckeyes with 849 receiving yards and 12 touchdown receptions a year ago. According to Pro Football Focus, he generated at least two steps of separation on 57% of his targets thrown 10-plus yards down the field, which was the highest rate among all receivers. With fellow pass-catchers K.J. Hill, Binjimen Victor and Austin Mack all gone, Olave is primed to put up even bigger numbers.

Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State: Parsons made an immediate impact as a freshman, but he took his play to another level as a sophomore when he recorded 109 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, five sacks and four forced fumbles. He was the highest-graded linebacker by Pro Football Focus in 2019 and is one of only five Power Five linebackers who had at least 75 tackles and less than 10 missed tackles. Simply put, the consensus All-American is a difference-maker and can do it all at his position.

Kwity Paye, DE, Michigan: Paye debated leaving early for the NFL before deciding to return to Ann Arbor for his senior year. That was good news for the Wolverines — and bad news for whoever must face him. He was a stalwart up front as a junior, recording 50 tackles with a team-high 12.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks, and opponents will be hard-pressed to limit his disruptive ways on the edge.

Whop Philyor, WR, Indiana: Philyor is one of three 1,000-yard receivers returning to the Big Ten this season. He caught 70 passes for 1,002 yards and five touchdowns, becoming just the seventh Hoosier to reach 1,000 yards receiving in a single season. Philyor already owns the program mark with five double-figure catch games and ranks 15th in career receptions (126) and 20th in career receiving yards (1,572). With a strong senior season, he could end his career as one of the program’s most productive wideouts.

Jack Sanborn, LB, Wisconsin: In his first season as a starter, Sanborn racked up 80 tackles, nine tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, three interceptions and three pass breakups. His real value, though, was against the pass. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed a 37.4 passer rating on balls thrown his way and recorded 23 pressures on 83 pass rushes. With fellow linebackers Zack Baun and Chris Orr no longer around, more responsibility will be placed on Sanborn's shoulders.

Stevie Scott III, RB, Indiana: Scott has been a steady force for the Hoosiers, notching at least 1,000 all-purpose yards and 11 total touchdowns each of the past two seasons. Last year, he ranked in the top 10 in the conference in rushing yards per game (fourth; 76.8), rushing scores (fifth; 10) and all-purpose yards per game (10th; 96) despite missing the final two games due to injury. There’s a good chance Scott will finish even higher in those categories in 2020.

Antjuan Simmons, LB, Michigan State: The Spartans' defense has been stingy year in and year out. If that trend is going to continue, Simmons is going to play a major role in making it happen. The Ann Arbor native tallied a team-best 90 tackles with 15 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, an interception and a forced fumble last season, and will be relied upon even more in his final year with several key pieces no longer in the fold.

Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern: The 6-foot-4, 315-pounder isn’t exactly a household name, but he’s arguably one of the top tackles in college football. In 2019, Slater shifted from right tackle to left tackle and excelled, particularly in pass protection. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed only five quarterback hurries and one quarterback hit in 355 pass-blocking snaps last year.

Ambry Thomas, CB, Michigan: After his first two years were spent contributing primarily on special teams, Thomas stepped up, earned a starting role on defense and delivered last season. He had 38 tackles, seven pass breakups and three interceptions. More impressively, he shined in the team's press-man scheme and allowed a 53.3 passer rating in coverage in that alignment, per Pro Football Focus. He'll highlight a promising secondary that also features Daxton Hill and Brad Hawkins.

Cole Van Lanen, OT, Wisconsin: Van Lanen didn't have the same type of success in 2019 as he did in 2018, when he graded out as the top-ranked offensive tackle. He had his blemishes in pass protection (allowed six hurries, five sacks and four quarterback hits), but he still effectively paved the way for Wisconsin's backs. While the Badgers hope he can get back to his 2018 form, his strength as a run-blocker will still be a key ingredient in their winning formula.