Big Ten Football Preview '07: Filling Big Shoes - FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

Some teams lose a ton of talent practically every year. USC is the poster child these days, and Miami has been in the not-too-distant past.

Other teams seem to get lucky all the time, returning key players and having the chance to build a special team around one or two stars.

For the 2007 season, we could have built a special "Biggest Shoes to Fill" category especially for Ohio State. The Buckeyes are missing key players like Troy Smith, Antonio Pittman, Ted Ginn, Anthony Gonzalez, Doug Datish, Quinn Pitcock, Antonio Smith, and Jay Richardson.

Instead, we attempted to integrate only the biggest of the big losses at tOSU. After all, they weren't the only Big Ten team to lose a key face or two from 2006. They're just the most notable.

Any list of "Biggest Shoes to Fill" has to start with the guy who won the Heisman Trophy, especially when the vote was as lopsided as it was for Troy Smith last year. Smith has moved on to the NFL, and his replacement tops our list of the biggest shoes to fill in the Big Ten.

1. Todd Boeckman, QB, Ohio State (Troy Smith)

This is too easy. The Buckeyes' offense was superb for the first 12 games last season, and Smith's leadership, maturity, and improved throwing skills were the biggest reason for it. Smith hit over 65 percent of his throws, tossed 30 touchdowns to just six picks, and avoided throwing any interceptions in eight of his team's first nine games. He was the lopsided Heisman winner, and he's gone. In his place comes Boeckman. Who? Boeckman threw just three passes last year while serving as the third quarterback, but he's actually got some athleticism to him. He posted a better 40 time than Smith did in 2006 workouts. He's big, too (6'5"). Coach Jim Tressel will rely on Boeckman to make solid decisions as he eases into the starting job. Boeckman should be just fine, as tOSU returns stud running back Chris Wells to carry the offense in early-season lay-ups against Youngstown State and Akron. It's not set in stone that Boeckman will start the opener, as he could get a late push in fall camp from sophomore Rob Schoenhoft. But Boeckman started and finished the spring as the listed starter, and it would probably take a surprise performance from Schoenhoft to take the job.

2. Tyler Donovan/Allan Evridge, QB, Wisconsin (John Stocco)

He may have flown under the radar for the most part, but there's no doubt that Stocco was a big piece of the puzzle in Madison. Stocco started for three years. He struggled a bit in 2004, but put up some great numbers in 2005, setting a school record with 2,920 yards passing. His numbers tailed back a bit in 2006, but that was largely due to an inexperienced group of receivers and a shoulder problem that forced him to miss two games. Stocco still topped 2,000 yards and threw 17 touchdowns to just six interceptions. His record as a starter was an impressive 29-7 at Wisconsin. The perception is that Wisconsin is carried by the running game, but that's no longer entirely true. Last year, Wisconsin won games against Western Illinois, Illinois, Iowa, Buffalo, and Arkansas in which the running game averaged less than 3.5 yards per attempt. In each of those games, the passing game topped 200 yards. In the Iowa and Buffalo games, it was Tyler Donovan doing that throwing. Donovan filled in for an injured Stocco and was solid in both starts, completing 33 of 50 passes for 536 yards and four touchdowns. The senior had looked shaky in previous opportunities to play, but really stepped it up when the Badgers needed him to. That, along with a solid spring, has Donovan in position to be the starter this fall. He will have to hold off a final challenge from junior transfer Allan Evridge, who moves in from Kansas State. Evridge lost his starting job to youngster Josh Freeman last year, and decided to move on. He worked on the scout team in Madison last year during his transfer year. Stocco's leadership and moxie will be tough to replace, but with all the other returning talent, the Badgers are in for a big year if they can get positive play out of the quarterback position.

3. John Thompson, LB, Michigan (David Harris)

On a team that should be a heavy favorite among media and coaches to win the Big Ten title, it's important that a couple important holes be filled effectively. While he wasn't as flashy as Leon Hall or Shawn Crable or Prescott Burgess, and maybe not as well-known among non-Michigan fans, David Harris may have been the key player on the Wolverines' defense last year. Not only does he look a bit like Worf, but his totals of 103 tackles and 12 tackles for loss led the team by a country mile, and his second-team All-America status was well-deserved. He was a master at reading and reacting to screen passes, rendering the play a virtual non-factor against the Wolverines most of the time. Sure, Hall, LaMarr Woodley, Burgess, and mammoth tackle Alan Branch have moved on, but Harris' absence is huge. How they replace him in the lineup will go a long way toward determining if Michigan can field a defense good enough to avoid screwing up a potential BCS berth. For now at least, the starting middle linebacker is the junior Thompson. He's been patiently waiting for his shot, and it appears he'll get it. Behind him on the depth chart entering fall camp are JUCO Austin Panter and redshirt freshman Obi Ezeh. (Yes, Michigan has a JUCO. It doesn't happen often. In fact, Panter is the first JUCO signing at Michigan since 1997, according to Phil Steele, who tends to know about such things.)

4. Austin Scott, RB, Penn State (Tony Hunt)

Surely, you've noticed that our own Brian Cook enjoys poking fun at Anthony Morelli on occasion. There's good reason for that, as Morelli has yet to show us the ability to be a consistently effective quarterback. While I haven't jumped in on the fun, I don't disagree with the idea that Morelli needs to do a lot of improving if Penn State is to be a Big Ten contender. As the passing game struggled through much of last season, I grew to appreciate more and more the contributions of Hunt to the offense. Hunt was never flashy, but he brought toughness, vision, and a non-stop motor to the position. Hunt posted eight 100-yard games last year, including a 158-yard effort on 31 carries in the Outback Bowl win over Tennessee. His season totals of 1,386 yards and eleven scores came despite the rather green offensive line in front of him, and the usually ineffective quarterback who was handing him the ball. Hunt moves on to the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles. Enter Scott, a senior who redshirted last year with an ankle injury (in this case, the "ankle injury" was a cover for Hunt winning the job and Scott not being needed). Despite the loss of left tackle Levi Brown to the NFL, the line should be pretty solid. Oh, and one can't help but think Morelli will be better. Combine those factors, and Scott is in a position to put up some good numbers in Hunt's place. He has to prove he can stay healthy, however, and that's been a problem for him at Penn State.

5. Jake Christensen, QB, Iowa (Drew Tate)

Arguments could be made that Tate was one of more overrated players in the Big Ten last year. His numbers simply weren't very impressive, and that 1-5 finish to his senior season probably wasn't a good way for him to go out. Expectations were certainly not met a year ago, as Iowa finished a disappointing 6-7. They lost home games to Ohio State, Northwestern, and Wisconsin as a promising 4-0 start went in the tank quickly. That said, you can't deny that Tate made an impact at Iowa. His 8,292 career yards rank second to current San Diego State coach Chuck Long on Iowa's all-time passing list. He threw 61 touchdowns in three years as a starter. He did provide good leadership under center, especially during the 2004 season, when Iowa was decimated by injuries at running back and averaged just 73 rushing yards per game. Tate departs, and in his place comes the sophomore Christensen. He threw just 35 passes last year, but he did learn a lot working as Tate's primary backup. He's bigger than Tate, and he has good arm strength. Christensen shouldn't have too much trouble holding off the challenges of freshmen Arvell Nelson and Richard Stanzi in fall camp, but it still remains to be seen if Christensen can post anything close to Tate's numbers, especially while working behind an offensive line that loses three starters from 2006.

Honorable Mention

Donovan Warren, CB, Michigan (Leon Hall) Will Johnson, DT, Michigan (Alan Branch) Brian Hartline and Brian Robiskie, WR, Ohio State (Ted Ginn and Anthony Gonzalez) Alex Magee, DE, Purdue (Anthony Spencer) Shane Carter, FS, Wisconsin (Roderick Rogers)