Iowa, Maryland, Michigan and Minnesota Earn Weekly Football Honors
Hawkeyes’ DeJean and Jackson, Terrapins’ Tagovailoa, Wolverines’ Stewart and Gophers’ Evans garner accolades
Following Week 5 contests, the Big Ten Conference Offensive, Co-Defensive, and Special Teams Players of the Week, and the Freshman of the Week were announced this morning. Below are this week’s honorees:
Offensive Player of the Week
Taulia Tagovailoa, Maryland
QB – Sr. – Ewa Beach, Hawaii – Thompson
- Accounted for six touchdowns in Maryland’s 44-17 win over Indiana to move the Terrapins to 5-0 on the season
- Completed 24-of-34 passes for 352 yards and threw five touchdowns, while also rushing for 15 yards and a touchdown on the ground
- Became the first Maryland quarterback to exceed 9,000 career passing yards in the win, improving his total to 9,343 career passing yards, which ranks 13th all-time in the Big Ten
- The two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree earns his third career Offensive Player of the Week award
- Last Maryland Offensive Player of the Week: Taulia Tagovailoa (Sept. 12, 2022)
Co-Defensive Players of the Week
Nick Jackson, Iowa
LB – Gr. – Atlanta, Ga. – Lovett School
- Had 10 tackles, his second straight game with 10 or more stops, in Iowa’s 26-16 victory over Michigan State
- Also added a key forced fumble in the fourth quarter on Michigan State’s second-to-last possession, which led to a game-sealing field goal
- Jackson, who has 22 career games with 10 or more tackles, has 42 tackles over his last four games with 9+ stops in each contest
- Earns the first Defensive Player of the Week accolade of his career
- Last Iowa Defensive Player of the Week: Sebastian Castro (Sept. 11, 2023)
Josaiah Stewart, Michigan
EDGE – Jr. – Bronx, N.Y. – Everett (Mass.)
- Recorded the first two sacks of his career in Michigan’s 45-7 victory against Nebraska
- Set a new career high for tackles (5), leading the defense in tackles for the first time
- Part of a defense that permitted only 106 yards on the ground to the nation’s No. 1 rush offense (including 74-yard run)
- Earns the first Defensive Player of the Week accolade of his career
- Last Michigan Defensive Player of the Week: Aidan Hutchinson (Nov. 29, 2021)
Special Teams Player of the Week
Cooper DeJean, Iowa
DB – Jr. – Odebolt, Iowa – OA-BCIG
- Returned a punt 70 yards for a touchdown to give the Hawkeyes its first lead of the second half at 23-16 over Michigan State in an eventual 26-16 victory
- The 70-yard punt return touchdown is the first of his career, the 15th longest in program history and the first punt return touchdown by a Hawkeye since 2020
- Also had six tackles defensively and he intercepted a pass – his first of the season
- Garners the first Special Teams Player of the Week honor of his career
- Last Iowa Special Teams Player of the Week: Tory Taylor (Sept. 26, 2022)
Freshman of the Week
Zach Evans, Minnesota
RB – Heath, Texas – Rockwall-Heath
- Saw his first action of the season against Louisiana and rushed 15 times for 85 yards and one touchdown
- Averaged 5.7 yards per carry and did not have a negative rush
- His longest run on the day was 18 yards
- Earns the first Freshman of the Week honor of his career
- Last Minnesota Freshman of the Week: Darius Taylor (Sept. 25, 2023)
2023 Big Ten Football Players of the Week
Sept. 5
- O: Drew Allar, So., QG, PSU
- D: Miles Scott, So., DB, ILL
- D: Tyler Nubin, Sr., S, MINN
- S: Dragan Kesich, Sr., K, MINN
- F: Dillon Thieneman, DB, PUR
Sept. 11
- O: Noah Kim, Jr., QB, MSU
- D: Sebastian Castro, Sr., DB, IOWA
- S: Jai Patel, So., K, RU
- F: Darius Taylor, RB, MINN
Sept. 18
- O: Kyle Monangai, Jr., RB, RU
- D: Hunter Wohler, Jr., S, WIS
- S: Braedan Wisloski, Fr., WR, MD
- F: Darius Taylor, RB, MINN
Sept. 25
- O: Bryce Kirtz, Sr., WR, NU
- D: Lathan Ransom, Sr., S, OSU
- S: Nathanial Vakos, So., K, WIS
- F: Darius Taylor, RB, MINN
Oct. 2
- O: Taulia Tagovailoa, Sr., QB, MD
- D: Nick Jackson, Gr., LB, IOWA
- D: Josaiah Stewart, Jr., EDGE, MICH
- S: Cooper DeJean, Jr., DB, IOWA
-
2023 Football Standings
