Ranking the Big Ten: Wide Receiver

After a 2020 season that allowed players to transfer with instant eligibility, sit out a season, and return for another, it's hard to keep track of who all will be playing this season in the Big Ten Conference. More importantly, who will be putting on the most impressive performances?

We continue our annual Ranking the Big Ten series today with the wide receivers, a group filled with dazzling talent.

Rankings: QB | RB |

In his first season as a starter for Ryan Day, Ohio State senior wide receiver Chris Olave led the Buckeyes in receiving yards with 729 yards on 50 receptions. He had the second-highest average yards per catch (14.6).

According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), the 2020 first-team All-Big Ten selection played his best game of the season against Clemson in the College Football Playoff. Olave's six receptions for 132 yards in that game earned him a season grade of 83.5 for offense and 84.8 for passing.

The senior was the highest-graded 2020 wide receiver in the Big Ten on PFF, with his teammate Garrett Wilson not too far behind. Olave had the third-best score with an 88.2 in the drop category. The top two in that category are Purdue's Rondale Moore and Rutger's Shameen Jones.

One category Olave needs to improve on is ball security, as he had the most fumbles of any receiver in the Big Ten (4).

With a new quarterback under center, redshirt freshman CJ Stroud, Olave won't have Justin Fields, the No. 11 overall NFL draft pick, to pass to him. But, if Stroud can create a solid connection with the 6-foot-1, 190-pound receiver, Olave will continue to be one of the most dominant receivers in the Big Ten.

Penn State senior wide receiver Jahan Dotson quickly became quarterback Sean Clifford's favorite target in 2020 after the departure of KJ Hamler to the Denver Broncos. With all eyes on him, Dotson made some incredible catches. Including a brilliant one-handed touchdown catch against Ohio State (pictured above).

The 2020 third-team All-Big Ten selection led Penn State in all receiving categories with 54 receptions, 884 receiving yards, 17 yards per catch, eight touchdowns, a season-long reception of 75 yards, and an average of 98.22 yards per game.

Dotson leads the Big Ten receivers in the fumble grade on PFF, meaning he was the least likely receiver to fumble the ball in 2020.

With a full 12 game season ahead of him, Dotson will continue to defy the laws of gravity and make even more incredible catches.

Purdue junior wide receiver David Bell absolutely dominated his freshman year.

He was the 2019 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and was named First-team Associated Press Freshman All-American. Bell had 1,035 receiving yards on 86 catches in 12 games that season.

In the shortened 2020 season, Bell had 625 receiving yards with 53 receptions in six games. In a normal season, the 2020 first-team All-Big Ten selection would have surpassed his 2019 achievements.

With Purdue wide receiver Rondale Moore off to the Arizona Cardinals, Bell is the most experienced receiver on Jeff Brohm's offense and will need to lead the group by his actions, words, and stat line.

The second Ohio State wide receiver in the top 5 wide receivers in the Big Ten is junior Garrett Wilson. The 2020 first-team All-Big Ten coaches selection made a massive improvement from his freshman year to last season.

He had 432 receiving yards on 30 receptions in 14 games in 2019, followed by 43 receptions for 723 yards during just eight games in 2020. On PFF, his offense grade went from 72.7 in 2019 to 81 in 2020. His pass grade also jumped from 73.4 to 82.9.

As one of the top two receivers for the Buckeyes, Wilson will have plenty of chances to continue to improve and rack up even more receptions during his first full season of being a top target.

Indiana wide receiver Ty Fryfogle is the reigning Big Ten Wide Receiver of the Year and is not looking to slow down one bit. Fryfogle recorded 721 receiving yards on 37 catches for an average of 19.5 yards per reception.

Fryfogle is one of the biggest deep ball threats in the Big Ten, as he's the top-targeted receiver in the Big Ten on plays 20 yards or more.

Of his 21 targets, he's caught 30.4 percent of them. He scored an 80.9 drop grade drop on PFF, meaning he is that unlikely to drop a deep pass.

After he catches the ball, look out because Fryfogle has by far the most yards after a deep pass (118) in the Big Ten. The second closest is Rutger's Bo Melton, who had 81 yards after catching the ball.

In his fourth year at Indiana, Fryfogle's offense grade on PFF jumped from 65.3 in 2019 to 72.2 in 2020. His PFF pass grade went from 67 to 80, a jump of 13 points. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound receiver had his best year yet and is expected to improve more and go for a second Big Ten Wide Receiver of the Year award.