If you haven’t been paying close attention to college football lately, you might not be aware of the B1G Ten and conference realignment that has taken place. There’ve been some major changes to all the top conferences, and you may no longer recognize the college football landscape. The short version is that geography no longer matters, and the “Power 5” conferences are now “Power 4.”
As for the Big Ten Conference, “ten” no longer has anything to do with the number of teams in the conference, as it now boasts 18 universities across the country. The “B1G” has welcomed the Oregon Ducks, UCLA Bruins, USC Trojans, and Washington Huskies into the conference. That means the B1G now comprises Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, UCLA, USC, Washington, and Wisconsin.
Once again, rather than analyzing the impact of conference realignment, the goal is to help you familiarize yourself with the top handful of players likely to play on Sundays in 2025. If you’re like most dynasty managers, you’ve got one eye on the future. These are five of the top names you’ll want to know for the 2024 college football season from the Big Ten Conference.
TreVeyon Henderson | RB | Ohio State | 5’10” | 208 lbs.
It’s not often that we have two of the top running backs in one class playing on the same team, but thanks to the transfer portal, that’s exactly where we find ourselves. The first back I will highlight from that room is TreVeyon Henderson. He has dealt with a handful of injuries since he exploded onto the scene in Columbus, OH, during his freshman season. Henderson ran for 1,172 yards and 15 TDs while adding another 285 yards and 4 TDs in the receiving game and as a freshman in 2021. But he struggled in 2022, amassing fewer than 600 total yards from scrimmage. Thankfully, in 2023, Henderson bounced back nicely, eclipsing 1,000 total yards.
On the field, there isn’t really anything that he doesn’t do well. Henderson has two main issues that could hurt his draft stock. First, his injury history is a bit of a concern. A healthy 2024 campaign should help quiet those doubts. Second, Henderson is an adequate receiver but not elite. He isn’t going to ‘wow’ you with an extensive route tree, but he is good in the screen game and catching check-downs. As a rusher, Henderson has good vision, quick feet and acceleration, and enough top-end speed to run away from defenders. I have Henderson as my RB1 heading into the season.
Quinshon Judkins | RB | Ohio State | 6’0” | 219 lbs.
The other half of Ohio State’s elite RB duo is Ole Miss transfer Quinshon Judkins. Like Henderson, Judkins surprised the nation in 2021 with an impressive freshman season for the Rebels, rushing for over 1,500 yards and scoring 16 times. However, unlike Henderson, Judkins doubled down in his second year by putting up another 1,000-yard season. So, it was a bit of a surprise when he announced that he was transferring to Ohio State for the 2024 season.
As an NFL prospect, Judkins differs from his new teammate. He has excellent speed, quickness, and acceleration and runs more violently. However, his vision and receiving skills leave something to be desired. There’s a little bit of uncertainty as to how OSU plans to use both of their backs, but as dynasty prospects, they are two of the best RBs in the class. I currently have Judkins one spot behind his teammate.
Emeka Egbuka | WR | Ohio State | 6’1” | 205 lbs.
There’s one more Buckeye that will likely hear his name called early in 2025 rookie drafts: WR Emeka Egbuka. He also surprised many people when he announced that he would be returning to Columbus, OH, for another season instead of entering the 2024 NFL Draft. Egbuka did miss some time due to injury in 2023 so perhaps he wanted to prove he was healthy over a full season. His best season to date was 2022 when he caught 66 passes for 1,039 yards and scored 9 TDs.
There are a lot of really good receiver prospects in the 2025 class, but perhaps none are better route runners than Egbuka. He has elite short-area quickness and can get in and out of his breaks in a flash, routinely getting open at all levels of the field. When you add in his dynamic ability after the catch and soft hands, Egbuka has the skills to be a force out of the slot at the NFL level. He’s in my second tier of WRs for the 2025 class.
Nicholas Singleton | RB | Penn State | 6’0” | 227 lbs.
Next up on the list, we have Penn State’s Nicholas Singleton. He looks to be the next in line of Penn State running backs to head to the NFL as impact players. As the #1 ranked RB in his class, Singleton chose Penn State and made an immediate impact in 2022, rushing for over 1,000 yards and 12 TDs. He did take a slight step backward last year, falling shy of 800 yards on the ground. However, despite his dip in production, Singleton did demonstrate his skills as a receiving back, catching 26 passes in 2023.
As an NFL prospect, Singleton is one of the most explosive backs in the 2025 class. He runs with a great combination of power and quickness that makes him extremely difficult to tackle inside the box or out in space. Singleton accelerates to his top speed very quickly and has the top-end speed to run away from defenders. He also has enough wiggle to evade defenders in tight areas. The biggest concern I have for Singleton is on the mental side of the game. He will occasionally struggle with making quick decisions behind the line and tends to default to bouncing the ball outside. He’s currently my RB5 in the 2025 draft class.
Donovan Edwards | RB | Michigan | 6’1” | 212 lbs.
The next player we have is yet another 2025 RB prospect, Donovan Edwards. Normally, being the fourth-best RB in your conference would be seen as a knock, but when it comes to the B1G, the talent at the running back position is bountiful. Edwards may not quite be on the level of the top RBs in this class, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be a quality dynasty prospect.
His top two traits are his acceleration through the line of scrimmage and his versatility as a receiver, both out of the backfield and lined up out wide. The biggest knock on Edwards is inconsistency in his vision behind the line. Edwards has a great opportunity to show growth as he finally will be the lead back in the run-heavy Michigan offense. For now, he is in the second tier of RBs, but he is someone that I’ll be watching closely throughout the season.
Evan Stewart | WR | Oregon | 6’0” | 175 lbs.
Evan Stewart is the final player I’ll highlight for the B1G Conference. If you aren’t familiar with his name or his game, you will be soon. Stewart is one of the best WR prospects in this class, coming in at WR1 for many people. He transferred to Oregon after a tumultuous couple of seasons at Texas A&M. After being a 5-star recruit and the fifth-ranked player in his recruiting class, Stewart underwhelmed in College Station, TX, only tallying 1,163 yards over two years. Much of that can be attributed to inconsistent QB play and terrible coaching during his time with the Aggies.
But now, after transferring, Stewart is poised to rack up massive numbers in Oregon’s pass-friendly offense. Listed at 175 lbs., his major concern is how his thin frame can hold up at the NFL level. Otherwise, Stewart has few concerns. He is quick in and out of breaks, regularly creating separation from defenders. He has smooth hands, exceptional body control, and impressive athleticism. I expect for Stewart to become a household name by the end of the season. I currently have him as my WR2 in the class and a first-round NFL pick.
If you are interested in more in depth prospect rankings, be on the lookout for my prospect positional rankings articles as well as my Dynasty Big Board coming soon. You can also check out Bobby Bishop’s Preseason Big Board here.
Honorable Mentions
- Drew Allar | QB | Penn State
- Kaytron Allen | RB | Penn State
- Tez Johnson | WR | Oregon
- Luke Lachey | TE | Iowa
- Colston Loveland | TE | Michigan
- J. Michael Sturdivant | WR | UCLA
Are you interested in joining the #NerdHerd? Use the code “tcook” for 15% off any membership. Sign up here and get an edge on all of your league mates today! You can get access to the DynastyGM tool (including our Trade Calculator and new Trade Finder), the Prospect Film Room, an extra weekly podcast, full rankings, and much, much more!
