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Ohio State Football: The Top Five Players in the Big Ten for 2023

By Frank Teriaca

ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 31: Marvin Harrison Jr. #18 of the Ohio State Buckeyes rushes after a reception during the first half against the Georgia Bulldogs in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 31, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 31: Marvin Harrison Jr. #18 of the Ohio State Buckeyes rushes after a reception during the first half against the Georgia Bulldogs in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 31, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) /
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The Ohio State football team is lucky they don’t have to face Jer’Zhan Newton this year. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
The Ohio State football team is lucky they don’t have to face Jer’Zhan Newton this year. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

It’s hard to believe that a school like Illinois can have one of the best players in all of college football but they do. Newton is an absolute force on the interior defensive line and will be a first-round NFL draft pick come 2024.

Last season, Newton earned All-Big Ten first-team honors and second-team All-American honors. He recorded a whopping 13 tackles for loss to go along with 59 total tackles and five sacks. Simply put, Newton is a game-wrecker.

I know, this may come as a surprise but it’s not Egbuka’s fault that he’s only the second-best receiver on the Ohio State football team. In any other season, all the offseason hype would be on this former five-star, top receiver from his 2021 recruiting class.

Egbuka emerged last season due to Jaxon Smith-Nijigba’s injury. Catching 74 passes for 1,151 yards and 10 scores, Egbuka displays everything that you want in a receiver. Solid size, great speed, and excellent hands. He is also a very underrated route runner.

The thing that you have to love most about Egbuka is his knack for showing up in the big games. Last season against Michigan he had nine receptions for 125 yards and a score while against Georgia in the Peach Bowl, he had eight catches for 112 yards and a touchdown. This guy is a clear first-round NFL talent for the 2024 draft.

What can I say about Route Man Marv? This guy has it all. With an elite skillset in every sense of the word, Harrison is not only clearly the best player in the Big Ten but is probably the best player in all of college football.

As a first-time starter in 2022, Harrison had 77 receptions for 1,263 yards and 14 touchdowns. Those numbers should only grow in 2023 with having an established player like Emeka Egbuka opposite of him. And it’s going to be fun seeing his on-field chemistry with his former high school quarterback, Kyle McCord. Overall, this was the easiest selection of the entire list.

Scarlet and Game’s Preseason All-Big Ten Team. dark. Next

There you have it Buckeye fans, our top five players in the Big Ten. There was plenty of consideration for Ohio State’s Tommy Eichenberg, Penn State’s Kalen King, Michigan’s Will Johnson, and J.J. McCarthy. But in the end, I believe we got the correct five. Who do you think we left off?

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