USA TODAY All-Big Ten football team 2023: OSU's Marvin Harrison Jr. is Player of the Year
Considering their status all season long as the top two teams in the Big Ten, it's unsurprising Michigan (12-0, 9-0 in conference play) and Ohio State (11-1, 8-1) lead the way on the all-Big Ten 2023 college football team, as determined by the USA TODAY Sports Network.
Despite the Buckeyes' 30-24 loss to the Wolverines during Rivalry Week, it's Ohio State that leads the way in 2023 with seven overall selections. That includes two by Marvin Harrison Jr., who on top of being named to the first team as a receiver was also named the Big Ten Player of the Year. He was the only unanimous selection among the beat writers who cover the Big Ten's football programs and voted on the 2023 all-Big Ten team.
Michigan and Iowa (10-2, 7-2) finished tied for second ith five all-Big Ten selections: The Wolverines had several selections on offense (including quarterback J.J. McCarthy, running back Blake Corum and offensive linemen Zak Zinter and Drake Nugent). Iowa, meanwhile, had all of its selections come on defense or special teams, with Cooper DeJean earning recognition both as a defensive back and all-purpose player.
Penn State, Purdue, Minnesota and Illinois each had two selections apiece, whereas Rutgers, Indiana and Northwestern had one. The Wildcats' selection was at Coach of the Year, where David Braun was a clear favorite over Iowa's Kirk Ferentz, the only other coach to receive votes. Dillon Thieneman of Purdue also earned Newcomer of the Year.
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In all, 10 of the league's 14 teams have representation on the all-Big Ten team for 2023. Here is the team, as voted by the 11 beat writers who cover the conference:
OFFENSE
Quarterback: J.J. McCarthy, Michigan
Running back: Blake Corum, Michigan
Running back: Kyle Monangai, Rutgers
Wide receiver: Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State*
Wide receiver: Isaiah Williams, Illinois
Tight end: Cade Stover, Ohio State
Offensive line: Josh Fryar, Ohio State
Offensive line: Olumuyiwa Fashanu, Penn State
Offensive line: Zak Zinter, Michigan
Offensive line: Matthew Jones, Ohio State
Offensive line: Drake Nugent, Michigan
DEFENSE
Defensive line: Jer'Zhan Newton, Illinois
Defensive line: Adisa Isaac, Penn State
Defensive line: Tyleik Williams, Ohio State
Defensive line: Nic Scourton, Purdue
Linebacker: Jay Higgins, Iowa
Linebacker: Aaron Casey, Indiana
Linebacker: Tommy Eichenberg, Ohio State
Defensive back: Tyler Nubin, Minnesota
Defensive back: Sebastian Castro, Iowa
Defensive back: Mike Sainristil, Michigan
Defensive back: Cooper DeJean, Iowa
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SPECIAL TEAMS
Kicker: Dragan Kesich, Minnesota
Punter: Tory Taylor, Iowa
All-purpose: Cooper DeJean, Iowa
AWARDS
Coach of the Year: David Braun, Northwestern
Player of the Year: Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State*
Newcomer of the Year: Dillon Thieneman, Purdue
* Indicates unanimous selection
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: USA TODAY Sports Network All-Big Ten football team 2023