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We’re taking a look at the most exciting player on each of the league’s teams, a guy who is either so talented or productive (or both) that it’s hard to take your eyes off of him during a game. Up next: Northwestern Most exciting player: RB Justin Jackson  You probably already know that Ohio State's Ezekiel Elliott -- the Heisman favorite this season -- is the Big Ten's leading returning rusher. But did you know that Jackson, not Wisconsin's Corey Clement, is right behind him?
How about the fact that only one Northwestern freshman, Tyrell Sutton (2005), ever rushed for more than Jackson's 1,187 yards last season? Or that Jackson averaged 4.5 yards after he basically hit the second level -- more than a yard farther than teammates Warren Long and Solomon Vault? Or that only three other Power 5 freshmen averaged more than his 98.9 yards per game during the regular season? In other words, Jackson may not be the biggest name in the Big Ten, but he's definitely not a running back to sleep on. And he's an easy choice as the Wildcats' most exciting player. "The only guy consistently making people miss is Justin Jackson," coach Pat Fitzgerald said last season. "He turns nickels into dimes and dimes into quarters." Jackson needed about a month to find his footing as a freshman. But, from Week 6 on, he was nearly unstoppable. He rushed for at least 96 yards in seven of eight games and, in his final three contests, he averaged six yards a carry. With a new starting quarterback, Jackson should be given even more opportunities this season as a sophomore. He's definitely a player to watch.
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