Tag: Big Ten Media Day

Dan Lanning highlights Oregon’s value of joining the Big Ten Conference

Lanning highlights Oregon’s value of joining the Big Ten Conference with recruiting, traditions and exposure.

Oregon didn’t join the Big Ten Conference just for fun or because it was the popular thing to do.

Dan Lanning made it quite clear that joining the Big Ten was going to help out in recruiting, and exposure, and make it an easier time for players to play closer to home, especially for those not from the Pacific Northwest or even California. He said this is the future of Oregon football.

“Just having a clear vision of our future. Obviously, this is the premier league in college football, and getting to be a part of that — a part of some of those storied traditions — getting to play some of those teams that are in our future, I’m really excited about going to some venues that we haven’t experienced,” Lanning said at Big Ten Media Days on Thursday.

“It also gives us an opportunity. We’ve always been a team that’s recruited nationally, but it’s certainly made our footprint stronger here in the midwest, whether it’s states in this area that we haven’t tapped into as much, it’s given us the opportunity to recruit those states. Now having some of those games played in venues that are closer to players that we’re recruiting certainly helps.”

The Ducks will be visiting Purdue, Michigan and Wisconsin this season in conference play, smack dab in the middle of the Midwest where recruiting is becoming as strong as the South, California or Florida. Getting a football in that section of the country can only help the Ducks in the future.

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Watch MSU football HC Jonathan Smith’s full press conference at the 2024 Big Ten media days

You can watch Jonathan Smith’s full press conference at the 2024 Big Ten media days here

The 2024 Big Ten media days are upon us, and new Michigan State football head coach Jonathan Smith took to the podium on Wednesday to address the media and give updates on his program as it heads closer to fall camp.

You can watch Smith’s full press conference below:

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Andrew Brewster on X @IAmBrewster.

Wisconsin football stars list Badgers potential breakout players for 2024 season

Wisconsin football stars list players Badger fans should monitor this season

Wisconsin football stars Jake Chaney, Jack Nelson and Hunter Wohler praised a handful of promising teammates during their Big Ten media day appearance on Tuesday.

During their select panel interview with Big Ten Network, the Wisconsin trio was asked about which incoming players UW fans would know by the end of the 2024 slate.

Right off the bat, Chaney listed former Arkansas linebacker Jaheim Thomas, USC transfer linebacker Tackett Curtis and former North Carolina linebacker Sebastian Cheeks as players who may break out this season. He later named sophomore Christian Alliegro, referring to him as “an athletic freak.”

Chaney also shared a truly genuine sentiment about his position group before explaining why each athlete works so well with UW.

“I could write a book about how much I love those guys and how good they are,” Chaney said.

Next, Nelson listed redshirt sophomore Joe Brunner as someone to monitor next season.

After playing 11 games in 2023 for Wisconsin’s special teams unit, Brunner is set to start at left guard.

Nelson on Brunner:

“He’s just somebody that’s awesome to play next to… He’s got a little bit of nastiness to him. I can appreciate that playing next to him, and I’m really excited to this season.”

Wohler cited young wide receiver Trech Kekahuna, who appeared in Wisconsin’s final five games as a true freshman in 2023. He caught four balls for 64 yards, his entire season output, against No. 13 LSU in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

“I think he’s going to be a standout this year, and I think he’s going to put the world on notice that he’s here. He’s going to make a lot of plays for us,” Wohler said.

Wisconsin begins its 2024 campaign on Aug. 30 vs. Western Michigan at Camp Randall.

Dillon Gabriel and Tez Johnson recognized at Big Ten media day

Both Dillon Gabriel and receiver Tez Johnson were named to the preseason All-Big Ten team at media day.

A game hasn’t been played and two Oregon football players have been recognized by the Big Ten media.

Quarterback Dillon Gabriel and wide receiver Tez Johnson have been named to the pre-season Big Ten All-Conference team when the league’s three-day media day event began in Indianapolis Tuesday morning.

Gabriel, a transfer from Oklahoma, hasn’t played an official down for the Ducks, but many think this could be a Heisman season for Oregon’s newest QB1.

As for Johnson, he made quite the splash last season after spending two years at Troy. After a slow start, Johnson ended up with 86 catches for 1,182 yards and 10 touchdowns for the Ducks in 2023. He now leads a very talented receivers room that could be the best in program history.

Gabriel and Johnson were the only two Ducks named to the team. Ohio State had five players and Michigan had four. Here’s a complete list of preseason honorees.

  • LB Jay Higgins, Iowa
  • DT Mason Graham, Michigan
  • DB Will Johnson, Michigan
  • TE Colston Loveland, Michigan
  • QB Dillon Gabriel, Oregon
  • WR Tez Johnson, Oregon
  • SAF Caleb Downs, Ohio State
  • WR Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State
  • RB TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State
  • DE JT Tuimoloau, Ohio State
  • DE Abdul Carter, Penn State
  • RB Kyle Monangai, Rutgers

 

Michigan State football’s media day slot at the 2024 Big Ten Football Media Day revealed

Michigan State football’s media day slot at the 2024 Big Ten Football Media Day revealed

Michigan State football’s time slot for media availability at the 2024 Big Ten Football Media Day has been revealed. The Big Ten Conference will hold their annual media days from July 23 to July 25 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The annual event will be expanded from two to three days to accommodate the addition of USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington.

Michigan State’s media day session will be on Wednesday, July 24.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Andrew Brewster on Twitter @IAmBrewster.

Notable quotes from Michigan State football HC Mel Tucker’s Big Ten media day session

Notable quotes from Mel Tucker’s Big Ten Media Day session

Michigan State football head coach Mel Tucker’s Big Ten media day session has come and gone. While several unknowns, perhaps more than we’ve seen in years, remain about this team, we learned a few things from Tucker’s session.

Below, we put together some notable quotes, as annotated on Twitter by Chris Solari and Stephen Brooks.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Andrew Brewster on Twitter @IAmBrewster.

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Big Ten players vote on which team to add to the conference. Who chose the Oregon Ducks?

If Big Ten players had a vote, which team would they want to add to the conference? How many players do you think picked Oregon?

Though there hasn’t been much news on the conference realignment front lately, but the prospect of teams leaving their conferences and finding a new home is still the talk of the town.

In the end, it is likely going to be television deals and major dollars and cents that determine whether or not a team leaves, and where it might end up. However, at Big Ten media day earlier this week, Eleven Warriors, an Ohio State website, asked the 45 players in attendance which team they would add to the conference if they had a vote.

No limitations were instituted, though considering how many said they would like to add SEC teams, some answers are less realistic than others.

Notre Dame was a popular answer among players. Ditto for Oregon and Alabama. Other players gave nods to hometown teams. Some were flat out just not interested in the question, which really shows how indifferent some players are to realignment in the first place.

In the end, the poll shows a bit of a popularity contest among schools, and might offer a little bit of insight into which teams might be desired on the open market down the road if that were to come.

So how many votes did the Ducks get? Take a look…

15 schools the Big Ten should consider adding

Should the Big Ten look to turn into a super conference?

With UCLA and USC joining the Big Ten conference earlier this month, the questions turn to where the league goes from here.

Signs in college football are pointing toward a slow buildup of massive conferences, and the Big Ten may be only just beginning their additions.

With the Bruins and Trojans joining in, it’s clear that geography is no longer an obstacle. The bottom line will surpass all in terms of what the conference looks like in a few years.

So, who are the most likely candidates for the Big Ten to add if the conference chooses to go even bigger? In no particular order, here is a look at the best options from across the college sports landscape:

Former Wisconsin AD Barry Alvarez has a new role in the Big Ten league office

You will still be hearing from Barry Alvarez, even in his retirement

We are now a few weeks into the Chris McIntosh era of Wisconsin athletics.

It began with a bang—as an audio leak came from the Wisconsin basketball program and a long article was written about unrest in the program’s locker room.

But McIntosh aside, we are now in our first month since 1990 without Barry Alvarez somewhere within the Wisconsin athletic department or football coaching staff.

Well, he didn’t fade away quickly as the Badger legend was seen at Big Ten media day today.

Well-dressed as always, he stood near Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren as his new role in the Big Ten League Office was announced.

After the ups-and-downs of 2020 saw the Big Ten struggle in many ways, having an accomplished and experienced figure like Alvarez in the office will only help the future of football in the region.

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