Luke Altmyer #9 of the Illinois Fighting Illini celebrates after a touchdown in the first half against Northwestern. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
Talking season in college football began earlier this month when the Big 12 kicked off the sport’s annual media days caravan at The Star in Frisco, Texas, where commissioner Brett Yormark and the league’s coaches were inundated with questions about implementation of the House v. NCAA settlement, potential tweaks to the College Football Playoff format and the offseason spending habits of Texas Tech.
Next came the SEC’s turn in the spotlight, which began on Monday in Atlanta, with commissioner Greg Sankey describing his league as a “super conference” and then waxing poetic about both its strength of schedule and sphere of influence in the ongoing discussions about playoff structure.
One week from now, on July 22, Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti will have his chance to respond to everything his colleagues have said when the league begins its three-day media event in Las Vegas, a locale that reflects the conference’s coast-to-coast membership. For the second straight year, each day will feature representatives from six programs:
Day 1: Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Nebraska, Ohio State, Rutgers
Day 2: Minnesota, Northwestern, Oregon, Penn State, Washington, Wisconsin
Day 3: Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, UCLA, USC
To preview the event, FOX Sports analyzed every team ahead of the 2025 campaign. Here’s what to expect from Day 1 at Big Ten Media Days:
Luke Altmyer #9 of the Illinois Fighting Illini celebrates after a touchdown in the first half against Northwestern. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
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Last year: 10-3 overall, 6-3 Big Ten
Postseason: 21-17 win over South Carolina in the Citrus Bowl
Head coach: Bret Bielema, fifth season, 28-22 at Illinois
Coordinators: Barry Lunney Jr. (offense); Aaron Henry (defense)
Recruiting: No. 46 nationally, No. 13 in the Big Ten
Transfer portal: No. 43 nationally, No. 13 in the Big Ten
Key storyline: The formula concocted by first-year Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti in 2024 demonstrated to the college football universe exactly what’s possible in this expanded playoff era, when the right combination of coaching, player acquisition/retention, veteran leadership and favorable scheduling come together simultaneously in a fairytale season. Many fans and analysts are seeing a very similar mold at Illinois, where head coach Bret Bielema retained both coordinators and 17 starters from a group that reached 10 victories for the first time since 2001. The Illini are led by one of the league’s most experienced quarterbacks in former Ole Miss transfer Luke Altmyer, now in his third year atop the depth chart, and an offensive line that returns all five starters. A relatively modest schedule includes winnable non-conference games against Western Illinois, Duke and Western Michigan, while also avoiding Big Ten powerhouses Oregon, Penn State and Michigan. That means the expectations surrounding Bielema’s program, which is likely to be ranked among the top 20 in the preseason AP Poll, are soaring ahead of what some believe could be a magical run toward the College Football Playoff. The biggest question is how the Illini, a team unaccustomed to consistent winning, will handle that level of anticipation on a weekly basis.
Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti reacts during the fourth quarter against the Michigan Wolverines. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
Last year: 11-2 overall, 8-1 Big Ten
Postseason: 27-17 road loss to Notre Dame in CFP first round
Head coach: Curt Cignetti, second season, 11-2 at Indiana
Coordinators: Mike Shanahan (offense); Bryant Haines (defense)
Recruiting: No. 47 nationally, No. 14 in the Big Ten
Transfer portal: No. 22 nationally, No. 6 in the Big Ten
Key storyline: An unexpected darling from the 2024 campaign rode the roaching acumen and bravado of Cignetti all the way to the College Football Playoff, where an in-state matchup with blue-blood Notre Dame gave Indiana an incredible platform despite the eventual loss. Shrewd talent evaluation and development skills shown by Cignetti and offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan when it came to quarterback Kurtis Rourke, a former MAC standout at Ohio who developed into a seventh-round pick with the Hoosiers, made Indiana a desirable destination for veteran signal-callers in the transfer portal. That the Hoosiers landed Cal standout Fernando Mendoza, the No. 22 overall transfer and No. 4 quarterback in the portal, speaks to the impression Indiana’s work with Rourke made on potential targets. Former Maryland tailback Roman Hemby (No. 237 transfer, No. 15 RB) and former Northern Illinois cornerback Amariyun Knighten (No. 163 transfer, No. 17 CB) were two more high-profile pickups. A rebuilding defense retained arguably its three best players in edge rusher Mikail Kamara, linebacker Aiden Fisher and cornerback D’Angelo Ponds, all of whom received some form of All-American recognition last season. So can the Hoosiers be darlings once more?
Maryland head coach Michael Locksley is seen during the game against the Indiana Hoosiers. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
Last year: 4-8 overall, 1-8 Big Ten
Postseason: None
Head coach: Mike Locksley, eighth season, 33-41 at Maryland
Coordinators: Pep Hamilton (offense); Ted Monachino (defense)
Recruiting: No. 25 nationally, No. 8 in the Big Ten
Transfer portal: No. 34 nationally, No. 10 in the Big Ten
Key storyline: There was a puzzling inequality between the success Maryland enjoyed during this year’s NFL Draft and the on-field product it put forth last fall amid the team’s worst Big Ten season since 2019, when Locksley first took over the program. Six of Locksley’s former players heard their names called in late April to form the Terrapins’ largest draft class since 1986 and increase the total to 15 draft picks over the last four years, a stretch in which Maryland never finished above .500 in conference play. Still, accumulating talent has proven fairly easy for Locksley, whose last five recruiting classes all landed among the top 40 in the national rankings. Prior to last year, when the league officially nixed divisions, Maryland’s inability to parlay recruiting victories into actual victories could be written off as a product of the relentless Big Ten East, where Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State all lurked. But that excuse wasn’t available in 2024 as the Terrapins crumbled without facing the Buckeyes or Wolverines. The hiring of a new athletic director in May means there’s even more pressure on Locksley to deliver.
Dylan Raiola #15 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers takes photos with fans after a win against Wisconsin. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)
Last year: 7-6 overall, 3-6 Big Ten
Postseason: 20-15 win over Boston College in the Pinstripe Bowl
Head coach: Matt Rhule, third season, 12-13 at Nebraska
Coordinators: Dana Holgorsen (offense); John Butler (defense)
Recruiting: No. 22 nationally, No. 6 in the Big Ten
Transfer portal: No. 13 nationally, No. 2 in the Big Ten
Key storyline: Though Nebraska ended on a positive note by upending Boston College in the Pinstripe Bowl, there was still an air of dissatisfaction considering how poorly the second half of the season unfolded. In mid-October, the Cornhuskers were 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the Big Ten entering a highly anticipated road game against then-No. 16 Indiana. What followed was a humiliating 56-7 beatdown in which quarterback Dylan Raiola tossed three interceptions and Nebraska fumbled three times. That loss kickstarted a string of four consecutive defeats that drained much of the momentum from Rhule’s second season. Aware that his roster lacked top-end talent, Rhule responded with a spending spree in the transfer portal that produced the No. 13 class in the country and No. 2 haul in the Big Ten, trailing only Oregon. The Cornhuskers added numerous plug-and-play starters, including former Kentucky wideout Dane Key (No. 34 transfer, No. 10 WR), former Missouri edge rusher Williams Nwaneri (No. 36 transfer, No. 3 DL), former Alabama offensive tackle Elijah Pritchett (No. 45 transfer, No. 6 OT), former Oklahoma linebacker Dasan McCullough (No. 123 transfer, No. 4 LB), former Notre Dame right guard Rocco Spindler (No. 139 transfer, No. 10 IOL) and former Cal wideout Nyziah Hunter (No. 200 transfer, No. 35 WR). How well those additions perform relative to the price tags they undoubtedly commanded will be a strong barometer for Nebraska’s trajectory this fall.
Julian Sayin #10 of the Ohio State Buckeyes plays during the first quarter of the Ohio State Spring Game. (Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images)
Last year: 14-2 overall, 7-2 Big Ten
Postseason: Victories over Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame en route to national title
Head coach: Ryan Day, seventh season, 70-10 at Ohio State
Coordinators: Brian Hartline (offense); Matt Patricia (defense)
Recruiting: No. 4 nationally, No. 1 in the Big Ten
Transfer portal: No. 26 nationally, No. 7 in the Big Ten
Key storyline: One of the driving factors behind Ohio State’s run to the national championship last season was the continuity that peppered both the roster and the coaching staff at critical positions, with so many familiar faces returning after the 2023 campaign ended without a trip to the College Football Playoff. Those strong retention efforts preserved the nucleus of head coach Ryan Day’s lauded 2021 recruiting class that eventually produced eight starters on the title-winning squad. Since then, however, the fallout from reaching college football’s mountaintop has included changes at offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, offensive line coach and quarterbacks coach, not to mention the 14 Buckeyes selected in this year’s NFL Draft, one of whom was signal-caller Will Howard (sixth round, No. 185 overall). All of which invites plenty of questions entering 2025 regarding how much change is too much change for a legitimate title defense: Can first-time playcaller Brian Hartline match the success enjoyed by predecessor Chip Kelly, now of the Las Vegas Raiders? Can former Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia, the Buckeyes’ new defensive coordinator, salvage his reputation at the collegiate level? Is former five-star prospect Julian Sayin ready to step forward and win the quarterback job in his true sophomore season? Those are just a few of the unknowns from an attempted repeat that has been all about the moving parts thus far.
Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano during the second half of a game against llinois. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Getty Images)
Last year: 7-6 overall, 4-5 Big Ten
Postseason: 44-41 loss to Kansas State in the Rate Bowl
Head coach: Greg Schiano, 17th season, 94-101 at Rutgers
Coordinators: Kirk Ciarrocca (offense); Robb Smith and Zach Sparber (defense)
Recruiting: No. 32 nationally, No. 10 in the Big Ten
Transfer portal: No. 51 nationally, No. 16 in the Big Ten
Key storyline: Over the past two seasons, both of which ended with bowl games, running back Kyle Monangai was the unquestioned focal point of Rutgers’ offense under freshly hired offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca, formerly of Minnesota. He handled the workhorse role with aplomb by shouldering 498 carries for 2,541 yards and 21 touchdowns during that span, earning All-Big Ten recognition in both campaigns. What the offense will look like without Monangai, who was drafted by the Chicago Bears earlier this spring (seventh round, No. 233 overall), remains to be seen as the Scarlet Knights seek a third consecutive bowl appearance for the first time since winning 23 combined games from 2012-14 under Schiano and former coach Kyle Flood. The likely replacement is former Florida Atlantic standout CJ Campbell Jr., who carried 165 times for 844 yards and 11 touchdowns last season before joining the Scarlet Knights via the transfer portal — though it’s worth noting that Monangai’s backup, Antwan Raymond, chipped in 113 yards and three scores in the bowl game against Kansas State. Together, Campbell and Raymond will support mobile quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis (251 rushing yards, 3 TDs) to form a three-headed attack on an offense that returns seven starters, including four along its veteran-laden offensive line.
Michael Cohen covers college football and college basketball for FOX Sports. Follow him at @Michael_Cohen13.
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Nick Saban went on a lengthy rant about the state of college sports, claiming he had all the answers. But, the former Alabama coach said “nobody will listen” to his solutions.
“I got it figured out. Nobody will listen,” Saban said on The Pat McAfee Show. “So, you know, what are you going to do? I mean, we got to have, you know, some kind of antitrust exemption. You got to get the political parties together on it. I think the college people have to get over the fact that, you know, a graduate student can be a graduate assistant, get paid, is not an employee. So players don’t have to be employees. And these graduate students have representation. You call it a union if you want, but it’s restricted on what they can negotiate for.
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“They can’t say, you know, I have a lab that takes 10 hours and I’m going to go on strike, so we only have to go six hours. Can’t do that. You do the same thing in football. Put some restrictions and determine what you can and can’t negotiate. Shouldn’t be anything that has anything to do with athletic development. We already have those restrictions, 20 hours a week, whatever it is, that practice time. So there is a way to do this that satisfies both parties, that gives cover to both groups, so that we can move forward.”
Saban even referred to how he was criticized for his opinions on the state of college athletics at this time. That’s despite college football being more popular than ever, but it’s not without its flaws.
“And you know, I got killed in the Wall Street Journal for saying things like, college football is messed up,” Saban said. “But the thing about it is, everybody just looks at … the playoffs have created tremendous interest in college football. There’s a whole bunch of teams now that have a chance to get in the playoffs. There’s more interest than ever, higher TV ratings and all that. But the underbelly underneath that is not really good. It’s not really good for the development of players. It’s not really good for all the sports that we try to sponsor in college.”
“I mean, and I think we got to decide that we want to be, you know, a professional developmental league,” Saban continued. “Or are we really going to have college athletes who go get an education and develop value for their future as they’re playing and making money? I want them to make money. I think they should make money, but there should be some restrictions on how they go about doing it.”
However, money aside, Saban said the biggest issue is the transfer portal. NIL can be tweaked, but player movement has to be fixed. He even likened it to the biggest issues in basketball and has coaching legends hitting him up!
“And the movement is as big an issue, to me, a bigger issue than even the money,” Saban said. “I mean, everybody being able to transfer all the time. I mean, that’s not a good thing. Now, we even got a basketball player going to Baylor after he played in the NBA. I mean, you heard me say this before: we are going to have a quarterback gets drafted by the New York Giants. He’s gonna be playing for Penn State. I mean, what about that? Calipari and Izzo are blowing me up. I’m not even a basketball guy.”
The USC Trojans will be active in the transfer portal this upcoming offseason as they try to find complimentary pieces to their returning core of starters.
Combining the resources at their disposal and players that are returning for the Trojans, here are three reasons why USC will be a destination program for the top players in the transfer portal.

On the offensive side of the ball, wide receiver is arguably USC’s biggest need.
Their stars from this season, Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane, have already announced their intention to enter the 2026 NFL Draft. Prince Strachan and DJ Jordan made their plans known that they will hop into the transfer portal when it opens on Jan. 2. Jaden Richardson is out of eligibility.
That’s at least five scholarship wide receivers that the Trojans will have to replace. Granted, they did sign six recruits from the 2026 class.
Enter USC quarterback Jayden Maiava. The Trojans’ gunslinger re-signed and will come back for his senior year as he looks to raise his draft stock and lead the program to their first College Football Playoff appearance under Lincoln Riley. He played a big part in helping Makai Lemon win the 2025 Biletnikoff Award.
Not only can playing with a quarterback like Maiava be enticing, but being able to play in Riley’s scheme is also a big bonus.
Under Riley, the Trojans have produced three NFL wide receivers in Tahj Washington, Jordan Addison, and Brendan Rice. The latter two transferred in to play for Riley in his inaugural season in 2022. More receivers in the portal can look to Addison and Rice as prime examples of what Riley can do in terms of getting players out to the next level.

Although USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn is reportedly heading to Penn State in the same position, the Trojans’ defense is trending in the right direction heading into 2026.
With plenty of solid returning pieces like linebacker Desman Stephens II, defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart, and cornerback Marcelles Williams, the Trojans can be selective with who they decide to bring in.
Considering nearly every position group along the defense has a transfer that has made an impact for the Trojans, they show that they know how to make the most of their newcomers.
That’s why USC could be a program to watch when it comes to top defensive transfer portal additions.
MORE: What TCU Is Saying About USC’s Offense Before Alamo Bowl
MORE: USC Trojans Defensive Back Clarifies Injury Status Ahead Of Alamo Bowl
MORE: USC Trojans Breakout Candidates Following NFL Draft, Transfer Portal Departures
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The Trojans are losing a lot of firepower to the upcoming draft with Lemon, Lane, and safety Kamari Ramsey being a few of the draft entries from USC.
The loss of the talented trio is offset by the fact that their absences clears up some NIL funds potentially to be used in the transfer portal.
USC won’t be in the market for a hefty transfer portal class. And if they opt for quality of quantity, it will cost them a pretty penny. But if the Trojans have shown anything, it’s that their resources are vast and abundant.
NIXA, Mo. (KY3) – It’s a new era of college football. And Nixa High School offensive lineman Jackson Cantwell finds himself in the middle of it.
The Ozarks Sports Zone’s Danielle King sat down with Cantwell and his agent Drew Rosenhaus to discuss his recruitment and managing NIL.
Check out the latest high school sports coverage on the Ozarks Sports Zone by clicking here.
To report a correction or typo, please email digitalnews@ky3.com. Please include the article info in the subject line of the email.
Copyright 2025 KY3. All rights reserved.
According to On3’s Pete Nakos, San Diego State EDGE Ryan Henderson plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal. Henderson just finished his fourth season with the program, putting up the best campaign of his career. He now goes onto the open market in what should be his final season of eligibility.
Henderson did not play for the Aztecs during the 2022 season as a true freshman, opting for a redshirt. Since then, he has taken the field in 33 games, three of which were starts. Forty-five tackles have followed, adding 12.5 tackles for a loss, and 10.5 sacks. You can even add a forced fumble and fumble recovery in there.
There is no doubt about which season was Henderson’s best, though. San Diego State saw him break out this past fall with nine tackles for a loss and seven sacks. Five of those sacks were in Mountain West play, with the other two coming in nonconference vs. Cal and Northern Illinois.
Henderson played high school football at North Las Vegas (NV) Canyon Springs, where he was a three-star prospect. He was the No. 1,289 overall recruit in the 2022 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
A few other Mountain West schools came after Henderson during his recruitment. Arizona, then a member of the Pac-12, extended an offer during his senior season. However, he stuck with San Diego State and signed with the Aztecs.
Fast forward to the present and Henderson is on the move for the first time in his career. Finding productive pass rushers can be a chore at times for teams. Henderson can pull up what he accomplished in 2025 to prove he is someone to watch moving forward.
To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.
This was year No. 2 of San Diego State under head coach Sean Lewis. An incredible turnaround took place, flipping the record’s numbers year-over-year. After the Aztecs finished 3-9 last season, they went 9-3 in 2025.
A spot in the New Mexico Bowl was earned, facing a near-College Football Playoff team in North Texas. However, San Diego State did find itself on the losing end.
Yikes. Morgan Scalley and the Utah Utes just lost one of the best players in the Big 12 Conference to the transfer portal, and that leaves a massive hole on the defensive side of the ball.
Sophomore defensive end John Henry-Daley announced his intention to transfer away from Utah after an incredible 2025 season with the Utes.
In 2025, Henry Daley posted 48 total tackles, 11.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles. His sack total finished second in the league overall, trailing only Texas Tech’s David Bailey, who finished with 13.5. Unfortunately for the Utes, his season was cut short in the second-to-last week of the year against Kansas State, when he suffered a season-ending lower-body injury.
Now, for Utah, the questions start to spiral. Is it a fit issue? New coaching issue? NIL money? The possibilities are endless. Utah is fresh off a 10-2 campaign and finished well inside the Top 25 at No. 15. For John Henry-Daley to hit the portal after as dominant a season as he had, something is strange.
One theory and team to watch would be the Michigan Wolverines, who recently hired Kyle Whittingham. Michigan is known for putting pass rushers into the NFL, has an incredible NIL base, and is one of the nation’s top programs, even if it has struggled since the departure of Jim Harbaugh.
No matter which way it shakes out, losing one of the league’s premium pass rushers is a brutal blow. Even when things are going well, the transfer portal can change things in an instant.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Dante Moore wanted to clear things up regarding Troy Aikman’s remarks about an NIL donation the pro football Hall of Famer made a player at UCLA.
During an interview on the Sports Media podcast with Richard Deitsch earlier this month, Aikman said he is “done with NIL” after not receiving any gratitude for a “sizable check” he donated to UCLA for a player who later transferred.
“I gave money to a kid, I won’t mention who,” Aikman told Deitsch. “I’ve done it one time at UCLA, never met the young man. He was there a year, he left after the year. I wrote a sizable check, and he went to another school. I didn’t even get so much as a thank you note. So, it’s one of those deals, to where I’m done with NIL. I want to see UCLA be successful, but I’m done with it.”
Though Aikman did not name Moore, many assumed it was the former five-star recruit, who transferred from UCLA to Oregon after his freshman year.
The Los Angeles Times reported UCLA’s collective, Men of Westwood, did not disclose donor information to players receiving NIL deals and that Aikman was thanked by then-coach Chip Kelly and athletic director Martin Jarmond.
Moore said he has never spoken to Aikman, but expressed gratitude to the former UCLA and Dallas Cowboys legend if he was who Aikman was referring to.
“If he sent it to me, I didn’t know it was him,” Moore said. “I didn’t see it. When it comes to people thinking it’s me, of course, everybody’s going to think it’s me. It’s quarterback-to-quarterback. I don’t want that false narrative being put out there that I didn’t say thank you. I didn’t hear nothing from him. I didn’t see nothing from him. So, if he sent it, thank you, but I don’t know what he’s talking about.”
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