Big Ten Media Days are underway in Indianapolis.
New conference commissioner Tony Petitti addressed members of the media at the podium in Lucas Oil Stadium Wednesday morning, fielding questions about his first year at the helm of the Big Ten, the hazing scandal at Northwestern, the forthcoming additions of USC and UCLA, the state of NIL in collegiate athletics and more.
Following Petitti, seven Big Ten head coaches are slated to step up to the mic, including Illinois' Bret Bielema, Rutgers' Greg Schiano, Michigan State's Mel Tucker, Northwestern's David Braun, Penn State's James Franklin, Iowa's Kirk Ferentz and Ohio State's Ryan Day.
Below we'll have notes on what each of them said at their podium interview sessions Wednesday, beginning with Petitti's comments.
Tony Petitti
- "By far the best part of the job" is being around student-athletes, fans, coaches and administrators around the conference.
- Petitti says NIL is a "great mechanism" for student-athletes to receive benefits from "true" marketing opportunities. Petitti says "much of what's happening" with current NIL, however, is moving toward a "pay-for-play" model. Petitti says there must be steps taken by the NCAA to limit that from being the direction NIL continues to head in moving forward.
- On USC and UCLA's integration, Petitti says he spent time in Los Angeles in mid-June with administrators from both schools. Petitti says there will be creative measures employed to make cross-country travel easier once both join the fold in 2024.
- Petitti says there's been "significant" steps taken toward finishing the Big Ten's media rights deal.
- Petitti believes the Big Ten is "positioned to continue its historic success. ... With our new media partners, our reach will be unprecedented."
- On the Northwestern scandal, Petitti says there's no investigation being conducted by the Big Ten itself and that the conference will wait to see the results of the findings. Petitti says he's discussed the topic of hazing with figures around the Big Ten.
- On the future of the Big Ten, Petitti says "we have a lot of work to do" with USC and UCLA before further expansion is prioritized. "I'm not getting direction to do anything else other than that in terms of what the conference looks like right now."
- Petitti says "I don't think there's any distraction" from the 2023-24 athletics season despite the coming changes with USC/UCLA and the expanded CFP next year.
- Petitti says there's a distinction to be made between "true NIL" and "NIL that isn't really NIL." Petitti says "we're seeing money move in different places" and wants support from Congress to be able to enforce rules against inducements.
- On the Northwestern scandal: "I think there's a commitment to understanding what's expected moving forward."
Bret Bielema
- Bielema "couldn't be more excited" about the state of the game and his roster this season.
- On how he creates a welcoming environment in the locker room in the wake of the Northwestern scandal, Bielema says "It's so important in today's world to stay on top of everything that touches our players' lives."
- Bielema says at some point this offseason, Illinois was tied for the second-fewest transfer departures in the country, which he believes speaks to the healthy culture in his locker room.
- Bielema says he and Pat Fitzgerald are "very close" and that he can't comment on what went on in his program.
- Bielema says he signed a contract with a non-compete clause with other Big Ten teams because "I found my home, I know where I want to be."
- On how to sustain success, Bielema says he looks for indicators from how his players handle themselves both on and off the field. Bielema says last year's season was split between "a 7-1 team and a 1-4 team" in different stretches, and that he focuses on the latter stretch most of all.
Greg Schiano
- Schiano says Petitti has been "really great to work with" and is a "great listener."
- Schiano says "I can honestly tell you I've never been more excited to be a head coach" as he enters his 15th year (in two different stints) at Rutgers. Schiano says his team has its highest GPA in program history.
- Schiano says Rutgers is a "developmental program," which means he's rarely getting players who are ready to start contributing at a high level in the Big Ten right off the bat. Schiano says Rutgers "has to be different" but that "I love that."
- "I was a little bit shocked at how much things changed" at Rutgers between his first stint as head coach of the program and his second.
- Schiano wishes "the university could control more of the NIL" than what's going on right now in the landscape. Schiano says "we need to bring that back in-house" and "bring our arms back around it."
- Schiano says "I know Northwestern is gonna show up" for its season opener against Rutgers despite the hazing scandal.
Mel Tucker
- "Our players have worked extremely hard out of season." Tucker says there's "no doubt" that the 2023 Michigan State has more talent than he's ever had in his MSU career. "Last season was a tremendous learning experience for us."
- On the fallout of the Northwestern hazing scandal, Tucker says Michigan State has an anti-hazing policy at the university and on the football team. Tucker says hazing will be discussed again once preseason camp starts next week.
- Tucker says he's modified the way the team practices and how it handled its spring game for the sake of team health in 2023.
- Tucker says he's proud of Deion Sanders and thinks he'll be "wildly successful" at Colorado moving forward.
David Braun
- Braun says the Wildcats have "responded at this time with exceptional work ethic" and says his players have been "absolutely inspiring."
- Braun says he "never could've imagined" he would've taken over the Northwestern program under these circumstances. Still, Braun calls it a "dream come true" to even have been a coordinator at Northwestern, let alone a head coach.
- "With the evolving landscape of college football ... we have an opportunity to fully commit to the values of Northwestern University."
- Braun says the Wildcats have "come together" and "truly love each other." Braun says the team will "write their own story on overcoming adversity." Braun says "Let me be clear, this team will be ready to go" by the start of the season.
- "I firmly believe that this group has a demeanor, has a brotherhood and has a resolve" to be excited about this season. "They have responded to that challenge in an absolutely inspiring fashion."
James Franklin
- "Could not be more excited about what (Petitti) is bringing to our conference. It's been pretty obvious from the beginning, the leadership he's bringing."
- Franklin says Penn State has "less question marks" this season than it has the past several seasons. "Just less question marks across the board." Franklin thinks the defensive line is bigger, better and more athletic in 2023.
- Franklin says the quarterback position is "still in a competition phase" although "a lot of people are talking about Drew (Allar)." Franklin says it will be a good competition "throughout camp."
- On not having a protected rivalry game against Ohio State or Michigan: "The Big Ten has made some decisions that I think most people would agree ... would put the conference in the best position to compete for a national championship." Franklin says "for the most part, the benefits will outweigh" the drawbacks of not having those protected games.
Kirk Ferentz
- On the sports betting investigation at Iowa, Ferentz says "it's not a large number of players, period." Ferentz says "I don't think anybody really condones betting, especially on the college game."
- Ferentz is hopeful that the NCAA reconsiders "what the punishments might be" for sports betting and that the NCAA works to educate players more about sports betting in the future.
- Ferentz says his interactions with new athletic director Beth Goetz have been "pretty limited" but he expects that to change in the near future.
- Ferentz on making changes to the Iowa offense this offseason: "I feel like we made the right steps, time will tell."
Ryan Day
- Day says Marvin Harrison Jr., Cade Stover and JT Tuimoloau represent "a cross-section of our team." Day says the Buckeyes are "diverse in so many ways" in 2023.
- Day says he's been "really impressed" with true freshman Lincoln Kienholz's approach since entering the program. Day says Tristan Gebbia will provide depth to the QB room.
- Day hopes a starting quarterback will emerge between Kyle McCord and Devin Brown "pretty quickly" once preseason camp begins.
- On new starters on the offensive line, Day says Josh Fryar has slimmed down over the offseason, names Tegra Tshabola, Luke Montgomery and Josh Simmons among other players that have impressed. Day says Simmons actually prefers to go by "Jimmy."
- Day says naming Quinn Tempel Ohio State's "chief of staff" has taken some things off of his plate.
- "Everything we did in the offseason was about competing, because when you're in matchup games, it comes down to a handful of plays." Day says "Explosive plays was our Achilles heel" in the final two games. Day says Ohio State talks about losing to Michigan last year "every day."
- Day says Ohio State has focused on limiting explosive plays all offseason and that it was the "number one thing" he felt the defense had to improve.
- On how long he wants to let the quarterback battle play out, Day says "You'd like for someone to emerge during camp, but who knows if that's going to happen or not." Day says if one of the two doesn't emerge in camp, the battle could take a longer time.
- On Brian Hartline and Keenan Bailey, Day says both connect with players "very well" and possess "credibility."
