Big Ten Media Days preview: Sherrone Moore, Oregon newcomers among Day 3 storylines
The time has come for the Big Ten to officially welcome its West Coast brethren to the fray as the league will descend on Indianapolis next week for its annual media days event. Once there, select players and coaches from each school will meet with reporters at Lucas Oil Stadium to preview what might be the most anticipated season in conference history.
With 18 teams now gracing its standings, the Big Ten expanded this year’s event from two days to three, beginning on July 23 and running through July 25. Each day features representatives from six programs:
Day 1: Illinois, Northwestern, Ohio State, Purdue, Rutgers, Wisconsin
Day 2: Iowa, Michigan State, Nebraska, Penn State, UCLA, USC
Day 3: Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, Washington
To preview the event, FOX Sports analyzed each team in the new-look Big Ten. Here’s what to expect from Day 3.
[Big Ten Media Days Preview: Day 1 | Day 2]
Last year: 3-9 overall, 1-8 Big Ten
Postseason: None
Head coach: Curt Cignetti, first season, 0-0 at Indiana
Coordinators: Mike Shanahan (offense); Bryant Haines (defense)
Recruiting: No. 65 nationally, No. 16 in the Big Ten for 2024
Key storyline: When Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson tabbed Curt Cignetti to replace Tom Allen, whose tenure took a hit after winning 14 games in 2019 and 2020 combined, he hired one of the more noteworthy builders in the sport. Cignetti, now 63, transformed an Elon program that won 12 games in the five seasons before his arrival into a team that reached the NCAA Playoffs in back-to-back years. And when James Madison transitioned from a perennial FCS winner to an FBS newcomer in 2022, all Cignetti did was win eight games the first season and 11 games the next before the Hoosiers pounced. How competitive his overhauled Indiana roster can be in Year 1 remains to be seen. He and his staff added more than 30 players from the transfer portal, including 13 from James Madison, and convinced several key Hoosiers to remain in Bloomington despite the coaching change. Cignetti has never won fewer than six games in 13 years as a head coach.
Last year: 8-5 overall, 4-5 Big Ten
Postseason: 31-13 win over Auburn in the Music City Bowl
Head coach: Mike Locksley, seventh season, 29-33 at Maryland
Coordinators: Josh Gattis (offense); Brian Williams (defense)
Recruiting: No. 38 nationally, No. 12 in the Big Ten for 2024
Key storyline: The biggest challenge facing Maryland’s offensive brain trust of Locksley, Gattis and co-offensive coordinator Kevin Sumlin is how to reconfigure the system for life after Taulia Tagovailoa, the record-setting quarterback who started 39 games over the past four seasons. Without Tagovailoa, who is now playing in the Canadian Football League, the Terrapins had five players competing for the job in spring practice: MJ Morris, Billy Edwards Jr., Cameron Edge, Champ Long and Jayden Sauray. Though Locksley has kept his cards close to the vest, Morris seems like the odds-on favorite after transferring from NC State. A former four-star recruit, Morris threw for 1,367 yards with 14 touchdowns and six interceptions in nine appearances (seven starts) over the last two seasons. But regardless of who plays quarterback, there’s a good chance the Terrapins will lean more heavily on their rushing attack this fall. The coaches are hoping that featured back Roman Hemby can return to the form he showed in 2022 while racking up 1,287 scrimmage yards and 11 touchdowns.
Last year: 15-0 overall, 9-0 Big Ten
Postseason: 34-13 win over Washington in the CFP National Championship Game
Head coach: Sherrone Moore, first season, 4-0 as interim coach at Michigan
Coordinators: Kirk Campbell (offense); Don “Wink” Martindale (defense)
Recruiting: No. 16 nationally, No. 4 in the Big Ten for 2024
Key storyline: Ever since Jim Harbaugh left his alma mater for the Los Angeles Chargers, life at Michigan has been an exercise in straining to keep things the same amid seismic changes. Gone are Harbaugh and strength and conditioning coordinator Ben Herbert, arguably the two most important figures in the Wolverines’ quest for their first national title since 1997. Gone are defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and his full complement of assistants from a unit that ranked No. 1 in the country last season. Gone are quarterback J.J. McCarthy and 12 other standouts who were selected in this year’s NFL Draft. There is exactly one returning starter on offense and only three on defense. Yet the feeling around Schembechler Hall, where Moore became Harbaugh’s handpicked replacement, is that very little has changed. There are enough coaching holdovers to preserve the program’s culture, enough roster holdovers to maintain a heightened work ethic and more financial support than at any point in the NIL era. The question now is whether the on-field results will match.
Last year: 6-7 overall, 3-6 Big Ten
Postseason: 30-24 win over Bowling Green in the Quick Lane Bowl
Head coach: P.J. Fleck, eighth season, 50-34 at Minnesota
Coordinators: Greg Harbaugh Jr. and Matt Simon (offense); Corey Hetherman (defense)
Recruiting: No. 35 nationally, No. 10 in the Big Ten for 2024
Key storyline: The debut season for Harbaugh as co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach produced one of the worst aerial attacks in the country for 2023. Minnesota ranked 126th overall in passing (143.4 yards per game), 123rd in completion percentage (52.6%) and tied for 124th in yards per attempt (6) as starting quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis appeared overwhelmed against most Big Ten opponents, ultimately transferring to Rutgers. To enliven the passing attack, Minnesota plucked quarterback Max Brosmer from the transfer portal after a standout career at New Hampshire. A graduate transfer, Brosmer threw for more than 8,700 yards and 70 touchdowns in 36 career games for the Wildcats and earned second-team FCS All-American honors. Brosmer’s primary target will be second-team All-Big Ten wide receiver Daniel Jackson, who caught 59 passes for 831 yards and eight scores in 2023. Running back Darius Taylor (138 carries, 799 yards, 5 TDs) was arguably the best freshman tailback in the country last season when healthy and should provide plenty of ballast.
Last year: 12-2 overall, 8-1 Pac-12
Postseason: 45-6 win over Liberty in the Fiesta Bowl
Head coach: Dan Lanning, third season, 22-5 at Oregon
Coordinators: Will Stein (offense); Tosh Lupoi (defense)
Recruiting: No. 3 nationally, No. 1 in the Big Ten for 2024
Key storyline: Of the four West Coast schools joining the Big Ten this summer, Oregon is best positioned to challenge the existing powers that be — Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State — for early conference supremacy in the league’s new, division-less era. Not only did Lanning’s most recent recruiting class surpass Ohio State in the 247Sports Composite thanks to 22 blue-chip prospects in a 27-player haul, but the Ducks also put together the No. 2 transfer portal class in the country behind only Ole Miss. The impact transfers Oregon signed range from former Oklahoma and UCF quarterback Dillon Gabriel (No. 77 transfer, No. 12 QB) and former Texas A&M wide receiver Evan Stewart (No. 5 transfer, No. 2 WR) to former Washington cornerback Jabbar Muhammad (No. 16 transfer, No. 3 CB) and former Houston defensive lineman Jamaree Caldwell (No. 25 overall, No. 2 DL). In total, Oregon brought in six of the top 105 transfers in the country to fortify a roster already brimming with talent. The Ducks will be a trendy pick to reach the Big Ten Championship Game this season.
Last year: 14-1 overall, 9-0 Pac-12
Postseason: 34-13 loss to Michigan in the CFP National Championship Game
Head coach: Jedd Fisch, first season, 0-0 at Washington
Coordinators: Brennan Carroll (offense); Steve Belichick (defense)
Recruiting: 47th overall, 14th in the Big Ten for 2024
Key storyline: Even as Washington got blown out by Michigan in the national championship game, the Huskies’ trajectory seemed like the envy of so many programs yearning to crack the sport’s upper echelon. They’d found one of the most successful head coaches in the country in Kalen DeBoer, formerly of Fresno State. They’d found a supremely creative and innovative playcaller in offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, a longtime DeBoer confidant. They’d established a culture that brought so many talented players to Washington and did all the right things to keep them there. But then Nick Saban retired from Alabama, and DeBoer was hired to replace him. The Huskies’ bubble swiftly burst. Twenty of the 22 starters from the national championship game departed through either the transfer portal or the NFL Draft, including all 11 on offense. Before Fisch, who came from Arizona, and his new coaching staff could even think about competing in the Big Ten, they had to scratch and claw just to rebuild the roster. We’ll find out soon enough how successful their efforts have been.
Michael Cohen covers college football and basketball for FOX Sports with an emphasis on the Big Ten. Follow him on Twitter at @Michael_Cohen13.
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