Players To Watch in 2015

    The Big 10's very own Ohio State has claimed the National Title, and finished strongly in a 2014 Bowl Season, not including the National Title, but also Michigan State's come from behind win over Baylor, Wisconsin beating out Auburn in overtime, and don't forget Nebraska and USC's close call.

    So, here are a few players to keep your eyes on in 2015.
    Penn State's Christian Hackenberg, QB, Jr.

    While Hackenberg suffered from a sophomore slump in 2014, struggling with the loss of his number one target Allen Robinson, and going from a TD-INT ratio of 20-10 to 12-15, a lot of people have written Hackenberg off. However, I'm not going to ignore the fact that he completed more passes then any other QB in the Big 10 did in 2014. I think Hackenberg has too much talent to not have a breakout season in 2015.

    Yes, he struggled with accuracy and decision making, but that's typical when a QB who struggled his freshman year looses his best WR. I think he has so much upside and potential he'll break out in 2015 and lead Penn State to a 10 win season.

    Ohio State's Ezekiel Elliot, RB, Jr.

    At 6-0 and 225 pounds, Ezekiel Elliot is the top returning rusher in the Big 10, and possibly the nation. Elliot showed up big when paired with Cardale Jones, the Buckeye 3rd string sophomore QB, rushing for 220 yards or more in each of Jones' 3 starts. He ran for 1872 yards during the season and 18 TD's, 8 of those in the last 3 games. His hands showed up too, catching 7 balls against Indiana and 5 against Cincinnati.

    While he's not as big as some backs in the nation, e.g. Oklahoma's Perine, etc, Elliot runs with speed and power combined very well for his size. He's got some quick moves too, his footwork is amazing, and he's going to be the man everyone will watch. We'll see how the team works with Elliot next season while using him more and allowing him to showcase his broad skill set.

    Nebraska's Demornay Pierson-El, WR, So.

    17.5 yards per punt return. 3 Punt Return TD's. 596 Punt Return Yards. Try 1074 total all purpose yards. That's the stats of Pierson-El's 2014 Freshman campaign. 596 PR yards was a national high, along with his 3 TD's. Add his 23 catches for 321 yards and 4 TD's into the mix. He ended his season well, catching 8 balls for 102 yards and a score in the Bowl loss to USC.

    Demornay has some incredible athletic ability. He's amazingly fast, he jumps and will get the jump ball almost every time, and he will use his pure speed to get yards after the catch. I can see him trying to add some moves into the lineup over the next couple of years, but even without them his speed makes him a dynamic and explosive player on the field. Watch this man make yet another run at the Ty Montgomery Award in 2015.