My B1G Adventure in Indy

Thoughts and analysis from my first experience with Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis

18 coaches, 54 players and 4 new teams. 

In a nutshell, those were the numbers at Big Ten media days this past week in Lucas Oil Stadium. But under the surface were powerful storylines, whispered narratives, an obvious shift in college football and a breath of fresh air. Let’s break it all down.

This past week I spent three days on the set of Big Ten Networks, talking football, meeting new coaches and learning from my new teammates. It was an incredible experience and one I’ll always remember. 

If you can recall what your first day of school was like back in the day, that was much of what day 1 at BTN was like. I was both excited and nervous to meet new people and eager to learn from new football minds. 

Sitting next to Dave Revsine, Coach Gerry DiNardo, Howard Griffith, Jake Butt, and of course Ashley Adamson was a thrill. Each were absolute pros and welcomed Ashley and I with open arms, insight, and grace. And after two segments it felt rather normal to be on a new TV set and into new living rooms across the country. By the end of the week it felt like all of us had known one another for years and that is directly associated with how personable and thoughtful each of the producers, on-air talent, coaches and players were. Big thanks for the hard work from everyone behind-the-scenes on some long days and and I’m looking forward to getting to each of the B1G campuses this fall.

The powerful storylines/likely ones you already know: 

• New faces: The two teams that played in the National Championship last year have new coaches, must replace elite players and each have a chip on their shoulder. One thing that must be noted is that while Sherrone Moore and Jedd Fisch are in Year 1 as the full-time head coaches at Michigan and UW, both have experience leading teams. What I love most is that both of these coaches took the long road in the profession. Coach Moore grew from coaching at Central Michigan to the Wolverines TE coach in 2018 then shifting to OL coach and Co-Offensive Coordinator in 2021. In 2023, he became the sole OC and now is the CEO of the defending champs. An awesome run and he was incredible to talk to. Coach Fisch has always had a plan. I can recall when we first met back in 2009, as we were both interviewing with the Seattle Seahawks and Pete Carroll and we sat next to one another at dinner atop the downtown Bellevue Hyatt hotel and talked about life, football and our desires. He took the job with the ‘Hawks, I pivoted to broadcasting, and it was a blast to see him this past week. I’ll say the same thing I said when he was named the head coach at Arizona: Jedd Fisch has a detailed plan and to the Husky fans reading, trust that it will work. If you follow recruiting, it already is with this incoming class at UW.

• The Ducks stole the show: When I was leaving the stadium on Thursday, I overheard a radio show in the backdrop and the host said a line that was absolutely true: “The Ducks were the show today!” On the same day as Michigan, Minnesota, Maryland, Indiana and Washington, the Oregon Ducks were the team that stole the spotlight. I thought back to Pac-12 media days over the years and that spot seemed to always be reserved for USC. Maybe it was because most media days in the Pac-12 were in Los Angeles, maybe it was because of the USC brand, maybe it was because so many wanted USC to be the Trojans of the past. I’m not exactly sure but regardless, this day belonged to Oregon. And who knows what it would have been like if they were on the same day…maybe next year?

• Ohio State is loaded: This team feels like a superteam with more than 10 extremely gifted players opting to return to Columbus. The vibe that Ryan Day gave off was one that felt like a championship culture. He shared with us on set that this program is looking at this season as an incredible “opportunity” to do something special. And I think they will. It’s an incredible storyline, a storied program and in my eyes, led by a big time head coach. All eyes are on October 12th in Eugene. The hype for that game is already underway. I think the Ducks and Buckeyes will wind up playing each other twice, if not more this season.

The whispered narratives

• Physical vs Finesse: On set, Coach DiNardo and I must have talked about the narrative around “Big Ten” football a half dozen times, as there seems to be a prevailing thought around the B1G being a “physical” league and the Pac-12 being “finesse.” I get it, that is an often-used narrative and as I thought back to my childhood in Pennsylvania I was imagining players like Eddie George, Ki-Jana Carter and Curtis Enis running through people each Saturday. Meanwhile, out west QBs like Cade McNown, Aaron Rodgers and Ryan Leaf were dicing up secondaries. But when you look at the last few seasons that narrative simply isn’t the case. Oregon, Utah, Oregon State and Utah were as physical as any from 2019-2023 at certain points and as Coach DiNardo pointed out on air, Washington won the Joe Moore Award last year for the best offensive line in the nation. In addition, Ryan Day and Ohio State love to pound the rock but have also had some special QBs come out of Columbus. Regardless, I don’t think it’s as easy to say that the midwest is a physical league and the West Coast is a finesse league. There is so much more to that equation and as Dan Lanning said, “winning football is winning football, and it starts in the trenches.” I’ll co-sign on that.

• Can your ball “Speak”? Current UAB head coach Trent Dilfer taught me years ago at the Elite 11 that when evaluating a quarterback one wants to see if their ball “Speaks.” Meaning, when the ball arrives at the receiver is it picking up speed or slowly dying? Are the revolutions of the ball at a rapid pace or lumbering? Does the ball finish on the face mask or fall flat? As the midwest weather debate continues I decided to ask a few analysts who I have immense respect for about that topic when it comes to the new teams entering the B1G. Interestingly, both Todd Blackledge and Joel Klatt, who have spent a large portion of their careers calling games in the midwest, said it’s more about the wind in late October than the rain or snow. I’ll be watching each quarterback on my training camp tour and searching to find out which QB’s ball “Speaks.”

• The Quarterbacks: Being a part of the Elite 11 for over 15 years and writing 5-Star QB, my eyes are often exploring the quarterback position. Among the 18 teams in Indianapolis, only 5 had their signal caller represented at media day: Purdue, Minnesota, UCLA, USC and Oregon. Obviously, three of the five are from the new schools and it got me thinking – yes a few B1G defenses were special last year and are talented again this fall, but they didn’t face the likes of Caleb Williams, Michael Penix Jr., Bo Nix, or Noah Fifita. Thus, how elite will they be when Ethan Garbers, Miller Moss and Dillon Gabriel take a snap from the shotgun? I’m not sure, but my gut is telling me that these elite defenses will not be as elite statistically as they were last year. Yes, big time defense is a huge part of winning a title but in this era, you better score and I’m curious how this plays out. Some thoughts on those quarterbacks who were in attendance at Lucas Oil Stadium…

  • USC’s Miller Moss: He’s going to ball out this year, because that is what Lincoln Riley offenses do, but in a completely different way than Riley’s past QBs. For more of his story, listen to this week's podcast.

  • UCLA’s Ethan Garbers: Every QB must have a unique trait and Garbers’ is his mind. In DeShaun Foster and Eric Bieniemy’s new system, he will be able to dictate terms from under center. Can’t wait to watch those chess matches. Fun fact, he and both of his teammates who made the rounds at media day started their careers at other former Pac-12 schools. While Garbers first suited up at Washington, J. Michael Sturdivant was originally a Cal Bear and Jay Toia began across town with the USC Trojans.

  • Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel: Did you know he got a van with one of his NIL deals? He uses it to drive his WRs around. I love it. I’m not sure if there is a QB who has done more to connect with his new teammates than Gabriel. For more of his story, check out our conversation that dropped this past week.

  • Purdue’s Hudson Card: Reminds me of Bo Nix. Reignited his love for the game at Purdue under Ryan Walters and former USC OC Graham Harrell like Nix did under Lanning at Oregon post Auburn. The Boilermakers were picked 18th in the B1G, I don’t buy it. Card and his teammates joined Ashley on Big Ten Network.

  • Minnesota’s Max Brosmer: In a short time he’s also done what elite QBs do –pour into their teammates. The chip on his shoulder is more like a boulder and if PJ Fleck’s squad can spin it and create some explosive plays (20+ yards) this fall, look out for this dude. Ashley dove into his story on the BTN set as well.

• White space: Only seeing 5 signal callers in Indy is also a brilliant opportunity for other QBs around the B1G and other leagues to claim some of the white space in college football around the most celebrated and challenging position. Quinn Ewers (Texas), Carson Beck (Georgia), Jalen Milroe (Alabama) and Shedeur Sanders (Colorado) are already household names but keep an eye out for Avery Johnson (Kansas State), Cam Rising (Utah), Aiden Chiles (Michigan State), Dylan Raiola (Nebraska), former USC QB Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss), Tyler Van Dyke (Wisconsin), Drew Allar (Penn State), Will Rogers (Washington) and Will Howard (Ohio State).

The Shift not done:

• I didn’t meet a single person who felt the shift in college football was over. With current legislation underway, more pending and who knows what’s happening with Clemson and Florida State, there wasn’t a soul in the stadium who felt that college football was going to remain what it is today by September 1st, let alone 108 years from now.

Breath of Fresh Air

• I must say that it was nice to not have realignment as the leading topic during media days. Texas and Oklahoma stole that headline a few years ago, USC and UCLA followed up and the Pac-12 media rights were the stories over the last three seasons. This July, at each media day I was at (Big-12/Mountain West/Pac-12/B1G) the stories discussed with the ones that led us at Y-Option to starting this platform – it was about the teams, the players and the coaches. In a nutshell, it was about the game. And that just felt like a massive breath of fresh air.

Speaking of fresh air, I’m fresh off a camping trip with my family, our final getaway before the seasons truly gets underway. I love being a father and husband more than anything and while work can take over all of our lives, spending time with them was a true reminder of what truly matters most. As we sat by a fire staring into the night’s sky, I had an overwhelming sense of gratitude. For the game, which has gifted me a seat in the booth each weekend calling games (hi Guy Haberman and Rhett Lewis!) on BTN each Saturday, a platform with Y-Option and for you. 

Each of you have chosen to be a part of this community and Jim Thornby and I are so grateful for that choice. We hope you come along for the season, tell a friend or two and please continue to offer feedback. (Dad advice is always welcome too!)

Hope you all enjoyed this weekend and next time we connect, I’ll be in Seattle for the start of a training camp tour spanning the country. 

Much love and as always, #HowGreatIsBall,

Yogi