{"id":998297,"date":"2026-09-11T23:36:52","date_gmt":"2026-09-11T23:36:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/998297\/"},"modified":"2026-09-11T23:36:52","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T23:36:52","slug":"saturdays-to-sundays-the-top-nfl-superstar-from-every-big-ten-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/998297\/","title":{"rendered":"Saturdays to Sundays: The Top NFL Superstar from Every Big Ten School"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 2026 NFL season is here, and\u00a0across all 32 teams, there are players who starred on\u00a0college football\u00a0Saturdays\u00a0who are now leading their teams in the\u00a0pros. Turn on any\u00a0NFL\u00a0matchup, and conference alumni\u00a0are\u00a0plentiful,\u00a0spanning from Jaxon Smith-Njigba and the Super Bowl\u00a0LX\u00a0Champions\u00a0Seattle\u00a0Seahawks to Saquon Barkley with the Philadelphia Eagles.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Heading into the 2026 season, hundreds of former conference stars are set to suit up\u00a0for another campaign, but only one player can claim the top spot for each school based on their NFL legacy, college roots, and\u00a0projected\u00a0impact.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With\u00a0that, here are\u00a0Andrew McDevitt\u2019s\u00a0best players\u00a0from\u00a0each Big Ten school entering the 2026 season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Illinois Fighting Illini \u2014 Kerby Joseph (S, Detroit Lions)\u00a0
\n \"Illinois_KerbyJoseph.png\"<\/p>\n

A First-Team All-Big Ten safety in 2021, Joseph has paid immediate dividends for Detroit since being drafted in the third round. He led the entire NFL with nine interceptions in 2024, earning First-Team All-Pro\u00a0honors and helping secure the NFC’s top seed.\u00a0Though he only played six games last season, he tallied three interceptions.\u00a0He\u2019s\u00a0still recovering from\u00a0injury\u00a0but\u00a0remains\u00a0one of the\u00a0league’s\u00a0elite ball-hawking safeties.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Indiana Hoosiers \u2014 Fernando Mendoza (QB, Las Vegas Raiders)\u00a0
\n \"Indiana_Mendoza.png\"<\/p>\n

Indiana’s NFL pipeline is poised\u00a0to explode\u00a0under Curt Cignetti\u00a0with a school-record\u00a0eight players selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, led by\u00a0No. 1 overall pick\u00a0Fernando\u00a0Mendoza.\u00a0In 2025, Mendoza orchestrated a flawless 16-0 campaign, throwing 41 touchdown passes while guiding Indiana to its first Big Ten title in\u00a0nearly six\u00a0decades and its first national championship. His landmark year made him the first Hoosier ever to win the Heisman Trophy, capping off one of the most remarkable single seasons in college football history.\u00a0While he\u00a0hasn\u2019t\u00a0taken\u00a0a snap on the NFL stage\u00a0yet, his\u00a0impact in Bloomington and\u00a0professional potential\u00a0earned\u00a0him\u00a0a spot\u00a0on\u00a0McDevitt\u2019s\u00a0list.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Iowa Hawkeyes \u2014 George Kittle (TE, San Francisco 49ers)\u00a0
\n \"GeorgeKittle.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Entering his 10th season in San Francisco, George Kittle continues to build an\u00a0undeniable Hall of Fame resume as one of the most complete and dominant tight ends in modern NFL history. Drafted in the fifth round out of Iowa in 2017, Kittle\u00a0is\u00a0the dynamic heart of the 49ers’ offense. Through his first nine seasons, Kittle has amassed 8,008 career receiving yards\u2014placing him 10th all-time among tight ends \u2014 to go along with seven\u00a0Pro\u00a0Bowl nods and two First-Team All-Pro\u00a0honors. A four-time 1,000-yard receiver, he\u00a0remains\u00a0a rare dual-threat force.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Maryland Terrapins \u2014 DJ Moore (WR, Buffalo Bills)\u00a0
\n \"DJMoore.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Before\u00a0establishing\u00a0himself as one of the NFL’s premier playmakers, Moore was terrorizing Big Ten defenses in College Park. The 2017 Big Ten Receiver of the Year set single-season Maryland records with 80 catches for\u00a01,033 yards\u00a0before heading to the Carolina Panthers as a first-round draft pick in 2018. Moore has stacked\u00a0five\u00a01,000-yard\u00a0seasons \u2014 highlighted by an\u00a0explosive 2023 campaign in Chicago where he posted career highs in receptions (96),\u00a0receiving\u00a0yards (1,364), and touchdowns (9)\u00a0\u2014 \u00a0en\u00a0route to surpassing 8,000 career receiving\u00a0yards. Now heading into\u00a0year\u00a0nine, Moore is\u00a0a\u00a0primary target for Josh Allen and is primed for another massive chapter in 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Michigan Wolverines \u2014 Aidan Hutchinson (EDGE, Detroit Lions)\u00a0
\n \"Michigan_AidanHutchinson.png\"<\/p>\n

Before transforming Detroit\u2019s defense, Aidan Hutchinson posted one of the most dominant individual seasons in Michigan history, earning 2021 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors while setting the Wolverines’\u00a0single-season\u00a0record with 14 sacks. The 2022 No. 2 overall pick quickly\u00a0validated\u00a0the draft hype, bringing his trademark motor, relentless pursuit, and game-changing pass-rush\u00a0abilities to the NFL stage. Coming off a monster 2025 campaign where he racked up 14.5 sacks and earned Second-Team All-Pro\u00a0honors, a fully healthy Hutchinson enters 2026 primed to solidify his standing among the league’s top-tier edge rushers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Michigan State Spartans \u2014 Kenneth Walker III (RB, Kansas City Chiefs)\u00a0
\n \"KennethWalker.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Walker III\u2019s legendary 2021 season at Michigan State \u2014 highlighted by 1,636 rushing yards,\u00a019\u00a0touchdowns, and the Doak Walker Award \u2014 served as a launching pad for\u00a0his\u00a0pro\u00a0career. After\u00a0logging\u00a0three\u00a01,000-yard\u00a0seasons in Seattle, the home-run threat\u00a0earned\u00a0Super Bowl LX MVP honors with a\u00a0135-yard\u00a0rushing\u00a0performance against New England. Now joining the Kansas City Chiefs on a three-year, $45 million\u00a0deal, the tackle-breaking back will look to elevate the Chiefs’ backfield for another championship run.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Minnesota Golden Gophers \u2014 Antoine Winfield Jr. (S, Tampa Bay Buccaneers)\u00a0
\n \"MinnesotaAntoineWinfield.jpg\"<\/p>\n

A unanimous All-American during Minnesota\u2019s 2019 season, Winfield Jr. brought his high-octane playmaking straight to the NFL. Drafted in 2020, he earned immediate starting status, capping his rookie year with a key\u00a0Super Bowl LV\u00a0interception to secure a ring. Now entering year seven, the two-time\u00a0Pro\u00a0Bowler and 2023 First-Team All-Pro\u00a0selection\u00a0is the\u00a0soul of Tampa Bay\u2019s secondary. With 500+\u00a0total\u00a0tackles, 18 sacks, and 12 forced fumbles, Winfield stands as one of the league\u2019s\u00a0superior\u00a0safeties.<\/p>\n

Nebraska Cornhuskers \u2014 Cam Jurgens (C, Philadelphia Eagles)\u00a0
\n \"Nebraska_CamJurgens.png\"<\/p>\n

Philadelphia’s Super Bowl-winning center anchors the top of the Cornhusker rankings. A former Third-Team All-Big Ten\u00a0selection\u00a0in Lincoln, the\u00a02022 second-round pick has earned two\u00a0Pro\u00a0Bowl nods while leading one of the\u00a0strongest\u00a0offensive lines in\u00a0professional football.\u00a0Along with his Super Bowl ring, he helped Philadelphia reach the final game as a\u00a0rookie\u00a0in 2022, where he appeared in all 17 regular season and three\u00a0postseason games.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Northwestern Wildcats \u2014 Rashawn Slater (OT, Los Angeles Chargers)\u00a0
\n \"Rashawn<\/p>\n

Selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, Slater earned Second-Team All-Pro\u00a0honors as a\u00a0rookie\u00a0and\u00a0hasn’t\u00a0looked back. The Chargers secured their franchise tackle with an extension through 2029,\u00a0making him\u00a0one of the highest-paid tackles in NFL history\u00a0and\u00a0cementing the two-time\u00a0Pro\u00a0Bowler as a cornerstone up\u00a0front.\u00a0Now going into his sixth season, Slater\u00a0protects\u00a0fellow\u00a0Big Ten\u00a0school\u00a0alum Justin Herbert while being led by former Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ohio State Buckeyes \u2014 Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR, Seattle Seahawks)\u00a0
\n \"OhioState_JSN.png\"<\/p>\n

Andrew McDevitt\u2019s\u00a0top spot in Ohio State’s ever-expanding NFL pipeline belongs to the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl LX\u00a0Champion. Smith-Njigba took over the league in his third season, shattering\u00a0the\u00a0Seahawks\u2019\u00a0franchise record\u00a0for single-season receptions (119)\u00a0and leading the NFL with an\u00a0astonishing 1,793 receiving yards\u00a0to go along with 10 touchdowns. Now entering his fourth NFL season, the former Rose Bowl\u00a0Offensive\u00a0MVP\u00a0represents\u00a0the absolute gold standard of Big Ten alumni in the\u00a0pros. While Columbus keeps churning out superstar receivers like Marvin Harrison Jr., Garrett Wilson, and Chris Olave, JSN\u2019s historic season has placed him in a league of his own entering 2026.<\/p>\n

Oregon Ducks \u2014 Penei Sewell (OT, Detroit Lions)\u00a0
\n \"Oregon_PeneiSewell.png\"<\/p>\n

The 2019 Outland Trophy winner and unanimous\u00a0First-Team\u00a0All-American at Oregon\u00a0has\u00a0shown\u00a0why Detroit snatched him seventh overall in 2021. Anchoring the Lions’ offensive front, Sewell has already stacked four\u00a0Pro\u00a0Bowls and three First-Team All-Pro\u00a0honors early in his career. At just 25 years old, the former Duck\u00a0is one of the best offensive\u00a0linemen\u00a0in the entire NFL.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Penn State Nittany Lions \u2014 Saquon Barkley (RB, Philadelphia Eagles)\u00a0
\n \"SaquonBarkley.jpg\"<\/p>\n

After bursting onto the\u00a0pro\u00a0scene as the 2018 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year with the New York Giants, Barkley\u00a0crossed\u00a0NFC East rivalry lines to Philadelphia.\u00a0In his first season with the Eagles,\u00a0he\u00a0delivered one of the most\u00a0productive\u00a0stretches\u00a0ever\u00a0by a running back, becoming just the ninth player in NFL history to break the 2,000-yard regular-season rushing mark.\u00a0He\u00a0accumulated\u00a0a\u00a0single-season\u00a0running back\u00a0record\u00a02,283\u00a0combined yards across the regular season and playoffs to earn NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors. The star back capped off that\u00a0campaign\u00a0with a Super Bowl ring\u00a0and\u00a0heads into 2026 looking\u00a0for his fifth consecutive 1,000+ yard season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Purdue Boilermakers \u2014 George Karlaftis (DE, Kansas City Chiefs)\u00a0
\n \"Purdue_GeorgeKarlaftis.png\"<\/p>\n

Born in Athens, Greece,\u00a0Karlaftis\u00a0earned\u00a0First-Team All-Big Ten\u00a0accolades\u00a0at Purdue before the Chiefs selected him 30th overall in 2022.\u00a0He solidified his role as a staple on Kansas City\u2019s defensive line, recording six sacks as a\u00a0rookie\u00a0and 10.5 sacks in year two during the Chiefs\u2019 back-to-back Super Bowl runs.\u00a0That rapid rise earned Karlaftis a massive four-year, $93 million contract extension\u00a0in 2025,\u00a0solidifying his crucial, ongoing\u00a0role in\u00a0Kansas City’s defense.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rutgers Scarlet Knights \u2014 Kyle Monangai (RB, Chicago Bears)\u00a0
\n \"Rutgers_Monangai.png\"<\/p>\n

A former First-Team All-Big Ten\u00a0selection\u00a0in\u00a0Piscataway,\u00a0Monangai\u00a0burst onto the NFL scene in 2025 after being selected in the seventh round\u00a0by\u00a0Chicago. After rushing for over\u00a03,000 yards\u00a0in Piscataway,\u00a0Monangai\u00a0finished second on the\u00a0Bears\u2019 roster\u00a0with 783 rushing yards and five touchdowns in his rookie season, helping power the\u00a0team\u00a0back to the\u00a0playoffs.\u00a0This season,\u00a0Monangai\u00a0returns as a vital piece of Chicago’s\u00a0backfield.\u00a0<\/p>\n

UCLA Bruins \u2014 Quentin Lake (S, Los Angeles Rams)
\n \"Quentin<\/p>\n

Entering his fifth NFL season with the Rams, the former\u00a0UCLA\u00a0safety has\u00a0established\u00a0himself as a reliable secondary starter. After recording a career-high 111 tackles in 2024, an elbow injury cut his 2025 campaign short.\u00a0Lake, who had six interceptions at\u00a0UCLA,\u00a0anchors\u00a0a reloaded Rams defense boosted by reigning DPOY Myles Garrett, the unretired Aaron Donald, and secondary additions Trent McDuffie\u00a0(former\u00a0Washington\u00a0Husky)\u00a0and Jaylen Watson.\u00a0<\/p>\n

USC Trojans \u2014 Amon-Ra St. Brown (WR, Detroit Lions)\u00a0
\n \"USC_AmonRaStBrown.png\"<\/p>\n

Selected in the fourth round of the 2021 draft, St. Brown has\u00a0four\u00a0Pro\u00a0Bowls and two First-Team All-Pro\u00a0nods\u00a0over five seasons. With over 6,000 receiving yards and 44 touchdowns heading into year six, he stands at the top of a deep group of NFL Trojan wideouts.\u00a0His relentless work ethic, elite route-running, and physical run-after-catch style make him the standard-bearer for a stacked\u00a0L.A.-to-NFL\u00a0pipeline that features Drake London, Jordan Addison, and Michael Pittman Jr.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Washington Huskies \u2014 Budda Baker (S, Arizona Cardinals)\u00a0
\n \"BuddaBaker.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Entering his 10th NFL season in 2026, the Bellevue native and Husky icon\u00a0remains\u00a0a dominant force in Arizona.\u00a0Baker has racked up over 1,000 career tackles and six 100-tackle seasons, leading all NFL defensive backs in total tackles since entering the league in 2017.\u00a0An eight-time\u00a0Pro\u00a0Bowler, two-time First-Team All-Pro\u00a0selection, and winner of the NFL’s Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award, Baker\u00a0has put together\u00a0nearly\u00a0a\u00a0decade of high-level consistency.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Wisconsin Badgers \u2014 T.J. Watt (LB, Pittsburgh Steelers)\u00a0
\n \"TJ<\/p>\n

The 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year enters his 10th season in Pittsburgh as one of the most\u00a0prolific\u00a0pass rushers of his generation. Pittsburgh’s all-time franchise sack leader boasts 115 career sacks, eight Pro Bowls, and four First-Team All-Pro\u00a0selections,\u00a0anchored by an iconic 2021 campaign in which he matched Michael Strahan\u2019s single-season NFL record with 22.5 sacks.\u00a0(Myles Garrett\u00a0surpassed the mark\u00a0with 23.0 in 2025).\u00a0A three-time NFL sack leader, the former First-Team All-American\u00a0earned his spot on McDevitt\u2019s list as\u00a0the crown jewel of Wisconsin\u2019s pipeline.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Honorable Mentions Across the Big Ten\u00a0<\/p>\n

These are just some of the former Big Ten\u00a0school\u00a0stars\u00a0that’ll\u00a0shine on Sundays in 2026, in addition to\u00a0heavy hitters like Micah Parsons (Penn State), Jonathan Taylor (Wisconsin), Justin Herbert (Oregon), and Cooper DeJean (Iowa). Be sure to catch all the action this NFL season, and\u00a0don’t\u00a0forget to watch closely on Saturdays as the Big Ten’s next generation of pro talent takes center stage.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 2026 NFL season is here, and\u00a0across all 32 teams, there are players who starred on\u00a0college football\u00a0Saturdays\u00a0who are…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":998298,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[2786,37949,37948,37950,7,6,15,37954,37952,266,37947,37951,37953],"class_list":["post-998297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl-draft","tag-big-ten","tag-college-basketball-scores","tag-college-football-scores","tag-college-volleyball-scores","tag-football","tag-nfl","tag-nfl-draft","tag-player-statistics","tag-sports-information","tag-sports-news","tag-sports-scores","tag-sports-videos","tag-team-statistics"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/117255042260880435","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/998297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=998297"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/998297\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/998298"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=998297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=998297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=998297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}