The 2021 college football regular season has officially come to a close, and now it’s time to recognize the top players across the country with PFF’s all-conference teams and conference players of the year.
With the help of PFF grades and advanced statistics — which are now available to PFF’s CFB Premium Stats+ Subscribers — we present to you the 2021 Big Ten Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year and All-Big Ten teams.
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Click to view PFF's 2021 All-Conference teams
POWER FIVE: ACC | Big 12 | Pac-12 | SEC
GROUP OF FIVE: AAC | C-USA | MAC | Mountain West | Sun Belt
BIG TEN OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
C Tyler Linderbaum, Iowa Hawkeyes
Linderbaum has simply had one of the best collegiate careers we have seen from an offensive lineman in the PFF College era.
In just two years, the 6-foot-3, 290-pounder transitioned from a defensive tackle to the best offensive lineman in college football. He played both sides of the ball in high school and was recruited to play on the interior defensive line, where he logged 18 snaps in his first season. He then flipped to center for the 2019 campaign, where he started and recorded the fifth-best grade in the FBS at the position (81.7).
Linderbaum was the highest-graded center in the FBS a season ago and is on pace to do the same in 2021, as he owns a 95.3 PFF grade through regular-season play. Not only is that the best of the 2021 season, but it’s the best single-season mark from a Power Five center in PFF’s eight years of grading college football.
BIG TEN DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Edge Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan Wolverines
The only single-season performance that can come close to matching Aidan Hutchinson's outstanding 2021 season is Chase Young's 2019 season with the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Hutchinson earned an FBS-leading 93.7 PFF grade across his 12 games of action and capped it off with one of the most dominant outings of the PFF College era against arch-rival Ohio State. Hutchinson racked up 15 total pressures against the Buckeyes in Week 13, the most by any pass-rusher against a Power Five program in 2021. The 6-foot-6, 265-pound edge defender is the most advanced pass-rusher in the country and had to deal with double teams, constant chips and missed holding calls on the regular in 2021. Despite that, he still produced more pressure in the regular season than any Power Five edge defender in the last five years.
FIRST-TEAM ALL-BIG TEN
QB C.J. Stroud, Ohio State
RB Kenneth Walker III, Michigan State
RB Treveyon Henderson, Ohio State
WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State
WR Garrett Wilson, Ohio State
WR Jahan Dotson, Penn State
TE Peyton Hendershot, Indiana
LT Peter Skoronski, Northwestern
LG Josh Seltzner, Wisconsin
C Tyler Linderbaum, Iowa
RG Blaise Andries, Minnesota
RT Dawand Jones, Ohio State
DI Jacob Slade, Michigan State
DI Ben Stille, Nebraska
ED Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan
ED George Karlaftis, Purdue
LB Leo Chenal, Wisconsin
LB Jack Sanborn, Wisconsin
CB Riley Moss, Iowa
CB Kessawn Abraham, Rutgers
S Jaquan Brisker, Penn State
S Brad Hawkins, Michigan
FLEX D JoJo Domann, Nebraska
K Caleb Shudak, Iowa
P Jordan Stout, Penn State
KR Charlie Jones, Iowa
PR Jayden Reed, Michigan State
SECOND-TEAM ALL-BIG TEN
QB Aidan O'Connell, Purdue
RB Blake Corum, Michigan
RB Hassan Haskins, Michigan
WR David Bell, Purdue
WR Chris Olave, Ohio State
WR Jayden Reed, Michigan State
TE Austin Allen, Nebraska
LT Vederian Lowe, Illinois
LG J.D. Duplain, Michigan State
C John Michael Schmitz, Minnesota
RG Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State
RT Daniel Faalele, Minnesota
DI Matt Henningsen, Wisconsin
DI Mazi Smith, Michigan
ED Arnold Ebiketie, Penn State
ED David Ojabo, Michigan
LB Micah McFadden, Indiana
LB Jack Campbell, Iowa
CB DJ Turner, Michigan
CB Matt Hankins, Iowa
S Kerby Joseph, Illinois
S Dane Belton, Iowa
FLEX D Jordan Mosley, Maryland
K Jake Moody, Michigan
P Brad Robbins, Michigan
KR Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State
PR Aron Cruickshank, Rutgers
THIRD-TEAM ALL-BIG TEN
QB Taulia Tagovailoa, Maryland
RB Chase Brown, Illinois
RB Braelon Allen, Wisconsin
WR Smori Toure, Nebraska
WR Parker Washington, Penn State
WR Bo Melton, Rutgers
TE Jake Ferguson, Wisconsin
LT Nicholas Petit-Frere, Ohio State
LG Conner Olson, Minnesota
C Joe Tippmann, Wisconsin
RG Juice Scruggs, Penn State
RT Andrew Steuber, Michigan
DI Haskell Garrett, Ohio State
DI Julius Turner, Rutgers
ED Nate Herbig, Wisconsin
ED Jacub Panasiuk, Michigan State
LB Jestin Jacobs, Iowa
LB Jack Gibbens, Minnesota
CB Cam Taylor-Britt, Nebraska
CB Caesar Williams, Wisconsin
S Krishon Merriweather, Iowa
S Xavier Henderson, Michigan State
FLEX D Daxton Hill, Michigan
K James McCourt, Illinois
P Blake Hayes, Illinois
KR Blake Corum, Michigan
PR Charlie Jones, Iowa
HONORABLE MENTION
QB Cade McNamara, Michigan
RB Miyan Williams, Ohio State
RB Evan Hull, Northwestern
WR Milton Wright, Purdue
WR Chris Autman-Bell, Minnesota
WR Rakim Jarrett, Maryland
TE Erick All, Michigan
LT Raiqwon O'Neal, Rutgers
LG Kyler Schott, Iowa
C Luke Wypler, Ohio State
RG Tyler Witt, Purdue
RT Logan Bruss, Wisconsin
DI Roderick Perry II, Illinois
DI Keeanu Benton, Wisconsin
ED Zach Harrison, Ohio State
ED Boye Mafe, Minnesota
LB Ellis Brooks, Penn State
LB Olakunle Fatukasi, Rutgers
CB Jaylin Williams, Indiana
CB Vincent Gray, Michigan
S John Torchio, Wisconsin
S Collin Wilder, Wisconsin
FLEX D Daequan Hardy, Penn State
K Noah Ruggles, Ohio State
P Adam Korsak, Rutgers
KR Devyn Ford, Penn State
PR D.J. Matthews Jr., Indiana
Click to view PFF's 2021 All-Conference teams
POWER FIVE: ACC | Big 12 | Pac-12 | SEC
GROUP OF FIVE: AAC | C-USA | MAC | Mountain West | Sun Belt
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