In Wednesday’s edition of our B1G Picture series, each Big Ten
Rivals site highlighted the players or positions that may be hardest to replace in 2021, with departing stars leaving behind a void that could be tough to fill.
Today though, we shift our focus to the stars of tomorrow.
Which Big Ten players that flew under the radar in years past –– or may not have arrived on campus yet –– could be on the precipice of breakout stardom in 2021?
That’s the question we assigned to Rivals contributors at each Big Ten site for today’s piece, as our insiders and analysts give you the bead on which players on each team in the conference could be on the fast-track for a quick rise in notoriety this season.
Dan Futterman is showrunner of Showtime’s “American Rust,” now filming in and around Pittsburgh.
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Dan Futterman, writer, executive producer and showrunner on Showtime’s “American Rust,” currently filming around the region, first came to appreciate Western Pennsylvania when he shot a small role in the locally-filmed 1992 movie comedy “Passed Away.”
“It’s not a great movie but I had a lot of time on my hands and I got to explore a bit and it’s an incredible city and surrounding area,” Futterman said by phone Tuesday while at the “American Rust” production office at 31st Street Studios in the Strip. “I drove down South along the Monongahela River and the drama of the drop-off to the water in some places and the bridges and the rolling hills, it’s just really gorgeous.”
Jim Harbaugh likes what he saw from Michigan’s defense in spring. Will that be enough?
Updated 8:35 AM;
Today 8:35 AM
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh stands next to former defensive coordinator Don Brown, who he dismissed from the job in January. Baltimore Ravens assistant Mike Macdonald was hired to replace him. Joe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.com
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Jim Harbaugh surprised some folks this offseason when he dismissed Don Brown, the architect of Michigan’s vaunted, yet sometimes too stubborn pressure defense.
The Wolverines’ head coach leaned on his brother, NFL head coach John Harbaugh, for help and landed a Baltimore Ravens assistant. And while Mike Macdonald entered the college ranks with virtually no experience coordinating a defense, the transition to a different style of play has started.
Wolverine recruiting report: The battle for 2022 cornerback Myles Pollard
Today 8:02 AM
He is one of the Wolverines’ top targets this cycle.
RANKING: No. 37 cornerback, No. 16 overall prospect in Tennessee and No. 418 in the country, per 247Sports’ Composite rankings
SIZE: 6-foot-2, 185 pounds
THE BATTLE: Pollard might be a three-star prospect, but he’s still one of the most coveted players in the class, reportedly holding 39 offers. He narrowed his list down to six schools in February: Michigan, Tennessee, Kentucky, Washington, Virginia Tech and Oklahoma. However, he was offered by Auburn in March and is still strongly considering the Tigers.
WHAT ARE MICHIGAN’S CHANCES? Pollard took a self-guided tour to Michigan last month and Ann Arbor is scheduled to be his first official visit June 11-13th. He also is scheduled to take officials to Oklahoma and Auburn later that month, but getting Pollard on campus for a second time should bode well for the Wolverines.