Seven head coaches and 21 players stepped up to the microphone on the first day of the Big Ten media days.
By Courtney Baumann
CHICAGO — Monday afternoon brought the first taste of the 2016 Big Ten season for those with a craving some college football. Pat Fitzgerald, Darrell Hazell, Chris Ash, James Franklin, Tracy Claeys, and Jim Harbaugh all took the podium to make opening statements and take questions about the upcoming season.
Select players from Northwestern, Purdue, Rutgers, Penn State, Minnesota, and Michigan followed suit.
Here are a few bullet points from the first day of the 2016 Big Ten media days.
Sam Foltz and Mike Sadler recognized
Nebraska decided not to make an appearance at McCormick Place on Monday after the death of Sam Foltz on July 23. Foltz, a senior punter for the Huskers, died in a car crash in Wisconsin along with former Michigan State punter Mike Sadler.
Before any opening statements, each coach began by sending their condolences to Michigan State and Nebraska, as well as the Foltz and Sadler families.
Penn State head coach Franklin said he called Nebraska head coach Mike Riley to offer his sympathy but noted he cannot speak for the Husker coach and how the team is handling the situation.
Rutgers welcomes new head coach
Rutgers head coach Ash took the podium for the first time on Monday. Ash, who is in his first season at the helm for the Scarlet Knights, is no stranger to the Big Ten. The Ottumwa native has coached at both Ohio State and Wisconsin, serving as the defensive coordinator for the Badgers and most recently had the role of co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Ohio State.
Ash said his success and experience at Ohio State is translating into the work he has put in thus far at Rutgers. He also said most of the coaches he has worked under have had the same beliefs and systems, which he has tried to take with him into the new job.
“I take bits and pieces from all of them to help develop and create my own plan,” he said. “The trials and errors happened as an assistant coach. I took great notes and learned how to do things good and bad throughout that journey. I think that experience and that exposure has helped me build a plan that I feel really confident about.”
Penn State dealing with negative recruiting
Although Penn State’s sanctions have been lifted, including the four-year bowl-game ban and a reduction of scholarships, Franklin has still done damage control. The third-year head coach for the Nittany Lions has been fielding calls from worried recruits and their families.
Franklin and Penn State Athletics Director Sandy Barbour said the school has dealt with other programs calling recruits and telling them the NCAA may still have more sanctions to hit Penn State.
“It’s kind of a unique situation, because you’re having conversations about things that you, your staff, your players have nothing to do with and happened more than 40 years ago,” Franklin said.
Barbour has made her distaste with other coaches and recruiters clear when she told ESPN that the negative recruiting is “a real slap in the face to [the] profession.”
Franklin has tried to let his actions do the talking.
“Like anything in life, people just want to understand,” he said. “Whenever information comes out or anything comes up that we have to deal with, it’s getting on the phone as quickly as you possibly can with the high-school coaches, with the recruits, with their families, and just make sure that they’re understanding it.”