Michigan, Nebraska, Oregon, Rutgers and Washington Earn Weekly Football Honors

ROSEMONT, Ill. – Following Week 9 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

Justice Haynes, Michigan

RB – Jr. – Alpharetta, Ga. – Buford

• Finished the day with 26 carries for 152 yards with two touchdowns, his third multi-touchdown game of the season, to help the Wolverines defeat in-state rival Michigan State
• Responsible for more than half the team's 276 rushing yards, the team's most in the rivalry since 1994
• Recorded the most rushing yards by a U-M player in the rivalry series since Blake Corum had 177 yards on 33 carries in 2022
• Haynes is the first Wolverine player with multiple rushing touchdowns against the Spartans since Blake Corum in 2020
• Last Michigan Offensive Player of the Week: Kalel Mullings (Sept. 30, 2024)

Denzel Boston, Washington

WR – Jr. – South Hill, Wash. – Emerald Ridge

• Set new career highs with 10 receptions and 153 receiving yards, while also catching a six-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter, as Washington beat No. 23 Illinois, 42-25
• Threw a second-quarter, 12-yard touchdown pass to Jonah Coleman on a double pass
• The first Husky to record a passing and receiving touchdown in the same game since Dante Pettis in 2016
• Last Washington Offensive Player of the Week: Demond Williams Jr. (Oct. 13, 2025)

Defensive Player of the Week

Jimmy Rolder, Michigan

LB – Jr. – Orland Park, Ill. – Marist

·       Recovered a fumble early in the first quarter, marking the first of his career, in Michigan’s 31-20 win against Michigan State

·       Finished with a career-high 10 tackles including one sack

·       Helped limit the Spartans to three yards per rush, while also shutting down a key fourth-down conversion attempt by breaking up a pass

·       Last Michigan Defensive Player of the Week honoree: Josaiah Stewart (Sept. 23, 2024)

Co-Special Teams Players of the Week

Kenneth Williams, Nebraska

RB – So. – Lincoln, Neb. – Lincoln High

·       Opened the second half with a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to give Nebraska a 14-6 lead

·       The kickoff return for a touchdown was Williams' second of at least 85 yards in the past three games, and marked Nebraska's first kickoff return for a touchdown since 2017

·       Finished the game with two kickoff returns for 124 total yards

·       Last Nebraska Special Teams Players of the Week: Quinton Newsome (Oct. 30, 2023)

Jai Patel, Rutgers

PK – Sr. – Monmouth Junction, N.J. – South Brunswick

·       Made two field goals under the two-minute timeout in the fourth quarter to help Rutgers defeat Purdue, the first walk-off field goal for the Scarlet Knights since 2015 at Indiana

·       Converted from 20 yards away to tie the score with 1:06 remaining before hitting from 30 yards away as time expired for the game-winner

·       Improved to 40 career made fields goals and has 12 games with multiple makes

·       Last Rutgers Special Teams Players of the Week: Jai Patel (Sept. 11, 2023)

Freshman of the Week

Jordon Davison, Oregon

RB – Santa Ana, Calif. – Mater Dei

• Led Oregon to a 21-7 win over Wisconsin with a career-high 102 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries
• Scored Oregon's first two touchdowns to put the Ducks up 14-0, finding the end zone from three yards and 20 yards for his second multi-touchdown game of the season and second straight 100-yard rushing game
• First Oregon freshman to have back-to-back 100-yard rushing games since 2018 and joins program legend Royce Freeman as the only players to rush for 10-plus touchdowns as a true freshman
• First Oregon Freshman of the Week honoree

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