Preseason All-Big Ten team: Drew Allar, Jeremiah Smith headline 2025's deep talent pool

New York Times

22-07-2025

Big Ten football enters its second season as an 18-team Goliath from a position of strength. Three of the last four teams to play for the College Football Playoff title — including back-to-back champions — call the Big Ten home. In last season's final AP poll, three Big Ten teams landed in the top five (Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State).
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The league's on-field success translated to NFL Draft selections in April along with elite players returning for an encore. This fall, 26 players who landed on one of the three All-Big Ten teams in 2024 are back, plus several high-level transfers. Here's a look at those players and several others who land on The Athletic's power-packed preseason All-Big Ten team. To accommodate different schemes, offenses and defenses each have 12 players.
QB: Drew Allar, senior, Penn State
Allar could have become a first-round pick in April's NFL Draft but instead chose to return for his senior year. Allar threw for 3,327 yards, 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions while leading the Nittany Lions to the College Football Playoff semifinals in January.
RB: Nick Singleton, junior, Penn State
Singleton rushed for 1,099 yards and 12 touchdowns last year for Penn State, but he was lethal in the College Football Playoff with 261 rushing yards and five touchdowns in three games.
RB: Makhi Hughes, junior, Oregon
Perhaps the nation's most coveted running back transfer, Hughes ran for 1,501 yards and 15 touchdowns last year for Tulane. He should thrive as Jordan James' replacement.
WR: Jeremiah Smith, sophomore, Ohio State
The most impactful true freshman non-quarterback since Georgia running back Herschel Walker, Smith terrorized defenses for 1,311 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns. He was a mismatch in the CFP, catching 19 passes for 381 yards and five touchdowns.
WR: Elijah Sarratt, senior, Indiana
One of the most explosive receivers in the Big Ten, Sarratt caught 53 passes for 957 yards (18.1 yards per catch) and eight scores for the Hoosiers last year. That output came after posting 82 catches for 1,191 yards and eight scores with James Madison in 2023.
WR: Denzel Boston, junior, Washington
After playing sparingly in 2022 and '23, Boston had a breakout season last year and caught 63 passes for 934 yards and nine touchdowns. He had consecutive games of 120 yards receiving and two touchdowns. He was also the Huskies' top punt returner.
TE: Max Klare, junior, Ohio State
Klare was one of the few bright spots for Purdue last year with 51 catches for 685 yards and four touchdowns. Now at Ohio State, Klare will give first-time starting quarterback Julian Sayin a nice chains mover when Smith sees double coverage.
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OT: Gennings Dunker, senior, Iowa
A devastating run blocker, Dunker earned second-team All-Big Ten honors last year. Pro Football Focus graded Dunker as the fourth-best offensive tackle last season.
OT: Caleb Tiernan, senior, Northwestern
Long, agile and physical, Tiernan is the Big Ten's most underrated offensive player. Tiernan was named honorable mention All-Big Ten last year and was ranked by PFF as the No. 8 offensive tackle returning this fall.
G: Emmanuel Pregnon, senior, Oregon
One of the league's most impactful intraconference transfers, Pregnon was a second-team All-Big Ten pick last year at USC. Pregnon should add some punch to Oregon's already formidable interior offensive line.
G: Olaivavega Ioane, junior, Penn State
A consensus second-team All-Big Ten performer last season, Ioane is a major reason why Penn State led the Big Ten in rushing. Ioane is a nightmare for edge defenders when pulling.
C: Logan Jones, senior, Iowa
Jones allowed no sacks in 280 pass blocking snaps last year, according to Pro Football Focus, and earned first-team All-Big Ten honors. An athletic marvel, Jones squats 705 pounds and boasts a vertical jump of 36.6 inches.
DL: Matayo Uiagalelei, junior, Oregon
One of the country's top returning pass rushers, Uiagalelei finished with 10.5 sacks last season to pace the Ducks' ferocious pass rush (40 sacks). Uiagalelei is more than just an edge rusher, however. He is a physical run defender who takes on blocks with superb skill and power.
DL: Mikail Kamara, senior, Indiana
Kamara was a force on the Hoosiers' defense with 10 sacks and an FBS-high 67 quarterback pressures according to PFF. A first-team All-Big Ten pick, Kamara has 21.5 career sacks, including his time at James Madison.
DL: Dani Dennis-Sutton, senior, Penn State
Dennis-Sutton put on a show in the CFP when he generated 4.5 sacks and 16 tackles in three games. Against Notre Dame, he forced a fumble and intercepted a pass. He finished with 8.5 sacks last year for Penn State.
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DL: Gabe Jacas, senior, Illinois
Jacas is at his best in the biggest games. He recorded 2.5 sacks, 13 tackles and a forced fumble against Michigan, and eight tackles apiece against Penn State and South Carolina. Jacas, a third-team All-Big Ten returnee, finished with eight sacks and 13 tackles for loss last season.
LB: Sonny Styles, senior, Ohio State
Styles was a force on Ohio State's defense, especially in the Buckeyes' final two CFP games, with a combined 24 tackles and two sacks. In the Cotton Bowl against Texas, Styles had nine tackles (three for loss), a sack, a forced fumble and a breakup. Styles finished with 100 tackles as a second-team All-Big Ten performer.
LB: Bryce Boettcher, senior, Oregon
PFF's highest-graded returning Big Ten linebacker, Boettcher recorded 94 tackles, including eight for loss, last fall. Boettcher, who also plays baseball, was named second-team All-Big Ten last year and also broke up four passes.
LB: Aidan Fisher, senior, Indiana
Fisher ranked third in tackles among Big Ten defenders last year with 118. He solidified the nation's top rushing defense and earned second-team All-America honors last year.
DB: Caleb Downs, junior, Ohio State
Downs' transfer from Alabama solidified the Buckeyes' back end, and the unanimous first-team All-American is PFF's highest-ranked returning defender. Last year, Downs recorded 82 tackles, two interceptions and six pass breakups. He also returned a punt for a touchdown against Indiana.
DB: Koi Perich, sophomore, Minnesota
A freakishly gifted athlete, Perich led the Big Ten in interceptions last year with five, and he also was fourth in Big Ten punt returns and sixth in kickoff returns as a true freshman. Perich was a first-team All-Big Ten defender.
DB: Xavier Scott, senior, Illinois
A first-team All-Big Ten selection, Scott intercepted four passes and brought one back for a touchdown against Kansas last year. He also broke up six passes and recorded 49 tackles.
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DB: D'Angelo Ponds, senior, Indiana
PFF's highest-graded cornerback over the last two seasons, Ponds had three interceptions (including one for a score) and nine pass breakups last year in earning first-team All-Big Ten honors.
DB: A.J. Harris, junior, Penn State
One of the nation's top shutdown corners, Harris finished with 48 tackles (four for loss), five pass breakups and an interception last fall. Harris was a third-team All-Big Ten selection.
K: Dominic Zvada, senior, Michigan
A returning first-team All-American, Zvada connected on 21 of 22 field goal attempts and nailed all seven from beyond 50 yards.
P: Rhys Dakin, sophomore, Iowa
A second-team All-Big Ten pick last year, Dakin stepped into a tough situation in replacing Tory Taylor and still averaged 44.1 yards per punt as a true freshman.
RS: Kaden Wetjen, senior, Iowa
Wetjen earned first-team All-American honors last year as a return specialist and returned both a punt and a kickoff for a score. Wetjen averaged 28 yards per kickoff return and 12.6 on punt returns.
QB: Luke Altmyer, senior, Illinois
RB: Jonah Coleman, sophomore, Washington
RB: Kaytron Allen, junior, Penn State
WR: Nick Marsh, sophomore, Michigan State
WR: Carnell Tate, junior, Ohio State
WR: Makai Lemon, junior, USC
TE: Jack Velling, senior, Michigan State
OT: J.C. Davis, senior, Illinois
OT: Isaiah World, junior, Oregon
G: Beau Stephens, senior, Iowa
G: Matthew Bedford, senior, Oregon
C: Iapani Laloulu, junior, Oregon
DL: Derrick Moore, senior, Michigan
DL: Anthony Smith, junior, Minnesota
DL: Zane Durant, senior, Penn State
DL: Aaron Graves, senior, Iowa
LB: Dariel Djabome, junior, Rutgers
LB: Ernest Hausmann, senior, Michigan
LB: Dominic DeLuca, senior, Penn State
DB: Dillon Thieneman, junior, Oregon
DB: Kamari Ramsey, sophomore, USC
DB: Tacario Davis, junior, Washington
DB: Ceyair Wright, senior, Nebraska
DB: Davison Igbinosun, senior, Ohio State
P: Keelan Crimmins, sophomore, Illinois
K: Drew Stevens, senior, Iowa
RS: Vinny Anthony II, junior, Wisconsin
(Top illustration photos: Nathan Ray Seebeck, Brett Davis / Imagn Images)