How did Phil Steele rank Penn State's position groups in the Big 10?
Recently, Phil Steele released his yearly preview magazine, which includes the top 65 position groups in the country. In case you didn't buy the magazine, the In the Big House Podcast posted the Big Ten's representatives for each position group inside those top 65 nationally. Here's where the Nittany Lions ranked in each position group, including dominating the rankings on one side of the ball.
Below, you'll find the position groups and their ranking both in the Big Ten / Nationally. We offer up our thoughts on where Phil ranked the Nittany Lions inside each position group. Overall, we mostly agreed with Phil, but there is a position group or two's rankings that we did disagree with.
Let's dive in.
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QUARTERBACK: 7 / 54
What Phil says: Phil likes Penn State's quarterback room enough to rank them within the top 65 in the country, coming in at No. 54 nationally but doesn't like the upside of Drew Allar compared to the older quarterbacks in the conference; it appears.
Our thoughts: He has Maryland having the best quarterback room in the Big Ten, which is a bold choice, followed by Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Iowa, Nebraska, and then the Nittany Lions. I get valuing experience, and Phil is one of the best in the business, but I'm not sure how the two quarterbacks with arguably the highest ceilings in the conference (Allar and Ohio State's Kyle McCord) are leading the fourth and seventh-best rooms in the Big Ten.
Running Back: 3 / 3
What Phil says: Phil has the Nittany Lions with the third-best running back room in the Big Ten behind Michigan and Ohio State. All three are top three in the country. Wisconsin is also in the top five, at No. 5.
Our thoughts: This is probably a pretty fair assessment. I think you could rank any of those three schools as the best-running backroom not only in the Big Ten but the country.
Wide Receiver: 4 / 54
What Phil says: Phil has Penn State as the fourth-best wide receiver room in the conference and 34th-best in the country. He has Ohio State, Maryland, and Minnesota all ahead of the Nittany Lions. Notably, Michigan is ranked sixth in the conference and 39th nationally.
Our thoughts: This is probably a little higher than I would've had Penn State's wide receiver room, but the Big Ten as a whole has good but not great wide receiver rooms outside of Ohio State. If also considering tight ends, then the Nittany Lions probably should be above Minnesota and potentially Maryland, in our opinion.
Offensive Line: 3 / 14
What Phil says: Phil has the Nittany Lions only behind Michigan and Ohio State in the Big Ten, which is a testament to how far this offensive line has come over time. The Nittany Lions are also ranked 14th in the country.
Our thoughts: We agree with Phil on this one, the Nittany Lions should firmly have the third-best offensive line in the Big Ten this season and their No. 14 rank nationally sounds about right.
Defensive Line: 1 / 3
What Phil says: This is where Phil loves the Nittany Lions; they dominate the defensive rankings. Phil likes the Nittany Lions' defensive line as the third-best group in the country and the best in the Big Ten. Ohio State, Iowa, and Michigan all follow the Nittany Lions at 2/4, 3/5, and 4/6, respectively.
Our thoughts: We've been saying all offseason Penn State has the best defensive line group in the Big Ten and possibly the country; glad to see Phil agrees.
Linebackers: 1 / 4
What Phil says: Phil has the linebackers ranked tops in the conference and fourth in the country. Michigan (2/5), Wisconsin (3/6), and Ohio State (4/8) are all ranked top 10 nationally as well.
Our thoughts: I could've seen Penn State anywhere between No.1 and No.3 in the conference when it comes to linebackers, but having Abdul Carter leading the charge surely helps their argument for being top in the conference and top-5 in the country.
Defensive Backs: 1 / 1
What Phil says: You read that right... 1 / 1. Phil Steele has the Nittany Lions' defensive backs room as the BEST in the country. A high honor for the Nittany Lions and one that really drives home the work the Nittany Lions have been able to do on the recruiting trail and in player development with Terry Smith and Anthony Poindexter.
Our thoughts: Phil nailed this one right on the head. Again, we've been saying this defensive back room, despite the losses of both Joey Porter Jr and Ji'Ayir Brown, was elite and arguably still amongst the best nationally.
Special Teams: 3 / 28
What Phil says: Phil has the Nittany Lions ranked behind Iowa and Wisconsin in the Big Ten. Notably, Michigan and Ohio State are ranked fourth and eighth in the conference as well as 32 and 66 nationally.
Our thoughts: Replacing starting punter Barney Amor will be tough, but the Nittany Lions return a good amount of production on special teams as well and have multiple return men who could do damage this fall.
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