While Ohio State has been best known for its offensive star power in recent years, the Buckeyes could potentially have more defensive stars in 2023, at least in terms of first-team All-Big Ten honorees.
That’s what I’m predicting will happen in 2023 on my annual preseason All-Big Ten team.
Going into next week’s Big Ten Media Days, I’m predicting Ohio State will lead the conference with seven first-team All-Big Ten selections this year – three on offense and four on defense. Penn State, Wisconsin and Michigan are also teams I expected to be well-represented with all-conference selections, with the Buckeyes, Nittany Lions, Badgers and Wolverines combining for 19 of the 22 projected first-team honorees on offense and defense.
Although players who earned All-Big Ten honors last year received strong consideration for this unofficial preseason All-Big Ten team, the picks below are who I think will be the conference’s best players at each position this year, regardless of how they’ve performed in past years or how much they’ve played.
Last year, 14 of the 25 players on my preseason All-Big Ten team went on to earn first-team honors on the coaches’ and/or media teams. Here are my best guesses for who the conference’s top performers will be this year; feel free to tell me who you think I’m right or wrong about and predict your own All-Big Ten teams in the comments below the article.
QB: Drew Allar, Penn State
History would suggest Ohio State’s quarterback is the frontrunner to earn first-team All-Big Ten honors at the position, as the Buckeyes’ starter has won Big Ten Quarterback of the Year honors after the last seven seasons in a row. Given that Ohio State hasn’t even named a starting quarterback yet, though, the door could be open for a quarterback from another school to steal the top honors.
The obvious choice is Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, who showed significant improvement over the course of his first season as a starter, but I still expect the Wolverines to lean heavily on their ground game. So I’m giving the nod to Allar, a five-star quarterback from Medina, Ohio, who showed high upside in limited action last year as a freshman and could accelerate Penn State’s passing game in a big way following Sean Clifford’s lengthy tenure in Happy Valley.
RB: Blake Corum, Michigan
RB: Braelon Allen, Wisconsin
Corum is the reigning Big Ten Running Back of the Year, was arguably the best running back in college football last year and should continue to be the centerpiece of the Wolverines’ offensive attack this season. He’ll be a clear choice for All-Big Ten honors again this season if he continues to perform at that level.
Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams both warranted consideration for the second spot at running back, but the fact that they’ll be splitting carries all season in an offense that has been pass-heavy could impact their opportunity to put up huge numbers individually. Allen, on the other hand, is the clear No. 1 back in Madison, has already earned second-team All-Big Ten honors twice and could see more room to run this year in an offense that’s expected to open up under new offensive coordinator Phil Longo.
WR: Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State
WR: Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State
Harrison is the best wide receiver in all of college football, and Egbuka might be the second-best. They had the most receiving yards last season among all returning Power 5 receivers and are expected to be the two biggest stars of Ohio State’s offense once again.
Even with uncertainty at quarterback and plenty of other candidates to see targets for the Buckeyes this year, Harrison and Egbuka are the clear frontrunners to earn the two wide receiver spots on the All-Big Ten squad.
TE: Brevyn Spann-Ford, Minnesota
I considered a pair of Iowa tight ends here, as Columbus native Luke Lachey emerged as both a key receiver and blocker for the Hawkeyes last season and Michigan transfer Erick All was a burgeoning star in 2021 before he was sidelined by injury last season. I also considered current Michigan tight end Colston Loveland, who looked like a burgeoning star at the end of last season when he caught 11 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns in his final five games as a true freshman.
Spann-Ford, though, is both the clear star of Minnesota’s offense and one of the best tight ends in the country, tying Georgia star Brock Bowers for the best Pro Football Focus grade among all returning TEs in college football last season. The Golden Gophers will count on Spann-Ford to play a leading role in their 2023 offense as both a receiver and a run blocker, and the 6-foot-7, 270-pound sixth-year senior is the tight end who could give opposing defensive coordinators around the conference the most headaches.
OT: Olu Fashanu, Penn State
OT: Jack Nelson, Wisconsin
Fashanu is the clear No. 1 candidate to earn first-team All-Big Ten honors at offensive tackle as a projected top-10 2024 NFL draft pick and the only returning tackle in the conference to earn first-, second- or third-team All-Big Ten honors last year.
The second offensive tackle spot is much more up for grabs, but the strongest candidate to earn that spot entering the season looks like Nelson, who is entering his third year as a starter on the Badgers’ offensive line (second at left tackle) and has provided strong play in both of his first two years as a starter.
G: Donovan Jackson, Ohio State
G: Zak Zinter, Michigan
Jackson and Zinter were my preseason All-Big Ten guards last season too, and both of them went on to earn actual first-team All-Big Ten honors after the season, so there’s no reason to change things up now.
Jackson performed well as both a run and pass blocker in his first season starting on Ohio State’s offensive line and should be even better now that he has a year of experience under his belt and is set to be the leader of the Buckeyes’ blocking efforts. Zinter enters his third year as Michigan’s starting right guard and has played a leading role in Michigan’s offensive line winning the Joe Moore Award in back-to-back seasons.
C: Jake Renfro, Wisconsin
With no returning All-Big Ten centers from last season, the top two candidates to be the Big Ten’s best center this year look like a pair of transfers: Drake Nugent, who transferred from Stanford to Michigan, and Renfro, who transferred from Cincinnati to Wisconsin.
Renfro, who earned first-team all-conference honors in the American Athletic Conference in 2021 when he helped lead the Bearcats to the College Football Playoff, should step in and immediately become an anchor of the Badgers’ offensive line after following Luke Fickell from Cincinnati to Madison.
DL: Jer’Zhan Newton, Illinois
DL: JT Tuimoloau, Ohio State
DL: Mike Hall, Ohio State
DL: Chop Robinson, Penn State
Newton is the top returning interior defensive lineman in college football, earning first-team All-Big Ten and second-team All-American honors last year as a disruptive force on Illinois’ defensive front who recorded 13 tackles for loss and 59 total quarterback pressures.
Tuimoloau and Hall can be two of the best defensive linemen in the country if they can consistently play the way they did when they were at their best last season. Robinson is another blossoming Big Ten star to watch after he recorded the second-most quarterback pressures (48) among Big Ten defenders in 2022, per Pro Football Focus.
Mike Hall earned third-team All-Big Ten honors in 2022 but showed more than enough talent to be a first-teamer this year.
LB: Tommy Eichenberg, Ohio State
LB: Abdul Carter, Penn State
LB: Maema Njongmeta, Wisconsin
Eichenberg emerged as one of the nation’s best linebackers in his first year with Jim Knowles’ tutelage and should only continue to bloom as a playmaker now that Knowles’ defensive system is established. Carter became an immediate star for the Nittany Lions as a true freshman and has all the tools to playmaking ability to continue his ascent as one of college football’s best linebackers in 2023.
The third linebacker spot was a tough choice between three strong candidates, as Michigan State’s Cal Haladay tied Eichenberg for the second-most tackles in the Big Ten last year while Michigan’s Junior Colson was also a second-team All-Big Ten honoree in 2022, but the nod goes to Njongmeta as Fickell and Mike Tressel should get the best out of a playmaking linebacker who had 95 tackles with 11.5 tackles for loss a year ago.
DB: Kalen King, Penn State
DB: Will Johnson, Michigan
DB: Denzel Burke, Ohio State
DB: Tyler Nubin, Minnesota
King was one of the best cover corners in the country last year and is expected to pick up where Joey Porter Jr. left off as the star of Penn State’s secondary. Johnson lived up to the five-star hype as a freshman and should be a lockdown cornerback for Michigan this year. Denzel Burke didn’t perform up to preseason All-Big Ten expectations last year, but all indications this offseason have been that he’s ready to bounce back in a big way.
Several defensive backs drew consideration for the fourth spot, including 2022 first-team All-Big Ten selection Cooper DeJean of Iowa, 2022 Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist Lathan Ransom and Michigan safety standout Rod Moore. But the safety I couldn’t leave off the list was Nubin, a projected early-round NFL draft pick who earned second-team All-B1G honors last year and will have plenty of opportunities to make plays again as the star of Minnesota’s defense.
K: Drew Stevens, Iowa
The only returning kicker who made an All-Big Ten team last year, Stevens led the conference with an 88.9 field goal percentage (16-of-18). He made both of his field goal attempts from over 50 yards last season, and chances are good the Hawkeyes will turn to his leg to make some long kicks again this year given their offensive struggles in recent years.
P: Tory Taylor, Iowa
Jesse Mirco is one of the most efficient punters in the country, but Ohio State punter candidacies for all-conference honors are often hampered by the fact that they just don’t get called upon that much. Taylor, on the other hand, was called upon plenty last season – 82 times, to be exact – and led the nation in punting yardage. Like Stevens, he’s the only returning punter to make an All-Big Ten team last year, earning first-team honors from the media.
RS: Jaylin Lucas, Indiana
The only player in the FBS to return two kickoffs for touchdowns last season, Lucas’ ability to make big plays in the return game is the Hoosiers’ biggest weapon. If their defense continues to struggle like it did last year, Lucas will have plenty more opportunities to return kicks in 2023.
