Brandon Peters is clearly QB1 heading into training camp for Bret Bielema’s Illinois football program. But where does the sixth-year senior stack up compared to the rest of his veteran Big Ten brethren? Sports Editor Matt Daniels sizes up five Big Ten quarterbacks who will look to improve their legacy this fall:
Sean Clifford, Penn State
With Will Levis now at Kentucky, the job is Clifford’s to lose. Which he did briefly in 2020 to Levis, only to get it back once Levis struggled. The Nittany Lions’ passionate fan base will want the 22-year-old Cincinnati native and his 4,732 career passing yards to look more like he did early on in his career when he led Penn State to an 8-0 start in 2019 than he did early on last season when the Nittany Lions lost their first five games.
Adrian Martinez, Nebraska
Hard to believe 20 years have passed since Eric Crouch won the last Heisman Trophy for the Cornhuskers. Martinez was supposed to possibly end that streak, but his inconsistencies throwing the ball have hindered his progress. Still, his playmaking skills are tantalizing (his 7,404 yards of total offense is fourth in school history), and it’s his job to lose with Luke McCaffrey transferring to Louisville. But one of the biggest complaints when Martinez is under center: He doesn’t win. Nebraska is only 10-19 in games he’s started.
Tanner Morgan, Minnesota
Morgan enters 2021 with an 18-8 mark as the Gophers’ starting quarterback and will leave as one of the program’s most accomplished passers. His 6,028 career passing yards are already sixth in school history, and he is only 1,419 yards away from taking over the No. 2 spot. He had arguably the best season in Minnesota history in 2019 with 30 touchdowns and 66 percent accuracy, both top single-season marks. But he will need to improve after only completing 58 percent of his passes last season and throwing almost as many interceptions (five) as he did in all of 2019 (seven) while attempting 135 fewer passes. A big reason why Minnesota only went 3-4 last year.
Michael Penix Jr., Indiana
The 6-foot-3, 218-pound left-hander has showed off his potential. Just not for a full season. A second-team All-Big Ten pick last season, Penix has had each of his first three seasons with the Hoosiers end because of injuries. Two knee injuries in 2020 and 2018 and a shoulder injury in 2019 mean Penix has hardly played meaningful football after Halloween. Still, he’s 10-2 as Indiana’s starting quarterback, has thrown for 3,258 career yards to go along with 25 touchdowns and just eight interceptions. Tom Allen just needs him to stay healthy for all of 2021 if the Hoosiers want to contend in the Big Ten East this fall.
Brandon Peters, Illinois
Glass half-full outlook: Peters is the first Illinois quarterback to lead the Illini on a four-game Big Ten winning streak since Kurt Kittner did in 2001.
Glass-half empty outlook: Despite that impressive stat, Illinois is only 7-9 when he starts under center.
The epic month-long run Illinois had in the middle of the 2019 season doesn’t happen without Peters. The 23-year-old will end up playing as many seasons at Illinois (three) as he did at Michigan. Yet, Peters hasn’t gone through an entire season healthy and has been taken out of games as a result of poor play and inaccurate throws. A steady, consistent season is what Bret Bielema is hoping for from the native of Avon, Ind., who had a superb spring to quiet any questions of a quarterback competition heading into his final season.
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