Nebraska, Oregon and Wisconsin Earn Weekly Football Honors
Huskers’ Johnson and Lateef, Ducks’ Sappington, along with Badgers’ Catalano and Posa garner accolades
ROSEMONT, Ill. – Following Week 11 contests, the Big Ten Conference Football Players of the Week Presented by IFS.ai were announced Monday. Below are this week’s honorees:
Offensive Players of the Week
Emmett Johnson, Nebraska
RB – Jr. – Minneapolis, Minn. – Academy of Holy Angels
- Accounted for a career-high 232 yards from scrimmage in Nebraska’s 28-21 victory at the Rose Bowl
- Recorded 129 rushing yards and a career-high 103 receiving yards on three receptions to become the first Husker running back in school history to surpass 100 rushing and 100 receiving yards in the same game
- Johnson became the first player in the Big Ten in at least 30 years to have more than 125 rushing yards, more than 100 receiving yards, a rushing touchdown and two receiving touchdowns in the same game
- Scored a career-high tying three total touchdowns in the victory, improving his season total to 14, the most by a Husker player since 2014
- Last Nebraska Offensive Player of the Week: Anthony Grant (Sept. 5, 2022)
Defensive Player of the Week
Cooper Catalano, Wisconsin
LB – Fr. – Richfield, Wis. – Germantown
- Posted 19 tackles (11 solo) and one sack in Wisconsin’s win over No. 23 Washington
- Became the first Big Ten player to have 19 tackles and a sack in a game since Blake Cashman (Minnesota) in 2018 and the first Badger since at least 1995 to hit those marks in a game
- Had the most tackles for a Big Ten player in a win since 2022 (Cal Haladay, MSU), helping the Badger defense hold the Washington offense to its lowest passing output of the season (134 yards)
- Catalano also had the most tackles for a freshman nationally since 2022 (AJ Haulcy, New Mexico, 24 tackles), the most tackles for an A4 freshman since 2017 (Paddy Fischer, Northwestern, 19 tackles) and the most tackles for a A4 freshman in regulation since 2013
- Last Wisconsin Defensive Player of the Week honoree: Preston Zachman (Sept. 1, 2025)
Special Teams Player of the Week
Atticus Sappington, Oregon
K – Sr. – Portland, Ore. – Central Catholic
- Made a game-winning, 39-yard field goal with three seconds remaining to give Oregon an 18-16 win in a top-20 showdown at Iowa
- Matched career high by going 3-for-3 on field goals, also making from 46 yards and 40 yards earlier in the game
- First game this season with three made field goals and his second game-winning field goal as a Duck
- Last Oregon Special Teams Player of the Week: Atticus Sappington (Nov. 18, 2024)
Co-Freshmen of the Week
TJ Lateef, Nebraska
QB – Compton, Calif. – Orange Lutheran
- Became the fifth true freshman to start at quarterback since 1950 and engineered a Husker victory over UCLA in his hometown
- Completed 13-of-15 passes for 205 yards and three touchdowns, including completing his first 11 passes of the game, and rushed five times for 31 yards
- Guided an efficient Nebraska offense that scored on its first four possessions of the game to take a 28-7 lead midway through the third quarter en route to the victory
- Lateef is believed to be the first true freshman in FBS since at least 1995 to have a game with a minimum of 15 passing attempts and less than two incompletions, 200+yards passing, three or more passing touchdowns and 30 or more rushing yards
- Last Nebraska Freshman of the Week: Jacory Barney Jr. (Nov. 24, 2024)
Mason Posa, Wisconsin
LB – Albuquerque, N.M. – La Cueva
- Made 11 tackles, 2.5 sacks and forced and recovered the same fumble in Wisconsin’s win over No. 23 Washington
- Posa’s strip-sack and recovery set up the Badgers’ game-tying touchdown in the third quarter, giving the Badgers the ball at the Washington seven-yard line
- Finished the game with a game-sealing sack on fourth down during the Huskies’ attempt to drive down the field to tie or win the game.
- He’s the first freshman to have 10+ tackles, 2.0+ sacks and force and recover a fumble since 2014 (Jamal Stadom, Troy)
- Last Wisconsin Freshman of the Week: Trech Kekahuna (Oct. 7, 2024)
2025 Big Ten Football Players of the Week (presented by IFS.ai)
Sept. 1
O: Jayden Maiava, USC
O: Jonah Coleman, WASH
D: Preston Zachman, WIS
ST: Hank Beatty, ILL
F: Malik Washington, MD
Sept. 8
O: Aidan Chiles, MSU
O: Jonah Coleman, WASH
D: Jordan Hall, MSU
ST: Spencer Porath, PUR
F: Julian Sayin, OSU
Sept. 15
O: Omar Cooper Jr., IND
D: Jerry Mixon, ORE
ST: Kaden Wetjen, IOWA
F: Bryce Underwood, MICH
Sept. 22
O: Fernando Mendoza, IND
O: Demond Williams Jr., WASH
D: Daniel Wingate, MD
ST: Kaden Wetjen, IOWA
ST: Dominic Zvada, MICH
F: Malik Washington, MD
Sept. 29
O: Luke Altmyer, ILL
O: Dante Moore, ORE
D: Caden Curry, OSU
ST: David Olano, ILL
F: Drake Lindsey, MINN
Oct. 6
O: Nico Iamaleava, UCLA
D: DeShon Singleton, NEB
ST: David Olano, ILL
F: Julian Sayin, OSU
Oct. 13
O: Demond Williams Jr., WASH
D: Aiden Fisher, IND
ST: Jack Olsen, NU
F: King Miller, USC
Oct. 20
O: Julian Sayin, OSU
D: Xavier Nwankpa, IOWA
ST: Mateen Bhaghani, UCLA
F: Julian Sayin, OSU
Oct. 27
O: Justice Haynes, MICH
O: Denzel Boston, WASH
D: Jimmy Rolder, MICH
ST: Kenneth Williams, NEB
ST: Jai Patel, RU
F: Jordon Davison, ORE
Nov. 3
O: Luke Altmyer, ILL
O: Jordan Marshall, MICH
D: Arvell Reese, OSU
ST: Ryon Sayeri, USC
F: Julian Sayin, OSU
Nov. 10
O: Emmett Johnson, NEB
D: Cooper Catalano, WIS
ST: Atticus Sappington, ORE
F: TJ Lateef, NEB
F: Mason Posa, WIS
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