Ranking the Big Ten’s Top 5 tight ends for the 2026 football season

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The Big Ten produces some of the best tight ends in the country seemingly every year. Even when a crop of great tight ends go to the NFL, there’s always someone to take their place, matching or even sometimes exceeding the production of their predecessors. Meanwhile, some schools (looking at you, Iowa) have someone pencilled in at the position every year who you know is going to be great.

Today, we’ll be continuing our series ranking the top five players at each position group in the Big Ten for the 2026 season, this time by looking at the tight ends.

5. Hunter Welcing – Ohio State

Last season, Ohio State went to the portal, pulling in one of the best tight end transfers in last year’s class in Max Klare. The Buckeyes had their usual offensive success, and Klare was a big part of it, eventually becoming a second-round draft pick.

This year, the Buckeyes went back to well to get Hunter Welcing, a sixth-year senior who enjoyed a breakout at Northwestern last season. While he hadn’t really produced much in the previous years, he was one of the few bright spots for the Wildcats in 2025, earning All-Big Ten honorable mentions. He caught 28 passes for 296 yards and two touchdowns; he did much of his damage (81 yards) vs Michigan.

Ohio State’s passing attack should be among the best in the nation once again, and with Carnell Tate no longer in the offense, there will be plenty of targets to go around. It’s a good bet Welcing will have the most productive year of his career in Columbus.

4. Decker DeGraaf – Washington

Decker DeGraaf has been quietly productive for Washington the last two seasons. As a true freshman, he played a modest role in the offense, but still strung together 15 receptions for 233 yards (15.5 yards per catch) and three touchdowns. In 2025, he caught 32 passes for 360 yards and two touchdowns.

The Huskies faced some attrition on offense this offseason, losing their two best players in wide receiver Denzel Boston and running back Jonah Coleman. Quarterback Demond Williams is back, though, so the passing game will still be a big priority. With DeGraaf as the best returning pass-catcher on the team and plenty of playmaking opportunities likely in his future, he could emerge as a more well-known name in Big Ten circles this year.

3. Ben Brahmer – Penn State

It’s a whole new regime in Happy Valley this season, with Matt Campbell taking over at Penn State. He’s bringing along a plethora of his players from Iowa State, including Ben Brahmer, a senior who had a career year in 2025.

Finishing as a semifinalist for the Mackey Award last season, Brahmer caught 37 passes with 446 yards and six touchdowns. He will also have quarterback Rocco Becht throwing him the ball, continuing the chemistry they built last season.

Brahmer’s physical traits are some of the best you’ll find at the position. At a hulking 6-foot-7 and 255 pounds, he’s hard to miss in the red zone and a load for defenders to bring down. Not only was he productive as a pass-catcher last season, but he’s a great blocker as well, something that should bode well with his new fan base.

2. D.J. Vonnhame – Iowa

Death, taxes, and great Iowa tight ends.

Sophomore D.J. Vonnhame will be picking right back up where he left off last season, and perhaps taking his game to another level as well. In 2025, he only made five starts but was one of the Big Ten’s most productive tight ends, registering 29 receptions for 434 yards and three touchdowns en route to freshman All-American honors.

Vonnhame has all the traits to be productive once again and emerge as one of the best tight ends in the country. His ability to run after the catch is what makes him stand out, as he’s a blur in the open field despite his size. It remains to be seen what the ceiling of the Hawkeye offense is with Mark Gronowski no longer under center, but Vonnhame will be a big part of whatever they’re able to accomplish this season. Make sure you’re buying your stock on this sophomore while you still can.

1. Jamari Johnson – Oregon

Kenyon Sadiq broke the mold the last two seasons for Oregon in terms of athleticism and movement ability from the tight end position. And once again, the Ducks have someone taking over at the position that looks like they were built in a lab and moves like a slot receiver despite being 6-foot-5 and 257 pounds in Jamari Johnson.

Johnson played the first two seasons of his career at Louisville, appearing in just seven total games before joining Oregon’s program last offseason. And even with Sadiq and a loaded group of weapons in the fold, Johnson was still highly productive, hauling in 32 passes for 510 yards and three touchdowns as part of a breakout season that got him All-Big Ten honorable mentions.

He’ll enter the 2026 season as the biggest weapon in the passing game for quarterback Dante Moore, with a chance to build on his production and become a household name for what should once again be one of the country’s best teams.

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