It's almost here. This week marks the beginning of the end of Big Ten football's offseason. Next week brings the conference's annual media days in Chicago, and with it, the unofficial start to a fresh year of football.
To celebrate, we're taking a look back at the past seven months and handing out superlatives to some of the people that performed the best and events that entertained us the most during the offseason.
Today we're taking a look at the collegiate equivalent of the professional leagues' offseason free agency moves -- transfers who can play right away. Which new players have the best chance to be valuable contributors to their team's roster in 2015?
Indiana RB Jordan Howard
The Hoosiers lost their top offensive weapon when running back Tevin Coleman declared for the NFL Draft after his junior season last December. Less than a week later, Indiana signed the player they hope will fill the sizable gap left by their former rushing leader.
Coleman did yeoman's work for Indiana's offense after quarterback Nate Sudfeld's injury. He ran for 2,036 yards and 15 touchdowns, second nationally only to Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon. Howard finished five spots behind his predecessor in the national yardage rankings during his sophomore year at UAB. He totaled 1,587 yards for a Blazers team that decided (temporarily) to ends its football program at the end of the season. Because UAB won't have a team this season, Howard is able to play right away at Indiana.
Michigan QB Jake Rudock
A rare in-conference transfer brought the former Iowa starter to Michigan this summer. Rudock became a Wolverine after the team finished its first spring practice under new coach Jim Harbaugh. The quarterback position was one of the biggest question marks for Michigan during Harbaugh's first few months, and Rudock's two years of starting experience with the Hawkeyes make him a frontrunner to win the job this fall.
Junior Shane Morris is Rudock's top competition, and he made noticeable strides during spring practice after a few shaky performances in 2014. Rudock, though, appears to be a better fit for what Michigan wants out of its quarterback during the first season of installing an offense -- a reliable passer who manages the game without giving the ball away. Michigan gets a veteran who can help it bridge the gap while getting settled under the new coaching staff. Rudock gets a last chance to prove himself as a starter and spend a year learning under a former All-Pro quarterback who has had a knack for getting the most out of his players at that position.
Penn State OT Paris Palmer
The Nittany Lions desperately needed some help along the offensive line after last season's offensive meltdown. Adding the 6-foot-7, 280-pound Palmer should be a step in the right direction.
Palmer decided to join Penn State in December after spending two seasons at Lackawanna College in nearby Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he earned a reputation as one of the top junior college offensive linemen in the country. He stepped into an open competition at left tackle, and is expected to be at the top of the depth chart to start the 2015 season. Penn State would like him to add another 20 to 30 pounds to fully fill out his large frame. Even at his current size, Palmer can help solidify a group that lacked depth and experience a year ago.
Rutgers LB Kaiwan Lewis
Lewis had a good chance of landing on this list whether he chose to play his last year of eligibility at Rutgers or his other top option, Nebraska. The middle linebacker graduated from South Carolina after three years in Columbia, making him eligible to play his final season this fall.
The 230-pound New Jersey native was a starter in the middle of the Gamecocks' defense as a sophomore before a knee injury sidelined him for the rest of the season. He struggled to get back on the field as a junior and decided to head back to his home state in search of more playing time.
Lewis will likely line up next to Steve Longa, Rutgers' returning leading tackler, in the team's 4-3 defense. The Scarlet Knights moved Longa from the middle to the weakside linebacker spot last season in hopes of freeing him up to make more plays. His tackle total dropped from 123 as a redshirt freshman to a still-respectable 102 last season. Having another experienced and fast player next to Longa should help a Rutgers' rushing defense that struggled against Big Ten competition in 2014.