COLUMBUS, Ohio – A day after being named the top players in the Big Ten at their respective positions, Buckeyes J.T. Barrett and Joey Bosa took home awards placing them among the conference’s elite players of 2014.
Bosa won the Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year and Barrett pocketed the Thompson-Randle El Freshman of the Year award.
Bosa, the ninth Buckeye to receive the conference’s top defensive award, leads the Big Ten with 13.5 sacks and 20 tackles for loss and is tied for the conference lead with four forced fumbles.
Barrett is the eighth Buckeye to be named Freshman of the Year, and first since Braxton Miller claimed the award in 2011. Barrett set the Big Ten record for most touchdowns responsible for in a season, accounting for 45 touchdowns, including 34 passing scores and 11 rushing touchdowns. His season came to an end when he suffered a broken ankle during the Buckeyes’ win over Michigan Saturday.
Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon was named the Graham-George Offensive Player of the Year, the fifth Badger running back to collect the award. Gordon has amassed a Big Ten and school record 2,260 rushing yards and he leads the nation with 200.9 all-purpose yards per game, 188.3 rushing yards per game and 26 rushing touchdowns.
Minnesota’s Jerry Kill was named the Hayes-Schembechler Coach of the Year by his peers and Dave McClain Coach of the Year by the media. Kill has guided Minnesota to back-to-back seasons of eight or more wins for the first time since 2002 and 2003.