Indiana, Iowa, Michigan and Oregon Earn Weekly Football Honors
Hoosiers’ Cooper Jr., Hawkeyes’ Wetjen, Wolverines’ Underwood and Ducks’ Mixon garner accolades
ROSEMONT, Ill. – Following Week 3 contests, the Big Ten Conference Football Players of the Week Presented by IFS.ai were announced Monday. Below are this week’s honorees:
Offensive Player of the Week
Omar Cooper Jr., Indiana
WR – Jr. – Indianapolis, Ind. – Lawrence North
• Set career highs for yards receiving (207), receptions (10) and receiving touchdowns (4) in the Hoosiers 73-0 victory against Indiana State
• His first career multi-touchdown game tied the school-record for most receiving scores in a single game with James Hardy
• His 10-catch effort is the first double-digit catch game since Jaylin Lucas (10) in 2023 versus Louisville
• Last Indiana Offensive Player of the Week: Kurtis Rourke (Dec. 2, 2024)
Defensive Player of the Week
Jerry Mixon, Oregon
ILB – Jr. – San Francisco, Calif. – Sacred Heart CathedralPrep
• Helped Oregon improve to 3-0 with a 34-14 win at Northwestern to open Big Ten play
• Second straight game with an interception and the first Duck with an interception in back-to-back games since Khyree Jackson in 2023
• Returned his interception 36 yards to set up an Oregon touchdown in the third quarter, while also recording a career-high five tackles and adding first TFL of the season
• Last Oregon Defensive Player of the Week honoree: Matayo Uiagalelei (Nov. 18, 2024)
Special Teams Player of the Week
Kaden Wetjen, Iowa
WR – Gr. – Williamsburg, Iowa – Williamsburg
• Recorded a 95-yard punt return for a touchdown in the third quarter in Iowa’s 47-7 win over UMass
• The return ties a Big Ten and Iowa record (Michigan State’s Al Brenner at Illinois, 1966 and Iowa’s Bill Happel vs. Minnesota, 1984) and is the longest punt return in Kinnick Stadium history, besting Bob Longley (94 vs. Oregon in 1949)
• Wetjen finished the with a career-high 216 return yards (182 punt and 34 kickoff) and a career-high 236 all-purpose yards
• Last Iowa Special Teams Players of the Week: Drew Stevens (Dec. 2,2024)
Freshman of the Week
Bryce Underwood, Michigan
QB – Detroit, Mich. – Belleville
• Completed 16 of 25 passes for 235 yards with one touchdown and one interception in Michigan’s 63-3 victory against Central Michigan
• He accounted for 339 yards of total offense and three scores, scoring the first two rushing touchdowns of his career, a 20-yard run in the second quarter and an 18-yard run in the third
• Posted the best rushing game of his young career, finishing with 114 yards on nine carries – the most by a Michigan quarterback since Devin Gardner ran for 121 yards against Penn State in 2013
• Last Michigan Freshman of the Week: Andrel Anthony (Nov. 1, 2021)
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
