How Will Transfers Impact the Conference; Indiana & Michigan Season Previews | B1G Today

Discussing Notable Transfers in Big Ten Football [Music] welcome inside this weekending edition of big 10 today alongside Anthony Haron I'm Rick Pisa we will shortly take you to both Bloomington and Columbus for a check on the respective training camps of Indiana and Ohio State now speaking of training camps when I talk to former players guys like yourself there seems to be a LoveHate relationship with fall Camp you're really excited you love the fact that you're back on the field but about four or five days in you hate the fact that you're back to the Grind when it's 80 90 degrees outside I mean especially when you're just hitting the same dude over and over like all right this is my buddy this is my teammate but I just keep running into him over and over again I'm tired of hitting you I want to hit somebody else so normally this is around the time in preseason where the coaches try to find a way to mix things up a little bit let's have training camp feel a little bit different like this gorgeous new studio that right now this is my first time doing a show from in here so yes I've been at the Big 10 Network for a long time I've worked with you a bunch but this is a nice way for me to mix things up a little bit I don't exactly know what to do with my hands but I'll figure it out we're going to figure it out over the course of the next hour it's always nice to get a little bit of new in your life that does give you a boost now this year more than other recent years inside the Big 10 even though it's not the first year of the transfer portal there is all sorts of new inside the Big 10 you have the transfer portal you have four new schools you have new people places and and personalities but as we focus on some of the notable new faces in the Big 10 you look at massive impact transfers I'll start on the defensive end with Caleb DS the 2023 SEC freshman of the year at Alabama Jim no says we'll welcome you in Columbus and I'm going to slide you right into that secondary which was one of the best in the country a year ago and on the offensive end Bo Knicks leaves Oregon you don't expect the Ducks to take much of a step back with Dylan Gabriel after after a great run at Oklahoma coming in to Oregon alongside Ohio State they are the preseason favorites to win this league and that's a big reason why so let's start on the defensive end in the addition of downs to this Ohio State Defense which we saw take a huge leap in year two with Jim nolles as the DC he seems to make this secondary if not the best in the country certainly one of them I mean that's one of the more remarkable things about the way we View Ohio State the way we're discussing the Buckeyes coming into the season here because a year ago at this time after the first season with Jim NES leading that defense there was still some questions there was still a little bit of scrutiny on whether or not his style of Defense would suit Championship level football in Columbus now a year later after his second season review them as one of the top defenses in the country and they've only bolstered that by the talent that returned in the front seven as opposed to going to the National Football League and yes the secondary was already deep and now the player who as I talked to beat riders in Columbus and asked them who's the best player on Ohio State's deep and dogged Silver Bullet defense this season every one of them so far has said Caleb Downs you add that type of talent to the secondary a guy who can run the alley a guy who can Patrol the secondary in the Deep third and still a very young and ascending Talent as well a guy who has the ability to potentially play on both sides of the football it's remarkable when you think about the depth that Ohio state has at every level that's a crazy statement that he may be the best player on that defense as a sophomore when you think about the guys who could have been in the top couple of rounds of the NFL draft last year and Jack Sawyer jtt his secondary mate Denzel Burke and DS comes in and is going to be a guy that Jim noes in this defense relies on straight from the jump same story with Dylan Gabriel you have a known commodity coming into a program that's really had nothing but success underneath Dan Lanning in a couple of years B Knicks a Heisman finalist a year ago but this offense is not just about the quarterback I know Nick's got a lot of love last year but TZ Johnson comes back as one of the best wide receivers in the country you have Jordan James back at running back they're loaded up front as well Dylan Gabriel walks in as a ready-made guy to an offense that is ready to be even better than it was a year ago and this the the quarterback position the brand of play that we saw through a couple of seasons from Bo Nicks and that we all anticipate continuing to see from Dylan Gabriel this is really the area where I think Dan Lanning as a head coach has combined what we saw not just from from from Chip Kelly in the past and markk HR who followed him where it was an offense that had so many explosive Playmakers out there a lot of scoring would take place but it was a little bit finesse and as the sport of college football as the talent around it began to figure out the spread system then Mario chrisal came in and added some physicality but we did see a dip in production at QB Dan lenning through a couple of seasons has combin both those elements they are outstanding on the line of scrimmage and now after a couple of seasons of B Knicks one of the most veteran one of the most successful quarterbacks in college football history now Dylan Gabriel steps in from Oklahoma and has an opportunity to break all of his records perhaps some of the records in the history of college football and yes he is surrounded by Playmakers getting to talk to him in India I know you saw him in Indianapolis Big 10 football media days as well he just seems so composed so comfortable so ready for this stage and he was a guy who was already in the Heisman Trophy conversation last season so when you have a program like the Oregon Ducks that are in the National Championship discussion the Big 10 title discussion to be the star of that outfit and already know that he's prepared to handle that stage it provides Comfort to everyone in Eugene lot of movement inside the rosters regarding players but also with coaching staffs you have five brand new head coaches at six officially because David Braun starts his first year officially as a Northwestern head guy but I kind of consider this his second year but inside the coordinator rooms there were so many changes this off season inside the Big 10 and as you look both sides offense or defense where do you think the biggest impact will be made in terms of a coordinator change this is to me a difficult question because there are programs who really needed to upgrade on a particular side of the football and there's been new coordinator hires that are going to provide that opportunity so I considered maybe D Lynn and what he can provide to USC that Trojans defense combining with Lincoln Riley and that USC offense but to me when I look at the coordinators all throughout this 18 team conference top to bottom Tim Lester's guy that can make the biggest impact for what he'll provide to Iowa's offense in Iowa City because we know what Iowa's defense has been historically with Phil Parker and for a while the offense was certainly good enough to to have them in position for Championship level play they've been able to sustain Championship level winning in recent Seasons with an offense that been toward the bottom not only of the Big 10 but of college football and Tim Lester will come in with a veteran group experience at starting quarterback at backup quarterback depth at running back one of the most veteran offensive lines that Kirk fence has had of recent vintage as well depth at tight end so this is an offense that yes hasn't put up the numbers or the stats in recent years hasn't scored at the level that everyone would really anticipate a program that wins like Iowa should be able to muster but he's got a lot of guys who played winning football in the past so assuming Health this has a chance to be a really deep Iowa offense and just with a few Tim Lester wrinkles that a lot of folks are excited about in Iowa City this should put Iowa with with no divisions no West Division to win they can still find themselves in the thick of the Big 10 Championship it's amazing to think that Iowa played for the Big 10 Championship a year ago having the worst yards per play offense in the country they also had the best yards per play defense in the country which certainly helped and you mentioned having some guys around to help Tim Lester you look at Iowa's best years what have they had veteran quarterbacks as long as Kade mcnamer can stay healthy you have that really good centers Logan Jones on the freaks list the guy a lot of different things kind of got that figured out and a really good defense you don't even have to have that discussion anymore Phil Parker's in charge that is an official checkm Mark we also did have head coaching changes at notable stops among all those changes where's the most impactful head coaching change been made in the 2024 off season I Look to East Lancing and Jonathan Smith I've been able to sort of follow a lot of different touch points along his coaching Journey you know watched his playing career as well when he was a quarterback at Oregon State and I've called games when he was in OC at Washington when he was a head coach at his alma mater in Corvalis and now him entering the Big 10 what I'm excited about for Big 10 fans for Michigan State fans who might have an assumption about what Jonathan Smith and Brian lingren his OC who's been at multiple stops with them now what their offense will look like because he's this West Coast guy this pack 12 guy there might be an assumption that there's a finesse style of play that'll come to East Lancing with him it's not the case at all and they do have amongst a lot of the transfer portal talent that got lost by Michigan State they've got depth at running back that returns they've got guys who gain yards in the Big 10 who've been in critical moments in major college football they've got an offensive line that if healthy should be able to sustain things but I just like their offensive run system I've seen it work at multiple stops and when you have the type of talent at running back that they have with the Run scheme the outside Zone that they love to go to and then yes I'm going to continue to Hype up Aiden child I'm trying to control myself and contain the excitement I have because I don't want to be one of the people who puts too much on his shoulders early but I do believe they have a potential star at QB as well so that'll put Jonathan Smith in a position to perhaps surprise some folks this season but we've seen what he could do in building that Oregon State program there's a formula he has in place that I believe will really suit Big 10 football in a way that a lot of folks might not recognize all you have to do is look at coach Smith and you know there's toughness you look at this guy and you're like he didn't play quarterback with that build he was a fullback or maybe a blocking tight end that's the kind of style he played even when he was a quarterback at Oregon State lot of transfers in East Lancing this year as a matter of fact it's no surprise you look at the schools with the most transfers new head coaches leading the way Indiana 31 transfer editions Washington and Jed fish 28 after a mass Exodus Following last season Michigan State UCLA also starting the year with more than 20 athletes on their respective rosters I understand this is the day and age we live in and Aunt let's not make any bones about it it has changed college football in my estimation more than any other change in the last 10 or 15 years because now coaches like Jonathan Smith especially like Jed fish you inherit a roster that went to a national championship game but looks nothing like that you have one starter back from that national championship roster and yet you can compete in year one because of the transfer portal and this gives coaches the opportunity to to reshape their roster in their image and and we've seen it in recent years you know you go back to Mel Tucker second season in East Lancing it has worked before for some coaches but it can be difficult because it's it's a tough needle to thread sometimes where you're trying to have that combination of adding Talent bolstering just the physical capabilities of your roster but you also want to build your culture so when you have guys who've been at this program and that program and you're trying to combine them into a short space and a short period of time and have them speaking your language walking and talking like you do as a head coach it can be difficult to kind of combine that and have it ready in a few weeks or a few months time by the regular season but that opportunity is there and a lot of coaches we're seeing are now trying to do their best to take advantage of that I mean even Ryan Walters in West Lafayette you know it's his second season but he's revamped and reshaped the roster from where it was last year it feels like he's got a product he put on the field this season that's just going to be more physically formidable than the team he inherited last year well and then new coaches can of course rely on their old rosters you mentioned Aiden Charles coming with Jonathan Smith from Oregon State to Michigan State most certainly Jed fish did that with a couple of guys from Arizona and Kurt Signet trying to do that but on a slightly different level because you're bringing guys from James Madison as good as the Dukes were a fairly fledgling FBS program coming to Indiana and still you know Signet hearing him talk he's not going to back away from anything now I can tell you you know normally at these things I stand up here Indiana Season Preview and and we're picked to win the league it's just usually how it's been I have been picked next to last twice which we're picked 17th out of an 18 Team league and I get it just want the two times we're picked next to last in 20122 we won the conference Championship and in 2017 We inherited an 45 team and won eight in a row and played JMU the last game of the year for the conference Championship now I'm not into making predictions that's just a historical fact okay so you I know you guys have been waiting for me to say something crazy that wasn't quite crazy I think we heard crazy during his introductory press conference when he addressed the crowd after that press conference at the basketball game our big 10 staff presented by Walgreens gives you a good idea why cetti feels the way he does about having success with programs that historically have not turned things around in just two years at Elon before helping JMU transition from FCS to FBS with no letup Dukes W eight and three in their first year of major college football before an even better 11 in1 season in 2023 as Kurt cetti would say I'm not saying that's just a historical fact the fact also is you come into the Big 10 with all due respect to what James Madison did in its conference with all due respect to what Elon did in its conference when Kurt Signet was there I feel like you're about to disrespect them not Apples to Apples it's a different animal you're stepping in to one of if not the strongest leagues in the country arguably the strongest now at the addition of the four schools and what we expect especially out of Oregon and perhaps USC this year I think the question is not if it will take Kurt cetti sometime because we all think it will the question is how much time will it take for him to make the is relevant in this league it's interesting I I was just in Indianapolis a couple of days ago at Colts training camp so I I got a chance to talk to some Indiana media some some Bloomington alums that were there while I was in Indie and and folks are very excited extremely intrigued by what's going to happen with the hooers it is a different type of bravado that Kurt cetti brings to things in in Indiana at at at the at Indiana University because they're accustomed to see seeing their head coach being someone who's maybe a bit more mild-mannered in tone and that's certainly not Kurt zetti he says exactly what it means he's confident in the delivery of it yes because of the the turnover in the roster and like we were talking about previously the way that the roster has now added Talent from the FCS level so you have players who are accustomed to how Kurt cetti operates players from the group of five level who've played for him previously but it's not a bunch of talent that's competed at the power five or power four level quite a bit before before they got here so there's a lot of unknown from the outside but internally he's got his way that he's had success with before and the combination of some of the pre-existing Talent he's got a few Playmakers like Donovan mccaulay who've been it been there and done that in the Big 10 before but then you add quarterback Talent you add wide receiver Talent you add Defenders who know how you operate on that side of the football I'll say it feels like a bit of a question mark because a new roster and a new coaching staff at a very high level of competition but it's going to be entertaining man there's no doubt about I just want to clarify something were you referring to Tom Allen as being mild mannered because I'm not so sure I'd say he was mild mannered maybe he very expectations quite as onestly Tom Allen very energetic but there there wasn't the same type of boastfulness let's say bravado I think bravado is a very good word so if you are Kurt cetti and you're taking over this program and you know you have to play the teams that you have to play on your schedule what style of play most quickly assimilates you your team into the Big 10 and gives you a chance to win because it seems like if you want to go crazy if you want to throw the ball around that's an exciting brand of football but it's also a really dangerous brand of football to play against the kind of defenses that the big 10's going to have in 2024 I've had a chance to ask Kurt cetti about that a couple of different times and he's he's sort of reminded myself and others that he's been able to to have systems that suit his talent at his previous spots Curtis roor is the anticipated starter at QB he's going to be more of a pocket quarterback he is a very accurate passer he's got a pretty big arm he's got a family lineage you know that has played the position at a high level before but Kurt cetti has also had multi-dimensional talents dual threat types of quarterbacks before but he'll be able to have an offensive system with Mike Shanahan that suits the skill set of Curtis roor and what he'll be able to do as a signal caller the offensive line how they operate he's going to be really geared more toward Precision than pure on physicality getting the ball out of the QB's hands getting it into space with Playmakers we can tell from his demeanor Kurt cetti is an intact mentality sort of guy so that'll be the DNA on each side of the football finding those moments to really get after your opponent will it be a true schematic advantage that can be a difficult question to answer but I I do feel confident in saying they're going to attack and we saw Donovan McCully star in their spring game he is a guy you just have to get the ball to right yeah I mean that's that's probably the easiest answer is if you're Kurt cetti and if you're running this offense as the OC your number one job is to get the ball in the hands of a playmaker as often as you can and that for this team is Donovan mcau and I think that's a part of the pitch for lack of a better term in making sure that the players who were with the pre-existing regime with the last coaching staff that they're as in invested as possible in making sure that they're going to be in tune with what Kurt cetti is looking for and he's been apparently you know very demanding of Donovan mcau making sure that he is doing things at the level day in and day out that really suits his talent that will allow him to be the best version of himself and if we're going to see the best version of Donovan Mcall that we've seen then it's going to be a guy who's not just sort of an occasional highlight waiting to happen but perhaps a volume Target within this offense that consistently puts the football in the end zone and so roor to mcau that could potentially be one of the more productive QB receiver combinations in the Big 10 because to quote Kurt cetti it's on his resume just Google him you know that passing attacks have been operating at a high level everywhere he's been feel like we may start a lot of sentences like that this year when talking about Indiana football to quote Kurt Signet dot dot dot Indiana opens on Saturday August the 31st at home against FIU we're back with a look at the Takeaways from Ohio State Training Camp & Michigan Season Preview highest winning percentages by any coach in FBS football since the turn of the century Ryan day ahead of national champions and Hall of Famers like Kirby Smart former boss Urban Meyer and Nick Sabin trouble day hasn't won a big 10 title since 2020 and even more so hasn't beaten Michigan since 2019 Dave revson and our training camp crew got a look at this year's Buckeye crew on Thursday they offer more from Columbus Rick thanks here with Howard Griffith Yogi Roth those are some impressive numbers for Ryan day we actually used that graphic coming off the interview for the practice show and I said to him do you take any satisfaction from that his answer no and I think it really exemplified where we're at we know what the expectations are or what the hope is for Ohio State it's a national championship mentality what did you take away from watching them in terms of whether or not you think they are at that level well it's about attent attention to detail and for me we've talked about just how Elite this roster is so I want to look at some of the Small Things the little things how they're encouraging one another the leaders of the team because this is a veteran team now and to me they were locked in a physical practice we had an opportunity to watch and I like where they are are I mean this is a really talented team and they're mentally tough yeah they've always been talented right but they were so talented to be three and out for the most part I think this new era of college football is only going to benefit them you look at last year how many times have we talked about the national championship game the veteran elements both of those teams this team has that your point of not just how they practice but how they communicate as they practice how they encourage as they practice and most importantly I think the razor's edge of competition they take it right up to the line cross it here and there but Ryan day has this thing dialed to to lead this team on a really special run this season so much of it feels like it is player driven and you talk about the competition and we did see that in a lot of the drills there's a lot of Pride if the offense wins in a rep or the defense wins you could see them really lifting one another up but again competing against the guy across the line of scrimmage okay let's dive into some of the specifics I think if you were to talk about what held them back last year the games they lost there were only two of them the offense just wasn't up to Snuff and specifically it was they didn't throw it well enough and the line didn't always protect well enough so let's start with both of those issues quarterback they obviously went into the portal they got will Howard from Kansas State he seems like maybe he's ahead at this point what did you think well I I think one of the things he's going he's been getting the majority of reps he got the majority reps in the spring so you have to believe that he's going to be the guy what's interesting about him is we know how much football he's played but some of the things you can't describe or see in practice is what happens when it's third and four and things break now we don't get a chance to see that really in practice CU quarterbacks aren't live so I think that's where he takes that jump I think they'll be just fine being able to throw the ball and because of what they have in the running back room that they'll be able to create what they need to to gain that momentum that they need for the passing game it was kind of fun talking to Chip Kelly in the show that you referenced Dave because he goes yeah I heard about the offensive line questions but to me when I saw them they look pretty good so he's got a line it's no crying on the yacht like you can't cry when you have the players that w has to that point I think it's an area where they're going to take the next step they'll figure out who their best five are I'd imagine they'll play a bunch of guys the competitive depth on this team is real regarding will Howard I just think there's something to competitive snaps this guy's played in Championship Games he's been in huge environments I think that helps this year for this team cuz look we we see the the sign behind us at this University the standard is so high I think having walked through the fire a little bit had some adverse moments in his career right he hit to transfer cuz Avery Johnson the guy at K day now I think that's going to make him be able to say you know guys I've been through some tough times when we have a challenging Road game we're down at home and the crowd might be a little frustrated I can steady to the ship I think he'll be that guy it nice to have Chip Kelly here to drop some x's nose as well along relationship going back to their days in New Hampshire with Brian day now I think it was hard to judge the offense to a certain extent today because the defense they are going up against is absolutely Elite it was a great defense of ago again we'll see when they get out on the field but I think there's some indications this group may even be better what stood out Yogi well I think his notes that he took CU he was circling every defensive player on the roster when you're going up and down practice I go to the defensive front and the competitive temperament of that group I mean the depth is insane but the elite ability is what stood out to me I mean they've got two guys on both edges and JT and a guy you talked to in the show and Jack Sawyer they could be first day picks right they're that productive of players they were to two of the nine that decided to come on back when they came back and everybody else came back and you start looking at the layers of the defense you add in Caleb Downs he might be the best player at his position in the country last year you could argue he was in the country at the safety spot as a true freshman so I don't know man I I think they're loaded all across the board yeah you start looking at the secondary veteran guys back there that are that are day one picks that can really transform what you want to do with with that front seven because you know that they're going to be able to cover the linebacker group can run sunny is a guy that I really like just because of his versatility his ability to cover his ability to run at the point of attack they're loaded in their deep and that's what's really impressive when you watch these guys work something that Ryan Dave said to you in your interview with him Dave I think really stood out he said so much has changed but one thing hasn't and that's football yeah they're going to run the football and they'll be able to stop the run two things that you don't have to be that Dynamic that creative to do they're just fundamental aspects of winning football that is a huge element that I think allows this team to dictate a lot of terms I do want to ask you really quickly you're in a position where you have covered Oregon for years you got a chance to see both of these teams in Camp I'm not asking you who's going to win the game and Aon there's so much that happens between now and the second weekend of October but how do they stack up against one another oh man I'd do anything to call that game I mean because I think they're really even I Dylan Gabriel is an elite player will Howard different style of player both teams built from the inside out from a physical standpoint and both have Elite skill so I think you start playing that game out I was doing that just watching practice earlier and I'm saying every snap every snap will feel like a cfp game will feel like a big 10 championship game and maybe we'll get lucky as fans we'll get it twice maybe three times if we could be so lucky this season but that that game uh on the 12th of October with the hype before you go Dave let let me tell you what's remarkable about what just happened here please do we know how Elite this wide receiver room is yeah and we didn't talk about it amen that's how deep this team is right now uh Jeremiah Smith it's a different discussion man he is good look it's going to be fun in the Big 10 this year I mean those are the two teams that were picked one and two by the media Penn State's going to have something to say about that defending national champs have something to say about that Iowa you can go down the list it is going to be a fabulous League Jens thank you very much Rick piso back with Anthony Heron this is actually the first time now in a couple of years that I Ohio State heads into the year as one of the favorites and favorite ahead of Michigan because when Michigan cracked the code back in 2021 the script kind of flipped between the Big 10 Big two now Oregon is in the mix yet Ohio state is starting to hear all this I know the coaches try to keep it out of their players ears that's not possible today players know what's expected of them that's every year I do feel like there is more pressure this year in Columbus than in any year since before we went into the pandemic and Michigan began this win streak I agree with that and you know when you look at the factors within why it is intriguing because Ohio state has been a remarkably Elite program they've been they've been the 1centers of the 1centers year after year but they have lost the game at the end of the regular season to their arch rival to their Arch nesis and so it does put a different tinge on how the Buckeyes are being viewed right now going into this year because they haven't won the Big 10 in the last three seasons they haven't defeated the Michigan Wolverines in the last three seasons but Ryan beat everyone else in the Big 10 conference this particular season it does feel like they've in some ways gone all in with the talent that returned to this roster with what they have added to the coaching staff with Chip Kelly coming in as the OC Brian day was trying to find out for a while who do I really trust to truly give play calling duties up to now he's got his guy his mentor just like the fellas were talking about there on the scene in Columbus so all those different elements feel like this is a team that you know yes we usually View Ohio State as being Championship or robust but it truly would feel disappointing to so many people if they did not at least make the national championship game if not win the whole thing I will also say the 12 team playoff and the expansion of the cfp this year huge for Ohio State huge for Oregon huge for their mentalities in the second half of the season because those teams meet on October 12th we're talking about fairly early in the Big 10 season the two favorites out in Eugene the loser of that game in years's past could then head into the rest of its year feeling like our backs are up against the wall just to get into the playoff now I think you come out of that game and obviously you want to win but even if you lose you probably come out of that game knowing that if you play your best ball the rest of the way there's no worries you're going to be part of the playoff and you think about how it impacts the entire sort of structure of the conference because that game takes place early during the regular season then maybe they meet again in the Big 10 championship game and you also have the expanded 12 team playoff so if they meet twice regular season Big 10 title game and then both make the playoff there could be another team sort of on the outside looking in that gets kind of a bye if they don't have to deal with them in the Big 10 title game and still makes the playoffs so there's a lot of different elements and levels to how not only the regular season but how postseason play ends up shaping up but Ohio state knows the Buckey know we are in it for the long haul they're going to be playing a lot of football this season that's where all the depth that they have can really come into into play and you really can't talk about Ohio State I mean I think we're contractually obl at on most days if you're going to touch on the Buckeyes you have to touch on the Wolverines so let's do that Ohio State's main rival in something of a I'd call it a mini rebuild but you know Maze and blue are still dangerous because Donovan Edwards returns to the backfield Coulson Loveland is the favorite to win the macki as one of the nation's top tight ends in this defense it'll look different but the top talent is crazy good at Day end despite all the notable departs those who stayed expect to be Champions once again definitely a different Buzz um if you don't keep the same energy in place that same hungriness that same grittiness to grind and really be the best you can kind of Get Lost in Translation because there's a lot of enthusiasm there's a lot of excitement there's a lot more faces a lot of faces that's coming through shim there's upgrades there's things that come with being a national champion but you got to keep the main thing the main things and you got to be able to balance that with the work and you got to be able to put the work in and um do all the hard work that really matters at the end of the day so the hard work doesn't change it's just it's emphasized more and it's highlighted more because you see more faces and more people coming around to actually notice it everyone's chasing you so you are the champion you are the one that has that has that trophy so it's a little more motivation um it's a little different cuz you're not just just chasing you're still chasing it but you're trying to keep it too so um just just that mindset of you know people are coming you're still hunting but you got people that are still hunting you too so just that's really about it interesting Dynamic for the Wolverines more talk surrounding Ohio State more talk surrounding Oregon even though you are the defending national champions first year head coach and Chiron Moore though he aced the ultimate job interview a year ago and I've heard both sides of this there are some who say Michigan is being underestimated look at what they have coming back and then there are those who say how without knowing exactly who your quarterback is going to be in all those changes are they preseason top 10 where do you stand in that discussion even more so than the the production that's been lost from the quarterback position running back position wide receiver defensive back they've lost a lot of guys to the National Football League but aside from the production on the field what I'm really interested to see is who steps into that leadership void you know we know what Blake korm has meant to this program in recent years we know what Mikey sver still has meant to this program we know what JJ McCarthy his his leadership his demeanor how everyone rallied around that season over season as they won title after title over the last three years a lot of those guys a lot of those intangibles are now gone for the Wolverines someone has to step into that void that's one of the things I was asking Chiron Moore about in Indianapolis just a couple of weeks ago is how does he manufacture that can you sort of induce leadership out of any of these guys and he's taken the approach that yes we we have been there and done that before we have lost players in the past we've had guys who've moved on and he feels really comfortable and confident with the idea that the Mason Grahams of the world will be able to seize that mantle that Donovan Edwards is as mature as as physically and mentally formidable as he's been at any point in his Michigan career and so he will be in a position to take that leadership mantle for the squad as well so there's a lot of guys who've played a lot of football in an arbor in recent years a lot of Championship winning football and Chiron Moore was telling me he feels like they are more than ready to step into that but then you still do have the playmaking that was lost as well so that does matter too I also think that that personality wise Chiron is such a departure from Jim Harbaugh he is so different in the way that he handles himself both with the media and with his players I think his personality and that even Keel level-headed approach that he takes is going to pay BigTime dividends when you have so many unanswered questions coming off the kind of year they had in 2023 and you know he'll put sort of his wrinkle on things he talked about playing music at practice it wasn't really a Jim Harbaugh thing he's into that but he has been a part of how this program has been shaped in recent years and Jim Harbaugh was willing to empower Chiron Moore and other assistants in shaping how Michigan football evolved in recent years into this Championship level program so some things will change but a lot will remain the same under the leadership of Chiron Moore but yes you do need to figure out who the quarterback is yes you do need to have someone step up in those critical moments who's making that fourth down stop who's making that third and short block to make sure you pick up the first down who's going to lower their pads and move Defenders out of the way on the line of scrimmage all those things that we had come accustomed to knowing who were the main playmakers that would be counted on in those moments there will be new individuals stepping into that void I also get the sense as we wrap up here with Michigan that JJ McCarthy he didn't get a ton of individual accolades I think over the past couple of years he got some but in my estimation never as many as he deserved because of how much talent was around him I think we're going to see fairly quickly just how important he was to Michigan success that it wasn't just all Blake corm and that defense I think he was a really key part I know he went top 10 in the NFL draft it's not like people don't think this guy this guy can really play I just think that his value to this team and what he did will be more appreciated as time goes by and his time from Michigan gets further and further away that is Ohio State's legendary wrestler Kyle Snider three-time NCAA Champion now trying for Anthony Herron's Brute Squad Candidates a third Olympic medal he'll begin his quest in the men's freestyle 97 kilos this weekend at the Paris games give you an Olympic update Anna cockril USC Sprinter terrific performance in the 400 hurdles on Thursday night trouble was she and the rest of the field trying to catch up to Sydney mlin theone uh that's not going to happen still Silva really solid for cochr what a thing to honor for cochr and that USC track team women's vol team set to go for gold they'll take on the favorite yes they're not the favorite the US Jordan pter the Eli Alum and the rest of that team taking on top seed Italy in the final this weekend and the Big 10 women's soccer Squad against longtime rival Brazil they got there thanks to this ludicrous save by Alysa ner Penn State alum in the semi-finals against Germany of course Rose lvll Wisconsin as well they will try to get to that championship level by beating Brazil in the gold medal game coming up this weekend just a few minutes left here with Anthony Heron and I mentioned The Princess Bride going to break if you've ever watched that movie one of my all-time favorites hear them talking about the brute Squad Andre the Giant was a member you look inside the Big 10 and some of the physical specimens we have why don't you start with the first member the Anthony Heron brute Squad well I I like to go to the interior of the line of scrimmage to look for the guys who are maybe a little bit less because of the position that they play starting with Josh cruts the center for the atanta that's kind of my preseason watch list for this season's brute Squad and with Josh cruts the way that he operates on the interior of Illinois Illinois offense in his second year as a starter for them at the center position he's certainly got a family lineage with his dad Olan who played at a really high level a tough competitive guy for an offense that has got to run the football at a high level if you ever need to you get some tips from Dad second member of your brute Squad can be found where he was a key member was Gus hardwig of Purdue in an offense that really stepped its Run game up last year we weren't accustomed to seeing the Jeff Brown version of Purdue run the football hardly at all but they began to do that last season with multiple backs returning this year I do anticipate big things and Gus Hartwig on the interior Purdue offensive line it's going to be a huge reason why you're probably never going to be let back to Iowa City unless you put a Hawkeye on this team right I mean it makes sense to me and when you look at the totality of Iowa's defense and what they've been the linebacker position has all Americans the secondary has all Americans but ya black on the interior of Iowa's defensive front is unheralded but he's been a starter for several seasons he's got a two gap on the inside for Phil Parker he eats up blocks is the main reason why the second third level flow so free one more guy uh I got one more for you up front uh Jordan Phillips of Maryland their defensive lineman he transferred in last season from Tennessee he is a big Burly guy very physical specimen he's the main reason in my opinion that Maryland's defense has been so exceptional especially last season with Brian Williams leaving as we cannot overstate the job that Brian Williams has done as the DC in College Park for Anthony har and I'm Rick piso as we wrap up this edition of big 10 today