ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

Ranking the Big Ten's top 30 players ...

No. 4

Evan Royster, RB, Penn State, Jr., 6-1, 209

Royster

Why he's here -- Stephfon Green garnered most of the preseason buzz at Penn State last summer, but Royster quickly established himself as the team's top back and one of the best in the Big Ten. Despite a limited number of carries, Royster finished the season fourth in the league in rushing average (95.1 ypg) with a terrific yards-per-carry average (6.5) and 12 touchdowns. He enters 2009 as the Big Ten's top returning rusher (1,236 yards last fall).

A smart and extremely patient runner, Royster consistently gashed defenses for 8- to 12-yard gains and eclipsed 100 rushing yards in five of his first eight games. He didn't lose yardage in seven contests and lost more than 3 yards only once all season -- at Iowa. Though 2008 marked Royster's first season as the starter, it certainly didn't look that way.

The big question surrounding Royster is number of carries. He wants more of them, and he'll probably need more to truly be considered an elite running back. Royster averaged just 14.7 carries a game in 2008 and got the ball more than 20 times just once, in the loss to Iowa. Penn State likely will continue to spread the ball around with Green and Brandon Beachum also in the fold, but if Royster gets more touches, he'll most likely contend for national awards.

The Rundown

• No. 4 -- Evan Royster, RB, Penn State
  
• No. 5 -- Bryan Bulaga, LT, Iowa
  
• No. 6 -- Navorro Bowman, LB, Penn State
  
• No. 7 -- Sean Lee, LB, Penn State
  
• No. 8 -- Terrelle Pryor, QB, Ohio State
• No. 9 -- Corey Wootton, DE, Northwestern
  
• No. 10 -- Brandon Graham, DE, Michigan
  
• No. 11 -- Greg Jones, LB, Michigan State
  
• No. 12 -- Jared Odrick, DT, Penn State
  
• No. 13 -- Kurt Coleman, S, Ohio State
  
• No. 14 -- Juice Williams, QB, Illinois
  
• No. 15 -- Amari Spievey, CB, Iowa
  
• No. 16 -- John Clay, RB, Wisconsin
  
• No. 17 -- Garrett Graham, TE, Wisconsin
• No. 18 -- Adam Weber, QB, Minnesota
  
• No. 19 -- Jammie Kirlew, DE, Indiana
  
• No. 20 -- Pat Angerer, LB, Iowa
• No. 21 -- Brad Phillips, S, Northwestern
• No. 22 -- Brandon Minor, RB, Michigan
  
• No. 23 -- Ricky Stanzi, QB, Iowa
  
• No. 24 -- Ryan Kerrigan, DE, Purdue
  
• No. 25 -- Traye Simmons, CB, Minnesota
  
• No. 26 -- Thaddeus Gibson, DE, Ohio State
  
• No. 27 -- Stefen Wisniewski, C, Penn State
  
• No. 28 -- Matt Mayberry, LB, Indiana
• No. 29 -- Martez Wilson, LB, Illinois
  
• No. 30 -- Trevor Anderson, DE, Michigan State