27 Ohio State Players Earn All-Conference Honors
Twenty-seven Ohio State players earned All-Conference honors in 2021, including five earning First-Team spots.
No team had more First-Team selections from the coaches, and only Michigan matched the number chosen by the media.
First-Team Selections
C.J. Stroud led the way, not only earning a consensus First-Team spot, but sweeping all of the conference honors for a quarterback. Stroud won Graham-George Offensive Player of the Year; Thompson-Randle El Freshman of the Year; and Griese-Brees Quarterback of the Year.
In 11 games, he passed for 3,862 yards, 38 touchdowns, and had a quarterback rating of 182.2, all of which led the conference. In fact, Stroud had 14 more touchdowns than the two players tied for second place. Stroud’s completion percentage was second in the conference, and he led all quarterbacks in 300-yard games. He was second in yards per attempt behind only Kyle McCord.
As far as school history goes, Stroud had the second-most passing yards of any Ohio State quarterback ever. Only Dwayne Haskins had more, which was in 2019. Stroud is third in single-season touchdowns, but could move into second with three touchdown passes in Ohio State’s upcoming bowl game.
Stroud takes the awards for both offensive player and quarterback of the year after Justin Fields won them each twice.
Since the Griese-Brees Quarterback of the Year award has been given, Ohio State’s quarterback has taken the award nine of the eleven times, including each of the last six. In that span, the Buckeyes’ quarterback has also won the Graham-George Offensive Player of the Year six times, including each of the last five.
He was a consensus All-Conference pick, along with Thayer Munford, Nicholas Petit-Frere, and Haskell Garrett.
After having his breakout season last year, the coaches and media snubbed Garrett in 2020. Only the coaches honored him, and they voted him onto the third team last year. In 2021, Garrett had seven tackles for a loss, five and a half sacks, two fumble recoveries and one touchdown.
Chris Olave was named a First-Team All-Conference selection by the coaches, but was a Second-Team selection by the media. Olave had a career year, with 65 receptions, 936 receiving yards, and 13 touchdowns. In the Big Ten, Olave was fifth in receptions, sixth in receiving yards, but led the conference in receiving touchdowns.
Second-Team, Third-Team, and Honorable Mentions
Garrett Wilson and Noah Ruggles the only other Ohio State players in both All-Conference lineups. Wilson was one of the conference’s top receivers, ranking fourth in receptions (70), fourth in yards (1,058), and second in touchdowns (12). The coaches and media arguably snubbed Ruggles, who ranked first in the conference in points and field goal percentage. He ranked first in the entire country in extra point attempts. Ruggles made all 68 of them to lead the NCAA in made extra points.
TreVeyon Henderson was named a consensus Second-Team selection after his phenomenal freshman season. After Hassan Haskins and Kenneth Walker likely enter the NFL Draft this year, Henderson should have the First-Team slot locked up next year, and should be in serious consideration for Ameche–Dayne Running Back of the Year. Surprisingly, this award completely passed over J.K. Dobbins, so if Henderson wins the award in the next two years, he would be the first Ohio State running back to win it since Ezekiel Elliott in 2015.
Dawand Jones, Paris Johnson, Zach Harrison, Tyreke Smith, and Ronnie Hickman also appeared in one Second-Team roster.
Henderson carried the ball 167 times for 1,172 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. He had a total of 19 touchdowns from scrimmage, which was the school record for a true freshman. Henderson ranked third in the conference in rushing attempts, yards, and touchdowns.
Nearly every Buckeye to play significant snaps received some kind of honor. Many earned Third-Team spots or honorable mentions. Between the three teams and honorable mentions, more than two dozen Buckeyes earned honors.
