Nine Wildcats earn All-Big Ten honors

The Big Ten's votes are in, and it's not just head coach David Braun earning postseason honors from the conference's coaches and media. Nine different Wildcats earned conference recognition from one ballot or another, led by senior linebacker Bryce Gallagher who was voted to the All-Big Ten second team by both the coaches and media.

Check out each player's accolades and their performance to earn it here:

Josh Priebe, OG, All-Big Ten Third Team: Priebe was named to the third team by the coaches and the media. He was the only returning starter to Northwestern's offensive line this season and has been an experienced hand up front for the Wildcats.

After seeing his sophomore and junior campaigns cut short by injuries, he's been extraordinarily dependable this season, starting all 12 games.

AJ Henning, WR, All-Big Ten Honorable Mention: Henning was recognized by the coaches and media as an honorable mention at wide receiver. The speedster, who transferred in from Michigan and also returned punts and kicks for the Wildcats, added a key wrinkle to Northwestern's offense from the slot, as a ballcarrier, in motion and as a receiver.

Henning has been one of quarterback Ben Bryant's favorite targets this year. He finished the regular season with 39 catches for 361 yards and four touchdowns, with key scores against Wisconsin and Illinois in the home stretch.

Bryce Kirtz, WR, All-Big Ten Honorable Mention (Media): Kirtz received an honorable mention from the media in recognition for an exceptional season out wide for the Wildcats. His calling card performance came against Minnesota on Sept. 30, when he hauled in 10 catches for 215 yards and two touchdowns. Kirtz' 215 yards earned him a rightful place in Northwestern lore as the third-most receiving yards in a single game by a Wildcat.

He finished the regular season with 44 catches for 633 yards and four touchdowns.

Bryce Gallagher, LB, All-Big Ten Second Team: Gallagher came into this season for his third campaign as starter and second as captain, and has been absolutely critical to the defensive renaissance in Evanston this year. He earned second-team honors from both the coaches and media, and finished with 110 tackles in the regular season, a career high.

Gallagher's noticeable performances were logging 19 total tackles in Week 1 against Rutgers, and 14 against Purdue. A testament to Gallagher and the surrounding defense is that his total tackles increased by 10 from 2022, while his solo tackles decreased by 15.

Xander Mueller, LB, All-Big Ten Third Team and Honorable Mention: Mueller had a split, with the media voting him to the Big Ten's third team and the coaches listing him as an honorable mention. One thing is for sure: Mueller had an absolutely fantastic season with one of the biggest year-to-year leaps on the roster.

He recorded 102 tackles, 15 more than last season, when he also started every game. He led the Wildcats with 10.5 TFL, then chipped in five sacks and three interceptions as frosting on the cake. His connection with Gallagher and his unique ability to cover and tackle in space as the second linebacker has been fundamentally essential to Northwestern's defensive success this season.

Rod Heard II, DB, All-Big Ten Honorable Mention: Heard plays a nickel role as a roving defensive back, a hard-hitting hybrid between corner and linebacker. He's been an absolute pillar of the Northwestern defense, often one of the two or three players to play every snap on defense, alongside Gallagher and sometimes Mueller.

In light of his excellent season, he was named as an honorable mention by both the coaches and media. He played in all 12 games and finished the year with 73 tackles, third on the team behind only the two linebackers. Heard also has a nose for the ball, forcing a fumble against Wisconsin and snagging an interception against Nebraska.

Coco Azema, S, All-Big Ten Honorable Mention (Media): Azema, the second defensive captain, along with Gallagher, was voted an All-Big Ten honorable mention by the media. Azema suffered an injury against Wisconsin and missed the last two games of the season but was a key cog to the defense's safety rotation, with Devin Turner, and also returned kicks.

Despite playing 10 games, Azema still ranks fifth on the team in tackles and has been consistently lauded by Braun for his leadership and mentality.

Aidan Hubbard, DE, All-Big Ten Honorable Mention (Media): Hubbard was a late bloomer this season. He recorded just seven tackles and a sack through the first seven games, then exploded with three sacks against Maryland to win conference defensive player of the week honors, and was a defensive staple ever since.

He earned an All-Big Ten honorable mention this season, finishing with a team-leading six sacks.

Jack Olsen, K, All-Big Ten Honorable Mention: Olsen has brought much-needed consistency to Northwestern's kicking game, and coaches and media recognized that by naming him an All-Big Ten team honorable mention. After having not making a field goal from beyond 40 yards in 2022, Olsen made 4-of-5 from 40-49, and 14-of-17 overall.

His 46-yard field goal against Illinois proved to be the winning points in Northwestern's 45-43 victory to retake the Land of Lincoln Trophy last Saturday. The other highlight stretch from Olsen's campaign was when he went 7-for-7 across the Nebraska and Maryland games, providing the deciding points against Maryland after the offense stagnated.