Running Back Ezekiel Elliott Lands Big Ten All-Decade Honors

Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott earns second team Big Ten All-Decade status after leading the Buckeyes to a national championship. He graduated as OSU's second all-time leading rusher behind Archie Griffin.

The Big Ten Football All-Decade Team has started to roll out courtesy of experts at the Big Ten Network, which will be announcing selections from 2010-19 across BTN social media platforms (Twitter, YouTube, Facebook) throughout the week.

Multiple Buckeyes are expected to grace the list, and those former standouts began Monday afternoon as the team commenced with linebackers. Ezekiel Elliott (2013-15) landed second-team honors.

Elliott, the only Big Ten running back to in a national championship in the decade, was bested for first-team honors by fellow stars Saquon Barkley (Penn State) and Jonathan Taylor (Wisconsin).

A four-star recruit from St. Louis, Zeke ended up rushing for 3,961 yards and 43 touchdowns during his three-year run in Columbus. He spent his freshman season as a backup to Carlos Hyde, contributing primarily on special teams, before taking the backfield reins as a sophomore…

Eat, Zeke.

It's official, former @OhioStateFB star RB @EzekielElliott is a member of the #BTNAllDecade 2nd Team.

More ➡️ https://t.co/6JM815E36S pic.twitter.com/XHEokHSlIv

— Ohio State on BTN (@OhioStateOnBTN) June 29, 2020

He exploded for over 2,000 all-purpose yards the next two seasons, leading Ohio State to the 2014 College Football Playoff National Championship in dominating fashion. Elliott culminated with a combined 696 yards and eight touchdowns in the Big Ten title game (Wisconsin), Sugar Bowl semifinal (Alabama) and national championship content (Oregon). He was named the Offensive MVP in both CFP outings.

A Heisman Trophy candidate throughout 2015, Elliott surpassed the century mark in OSU’s first ten games of the year before a disappointing loss to Michigan State. He responded with 214 yards in a blowout against rival Michigan, a four-touchdown encore vs. Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl, and was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year.

Zeke departed for the NFL after his junior season, exiting as Ohio State’s second all-time leading rusher behind only Archie Griffin. He was selected by the Dallas Cowboys with the No. 4 overall pick and has delivered a stellar career thus far in the league, becoming a first team All-Pro and leading the NFL in rushing twice (2016, 2018).

Elliott joined fellow Buckeye Ryan Shazier on the BTN's second team.

The Big Ten All-Decade Team will continue getting released throughout the week as follows:

Tuesday: Offensive Line
Wednesday: Tight Ends and Defensive Backs
Thursday: Wide Receivers and Defensive Lineman
Friday: Quarterbacks, Kicker, Punter, All-Purpose and Coach

Stay tuned to BuckeyesNow and all of our social media outlets (@BuckeyesNowSI) on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for continued coverage!