Preseason All-Big Ten Team College Football 2022

College football is right around the corner, and the All-Big Ten First Team selections to break down the top players at each position across the Big Ten Conference. See who follows up in the All-Big Ten Second team for the 2022 season.

All-Big Ten First Team 2022

Quarterback: C.J. Stroud, Ohio State
Running Back: Blake Corum, Michigan
Wide Receiver: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State
Wide Receiver: Jayden Reed, Michigan State
Wide Receiver: Parker Washington, Penn State
Tight End: Sam LaPorta, Iowa
Offensive Line: Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State
Offensive Line: Peter Skoronski, Northwestern
Offensive Line: Olusegun Oluwatimi, Michigan
Offensive Line: John Michael Schmitz, Minnesota
Offensive Line: Ryan Hayes, Michigan

Defensive Line: Zach Harrison, Ohio State
Defensive Line: Mazi Smith, Michigan
Defensive Line: Jacob Slade, Michigan State
Defensive Line: P.J. Mustipher, Penn State
Linebacker: Jack Campbell, Iowa
Linebacker: Seth Benson, Iowa
Linebacker: Nick Herbig, Wisconsin
Defensive Back: Joey Porter Jr., Penn State
Defensive Back: Tiawan Mullen, Indiana
Defensive Back: Riley Moss, Iowa
Defensive Back: Denzel Burke, Ohio State

.@TreVeyonH4 @CJ7STROUD and @jaxon_smith1 🔥 @WalterCampFF watch list 👀#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/77yYkmXWAt

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) August 7, 2022

All-Big Ten Second Team 2022

Quarterback: Aidan O’Connell, Purdue
Running Back: Braelon Allen, Wisconsin
Wide Receiver: Rakim Jarrett, Maryland
Wide Receiver: Dontay Demus Jr., Maryland
Wide Receiver: Ronnie Bell, Michigan
Tight End: Austin Allen, Nebraska
Offensive Line: Dawand Jones, Ohio State
Offensive Line: Zak Zinter, Michigan
Offensive Line: Joe Tippmann, Wisconsin
Offensive Line: J.D. Duplain, Michigan State
Offensive Line: Kyler Schlott, Iowa

Defensive Line: Keeanu Benton, Wisconsin
Defensive Line: Adetomiwa Adebawore, Northwestern
Defensive Line: Lukas Van Ness, Iowa
Defensive Line: Kydran Jenkins, Purdue
Linebacker: Luke Reimer, Nebraska
Linebacker: Cal Haladay, Michigan State
Linebacker: Junior Colson, Michigan
Defensive Back: Ronnie Hickman, Ohio State
Defensive Back: Ji’Ayir Brown, Penn State
Defensive Back: Jakorian Bennett, Maryland
Defensive Back: Jordan Howden, Minnesota

Some perspective on Aidan O’Connell’s 28 TD passes in 2021:

🚂 2nd-most in B1G
🚂 Most by Purdue QB since Curtis Painter (29 in 2007)
🚂 19 came in final 5 games#B1Gstats pic.twitter.com/6vBObsqlJj

— Purdue On BTN (@PurdueOnBTN) August 10, 2022

I’m working through college football conference previews for some of the best conferences in the country, and as I do so, I’m getting the opportunity to research the best players in the sport. The Big Ten is full of elite talent on both sides of the ball every season, and this year is no different, with some of the best players in the country in this conference.

Ohio State is heavily represented on this list, especially on offense, where C.J. Stroud, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and TreyVeon Henderson made up arguably the best trio of offensive talent in the country. The fact that the Buckeyes return this much talent after losing Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave to the NFL draft is a testament to their incredible recruiting and talent development advantage.

Michigan’s best defense in years produced three top-50 players in the NFL draft in Aidan Hutchinson, David Ojabo, and Daxton Hill, but they return plenty of talent. Senior defensive tackle Mazi Smith is expected to be the leader of the defense. The offense is led by Blake Corum, one of the best running backs in the country, and a stout offensive line featuring Olusegun Oluwatimi and Ryan Hayes.

The wide receiver talent in this conference is strong, with Jayden Reed and Parker Washington joining Smith-Njigba as NFL-caliber talents. Rakim Jarrett was a tough omission from the first team here after he had 831 yards and five touchdowns last season, and the Maryland offense as a whole is worth watching closely.

The offensive line talent is also very strong, with two likely first-round offensive tackles headlining the conference in Paris Johnson Jr. and Peter Skoronski. The Big Ten has long been known for winning in the trenches on both sides of the ball, and this season should be no different, with plenty of talent for both offensive and defensive lines.

Paring down this list was a difficult process, and I likely omitted someone you would want to see on here. Hit me up on Twitter – my handle is @wayne_sports_ – for further discussion on the best players in the Big Ten in the 2022 season.