Preseason All-Big Ten Football Selections 2022: Ohio State doubles the competition
The Ohio State Buckeyes are in command of the Big Ten entering the 2022 offseason
Michigan represented the Big Ten Conference in the College Football Playoff last season, but the result was a brutal 34-11 thumping at the hands of the eventual National Champion Georgia Bulldogs. Offseason changes make it unlikely that the Wolverines will appear on College Football’s biggest stage for a second consecutive year as we’ll explore with the Preseason All-Big Ten Team.
In this article, I’ve selected the All-Conference Teams for the Big Ten. There are many predictive elements in this exercise, and I fully expect to be wrong on several of these selections. If you believe it’s too early for this sort of article, think of these teams as a watch list for the upcoming season.
As with my previous Preseason All-Conference Teams, production and how a player achieves that production are the key factors in my evaluation process. I take talent into account, but it’s just a secondary subjective measurement. All players are eligible for selection. This story doesn’t focus solely on 2023 draft-eligible players.
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First Team Offense
Quarterback: C.J. Stroud, Ohio State
Running Back: TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State
Running Back: Braelon Allen, Wisconsin
Wide Receiver: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State
Wide Receiver: Parker Washington, Penn State
Wide Receiver: Jayden Reed, Michigan State
Tight End: Sam LaPorta, Iowa
All-Purpose: Miyan Williams, Ohio State (RB)
Offensive Tackle: Peter Skoronski, Northwestern
Offensive Tackle: Dawand Jones, Ohio State
Guard: Matthew Jones, Ohio State
Guard: J.D. Duplain, Michigan State
Center: John Michael Schmitz, Minnesota
First Team Defense
Defensive End: Nick Herbig, Wisconsin
Defensive End: Zach Harrison, Ohio State
Defensive Tackle: Jacob Slade, Michigan State
Defensive Tackle: Tyleik Williams, Ohio State
Linebacker: Jack Campbell, Iowa
Linebacker: Curtis Jacobs, Penn State
Linebacker: Seth Benson, Iowa
Cornerback: Riley Moss, Iowa
Cornerback: Denzel Burke, Ohio State
Safety: Xavier Henderson, Michigan State
Safety: Ji'Ayir Brown, Penn State
The Ohio State Buckeyes dominated the Big Ten First Team with nine entries (six on offense and three on defense). Iowa (four), Michigan State (four), Penn State (three), and Wisconsin (two) were the only other programs with multiple selections. Northwestern and Minnesota had one player chosen, while Indiana, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, Purdue, and Rutgers all missed the cut.
Ohio State remains the ruling force in the Big Ten heading into 2022. A disappointing 2021 season only helped the Buckeyes develop young players who will likely lead them back to the College Football Playoff this coming season. Stroud is an early contender to go first overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, and Smith-Njigba outproduced 2022 first round selections Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson.
Of the remaining programs capable of challenging Ohio State for superiority, Michigan State has the most returning high-end talent. However, the Spartans were crushed 56-7 when they faced Ryan Day’s squad last year. Iowa also has a fair amount of returning star power, but their best players are heavily concentrated on defense, leaving the offense lacking.
Programs like Penn State, Wisconsin, and Michigan (which had four First Team selections last year) lost most of their heavy hitters to the NFL Draft.
Second Team Offense
Quarterback: Taulia Tagovailoa, Maryland
Running Back: Blake Corum, Michigan
Running Back: Mohamed Ibrahim, Minnesota
Wide Receiver: Dontay Demus Jr., Maryland
Wide Receiver: Rakim Jarrett, Maryland
Wide Receiver: Milton Wright, Purdue
Tight End: Erick All, Michigan
All-Purpose: Mitchell Tinsley, Penn State (WR)
Offensive Tackle: Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State
Offensive Tackle: Jaelyn Duncan, Maryland
Guard: Connor Colby, Iowa
Guard: Spencer Holstege, Purdue
Center: Olusegun Oluwatimi, Michigan
Second Team Defense
Defensive End: Ochaun Mathis, Nebraska
Defensive End: Lukas Van Ness, Iowa
Defensive Tackle: Branson Deen, Purdue
Defensive Tackle: Keeanu Benton, Wisconsin
Linebacker: Jestin Jacobs, Iowa
Linebacker: Cal Haladay, Michigan State
Linebacker: Luke Reimer, Nebraska
Cornerback: Joey Porter Jr., Penn State
Cornerback: Tiawan Mullen, Indiana
Safety: Ronnie Hickman, Ohio State
Safety: Avery Young, Rutgers
The Second Team featured a much greater variety of programs. Twelve of the 14 schools in the Big Ten had at least one player appear on the Second Team. Northwestern and Illinois, the final school with zero selections, were the only programs that didn’t have anyone earn Second Team honors.
Maryland (four), Michigan (three), and Purdue (three), who were all shutout on the First Team, led the way this time around. Iowa (three) also continued a strong showing.
The Terrapins have one of the nation’s most impressive offenses on paper. Tagovailoa is an inconsistent performer (he threw five interceptions against Iowa last year) and has one of the lowest average depths of target (ADOT) in the conference. However, he nearly threw for 4,000 yards in 2021 and is getting Demus back from a season-ending injury.
The Second Team’s defense is particularly intriguing because it features several players who earned attention for the 2022 NFL Draft but decided to return to school. Notably, Porter, Mullen, and Young in the secondary all could’ve heard their names called last month.
This team also emphasizes the importance of the transfer portal. Mathis, Oluwatimi, and Tinsley are all recent transfers, while Tagovailoa transferred to Maryland in 2020.
Third Team Offense
Quarterback: Aidan O'Connell, Purdue
Running Back: Evan Hull, Northwestern
Running Back: Chase Brown, Illinois
Wide Receiver: Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State
Wide Receiver: Malik Washington, Northwestern
Wide Receiver: Ronnie Bell, Michigan
Tight End: Payne Durham, Purdue
All-Purpose: Chez Mellusi, Wisconsin (RB)
Offensive Tackle: Delmar Glaze, Maryland
Offensive Tackle: Alex Palczewski, Illinois
Guard: Landon Tengwall, Penn State
Guard: Donovan Jackson, Ohio State
Center: Luke Wypler, Ohio State
Third Team Defense
Defensive End: Adetomiwa Adebawore, Northwestern
Defensive End: Garrett Nelson, Nebraska
Defensive Tackle: Mazi Smith, Michigan
Defensive Tackle: PJ Mustipher, Penn State
Linebacker: Jacoby Windmon, Michigan State
Linebacker: Tommy Eichenberg, Ohio State
Linebacker: Darius Snow, Michigan State
Cornerback: DJ Turner, Michigan
Cornerback: Jay Shaw, Wisconsin
Safety: Tyler Nubin, Minnesota
Safety: John Torchio, Wisconsin
The Buckeyes finished strong with four selections on the Third Team, bringing their total for this article to a commanding 15. Michigan, Northwestern, and Wisconsin all had three players earn Third Team honors. Indiana, Iowa, and Rutgers were the only Big Ten teams that didn’t have anyone make the Third Team. Illinois avoided getting shutout entirely thanks to two selections on this team.
Penn State’s Sean Clifford put up a good fight with O'Connell for the quarterback role, but Clifford’s past two seasons haven’t matched the potential he flashed in 2019. Meanwhile, O'Connell continues to trend in the right direction.
Snow appears as a linebacker in this lineup despite spending most of last season as a defensive back and slot option. Michigan State is experimenting with the junior as an undersized linebacker. If Snow impresses in the role during the offseason, he could move there permanently.
The wide receiver room for this team is fairly diverse. Bell is a veteran entering his fifth year with the Wolverines as he returns from a right knee injury. Washington had 11 catches in his first two seasons with the Wildcats before erupting for 578 yards in 2021. Harrison only played a limited role in Ohio State’s stacked offense as a freshman, but the former four-star recruit will move into a starting role this year.
Three teams tied for the second-most selections on the Preseason All-Big Ten Team. Iowa, Michigan State, and Penn State had three players chosen for the teams, putting them significantly in Ohio State’s rearview mirror. Michigan and Wisconsin saw six players from their programs earn Preseason All-Big Ten honors, while Maryland and Purdue both hit five. Indiana and Rutgers tied for the fewest selections with one.
Honorable Mentions Offense
Sean Clifford, QB Penn State
J.J. McCarthy, QB Michigan
Cade McNamara, QB Michigan
Tanner Morgan, QB Minnesota
Spencer Petras, QB Iowa
Casey Thompson, QB Nebraska
Jarek Broussard, RB Michigan State
Josh McCray, RB Illinois
Trey Potts, RB Minnesota
Nicholas Singleton, RB Penn State
Chris Autman-Bell, WR Minnesota
Jacob Copeland, WR Maryland
Julian Fleming, WR Ohio State
Taj Harris, WR Rutgers
Cornelius Johnson, WR Michigan
KeAndre Lambert-Smith, WR Penn State
Roman Wilson, WR Michigan
Daniel Barker, TE Michigan State
Brevyn Spann-Ford, TE Minnesota
Brenton Strange, TE Penn State
Spencer Brown, OT Michigan State
Luke Haggard, OT Indiana
Ryan Hayes, OT Michigan
Trente Jones, OT Michigan
Jack Nelson, OT Wisconsin
Tanor Bortolini, G Wisconsin
Axel Ruschmeyer, G Minnesota
Reggie Sutton, G Rutgers
Zak Zinter, G Michigan
Juice Scruggs, C Penn State
Joe Tippmann, C Wisconsin
Honorable Mentions Defense
Joe Evans, EDGE Iowa
Kydran Jenkins, EDGE Purdue
Aaron Lewis, EDGE Rutgers
Isaiah Mullens, EDGE Wisconsin
Durell Nchami, EDGE Maryland
Jeff Pietrowski, EDGE Michigan State
Thomas Rush, EDGE Minnesota
Jack Sawyer, EDGE Ohio State
Jack Sullivan, EDGE Purdue
Caleb Tannor, EDGE Nebraska
Mohamed Toure, EDGE Rutgers
J.T. Tuimoloau, EDGE Ohio State
Taylor Upshaw, EDGE Michigan
Simeon Barrow, IDL Michigan State
Greg China-Rose, IDL Maryland
Ami Finau, IDL Maryland
Kris Jenkins, IDL Michigan
Logan Lee, IDL Iowa
Noah Shannon, IDL Iowa
Taron Vincent, IDL Ohio State
Kessawn Abraham, CB Rutgers
Beanie Bishop, CB Minnesota
Omar Brown, CB Nebraska
Gemon Green, CB Michigan
Daequan Hardy, CB Penn State
Jermari Harris, CB Iowa
Jartavius Martin, CB Illinois
Cameron Mitchell, CB Northwestern
Justin Walley, CB Minnesota
Jaylin Williams, CB Indiana
Ronald Williams, CB Michigan State
Devon Witherspoon, CB Illinois
Coco Azema, S Northwestern
Sydney Brown, S Illinois
Jordan Howden, S Minnesota
Kaevon Merriweather, S Iowa
R.J. Moten, S Michigan
Josh Proctor, S Ohio State
Lathan Ransom, DB Ohio State