Football

Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon and Rutgers Earn Weekly Football Honors

Wolverines’ Bracy, Buckeyes’ Timmons, Ducks’ Hurych and Scarlet Knights’ Duff garner accolades

 
ROSEMONT, Ill. – Following Week 6 contests, the Big Ten Conference Football Players of the Week were announced Monday. Below are this week’s honorees: 
 
Offensive Player of the Week 
KJ Duff, Rutgers
WR – Jr. – Riverhead, N.Y. – St. Anthony’s
  • Posted nine receptions for 113 yards and two touchdowns in a 37-30 Big Ten road win at Maryland
  • Marked his fourth game of the season in triple figures and seventh for his career
  • The two receiving scores bring him to nine for the season, one shy of tying the single-season school record, and 17 for his career, tied for fifth most in program history
  • Last Rutgers Offensive Player of the Week: Kyle Monangai (Sept. 9, 2024)
Defensive Player of the Week
Chris Bracy, Michigan
S – Jr. – Mobile, Ala. – St. Paul's Episcopal
  • Picked up the Wolverines’ sixth interception this season and his second interception of the year in a 21-18 victory against Penn State
  • Recorded another turnover in the fourth quarter, forcing a strip sack recovered by Enow Etta and setting up the game-clinching score for the Wolverines
  • Finished with eight total tackles, 1.0 sack, a forced fumble, an interception and a pass breakup
  • Last Michigan Defensive Player of the Week honoree: John Henry Daley (Sept. 14, 2026)
Special Teams Player of the Week 
Gage Hurych, Oregon
K – Jr. – West Linn, Ore. – West Linn
  • Helped Oregon to a 17-14 comeback win against Nebraska, going 3-for-3 on field goals with makes from 36, 36 and 37 yards
  • Stayed perfect on the season, improving to 9-for-9 on field goals
  • One of seven FBS kickers still perfect on field goals with at least nine attempts
  • Last Oregon Special Teams Player of the Week honoree: Atticus Sappington (Nov. 10, 2025) 
Freshman of the Week 
Jay Timmons, Ohio State 
CB – Gibsonia, Pa. – Pine-Richland
  • Forced a fumble in the third quarter, marking the first fumble by the Indiana offense in 1,473 snaps which was the longest streak in the FBS
  • Totaled seven tackles, two pass breakups and the forced fumble in Ohio State’s second ranked road win of the season
  • Helped the Buckeyes end Indiana’s 22-game winning streak—the longest active streak in the country and the longest since Georgia won 29 consecutive games from 2021-23
  • Last Ohio State Freshman of the Week: Bo Jackson (Nov. 24, 2025)

2026 Big Ten Football Players of the Week
Sept. 7
O: Jayden Maiava, QB, R-Sr., USC
D: Caleb Bacon, DE, R-Sr., PSU
D: Ta’Shawn James, DB, Sr., UCLA
ST: Javon Tracy, WR, 5th-Yr., MINN
F: Jamal Rule, RB, Fr., NEB
 
Sept. 14
O: Anthony Colandrea, QB, Sr., NEB
D: John Henry Daley, DE, Sr., MICH
ST: Caden Buhr, PK, So., IOWA
F: Mark Bowman, TE, Fr., USC
 
Sept. 21
O: Aidan Chiles, QB, Sr., NU
D: Sammy Omosigho, LB, Sr., UCLA
ST: Caden Chittenden, K, R-So., USC
F: Riley Wormley, RB, R-Fr., USC
 
Sept. 28
O: Jeremiah Smith, WR, Jr., OSU
D: Maverick Baranowski, LB, 5th-Yr., MINN
ST: Luke Drzewiecki, K, 5th-Yr., MINN
F: Braeden Jackson, RB, R-Fr., IOWA
 
Oct. 5
O: Jeremiah Smith, WR, Jr., OSU
O: Colton Joseph, QB, Sr., WIS
D: Braydon Brus, LB, Gr., NU
ST: Jacobo Echeverria Lozano, K, Fr., PUR
F: Luke Wafle, DE, Fr., USC
 
Oct. 12
O: Fame Ijeboi, RB, So., PUR
D: Jalen Woods, LB, 5th-Yr., UCLA
ST: Ethan Moczulski, K, 5th-Yr., ILL
F: Trent Mosley, WR, Fr., USC
 
Oct. 19
O: KJ Duff, WR, Jr., RU
D: Chris Bracy, S, Jr., MICH
ST: Gage Hurych, K, Jr., ORE
F: Jay Timmons, CB, Fr., OSU