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Will Johnson, Dillon Gabriel lead B1G preseason Player of the Year polls

Paul Harvey

By Paul Harvey

Published:

Will Johnson and Dillon Gabriel are primed for big seasons this fall, and the two headlined the Big Ten preseason Player of the Year polls compiled by Cleveland.com.

Johnson, the former 5-star prospect and Michigan’s elite cornerback, received 8 of the possible first-place votes and 44 total votes in the poll. Iowa linebacker Jay Higgins was next after a dominant season in 2023. However, he garnered just 5 first-place votes and 29 votes overall.

Michigan defensive lineman Mason Graham and Ohio State DL JT Tuimoloau both received 4 first-place votes apiece. OSU safety Caleb Downs (3), Penn State linebacker Abdul Carter (2) and OSU DE Jack Sawyer (1) were the other players to receive votes.

As for Johnson, he delivered 4 interceptions, 4 pass breakups and a pick-6 during Michigan’s national title run. He also received the highest player rating EA Sports’ new College Football 25 video game.

Here is how the full Defensive Player of the Poll looks:

Player, Position — Team — Votes (1st-place)

Will Johnson, CB Michigan 44 (8)
Jay Higgins, LB Iowa 29 (5)
Mason Graham, DT Michigan 24 (4)
J.T. Tuimoloau, DE Ohio State 20 (4)
Caleb Downs, SAF Ohio State 18 (3)
Abdul Carter, LB Penn State 18 (2)
Jack Sawyer, DE Ohio State 3 (1)
Sebastian Castro, DB Iowa 2
Donnell Brown, DL Maryland 1
Cal Haladay, LB Michigan State 1
Hunter Wohler, SAF Wisconsin 1
Nick Jackson, LB Iowa 1

On the offensive side of the ball, B1G newcomer Dillon Gabriel heavily dominated the POTY ballot as Oregon’s new starting quarterback. Though he has yet to throw a pass in the B1G or in a Ducks uniform, Gabriel also headlines the preseason Heisman Trophy odds at DraftKings. The QB is +750 ahead of the season, and fans can use Tradition’s DraftKings Ohio bonus to get the best offers.

Gabriel received 22 first-place votes in the Cleveland.com poll and 74 votes overall. No other player received more than 21 total votes, the number for Ohio State WR Emeka Egbuka who finished 2nd. However, Egbuka did not receive a first-place vote.

Ohio State running back Quinshon Judkins (2) was the only player behind Gabriel to receive multiple first-place votes. Ohio State QB Will Howard, Michigan tight end Colston Loveland and Rutgers RB Kyle Monangai all received one first-place vote each.

Here is how the full Offensive POTY poll looks:

Player, Position — Team — Votes (1st place)

Dillon Gabriel, QB Oregon 74 (22)
Emeka Egbuka, WR Ohio State 21
Quinshon Judkins, RB Ohio State 20 (2)
TreVeyon Henderson, RB Ohio State 10
Will Howard, QB Ohio State 6 (1)
Colston Loveland, TE Michigan 5 (1)
Kyle Monangai, RB Rutgers 4 (1)
Miller Moss, QB USC 4
Drew Allar, QB Penn State 4
Zach Branch, WR USC 4
Jeremiah Smith, WR Ohio State 3
Donovan Edwards, RB Michigan 2
Tez Johnson, WR Oregon 2
Nick Singleton, RB Penn State 2
Darius Taylor, RB Minnesota 1

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.