USA TODAY Sports Network 2025 preseason All-Big Ten college football team, awards
The quarterback will change for the Buckeyes but Smith is an immediate threat as one of college football's best playmakers. He was picked by a select group of USA TODAY Sports Network writers to win preseason Big Ten Player of the Year.
He was one of five unanimous selections. Others included: Iowa center Logan Jones, Penn State offensive guard Olaivavega Ioane, Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles and Michigan kicker Dominic Zvada.
Reporters representing the bicoastal conference named their top players by position, specialists, picked preseason awards and ranked order of finish. Thirteen of the 18 teams had a player receiving a vote. Programs not represented included Wisconsin, Nebraska, Rutgers, Maryland and Purdue, which was the consensus last-place team in predicted order of finish. And, as the transfer portal era would have it, two former Boilermakers — safety Dillon Thieneman and tight end Max Klare — made the All-Big Ten team.
Four different coaches were on ballots, but it was Penn State's James Franklin who was selected Big Ten Coach of the Year. His Nittany Lions were the writers' pick to win the Big Ten, a breakthrough occurrence since the 2016 title, their lone one during the division era. Yet they could join their former division rivals, Ohio State and Michigan, in leading the Big Ten to a third straight national championship.
As Big Ten football media days kicks off in Las Vegas on Tuesday, here are the picks (italicized denotes unanimous selection).
Quarterback: Drew Allar, Penn State
Running back (2): Jonah Coleman, Washington; Nicholas Singleton, Penn State
Wide receiver (2): Elijah Sarratt, Indiana; Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State
Tight end: Max Klare, Ohio State
Offensive tackle (2): Gennings Dunker, Iowa; Isaiah World, Oregon
Offensive guard (2): Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State; Emmanuel Pregnon, Oregon
Offensive center: Logan Jones, Iowa
Defensive line (4): Zane Durant, Penn State; Gabe Jacas, Illinois; Mikail Kamara, Indiana; Matayo Uiagalelei, Oregon
Linebacker (3): Bryce Boettcher, Oregon; Aiden Fisher, Indiana; Sonny Styles, Ohio State
Defensive backs (4): Caleb Downs, Ohio State; D'Angelo Ponds, Indiana; Dillon Thieneman, Oregon; (tie) Koi Perich, Minnesota and Xavier Scott, Illinois
Kicker: Dominic Zvada, Michigan
Punter: Ryan Eckley, Michigan State
All-purpose: Kaden Wetjen, Iowa
Player of the year: Jeremiah Smith, wide receiver, Ohio State
Coach of the year: James Franklin, Penn State
Newcomer of the year: Makhi Hughes, running back, Oregon
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This might not be the most original selection considering how much attention Illinois has received this offseason as a potential dark horse candidate for the College Football Playoff, but the logic behind the Illini's inclusion in such conversations is too sound to ignore. Head coach Bret Bielema and his staff did a remarkable job with player retention to bring back 16 starters from a team that won 10 games last season for the first time since 2001. At the top of the list is quarterback Luke Altmyer, the one-time Ole Miss transfer now entering his third year as the starter and third year under offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr., a rarity in modern college football. Equally important are the collections of returning starters along the offensive line (five) and secondary (five) that give Illinois one of the most veteran and cohesive rosters in the Big Ten. That Bielema used the transfer portal to address one of the team's biggest weaknesses by adding three potential plug-and-play starters along the defensive line in James Thompson Jr. and Curt Neal from Wisconsin and Tomiwa Durojaiye from Florida State is another reason for optimism. So even though there are legitimate questions at wide receiver and inside linebacker, all of the aforementioned experience should take on increased importance during a season when perennial powers Ohio State, Oregon and Michigan are introducing new starting quarterbacks and significantly rebuilt offensive lines. There's an argument to be made that, as of right now, Altmyer is the second-best quarterback in the conference behind Penn State's Drew Allar, given everything he's accomplished at Illinois since joining the program. The Illini's schedule sets up quite favorably this fall with two of its three toughest opponents at home in USC on Sept. 27 and Ohio State on Oct. 11, while also avoiding the likes of Michigan, Penn State and Oregon entirely. The only team in the Big Ten with an easier strength of schedule — at least according to ESPN — is Maryland. For Bielema & Co., the College Football Playoff is within reach. Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of "Strong Like a Woman," published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her at @LakenLitman . RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him at @RJ_Young . Michael Cohen covers college football and basketball for FOX Sports with an emphasis on the Big Ten. Follow him at @Michael_Cohen13 . Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? 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