Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Penn State Earn Weekly Football Honors

Following Week 7 contests, the Big Ten Conference Offensive, Defensive, and Co-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

J.J. McCarthy, Michigan

QB – Jr. – La Grange Park, Ill. – Nazareth Academy/IMG Academy

• Matched a career high with three touchdown passes, engineering six straight scoring drives with five touchdowns in the Wolverines’ 52-7 victory against Indiana

• Completed 14-of-17 attempts for 222 yards and three touchdowns, moving to 11th all-time in passing yards with 4,467 career passing yards

• Marked the first time the Wolverines have scored 50-plus points in back to back Big Ten games since 1975 and the first time in program history with 10 straight games with 30-plus points

• The Academic All-Big Ten honoree earns his first career Offensive Player of the Week award

• Last Michigan Offensive Player of the Week: Donovan Edwards (Nov. 28, 2022)

Defensive Players of the Week

Seth Coleman, Illinois

OLB – Jr. – Melbourne, Fla. – Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy

• Recorded six tackles, 3.0 sacks, 3.0 tackles for loss in Illinois’ 27-24 win at Maryland

• His 3.0 sacks are the most in a game by any Big Ten player this season

• First Illini to have 3.0+ sacks in a game since Owen Carney Jr. on Oct. 31, 2020, vs. Purdue

• Earns the first Defensive Player of the Week accolade of his career

• Last Illinois Defensive Player of the Week: Miles Scott (Sept. 5, 2023) 

Co-Special Teams Players of the Week

Tory Taylor, Iowa

P – Sr. – Melbourne, Australia – Haileybury College

• Had 10 punts for a career-best 506 yards for a 50.6 average in the Hawkeyes’ 15-6 victory against Wisconsin  

• Five punts traveled 50+ yards (two 60+ yard punts), including a 62-yarder, tying a season-long, and four that were downed inside the 20

• His 10 punts equaled a personal high

• Garners the second Special Teams Player of the Week honor of his career and second in as many weeks

• Last Iowa Special Teams Player of the Week: Tory Taylor (Oct. 9, 2023)

Daequan Hardy, Penn State

CB – Sr. – Pittsburgh, Pa. – Penn Hills

• On his first career punt return, Hardy had a 56-yard punt return for a touchdown in the first quarter in Penn State’s 63-0 win vs. UMass

• Added a 68-yard punt return for a touchdown in the third quarter, becoming the first player in school history to record multiple punt returns for a touchdown in a single game

• Since 2000, Hardy is the 25th FBS player to return two punt returns for touchdowns in a game and one of two Big Ten players joining Iowa’s Kevonte Martin-Manley (vs. Western Michigan, 2013)

• Garners the first Special Teams Player of the Week honor of his career

• Last Penn State Special Teams Player of the Week: Jake Pinegar (Nov. 14, 2022) 

Freshman of the Week

Kaden Feagin, Illinois

RB – Atwood, Ill. – ALAH

• Recorded 19 carries for 84 yards and one touchdown in Illinois’ 27-24 win at Maryland

• Tied the game at 14-14 in the final seconds of the second quarter with a 4th-and-1 touchdown run, his first career touchdown

• Stepped into the starting role for the first time in his career and became the game’s leading rusher among both teams

• Earns the first Freshman of the Week honor of his career

• Last Illinois Freshman of the Week: Fabrizio Pinton (Oct. 10, 2022)

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

F: Zach Evans, RB, MINN

 Oct. 9

O: Marvin Harrison Jr., Jr., WR, OSU

D: Josh Proctor, Gr., S, OSU

S: Tory Taylor, Sr., P, IOWA

F: Dillon Thieneman, DB, PUR

Oct. 16

O: J.J. McCarthy, Jr., QB, MICH

D: Seth Coleman, Jr., OLB, ILL

S: Tory Taylor, Sr., P, IOWA

S: Daequan Hardy, CB, Sr., PSU

F: Kaden Feagin, RB, ILL