After 13 years, I've made the decision to do two different kinds of depth chart posts. You do not care about this, but it is very important to me. You know those times when you make a decision and you find yourself shaking your head up and down a little bit? That's what I just did when I made this decision. My body language told myself "good choice".

That decision: I will do three-deep posts and I will do depth chart posts. The three-deep will be just that: three players at each position. Helps to look at who we have coming up at that position further down the road. The depth chart will be "here's who makes it on the field." This will be a depth chart post.

Which means I'll be listing some names twice. There aren't going to be 10 players in the OL rotation. There might be 7 or 8. And so if the same guy is the backup at left guard and right guard, I should put him both places. Again, you do not care that I'm doing this. But this decision gives me so much mental freedom that I'm now bringing "everything you own in the box to the left" energy into the world. You must not know 'bout me.

Let's get right to the chart. Only going two deep here. With some names used twice if they're the backup for multiple positions. I'll go "spring only" with this, so players set to arrive this fall are not included. If there was a game tomorrow, these are the players out on the field:

OFFENSE
QB | DeVito (SR) | Sitkowski (JR)
RB | C. Brown (JR) | McCray (SO)
TE1 | Reiman (SO) | Marchese (SR)
TE2 | Ford (SR) | Marchese (SR)
LT | Pearl (JR) | Adams (JR)
LG | Slaughter (JR) | Crisler (SO)
C | Pihlstrom (SR) | Kreutz (rs-FR)
RG | Adams (JR) | Crisler (SO)
RT | Palczewski (SR) | Adams (SO)
WR | Williams (rs-SO) | M. Scott (rs-FR walkon)
WR | C. Washington (JR) | Hightower (SR)
WR | P. Bryant (SO) | S. Miller (FR)

DEFENSE
ROLB | Coleman (rs-SO) | Cooper (rs-SO)
RDL | Newton (SO) | Woods (SR)
NT | T. Edwards (SO) | V. Brown (JR)
LDL| Randolph (rs-SO) | B. Barnes (JR)
LOLB | Holmes (JR) | A. Bryant (rs-FR)
ILB1 | T. Barnes (JR) | Darkangelo (SR)
ILB2 | Hart (JR) | Darkangelo (SR)
CB | Witherspoon (JR) | Strain (rs-FR)
CB | Nicholson (SO) | Strain (rs-FR)
STAR | Martin (SR) | Leitzsey (SR)
SS | S. Brown (SR) | Curry (rs-FR)
FS | K. Smith (SR) | P. Green (rs-FR)

SPECIALISTS
Kicker | C. Griffin (JR)
Punter | Robertson (rs-FR)
Longsnapper | Hall (rs-SO)
Punt Return | I. Williams (rs-SO)
KO Return | Love (rs-SO)

And the notes:

• Before I forget, let me reiterate my hope that for the next four years, when our 29 year-old Australian cop punts the ball who is a redshirt freshman in college, we all yell "HUGH!" when it leaves his foot.
• I used a lot of the white jerseys for this. During the spring game, the "starters" wear white but it's not just the 11 starters on offense and the 11 starters on defense. There were five wide receivers wearing white jerseys - Isaiah Williams, Casey Washington (injured), Pat Bryant, Miles Scott, and Brian Hightower. So when making a depth chart like this, all five of those guys will be on there.
• I originally had the secondary listed differently here, but then I just went back to a two-deep. They'll find a fourth guy (like how Prather Hudson was used last year), but when that fourth guy comes on they'll just reshuffle the other safeties. So I originally had this with Quan Martin as the starter at both Star and FS which was to signify that when there's two safeties on the field it's Syd and Quan and when there's three safeties on the field it's Syd, Quan, and Kendall Smith with Quan the Star. And then when the fourth guy comes on, they might play him at Star, sit Smith, and move Quan over to FS. It's complicated. For now, I'll go with that as the two-deep. Leitzsey backs up Quan. Curry backs up Syd. Green backs up Smith.
• Probably the biggest white jersey surprise for me: Verdis Brown and Te'Rah Edwards in white, Calvin Avery in blue. My last depth chart had the nose tackles in this order: Avery, Brown, Edwards. But now I'm going to flip it. Edwards (the transfer from Northwestern), then Verdis, then Avery.
• I have a new thing that MUST HAPPEN. For the first punt return in the spring game, the punt returner was Isaiah Williams. So Isaiah Williams goes on the chart here as the punt returner. But on the 7th or 8th punt of the spring game, the punt returner was... JOSH MCCRAY. And now I need the first 248 lb. punt returner in Big Ten History. PUNT RETURN BARGE PACKAGE.
• With Julian Pearl sitting out the spring game (recovering from a broken thumb), the starting line was (L to R) Adams-Slaughter-Pihlstrom-Crisler-Palcho. I think Crisler is the 5th of 5 there (although I guess it could be Slaughter), so when Pearl returns bump Crisler down to the sixth spot (and maybe move Adams to guard if Palcho stays at tackle).
• I feel like there's three corners they trust right now (Spoon, Taz, and Tyler Strain), so I have Strain as the backup at both spots. This might change by the time August 27th gets here, but for now, I see three corners they like.
• The spots where I was guessing: Shawn Miller as the 6th receiver (he didn't play on Thursday and was on the sidelines with his arm in a sling). Reggie Love as the kickoff returner (total guess - he was in a green jersey all spring and didn't participate in any contact drills), and Marchese as the third tight end (and not Griffin Moore).
• Starters I'd put in pencil and not pen (this sounds harsh but this is just a "we're pretty sure he'll be starting this fall but if we add someone from the portal over the summer..." list): Tommy DeVito at QB (Art Sitkowski will have every opportunity to win the job in August), Jordyn Slaughter at left guard and Isaiah Adams at right guard (I think we really can only put Palcho, Pearl, and Pihlstrom in ink as of now), Te'Rah Edwards at NT, Ezekiel Holmes at OLB, Taz Nicholson as the second starting corner, and Kendall Smith at free safety. And then I guess both return spots are wide open (and will remain unknown until the Wyoming game).
• Last four in: Shammond Cooper (OLB), Josh Kreutz (OL), Kionte Curry (DB), Shawn Miller (WR).
• First four out: DJ Johnson (OLB), Zach Barlev (OL), Elijah Mc-Cantos (DB), Khmari Thompson (WR).

I think I covered everything (for now). We'll probably add three portal guys in June and I'll have to blow this up before August.

But that's what makes this so fun.