Is this the year the Michigan Wolverines compete for a national title? They will be one of the better teams in the Big Ten. While they don’t have the big-time names of their rivals like Ohio State and Penn State, the Wolverines’ best player is probably senior defensive tackle Maurice Hurst Jr.
His father played defensive back for the New England Patriots in the 1990s. Hurst could have gone pro last season and might have been a top-50. Now that he’s back in Ann Arbor for another season, look out, Big Ten. Hurst is coming for you.
While head coach Jim Harbaugh is an offensive-minded coach being a former Pro Bowl quarterback and all, he has done a better job of recruiting on the defensive side of the ball. Though Hurst may have arrived on campus before Harbaugh arrived, he will have the talent around him to really go off on the field in his senior season with the Wolverines.
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The SEC had been the best conference in college football for much of the last decade for having superior defensive line play over the other Power 5 conferences. However, the Big Ten has upped its arsenal in the coaching department, thanks in large part to Harbaugh’s arrival in 2015. Harbaugh has proven at all levels he can get the most out of good talent and transform it into great players.