Iowa, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin Earn Weekly Football Honors
Hawkeyes’ Wetjen, Wildcats’ Stone, Buckeyes’ Jackson, Nittany Lions’ Allen, and Badgers’ Peterson garner accolades
ROSEMONT, Ill. – Following Week 13 contests, the Big Ten Conference Football Players of the Week Presented by IFS.ai were announced Monday. Below are this week’s honorees:
Co-Offensive Players of the Week
Preston Stone, Northwestern
QB – Gr. – Dallas, Texas – Parish Episcopal
- Went 15-for-15 passing in the second half to overcome a 15-point deficit and 25-of-30 overall for 305 yards and two touchdowns as the Wildcats defeated Minnesota 38-35 to reach bowl eligibility
- Completed 83.3% of his passes, which is tied for the best single-game completion percentage in school history (min. 30 attempts), equaling Mike Kafka (35-42) against Syracuse in 2009
- He is the only Big Ten quarterback to complete at least 15 passes in the second half of a game without an incompletion since at least 2015
- Set a season-high throwing for 305 yards, becoming the first NU quarterback with at least 30 passing attempts, 300 passing yards, an 80% completion rate and no interceptions since Brett Basanez on Nov. 11, 2005, against Illinois
- Last Northwestern Offensive Player of the Week: Bryce Kirtz (Sept. 25, 2023)
Kaytron Allen, Penn State
RB – Sr. – Norfolk, Va. – IMG Academy
- Recorded 25 carries for 160 yards and two touchdowns in Penn State’s 37-10 win against Nebraska
- Finished the game with 160 yards and 3,954 career yards to become the all-time career rushing yards leader at Penn State, passing Evan Royster (3,932; 2007-10)
- Allen is now 46 yards away from becoming the 23rd Big Ten player, since 1956, to reach 4,000 career rushing yards
- Scored on a three-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter and added a 13-yard touchdown rush in the fourth quarter
- With 38 career rushing touchdowns, Allen is tied with Lydell Mitchell (38; 1969-71) for third all-time at Penn State
- Last Penn State Offensive Player of the Week: Kaytron Allen (Nov. 17, 2025)
Defensive Player of the Week
Darryl Peterson, Wisconsin
OL – Gr. – Akron, Ohio – Archbishop Hoban
- Recorded six tackles, three sacks, a forced fumble, two PBUs and two QB hurries in Wisconsin’s win against No. 21 Illinois
- Peterson’s three-sack performance was the first for a Badger player since Nick Herbig in 2021 and he’s the first to notch three sacks and a forced fumble
- He’s the first FBS player since 2023 (Andrew Chatfield, UCLA) to post 3+ sacks, 2+ PBUs and force a fumble
- Now has 5.5 sacks over the last two games, which is the most of any FBS player
- Last Wisconsin Defensive Player of the Week honoree: Cooper Catalano (Nov. 10, 2025)
Special Teams Player of the Week
Kaden Wetjen, Iowa
KR/WR – Gr. – Williamsburg, Iowa – Williamsburg
- Recorded a 62-yard punt return for a touchdown in Iowa’s 20-17 win against Michigan State, his third punt return touchdown this season
- His three punt return touchdowns are tied for the third-most in Big Ten history and it is his sixth career return touchdown, the most in Iowa history
- Finished the game with 165 combined return yards, his sixth career game with 100+ yards, including a 40-yard return to set up Iowa’s game-tying touchdown
- Wetjen is the first player in Big Ten history with three punt return touchdowns and a kick return touchdown in a single season
- Last Iowa Special Teams Player of the Week honoree: Kaden Wetjen (Sept. 15, 2025)
Freshman of the Week
Bo Jackson, Ohio State
RB – Cleveland, Ohio – Villa Angela-St. Joseph
- Rushed for 110 yards and scored two touchdowns to lead a 254-yard, four-touchdown ground assault by the Buckeyes in their 42-9 victory over Rutgers
- Had a career-high 19 carries and scored from 15 and 10 yards out
- Marked his second consecutive 100-yard rushing game, third in his last four games and fifth on the season
- Last Ohio State Freshman of the Week: Julian Sayin (Nov. 3, 2025)
2025 Big Ten Football Players of the Week (presented by IFS.ai)
Sept. 1
O: Jayden Maiava, USC
O: Jonah Coleman, WASH
D: Preston Zachman, WIS
ST: Hank Beatty, ILL
F: Malik Washington, MD
Sept. 8
O: Aidan Chiles, MSU
O: Jonah Coleman, WASH
D: Jordan Hall, MSU
ST: Spencer Porath, PUR
F: Julian Sayin, OSU
Sept. 15
O: Omar Cooper Jr., IND
D: Jerry Mixon, ORE
ST: Kaden Wetjen, IOWA
F: Bryce Underwood, MICH
Sept. 22
O: Fernando Mendoza, IND
O: Demond Williams Jr., WASH
D: Daniel Wingate, MD
ST: Kaden Wetjen, IOWA
ST: Dominic Zvada, MICH
F: Malik Washington, MD
Sept. 29
O: Luke Altmyer, ILL
O: Dante Moore, ORE
D: Caden Curry, OSU
ST: David Olano, ILL
F: Drake Lindsey, MINN
Oct. 6
O: Nico Iamaleava, UCLA
D: DeShon Singleton, NEB
ST: David Olano, ILL
F: Julian Sayin, OSU
Oct. 13
O: Demond Williams Jr., WASH
D: Aiden Fisher, IND
ST: Jack Olsen, NU
F: King Miller, USC
Oct. 20
O: Julian Sayin, OSU
D: Xavier Nwankpa, IOWA
ST: Mateen Bhaghani, UCLA
F: Julian Sayin, OSU
Oct. 27
O: Justice Haynes, MICH
O: Denzel Boston, WASH
D: Jimmy Rolder, MICH
ST: Kenneth Williams, NEB
ST: Jai Patel, RU
F: Jordon Davison, ORE
Nov. 3
O: Luke Altmyer, ILL
O: Jordan Marshall, MICH
D: Arvell Reese, OSU
ST: Ryon Sayeri, USC
F: Julian Sayin, OSU
Nov. 10
O: Emmett Johnson, NEB
D: Cooper Catalano, WIS
ST: Atticus Sappington, ORE
F: TJ Lateef, NEB
F: Mason Posa, WIS
Nov. 17
O: Fernando Mendoza, IND
O: Kaytron Allen, PSU
D: Dani Dennis-Sutton, PSU
ST: Ryon Sayeri, USC
F: Andrew Marsh, MICH
Nov. 24
O: Preston Stone, NU
O: Kaytron Allen, PSU
D: Darryl Peterson, WIS
ST: Kaden Wetjen, IOWA
F: Bo Jackson, OSU
