Big Ten football teams ranked by returning defensive production

Phil Harrison

February 24, 2022 at 1:22 PM·5 min read

We’re still months away from the start of Ohio State and the rest of college football breaking the seal on another fantastic year, but if you follow us, you know by now that we like to talk about football any day we can throw a dart on a calendar. In fact, we’re always projecting ahead and we’re not the only ones for a football-crazed nation.

One of the things that often determine which teams have a shot at some really special things is the experience and returning production on a team. At a place like Ohio State, there’s always young talent to be next to come off the football assembly line, but returning talent and experience matters. Last season for instance, the Buckeyes were one of the youngest teams in the country, and while there still could have been a Big Ten title and College Football Playoff appearance with a break here or there, it didn’t happen.

Now, fast forward to next year, and the same Ohio State team returns a bit more. There is always some turnover, but the Buckeyes will be more experienced in key spots than they were last year. But how does OSU stack up with the rest of the Big Ten? Which teams have the most returning production?

We’ve already focused on the offensive side of the ball, and now we’re going to look at the defensive side to rank each Big Ten football team based on returning production thanks to the folks at ESPN (subscription required).

And just for understanding, this is all derived from a formulaic equation that resident ESPN analytics expert Bill Connelly has devised that takes into account returning production from total tackles and snaps across defensive position groups.

Let’s get after it.

Michigan Wolverines

Ohio State vs. Michigan did massive numbers for Fox | Buckeyes Wire

Michigan Wolverines defensive end Aidan Hutchinson (97), linebacker Michael Barrett (23) and defensive back Vincent Gray (4) celebrate behind Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) during the fourth quarter of the NCAA football game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021. Credit: USA TODAY Sports Network

Total Defense Returning Production for 2022

43% (No. 124 nationally)

Illinois Fighting Illini

Sep 4, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema enters the field with his team before the start of Saturday’s game with the UTSA Roadrunners at Memorial Stadium. Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Total Defense Returning Production for 2022

51% (No. 114 nationally)

Penn State Nittany Lions

Ohio State Football 2020 schedule: Ranking the games by difficulty

Dec 28, 2019; Arlington, Texas, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin celebrates with wide receiver Jahan Dotson (5) and quarterback Sean Clifford (14) after a touchdown during the second quarter against the Memphis Tigers at AT&T Stadium. Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Total Defense Returning Production for 2022

57% (No. 103 nationally)

Nebraska Cornhuskers

Scott Frost "grateful" for Ohio State's efforts in B1G football season

Sep 28, 2019; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Scott Frost heads onto the field prior to the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Memorial Stadium. Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports

Total Defense Returning Production for 2022

57% (No. 101 nationally)

Minnesota Golden Gophers

Nov 30, 2019; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck leads the Minnesota Golden Gophers onto the field before a game against the Wisconsin Badgers at TCF Bank Stadium. Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Total Defense Returning Production for 2022

59% (No. 97 nationally)

Wisconsin Badgers

Wisconsin’s Jack Sanborn (57) and Wisconsin’s Noah Burks (41) bring down Indiana’s David Ellis (10) on Saturday, December 5, 2020, at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis. Indiana won the game, 14-6. Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

Total Defense Returning Production for 2022

58% (No. 94 nationally)

Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Rutgers Wire: What Scarlet Knights fans think of Ohio State matchup

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Chris Olave (2) shakes off a tackle by Rutgers Scarlet Knights linebacker Deion Jennings (17) during the first quarter of the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020. Credit: USA TODAY Sports Network

Total Defense Returning Production for 2022

61% (No. 90 nationally)

Maryland Terrapins

Oct 1, 2021; College Park, Maryland, USA; Maryland Terrapins head coach Michael Locksley looks on during the second half of the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium. Credit: Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports

Total Defense Returning Production for 2022

61% (No. 86 nationally)

Indiana Hoosiers

Indiana reiterates stance on Ohio State going to B1G Championship Game

Indiana coach Tom Allen talks to Indiana players before running onto the field against Michigan State at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Saturday, Nov. 14, 2020. Credit: USA TODAY Sports Network

Total Defense Returning Production for 2022

64% (No. 78 nationally)

Northwestern Wildcats

Sep 25, 2021; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Northwestern Wildcats head coach Pat Fitzgerald on the sideline during the first half against the Ohio Bobcats at Ryan Field. Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Total Defense Returning Production for 2022

65% (No. 74 nationally)

Iowa Hawkeyes

Big Ten football Week 7 television schedule, key facts | Buckeyes Wire

Iowa freshman wide receiver Keagan Johnson (No. 6, left) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown in the second quarter against Colorado State at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa, on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021. Credit: USA TODAY Sports Network

Total Defense Returning Production for 2022

67% (No. 66 nationally)

Purdue Boilermakers

Purdue's Jeff Brohm on Ohio State: 'We were lucky to hold 'em to 59'

Purdue Boilermakers head coach Jeff Brohm talks to players on the sideline during the fourth quarter of the NCAA football game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021. Credit: USA TODAY Sports Network

Total Defense Returning Production for 2022

72% (No. 41 nationally)

Michigan State Spartans

WATCH: What Michigan State's Mel Tucker said about Ohio State pregame

Dec 5, 2020; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Mel Tucker during the first quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Spartan Stadium. Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

Total Defense Returning Production for 2022

79% (No. 23 nationally)

Ohio State Buckeyes

WATCH: Ohio State football drops sensational Rose Bowl trailer

Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end Zach Harrison (9) celebrates a sack by linebacker Palaie Gaoteote IV (21) during the third quarter of the NCAA football game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Sunday, Oct. 31, 2021. Credit: USA TODAY Sports Network

Total Defense Returning Production for 2022

82% (No. 13 nationally)

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on Twitter.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

[listicle id=87077]

Politico
New York’s abortion rights amendment thrown off ballot, for now
Democrats plan to appeal with the assumption that Democratic-dominated higher courts will eventually let the ERA stay on the November ballot.
AFP
China suspected in cyberattack on UK defence ministry
The British government said Tuesday it could not rule out state involvement in a mass cyberattack on the personal details of armed forces personnel that some lawmakers blamed on Beijing."We do have indications that this was the suspected work of a malign actor and we cannot rule out state involvement," Defence Secretary Grant Shapps told parliament.
AFP
Disney reports small loss but sees improvement in streaming
Disney reported higher revenues Tuesday on a strong performance by its theme parks division and an improving streaming business, but a write-down in the company's India business resulted in a small loss.The entertainment giant cited Walt Disney World Resort, Hong Kong Disneyland and the company's cruise division as areas of strength in parks and experiences, but saw lower results at Disneyland Resorts.
Reuters
Brazil floods death toll rises to 90, dozens still stranded
Rescuers rushed to evacuate people stranded by devastating floods across the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul on Tuesday, with 90 reported dead and desperate survivors seeking food and basic supplies. On the outskirts of Eldorado do Sul, 17 kilometers (10.5 miles) from the state capital of Porto Alegre, many people who left their homes were sleeping on the roadside and told Reuters they were going hungry. The state's Civil Defense agency said the death toll has risen to 90 with another four deaths being investigated, while 131 people are still unaccounted for and 155,000 are homeless.
Time
Biden Condemns 'Ferocious' Surge in Antisemitism in Speech
"There is no place on any campus in America or any place in America for antisemitism or hate speech, or threats of violence of any kind.”
Reuters
Patients and medics flee major Rafah hospital
Fearful medics and patients are fleeing a hospital in Rafah and transfers of the sick and injured via a border crossing with Egypt are at a standstill due to Israel's military operation, doctors and residents said on Tuesday. The Abu Yousef al-Najjar Hospital is located in an area of southern Gaza the Israeli army has designated a combat zone in a conflict that has seen repeated Israeli attacks on hospitals, with only a third still operational. Israel justifies such attacks by saying that Hamas uses them for military purposes - a claim both hospital staff and Hamas deny.
AFP
Biden slams 'ferocious' rise in anti-Semitism amid Gaza protests
US President Joe Biden condemned a "ferocious surge" in anti-Semitism on Tuesday, in a Holocaust memorial speech that came at a fraught moment in Israel's war in Gaza and with protests roiling American universities."We've seen a ferocious surge of anti-Semitism in America and around the world," Biden said, including on US campuses roiled by protests against the war in Gaza.
Reuters
Robinhood set to report highest quarterly revenue since meme stock frenzy
Trading app Robinhood Markets is expected to report its highest quarterly revenue in nearly three years, helped by a steady rebound in equity markets and crypto trading. Robinhood, at the heart of the meme stock frenzy in 2021, is bouncing back from a slowdown in retail trading activity that followed the pandemic-led trading activity surge. The strong retail trading activity sent Robinhood's shares up 58% in the first three months of the year, the sharpest quarterly stock surge since its listing.
Time
Why Maternity Care Is Underpaid
Low compensation rates for labor and delivery have big implications for maternal and fetal outcomes in America.
Associated Press
TikTok sues US to block law that could ban the social media platform
TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance are suing the U.S. over a law that would ban the popular video-sharing app unless it’s sold to another company. The lawsuit filed on Tuesday may be setting up what could be a protracted legal fight over TikTok's future in the United States. The popular social video company alleged the law, which President Joe Biden signed as part of a larger $95 billion foreign aid package, is so “obviously unconstitutional” that the sponsors of The Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act are trying to portray the law not as a ban, but as a regulation of TikTok's ownership.
CNN
Biden says antisemitism has no place in America in somber speech connecting the Holocaust to Hamas’ attack on Israel
President Joe Biden on Tuesday issued a call to fight a swiftly rising tide of antisemitism, saying such hate has no place in America as he connected the horrors of the Holocaust to Hamas’ attack on October 7.
AFP
Rescuers search for survivors in deadly S.Africa building collapse
Rescue workers said on Tuesday they had made contact with 11 people under the rubble in a race to save dozens still unaccounted for after a building collapsed in the South African city of George killing at least six.Forty-seven people were still unaccounted for, including the 11 with whom contact had been established.
USA TODAY
Ohio lawmakers unveil plan to get Joe Biden on 2024 ballot after scheduling risk
Ohio House leaders unveiled a proposal on Tuesday that would change the certification deadline to 74 days before the Nov. 5 election.
Reuters
Trump seeks records about evidence handling in latest bid to delay documents case
Donald Trump demanded that federal prosecutors reveal details about how they handled boxes seized during a search of his Florida home in 2022 as he seeks to delay the case accusing him of illegally holding onto classified documents, according to a court filing made public on Tuesday. The new demands came after prosecutors working with Special Counsel Jack Smith acknowledged in a court filing on Friday that material in some of the boxes is not in the same order as it was when it was analyzed shortly after the August 2022 search. That admission was contrary to what prosecutors had previously told U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee who is overseeing the case.
Reuters
Investors wary of US cannabis ETFs despite recent rally
New proposed federal rules governing marijuana has so far failed to spark fresh buying interest in exchange traded funds (ETFs) tracking the shares of North American cannabis companies, despite strong performance this year. Marijuana ETFs and cannabis stocks shot higher last week after the U.S. Justice Department said it plans to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug. Big gainers included the Roundhill Cannabis ETF, AdvisorShares Pure Cannabis ETF and Amplify U.S. Alternative Harvest ETF, which are all sitting on year-to-date gains of 29.6% to 36.6%, putting them among the top ETF performers of 2024.
CNN
Map: Where university protesters have been arrested across the United States
CNN is tracking where arrests have been made in a wave of pro-Palestinian campus protests rippling across US universities.
CBS News
3 things we learned from Disney's latest earnings report
Disney CEO Bob Iger's focus on wringing profits from the entertainment giant's streaming business is bearing fruit.
AFP
Ferrari confirms 2024 guidance after first quarter boost
Italian luxury carmaker Ferrari on Tuesday posted a double digit rise in both profits and sales for the first quarter of 2024, and confirmed its full-year guidance.For the whole of 2024, the group continues to expect revenue growth of more than 7 percent to more than 6.4 billion euros and gross operating income, or EBITDA, to rise by a similar amount 2.45 billion euros.
CBS News
Drake's security guard injured in shooting at rapper's home, police say
The shooting comes amid a rap beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, but police said they could not speak to a motive at this stage of the investigation.
Politico
TikTok sues to challenge law forcing sale or ban
The filing claims the law violates First Amendment rights of TikTok and its users, and says the government hasn’t shown proof of national security risks.

Total Defense Returning Production for 2022

Total Defense Returning Production for 2022

Total Defense Returning Production for 2022

Total Defense Returning Production for 2022

Total Defense Returning Production for 2022

Total Defense Returning Production for 2022

Total Defense Returning Production for 2022

Total Defense Returning Production for 2022

Total Defense Returning Production for 2022

Total Defense Returning Production for 2022

Total Defense Returning Production for 2022

Total Defense Returning Production for 2022

Total Defense Returning Production for 2022

Total Defense Returning Production for 2022

Latest Stories