Big Ten Football: Ranking the top 5 tight ends for 2016
By Shea Raftus
Big Ten football requires its tight ends to block like glorified offensive tackles and make plays like receivers. These five are the best returning in 2016.
As we continue ranking the top five returning players in the Big Ten at each position, some positions like quarterback, running back, receiver, etc. will almost always get more attention because of how much they touch the ball.
Related Story: Big Ten: Top 5 Returning Quarterbacks
The tight end position often tends to be overlooked. But whether it be as a blocker on the edge or as a safety valve for a young quarterback, they’re absolutely vital to a team’s overall success. The latter especially holds true for three of the five guys on this list whose teams will be breaking in a new quarterback.
Let’s take a look at the conference’s five best returning tight ends, starting with an emerging junior in Madison.
Fumagalli finished the 2015 season with 313 yards on 28 receptions in his first full year as the starter at tight end for the Badgers. With both quarterback Joel Stave and leading wide receiver Alex Erickson departing, Fumagalli will surely see an uptick in targets next season.
The junior-to-be from Naperville, Illinois is a big target at 6’6 that should be a huge threat in the middle of the field and in the red zone. He’ll be a huge key in whether Wisconsin can reclaim the West in 2016.
Nebraska brings a ton of experience back on offense in 2016. In addition to quarterback Tommy Armstrong and wide receiver Jordan Westerkamp, the Cornhuskers also bring back one of the best tight ends in the conference in Carter.
Carter finished the 2015 season with 329 yards, good for fourth in the Big Ten among tight ends. Another thing to keep in mind: Armstrong goes to Carter in crisis. Two of Armstrong’s worst games of the season (Illinois and Iowa) were two of Carter’s best games, as he finished with a combined 139 yards on 7 receptions against the Illini and the Hawkeyes.
One of the biggest questions heading into last season for Minnesota was who was going to replace do-it-all tight end Maxx Williams. Lingen did a nice job stepping into Williams’ shoes with an excellent sophomore campaign. Lingen tallied 428 receiving yards, good for second in the conference among tight ends, to go along with 33 receptions and 3 touchdowns.
Quarterback Mitch Leidner returns for the Gophers, but K.J. Maye, his top receiving target from 2015, has exhausted his eligibility. Look for Lingen to be targeted early and often as the new go-to target in 2016 for the Gopher offense.
If anyone epitomizes the term “big red zone target”, it’s Price. The rising fifth-year senior used his 6’4 252-pound frame to the fullest last season as he finished tied for the Big Ten lead in touchdown receptions with 6.
The Spartans are replacing Connor Cook, one of the best QBs in the history of the Michigan State program, and Howard Richter Receiver of the Year Award winner Aaron Burbridge. That’s a recipe for more targets and more touchdowns for Price next season and a potential push for first team all-conference honors.
Was there ever any doubt? Not only is Butt clearly the best tight end in the Big Ten heading into 2016, but he’s also one of the best overall players and draft prospects for the 2017 draft. The senior-to-be from Pickerington, Ohio led the Big Ten in receiving yards by a tight end (654) and catches (51) by a wide margin.
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Michigan is breaking in a new quarterback for 2016, but the Wolverines will have one of the best tight ends in the country in addition to having two of the Big Ten’s best receivers. Expect Butt to not only grab first team all-conference honors next season but also make a strong push for a spot on the All-American team and to win the Mackey Award as the nation’s top tight end.