Quarterback: Dante Moore (Oregon)

Running Back: Bo Jackson (Ohio State)

Running Back: Antwan Raymond (Rutgers)

Wide Receiver: Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State)

Wide Receiver: Charlie Becker (Indiana)

Wide Receiver: KJ Duff (Rutgers)

Tight End: DJ Vonnahme (Iowa)

All-Purpose: Wayne Knight (UCLA)

Offensive Tackle: Carter Smith (Indiana)

Offensive Tackle: Trevor Lauck (Iowa)

Offensive Guard: Austin Siereveld (Ohio State)

Offensive Guard: Joe Brunner (Indiana)

Center: Kade Pieper (Iowa)

Comments: The Big Ten will be loaded once again in 2026 with no shortage of national award candidates, All-Americans and Heisman hopefuls. However, the amount of lost star-power across many position groups means opportunity is knocking for several players to step into premium spots across the conference.

Quarterback will have no shortage of headliners as Dante Moore, Julian Sayin, Jayden Maiava, Josh Hoover, Demond Williams Jr. and more battle it out to be the Big Ten’s top signal-caller. Moore and Sayin are essentially 1A and 1B entering this season, in my opinion, but I gave Moore the slight edge. Don’t count out Maiava, Hoover or Williams to potentially crash the party.

Big Ten running backs will feature several new faces after an offseason of attrition, including Jonah Coleman, Emmett Johnson, Kaytron Allen, Justice Haynes, Roman Hemby, Kaelon Black and others off to the NFL or transfer portal. Ohio State’s Bo Jackson was terrific as a true freshman, leading the Buckeyes backfield and finishing No. 5 in Big Ten rushing yards. Rutgers star Antwan Raymond emerged last season as a true bell-cow for the Scarlet Knights with 1,241 rushing yards and 15 total touchdowns.

The conference’s wide receivers are loaded despite losing many high-end talents to the NFL. Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith is a frontrunner for the Biletnikoff Award and should be a top-10 NFL Draft pick in 2027. Indiana boasts one of the nation’s top pass-catching groups led by Charlie Becker, while Rutgers’ 6-foot-6 star KJ Duff is a matchup nightmare coming off a 60-catch, 1,084-yard, seven-touchdown All-America campaign.

Tight end will likely see plenty of fluctuation in the race for the Big Ten’s best, but Iowa’s DJ Vonnahme and Oregon’s Jamari Johnson lead the way. UCLA running back Wayne Knight was a do-it-all player at James Madison in 2025, totaling nearly 2,000 all-purpose yards and 10 total touchdowns, and should showcase his skills on a bigger stage in Westwood.