Wide receivers senior Chris Olave (2) and junior Garrett Wilson (5) celebrate after Olave’s touchdown during the Ohio State-Michigan State game Saturday. Ohio State won 56-7. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
The top scoring offense in the Big Ten added some hardware Wednesday following the announcement of all-conference teams, in which nine Buckeyes earned spots.
In his first season as a starter, redshirt freshman quarterback C.J. Stroud earned First Team honors from both the coaches and media ballots. Stroud led the Big Ten in passing touchdowns and yards, averaging more than 351 yards per game and totaling 38 scores. He earned seven Big Ten Freshman of the Week awards during the regular season.
Offensive linemen Thayer Munford and Nicholas Petit-Frere were the other two Buckeyes who earned First Team selections. The two played alongside one another primarily with Munford at left guard and Petit-Frere at left tackle. Interestingly, the pair started at both tackle positions in 2020.
No. 7 Ohio State’s highly-touted “three-headed monster” at wide receiver saw all three wideouts named to All-Big Ten Teams, led by senior Chris Olave who earned First Team honors from the coaches for the second season in a row while capturing the program record for most receiving touchdowns.
Buckeyes’ 1,000-yard receivers sophomore Jaxon Smith-Njigba picked up his first all-conference brass when named to the Third Team while junior Garrett Wilson was named to the Second Team.
Already with several Ohio State program records for freshmen broken, including most rushing yards in a single game and touchdowns scored in a season, running back TreVeyon Henderson earned his first all-conference hardware. He was voted to the Second Team-All Big Ten by both coaches and media, recording over 1,000 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns.
At right guard, sophomore Paris Johnson Jr. started all 12 games en route to Second Team selections by the coaches and Third Team placement by media. The former five-star recruit, namely at tackle, helped a shuffled Buckeyes offensive line by replacing former All-American Wyatt Davis.
Similarly, junior offensive lineman Dawand Jones excelled in his first season as a starter at right tackle, a position previously held by Petit-Frere for much of 2020. Jones played in all 12 games, starting 11, and made his 6-foot-8 presence known by helping the Buckeyes average over 186 yards on the ground per game.
Senior tight end Jeremy Ruckert earned his first All-Big Ten selection with his placement among honorable mentions. The New York native caught 284 yards and three touchdowns, moving Ruckert just behind Jake Stoneburner for most scores in a career by a Buckeyes tight end.
Offensive linemen junior Matthew Jones and redshirt freshman Luke Wypler also picked up honorable mentions by the media. Jones provided critical depth as Ohio State’s “sixth man” in offensive line rotation, while Wypler played all 12 games at center in his first season as a starter.
Six Buckeyes received placements on All-Big Ten Defense and Special Teams Tuesday, headlined by graduate defensive end Haskell Garrett being the lone Buckeye on First Team.
The complete list of Buckeyes honorees among the coaches and media selections is below:
QB C.J. Stroud – First Team (Coaches, Media)
RB TreVeyon Henderson – Second Team (Coaches, Media)
WR Chris Olave – First Team (Coaches), Second Team (Media)
WR Garrett Wilson – Second Team (Coaches, Media)
WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba – Third Team (Coaches, Media)
OL Thayer Munford – First Team (Coaches, Media)
OL Paris Johnson Jr. – Second Team (Coaches), Third Team (Media)
OL Nicholas Petit-Frere – First Team (Coaches, Media)
OL Dawand Jones – Third Team (Coaches), Second Team (Media)
TE Jeremy Ruckert – Honorable Mention (Coaches, Media)
OL Matthew Jones- Honorable Mention (Media)
OL Luke Wypler – Honorable Mention (Media)
