Four Buckeyes Receive Preseason Big Ten Honors

With Big Ten media days beginning today, preseason Big Ten honors were released, and there were four Buckeyes featured among 12 players honored in the conference, the most of any school.

Sophomore safety Caleb Downs, senior wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, senior running back TreVeyon Henderson and senior defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau were the four Buckeyes on the list.

Downs, who joined Ohio State over the offseason through the transfer portal after Nick Saban retired, won the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year award for a first year where he led the Crimson Tide in tackles with 107.

Egbuka opted to return for one more season as a Buckeye after a year that he dealt with injuries and finished with 41 catches for 515 yards and four touchdowns. The year before, he was one of two receivers to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark for Ohio State, catching 74 passes for 1,151 yards and 10 touchdowns and could be looking at a year where he is the leading pass catcher for the Scarlet and Gray.

Henderson was joined by transfer Quinshon Judkins in the backfield this season, but is the only back for Ohio State to receive preseason conference honors this year. He’s coming off of a season in which he rushed 156 times for 926 yards and 11 touchdowns, adding 19 catches for 229 yards through the air.

Tuimoloau is another player who could have gone pro but decided to return to Columbus for another season. Last year, he had 32 tackles, four for a loss, two sacks, two passed defended and a fumble recovery.

Michigan was second in the conference with three players receiving preseason Big ten honors. Those three were defensive tackle Mason Graham, cornerback Will Johnson and tight end Colston Loveland.

The other five players honored were linebacker Jay Higgins (Iowa), quarterback Dillon Gabriel (Oregon), wide receiver Tez Johnson (Oregon), defensive end Abdul Carter (Penn State) and running back Kyle Monangai (Rutgers).