Here are 18 football players to watch next season in the Big Ten Conference

Michigan

WR JJ Buchanan will have a chance to make an instant impact after following coach Kyle Whittingham to Ann Arbor from Utah, where he had a promising freshman season. Buchanan was the fifth-rated receiver in the transfer portal after he had 26 receptions for 427 yards and five touchdowns. He's poised to become a go-to receiver for Bryce Underwood.

Michigan State

QB Alessio Milivojevic hopes to build off the opportunity he got late last season when he took over for the benched Aidan Chiles. Milivojevic first must beat out sixth-year player Cam Fancher, who has been a starter at three schools. Milivojevic started the last four games and threw for 1,267 yards and 10 touchdowns in nine games overall.

Minnesota

DE TJ Bush Jr. had 11½ tackles for loss and 5½ sacks for California last season and gives the Gophers a complement to AP All-Big Ten second-team DE Anthony Smith. Bush, who played his first two seasons at Liberty before his stop at Cal, strengthens a defense that led the conference with 3.0 sacks per game and was second in TFLs with 7.1.

Nebraska

RB Jamal Rule blossomed in the spring and could be a major contributor at a position that lost 1,500-yard rusher Emmett Johnson. The coaching staff was panned by fans for not pursuing a running back in the portal. The staff has been high on Rule all along. The 2026 signee who enrolled in January piled up 136 yards from scrimmage on 11 touches in the spring game, including a 75-yard touchdown run.

Northwestern

LB Kobie McKinzie is a seasoned Oklahoma transfer expected to help fill a big hole left from the departure of Mac Uihlein, who accounted for 185 tackles the last two seasons. McKinzie was hitting his stride as a starter for OU when a groin injury in late October caused him to miss a game, and he returned in a reserve role the rest of the season.

Ohio State

WR Chris Henry Jr. showed during the final week of spring practice why he was the nation’s top-ranked receiver in this year’s recruiting class. Henry shed his black stripe three days before the spring game, signifying he had proven to the coaching staff he understood the expectations of the program. During the spring game, he displayed his ability to be a vertical threat with a 40-yard touchdown. Henry mostly saw time with the second team but should compete for playing time on a receiving group led by Jeremiah Smith.

Oregon

OL Fox Crader is first in line to take over for Isaiah World at left tackle. The four-star recruit got limited snaps in his second season with the Ducks, except when he played 55 as the starter against Southern California when World was out with an injury. As protector of Dante Moore's blind side, Crader will be a crucial piece to a line replacing three starters.

Penn State

DE Max Granville had a promising freshman year in 2024 and was set to be a major contributor before an injury caused him to miss last season. With Dani Dennis-Sutton gone and Chaz Coleman having transferred to Tennessee, this is Granville's time. The son of former NFL linebacker Billy Granville has drawn praise from new coach Matt Campbell this spring and is in line to be in the rotation at his position, if not a starter.

Purdue

DE Jeremy Lewis has been a disruptive force throughout the spring and could be just the guy to take over for edge rusher CJ Nunnally IV. Lewis had nine sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss at Iowa Western CC last season and saved his best performance for last, recording 2.5 sacks and forcing and recovering fumbles in the Division I junior college national championship game.

Rutgers

CB Kevin Levy has the opportunity to play a major role at a spot with no returning starters. He was a four-star prospect out of West Palm Beach, Florida, two years ago, so the talent is there. Coach Greg Schiano has a reputation for developing top defensive backs, and he said Levy has done everything right to position himself for play significant snaps.

Southern California

DE Jahkeem Stewart is a 6-foot-5 pass rusher who had a solid freshman season despite playing with a stress fracture in his foot, so the Trojans haven’t seen everything he can do. The coaching staff has repeatedly mentioned Stewart’s offseason progress. Stewart and fellow 6-5 end Kameryn Crawford are the foundation of what DC Gary Patterson says could be the biggest and best defensive line of his coaching career.

UCLA

DL Aiden Gobaira followed coach Bob Chesney from James Madison and is being counted on to improve a pass rush that recorded just 10 sacks, fewest in the nation. Gobaira never played a snap in two-plus seasons at Notre Dame but came on to record four sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss in his one year at JMU.

Washington

WR Dezmen Roebuck logged the second-most receiving yards on the team as a freshman, hauling in 42 passes for 560 yards and dropping just one pass. Roebuck, who lined up wide 70% of the time last season, is moving to the slot and should be Demond Williams Jr.'s favorite target with Denzel Boston, last season’s leading receiver, heading to the NFL.

Wisconsin

QB Colton Joseph threw for 2,624 yards and 24 touchdowns and ran for 1,007 yards and 13 more scores while helping Old Dominion go 9-3. He didn't play in Cure Bowl. The Badgers need him to stay healthy. QB injuries have decimated Wisconsin throughout Luke Fickell’s coaching tenure. Wisconsin’s intended season-opening starter has been available for the entirety of only 11 of the Badgers’ 37 games the last three years. \\\_ AP Sports Writers Greg Beacham, Dave Campbell, Andrew Destin, Larry Lage, Steve Megargee, Joe Reedy, Andrew Seligman and AP freelancer John Bohnenkamp contributed to this report. \\\_ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: and