Five Ohio State players make ‘The Athletic’s All-Big Ten first team

We’ll continue to get some preseason lists hitting the news as we get closer and closer to the start of the 2026 college football season, and the latest is the All-Big Ten first team The Athletic just dropped. You can always expect Ohio State to be well-represented on almost anything college football-related, but most especially if we’re looking at a Big Ten list of any kind.

And that’s the case here as well, as five Ohio State players made the list, tied with Oregon for the second most of any team in the League, right behind Indiana’s six players. On offense, quarterback Julian Sayin, running back Bo Jackson, and receiver Jeremiah Smith were recognized, and on defense, linebacker Payton Pierce and safety Jaylen McClain made the cut.

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We all know about Smith. There’s not much to be said about who he is and what he can do. It’s kind of the same for Sayin, but the coaching staff and team will be looking for him to take an even bigger step forward after being a Heisman Finalist last season. Jackson was one of the most productive freshmen running backs in the country and should also be even better this season as the clear No. 1 option.

On defense, Matt Patricia will be looking to replace a lot of NFL talent and is counting on Payton Pierce at the linebacker spot to be one of the leaders of the defense. Others will step up, but McClain has landed on a lot of preseason lists and is considered to be a top-end NFL draft prospect as well.