2025 Large Ten Media Days: Oregon Reloads, PSU’s Title Hopes Amongst Day 2 Storylines

As quickly as Day 1 of Large Ten Media days fades into the desert sundown, and the hubbub surrounding Ohio State — the defending nationwide champion — is drowned out by the pulsating thrum of The Strip, consideration will shift towards the league’s reigning champion and one other challenger seen by many because the likeliest convention king in 2025. 

Oregon romped and rolled its approach via a Large Ten debut final fall by finishing an undefeated common season and profitable the convention title recreation at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Geese had been then afforded the No. 1 general seed in final 12 months’s Faculty Soccer Playoff earlier than working into the Buckeye battalion in a Rose Bowl that was over earlier than the second quarter expired. However head coach Dan Lanning has retooled and reloaded for an additional run on the league title this fall behind former five-star prospect and UCLA switch Dante Moore, the presumptive starter. It wouldn’t be a lot of a shock to see the Geese again within the league championship recreation come December. 

Standing between the Geese and a possible convention championship repeat is arguably essentially the most proficient Penn State crew that head coach James Franklin has assembled since taking up this system in 2014. Led by potential Heisman Trophy candidate Drew Allar at quarterback and what may be the nation’s finest working again tandem in Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, the Nittany Lions are sure to be among the many high 5 groups on this summer season’s preseason AP Ballot, if not the highest three. Will this be the 12 months when Franklin lastly will get over the hump?

These are sure to be among the many matters of dialog subsequent week when the Large Ten absorbs the nationwide highlight throughout a three-day media spectacle in Las Vegas, a locale that displays the convention’s coast-to-coast membership. For the second consecutive 12 months, every day of the occasion will characteristic the pinnacle coach and key gamers from six packages:  

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 occasion, FOX Sports activities analyzed each crew forward of the 2025 marketing campaign. Right here’s what to anticipate from Day 2 at Large Ten Media Days: 

[Day 1: Big Ten Media Days Preview]

Minnesota

Minnesota QB Drake Lindsey (3) runs with the ball throughout a recreation between the Rhode Island Rams and the Minnesota Golden Gophers. (Picture by Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Photographs)

Final 12 months: 8-5 general, 5-4 Large Ten

Postseason: 24-10 win over Virginia Tech within the Duke’s Mayo Bowl

Head coach: P.J. Fleck, ninth season, 58-39 at Minnesota

Coordinators: Greg Harbaugh Jr. (offense); Danny Collins (protection)

Recruiting: No. 49 nationally, No. 15 within the Large Ten 

Switch portal: No. 29 nationally, No. 9 within the Large Ten 

Key storyline: Minnesota is considered one of a number of Large Ten groups anticipated to enter the 2025 marketing campaign with a quarterback who has but to begin a recreation on the FBS degree. Head coach P.J. Fleck’s one-year rental of former New Hampshire switch Max Brosmer produced satisfactory outcomes final fall — the Gophers reached a bowl recreation for the fourth consecutive season; Brosmer performed effectively sufficient to signal with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent — however left this system in a spot of uncertainty given the inexperienced depth chart. Redshirt freshman Drake Lindsey, who solely logged 20 snaps final season, carried out effectively sufficient within the spring to all however guarantee himself of the beginning job. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Lindsey performed highschool soccer in Arkansas and was a flippantly recruited three-star prospect within the 2024 cycle. Minnesota was the one energy convention college to supply Lindsey a scholarship from a listing of suitors that included Colorado State, Tulsa and UNLV, amongst others, with Lindsey ending because the No. 873 general prospect and No. 56 quarterback in his class. The excellent news for Lindsey and offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh Jr. is that Minnesota ought to be capable to lean on one of many league’s finest working again tandems in junior Darius Taylor (205 carries, 986 yards, 10 TDs) and Marshall switch A.J. Turner (104 carries, 864 yards and 6 TDs), the No. 8 tailback within the portal. 

Northwestern

Northwestern head coach David Braun walks out onto the sector earlier than a school soccer recreation in opposition to Rutgers. (Picture by Wealthy Schultz/Getty Photographs)

Final 12 months: 4-8 general, 2-7 Large Ten

Postseason: None

Head coach: David Braun, third season, 12-13 at Northwestern

Coordinators: Zach Lujan (offense); Tim McGarigle (protection)

Recruiting: No. 66 nationally, No. 17 within the Large Ten 

Switch portal: No. 68 nationally, No. 18 within the Large Ten 

Key storyline: Not because the pandemic-shortened 2020 marketing campaign has Northwestern navigated an entire season with the identical quarterback from begin to end, a irritating development that head coach David Braun might be desperate to halt. Three quarterbacks tried no less than 75 passes in 2021, when the Wildcats completed 3-9. Three quarterbacks tried no less than 45 passes the next 12 months, in 2022, when Northwestern bottomed out at 1-11 throughout what proved to be the ultimate season for longtime head coach Pat Fitzgerald. Two quarterbacks logged vital taking part in time throughout Braun’s first 12 months, in 2023, when the Wildcats defied expectations to win eight video games. And final season’s revolving door featured three gamers who made appearances in no less than 4 video games, however solely considered one of them — Jack Lausch — managed to throw a landing. The hope now’s that graduate switch Preston Stone, previously of SMU, can lastly present Northwestern with stability. Stone was a four-star prospect and the No. 111 general prospect within the 2021 recruiting cycle, a dual-threat participant who held scholarship presents from practically each blue-blood program: Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Texas, amongst others. He spent two years in a reserve position with the Mustangs earlier than blossoming right into a third-team All-AAC performer with 3,197 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2023. Stone battled accidents late that season and into 2024 earlier than dropping his place and opting to enter the portal. However the job at Northwestern is certainly his. 

Oregon

Dante Moore #5 of the Oregon Geese warms up in the course of the Oregon spring recreation. (Picture by Soobum Im/Getty Photographs)

Final 12 months: 13-1 general, 9-0 Large Ten

Postseason: 41-21 loss to Ohio State within the CFP quarterfinals

Head coach: Dan Lanning, fourth season, 35-6 at Oregon

Coordinators: Will Stein (offense); Tosh Lupoi (protection)

Recruiting: No. 5 nationally, No. 2 within the Large Ten 

Switch portal: No. 5 nationally, No. 1 within the Large Ten 

Key storyline: One 12 months after blitzing via the convention with a veteran-laden roster that established a brand new college document when 10 former Geese had been chosen within the 2025 NFL Draft, the problem awaiting head coach Dan Lanning and his workers throughout their second jaunt via the Large Ten is much totally different. Oregon solely returns two offensive and three defensive starters from a crew that earned the No. 1 general seed in final 12 months’s Faculty Soccer Playoff, which suggests the upcoming marketing campaign might be rooted in participant improvement and maturation greater than the rest. A string of three consecutive top-10 highschool recruiting courses — No. 9 in 2023; No. 3 in 2024; No. 5 in 2025 — has seen Oregon stuff its roster with 58 four- and five-star prospects throughout that span, a lot of whom might be moving into a lot bigger roles this fall. That checklist begins with former five-star quarterback Dante Moore, previously of UCLA, but additionally consists of junior tight finish Kenyon Sadiq, who caught 24 passes for 308 yards and two touchdowns final fall; redshirt freshman defensive again Kingston Lopa, a towering 6-foot-5 athlete anticipated to occupy the free security position; and five-star freshman receiver Dakorien Moore, the second-best recruit in class historical past and a presumptive starter after fellow wideout Evan Stewart (48 catches, 613 yards, 5 TDs) suffered what may be a season-ending knee damage in June. It’s price noting, nevertheless, that Lanning offset a few of that youth with an elite switch portal class that includes three of the highest 21 gamers general. 

Penn State

Penn State QB Drew Allar #15 reacts in the course of the first quarter in opposition to Notre Dame within the Capital One Orange Bowl. (Picture by Megan Briggs/Getty Photographs)

Final 12 months: 13-3 general, 8-1 Large Ten

Postseason: 27-24 loss to Notre Dame within the CFP semifinals

Head coach: James Franklin, twelfth season, 101-42 at Penn State

Coordinators: Andy Kotelnicki (offense); Jim Knowles (protection)

Recruiting: No. 15 nationally, No. 5 within the Large Ten 

Switch portal: No. 48 nationally, No. 15 within the Large Ten 

Key storyline: After 11 years of scratching, clawing and constructing, head coach James Franklin will enter the season with extra sources at his disposal than maybe he ever would have imagined. His teaching workers now consists of the highest-paid defensive coordinator within the nation after Franklin plucked nationwide champion Jim Knowles from Ohio State for a reported wage of $3.1 million per 12 months. His roster features a former five-star quarterback in Drew Allar who, relying on how the 2025 season unfolds, may be within the dialog for the No. 1 general choose within the NFL Draft. His athletic division and donor base supplied sufficient monetary assist for Franklin to concurrently retain the core of his ultra-talented 2022 recruiting class — together with star tailbacks Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, plus edge rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton — whereas additionally overhauling the huge receiver place with three key additions by way of the switch portal: former Syracuse wideout Trebor Pena (No. 129 switch, No. 26 WR); former Troy wideout Devonte Ross (No. 152 switch, No. 30 WR) and former USC wideout Kyron Hudson (No. 267 switch, No. 47 WR). Facility upgrades to each Beaver Stadium and the Lasch Soccer Constructing have introduced the Nittany Lions even nearer to the chopping fringe of modernity. All of which is able to make Penn State a classy choose to win the Large Ten and maybe the nationwide title, even with Franklin’s ugly document of 4-20 in opposition to top-10 opponents since taking up this system. He’ll don’t have any excuses in 2025. 

Washington

Washington QB Desmond Williams Jr. #2 goes up the sector in the course of the first half on a keeper in opposition to Iowa.  (Picture by Matthew Holst/Getty Photographs)

Final 12 months: 6-7 general, 4-5 Large Ten

Postseason: 35-34 loss to Louisville within the Solar Bowl

Head coach: Jedd Fisch, second season, 6-7 at Washington

Coordinators: Jimmie Dougherty (offense); Ryan Walters (protection)

Recruiting: No. 23 nationally, No. 7 within the Large Ten 

Switch portal: No. 40 nationally, No. 12 within the Large Ten 

Key storyline: An argument could be made that widespread change on head coach Jedd Fisch’s workers after just one season at Washington is this system’s prevailing theme getting into 2025. The Huskies misplaced offensive coordinator Brennan Carroll to the Las Vegas Raiders, the place he’ll work alongside his father, Pete Carroll, and changed him by selling quarterbacks coach Jimmie Dougherty from inside. In addition they misplaced defensive coordinator Stephen Belichick to North Carolina, the place he’ll work alongside his father, Invoice Belichick, and changed him with former Purdue head coach Ryan Walters, who was fired after two disastrous seasons with the Boilermakers. Two extra assistant coaches, Vinnie Sunseri and Robert Bala, left to turn out to be the co-defensive coordinators at Florida. That’s a variety of change for a program nonetheless attempting to regain its footing after the mass exodus that adopted an look within the nationwide championship recreation two seasons in the past. How effectively Fisch’s revamped workers performs this fall is actually price watching. Nonetheless, all of that can seemingly play second fiddle to the narrative arc surrounding new beginning quarterback Demond Williams Jr., a bonafide dual-threat prospect with the potential to turn out to be a family title this fall. Williams, who made weekly cameo appearances because the backup to Will Rogers in 2024, captivated Washington’s fan base when he made his second begin within the Solar Bowl and threw for 374 yards and 4 touchdowns whereas additionally chipping in 48 speeding yards and a further rating on the bottom. His potential in 2025 and past is tantalizing. 

Wisconsin

Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell leads the crew on to the sector earlier than a recreation in opposition to Nebraska. (Picture by Steven Branscombe/Getty Photographs)

Final 12 months: 5-7 general, 3-6 Large Ten

Postseason: None

Head coach: Luke Fickell, third season, 13-13 at Wisconsin

Coordinators: Jeff Grimes (offense); Mike Tressel (protection)

Recruiting: No. 27 nationally, No. 9 within the Large Ten 

Switch portal: No. 14 nationally, No. 3 within the Large Ten 

Key storyline: On Oct. 2, 2022, Wisconsin athletic director Chris McIntosh shocked the school soccer world by firing head coach Paul Chryst amid a disappointing 2-3 begin that included lopsided league defeats to No. 3 Ohio State and Illinois. McIntosh, a former All-American offensive deal with for the Badgers, dumped Chryst regardless of his string of seven consecutive bowl appearances and a median of 10.2 victories per season exterior the pandemic-shortened 2020 marketing campaign. The following teaching search led McIntosh to Fickell, who was the pinnacle coach at Cincinnati and one 12 months faraway from guiding the Bearcats to the Faculty Soccer Playoff, a exceptional feat from exterior the facility conferences. Quick-forward to the current, nevertheless, and it’s truthful to surprise how a lot endurance McIntosh has left following two disappointing seasons to start the Fickell period at Wisconsin, the place a streak of twenty-two consecutive bowl appearances got here to an finish final fall. The late-season firing of offensive coordinator Phil Longo urged that Fickell’s preliminary imaginative and prescient for what he hoped to see on that aspect of the ball — an Air Raid system that blended run and move way more evenly than what the Badgers had grown accustomed to — was poorly conceived. New offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes, previously of Kansas, has a long time of expertise as an offensive line coach/run recreation coordinator and can seemingly restore Wisconsin to its run-heavy roots in 2025. However the Badgers have a fully brutal schedule that features Alabama (away), Michigan (away), Ohio State (house), Oregon (away) and Indiana (away).

Michael Cohen covers school soccer and school basketball for FOX Sports activities. Comply with him at @Michael_Cohen13.

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