Big Ten Football

Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh reportedly wants to return to the NFL over "unfinished business," per ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio.

He is "watching and waiting to see whether a team with a reasonable ownership and General Manager situation is interested in giving him an opportunity," per Florio.

Some think Jim Harbaugh is simply trying to leverage Michigan into paying him more," Florio wrote. "Per the source, that’s not what it’s about (which will obviously make some say, 'Of course that’s what it’s about'). It’s about unfinished business from nearly a decade ago, when Harbaugh took a 6-10 team and turned it around almost immediately, without the benefit of an offseason program in his first year, thanks to the lockout.

However, Florio mentions that several teams with head coaching vacancies probably won't consider Harbaugh for various reasons, those teams include the Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins and Houston Texans. 

The NFL insider goes on to say that the Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants could be potential destinations in the current hiring cycle. 

Harbaugh spent four years as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers from 2011-14, compiling a 44-19-1 record. He led the team to three consecutive playoff appearances, including a trip to Super Bowl XLVII during the 2012 season, before going 8-8 and missing the postseason in 2014. 

Harbaugh and the 49ers lost 34-31 to his brother, John Harbaugh, and the Baltimore Ravens in the Super Bowl. If he makes an NFL return, whichever team Harbaugh coaches likely won't reach the Super Bowl for at least a few years. 

The Jaguars had the worst record in the NFL this season; they also recorded their fourth straight losing campaign. The Bears are coming off a 2021 losing season and haven't made it past the Wild Card Round since 2010. The Texans have an 8-25 record over the past two seasons. The Vikings have two straight losing seasons while the Broncos and Giants haven't had winning campaigns since 2016. 

Out of the teams with head coaching vacancies, the Dolphins are arguably the most Super Bowl-ready, and that could be considered a stretch when comparing them to AFC teams like the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills. 

Harbaugh is a hot candidate in this year's hiring cycle after leading Michigan to a 12-2 record and College Football Playoff appearance. Michigan's one losing season under Harbaugh was during the 2020 pandemic-shortened campaign. 

Harbaugh also recently addressed the rumors about his interest in returning to the NFL while speaking with reporters ahead of the Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year award ceremony on Wednesday. 

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, in #Houston for @bryantawards Paul 'Bear' Bryant Award #BryantAwards, on the NFL coaching rumor mill:

"It's a little more enjoyable this year compared to the rumors last year, so..."

via @OpportuneLLP @American_Heart press junket. pic.twitter.com/7UBNleK9Bv

— Jason Bristol (@JBristolKHOU) January 12, 2022

Other hot head coaching candidates include former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores, New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, among others.   

The University of Iowa has rewarded head football coach Kirk Ferentz with a contract extension through the 2029 season. 

The school announced Ferentz's extension on Friday, with a statement from athletic director Gary Barta:

Kirk’s consistent leadership and success over 23 years has been amazing and appreciated as he has led our football program in a first-class manner. His success over the past 23 years speaks for itself. He is an asset to the University of Iowa and our athletics department as a whole. The foundation of his program is strong, and the future looks bright.

Per The Athletic's Nicole Auerbach, Ferentz's $7 million annual salary is broken down into a $500,000 base salary with $5.5 million in supplemental compensation plus a $1 million longevity bonus. 

The extension comes as Iowa's football program remains embroiled in a legal situation amid allegations of racial discrimination. A total of 13 former Hawkeyes players, all of whom are Black, filed a federal lawsuit against the program in Nov. 2020 claiming they were victims of "targeted discriminatory behavior" from members of the coaching staff that Ferentz enabled. 

U.S. District Judge Stephanie Rose threw out some of the allegations during a ruling in May, but claims of intentional discrimination by offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, Kirk's son, and former strength coach Chris Doyle can proceed. 

Doyle has since left the program. He reached a separation agreement in June 2020 that paid more than $1.1 million remaining on his contract. 

Kirk Ferentz has been dismissed as a defendant in the case, but he is scheduled to be deposed this month.

This marks Ferentz's first contract extension since 2016 when he signed a six-year extension. His previous deal was set to expire after the 2025 season. 

Per Kennington Lloyd Smith III of the Des Moines Register, Ferentz's salary for next season was originally going to be $5.1 million before any potential bonuses. 

Ferentz is already the longest-tenured active head coach in FBS. The UConn graduate, who grew up in Pittsburgh, took over the Hawkeyes in December 1998, making him the last FBS coach to be hired before the turn of the century. 

Joe Paterno holds the FBS record for longest head-coaching tenure at a single school in FBS history (46 seasons at Penn State). 

Assuming Ferentz makes it to the end of his new deal, he will have been with the Hawkeyes for 31 seasons. The 66-year-old is already the program's all-time leader in games coached (288), wins (178), bowl games (18) and bowl wins (nine). 

The Hawkeyes finished the 2021 season with a 10-4 record and won the Big Ten West Division for the second time. They spent five consecutive weeks in the Top Five of the Associated Press poll, including reaching No. 2 in mid-October. 

Ferentz has led Iowa to 18 winning seasons and seven 10-win campaigns in his 23 years with the program.    

University of Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh reportedly hasn't officially interviewed for any of the NFL head coaching vacancies despite rumors about a potential return to the pro level.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported Friday no Harbaugh interviews were confirmed to the league office as required by rule, which suggests he could be using NFL interest as leverage in contract talks with U-M or the discussions happened "off the books."

The Harbaugh buzz started before the NFL coaching carousel even started spinning, and it kicked into overdrive after the Miami Dolphins surprisingly fired Brian Flores on Monday.

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, a major Michigan donor, quickly shot down speculation Flores' departure was a way to clear the way for the Wolverines head coach, though.

"I'm not going to be the person that takes Jim Harbaugh from the University of Michigan. I hope he stays there. He's a great coach," Ross told reporters.

Instead, the pair have been talking behind the scenes about ways to keep him in charge of the UM program with the coach "actively talking to the powers-that-be about a new contract," per Florio.

That hasn't materialized so far, however, which leaves open the possibility he could return to the NFL.

Harbaugh compiled a 44-19-1 record across four years with the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 through 2014. The Niners made the playoffs in three of those seasons, highlighted by a trip to Super Bowl XLVII, where they lost to Jim's brother, John, and the Baltimore Ravens.

CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora reported the Las Vegas Raiders were a team to watch if Harbaugh decided on a second NFL stint as he's "very well liked" by team owner Mark Davis.

The Raiders qualified for the playoffs under the guidance of interim head coach Rich Bisaccia, but have yet to make any coaching decisions for next season as they prepare for Saturday's playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

All told, the fact Harbaugh hasn't formally interviewed for an NFL job despite eight vacancies suggests the rumors are merely a leverage play to secure a new deal from Michigan after leading the Wolverines to the College Football Playoff this season.

If a new contract doesn't get done in the near future, then perhaps his look toward the pro game will become more intense.

Ohio State football did use an image of Trayvon Martin during a team meeting in 2017 to help enforce the program's "no hoodies" policy. 

Urban Meyer, who was Ohio State's head coach at the time, acknowledged Tuesday that the image was used, but he didn't have any knowledge of it. 

“I didn’t know about it until one hour ago, until after talking to (former safety Tyvis Powell),” Meyer told Rob Oller of the Columbus Dispatch. “I wasn’t there (in the meeting). None of the coaches were present. It was a support staffer who was in error and apologized.” 

Buckeyes cornerback Marcus Williamson brought the situation to light in a Twitter thread on Jan. 1. The fifth-year senior wrote the image of Martin was used during his first team meeting in 2017:

My first team meeting. (True story 2017) This photo was presented to us via PowerPoint to institute our building wide rule of “no hoods” in the building pic.twitter.com/bGdJVZaEVT

— MARS (@WW_Marcus) January 2, 2022

Meyer previously told Ohio State reporter Jeff Snook that he never used an image of Martin as part of a presentation about not wearing hoodies:

Our team rule was no hats or hoodies or sunglasses of any kind but only in team meetings, just so we could see their eyes and make sure they were paying attention and not asleep. We did not, and never would show a picture of Trayvon Martin. My gosh, no. That is absolutely false and you can check with any other player on my teams during that time to confirm what I am saying. Other players know what he is saying is false. I would never do that. He is crossing the line here. It seems people are just piling on now. But that never happened.

Powell, who played at Ohio State from 2013 to 2015, tweeted what he heard regarding the situation:

The players I’ve talked to said the person in charge was truly uneducated on that situation & really didn’t have any idea the story behind the image. So Marcus isn’t telling a lie about that. It was something that was handled in private. I still stand on my racial stance of OSU

— Tyvis Powell (@1Tyvis) January 3, 2022

Martin, 17, was shot and killed in 2012 by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch captain who had earlier called 911 to report a "suspicious person," in a case that gained national attention.

Meyer was Ohio State's head coach from 2012 to 2018. He retired from coaching following the Buckeyes' appearance in the 2019 Rose Bowl against Washington. 

After a three-year hiatus, Meyer returned to coaching when he was hired by the Jacksonville Jaguars in January 2021.

The 57-year-old only made it through 13 games before being fired after a report from NFL Network's Tom Pelissero about "run-ins with players and other coaches in recent weeks" and an accusation by former Jaguars kicker Josh Lambo that Meyer kicked him during the preseason.      

Michigan linebacker David Ojabo is going to enter the 2022 NFL draft after a fantastic junior season in which he finished second on the team with 11 sacks. 

Ojabo, a first-team All-Big Ten selection in 2021, announced Tuesday he was turning pro:

Next chapter…🖤 Thank you God pic.twitter.com/NZU1qx2doS

— KingJabo👑 (@DavidOjabo) January 4, 2022

Ojabo originally committed to the Wolverines in 2019 after graduating from Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey. He was a 4-star recruit and the No. 19 strong-side defensive end in the 2019 class, per 247Sports composite rankings. 

After redshirting as a freshman and playing primarily on special teams as a sophomore. Ojabo finally got his chance to play on the Wolverines defensive line in 2021. The 21-year-old made the most of his opportunity with 12 tackles for loss and 11 sacks. 

Only Aidan Hutchinson (16.5 tackles for loss, 14 sacks) was more productive as a pass-rusher than Ojabo this season. 

Per B/R's NFL scouting department, Ojabo is ranked as the No. 4 edge-rusher and No. 20 overall player. He ranks behind Oregon's Kayvon Thibodeaux (No. 1 overall), Purdue's George Karlaftis (No. 2 overall) and Hutchinson (No. 4 overall) at his position. 

ESPN's Todd McShay cited Ojabo's "superquick first step and excellent torso flexibility" as his biggest strengths coming into the NFL. 

Ojabo was incredibly raw as a prospect coming out of high school. He didn't have a lot of game experience as a defensive lineman in three seasons at Michigan but made the most of his opportunity in 2021 to put himself in the mix as a first-round talent.     

Former Ohio State defensive back Marcus Williamson ripped former Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer and the culture of college athletics in a Twitter thread Saturday night.

Williamson, who retired from football and did not make the trip to the Rose Bowl with Ohio State, said Meyer told him he would "ruin [his] f--king life" if he was caught smoking. He also accused the program of using a photograph of Trayvon Martin to illustrate hoods being banned under Meyer.

While Williamson said he loved playing in the college atmosphere, he said college athletics strips players of their rights, with time-consuming workouts that hurt them academically while not providing them compensation for their work. He said he was "repeatedly pushed past my injuries as if I was completely expendable." 

"The industry is often silent because everyone is obviously chasing the big pay day. But the injustices these players face just isn’t right. We literally put our bodies and lives at risk with 0 guarantee. ... Why don’t you leave? Quit? Most of us have only been athletes our entire lives. This is how we try to feed our families and children. It’s either play their game or have 0 chance at the lottery," Williamson wrote. 

Williamson's accusations are the latest in a long string of bad headlines for Meyer, who was fired as Jacksonville Jaguars head coach last month. The Jaguars fired Meyer for cause after an ugly 2-11 tenure saw reports of him clashing with players and assistant coaches, facing criticism for attempting to hire a strength and conditioning coach who was accused of racism against Black players and an incident in which Meyer was shown on video with a woman who was not his wife after failing to accompany the team back to Jacksonville from a Week 4 game in Cincinnati. 

Meyer was suspended for the first three games of the 2018 season at Ohio State for his handling of domestic violence allegations made against a former assistant coach. 

The Michigan State Spartans defeated the Pittsburgh Panthers 31-21 in the 2021 Peach Bowl on Thursday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta to close out the season with an 11-2 record, the program's best finish since 2015. 

The Spartans finished third in the Big Ten East Division to earn their first bowl appearance since 2019, when they defeated Wake Forest in the Pinstripe Bowl. 

Michigan State's performance on Thursday was impressive, especially because the team was without star running back Kenneth Walker III, who opted out to prepare for the 2022 NFL draft. 

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Notable Stats

Payton Thorne, QB, MSU: 29/50 for 354 YDS, 3 TD, 1 INT and 10 CAR for 4 YDS

Davis Beville, QB, PITT: 14/18 for 149 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT 

Jayden Reed, WR, MSU: 6 REC for 80 YDS, 2 TD

Jordan Addison, WR, PITT: 7 REC for 114 YDS

Jalen Nailor, WR, MSU: 6 REC for 108 YDS

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Late Push From MSU Seals Win Despite Poor Rushing Performance

Obviously, replacing Walker is no easy task. The Walter Camp and Doak Walker Award winner finished with 1,636 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground in his first season with the Spartans after transferring from Wake Forest. 

Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker even acknowledged that it would be challenging to replace Walker while meeting with reporters earlier this week.

"It's hard to replace a guy like Ken, you really can't do that, but we have other players obviously on our roster at that position that are going to be next man up and they're going to step up and get the job done," Tucker said. "We have a plan for that, and I feel really good about our run game right now in our preparation."

Walker averaged 137.2 yards per game this season. The Spartans opted to give Jordon Simmons most of his workload on Thursday, and it didn't work out so well. 

Simmons finished the game with just 23 yards on 16 carries. As a whole, the MSU offense finished with just 56 rushing yards, which is far lower than the 185.6 yards on the ground they were averaging entering the Peach Bowl. 

Despite Simmons' underwhelming performance, fans should look forward to seeing him as the team's top running back in 2022. He entered the Peach Bowl with 54 carries for 255 yards, in addition to six receptions for 24 yards and a touchdown.

Simmons also led Michigan State in rushing last year and proved he could be a top running back earlier this season when he rushed for 121 yards against Youngstown State in September. 

Despite the poor rushing performance, Payton Thorne got the job done under center, leading two late touchdown drives to capture the win. Receivers Jalen Nailor and Jayden Reed, who finished with a combined 188 yards, were also instrumental in the win. 

Jayden Reed climbed the ladder AND rocked the baby 👶 pic.twitter.com/s2vETumzPL

— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) December 31, 2021

It should also be noted that Tucker agreed to a 10-year, $95 million contract earlier this season to continue serving as MSU's head coach. He's been a big reason the Spartans turned things around in 2021, and he'll only continue to have a positive impact on the program moving forward. 

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Pittsburgh Defense Comes Up Big, but Offense Falters Without Pickett

For Pittsburgh, Thursday's Peach Bowl was supposed to be all about junior quarterback Nick Patti, who has sat behind Pickett throughout his college career.

However, Patti exited in the first frame after rushing for a 16-yard touchdown with 7:57 left in the quarter. He went to the sideline and was taken to the locker room by Pittsburgh's medical staff.

Patti later emerged from the locker room with his jersey off and his left arm in a sling, signaling that he was done for the night. Sophomore quarterback Davis Beville was then thrust into the starting lineup.

Not much was expected from the third-string quarterback, and he didn't do enough under center. He completed 14 of 18 passes for 149 yards and one touchdown and one late, costly interception.

Pittsburgh's top receiver Jordan Addison had seven catches for 114 yards and no touchdowns. Entering Thursday night, Addison was averaging 113.8 yards per game. It was his second straight game without a touchdown catch.

The big reason the Panthers were even in Thursday's game was because of their defense.

The Spartans were controlling play through much of the first half until Panthers defensive back Brandon Hill picked off MSU quarterback Payton Thorne with 2:03 remaining in the second quarter.

DUNK ON THEM @BrandonHill_6 🔥 @Pitt_FB pic.twitter.com/JV8LwGog5K

— ACC Network (@accnetwork) December 31, 2021

The Panthers turned that pick into a touchdown when Beville hit wide receiver Jared Wayne for a four-yard score just before halftime. That score helped give Pittsburgh a 14-10 lead.

.@DBthaQB11 ➡️ @jwayne_ 🎯@Pitt_FB takes the lead before half 😤 pic.twitter.com/mUEnKZD16q

— ACC Network (@accnetwork) December 31, 2021

The Spartans got the ball to start the second half, but the Pittsburgh defense forced Thorne into another costly turnover when defensive lineman John Morgan III recovered a fumble for a touchdown to help give the Panthers a 21-10 lead.

"BING BONG"

Pitt's defense adds a score of its own 💪 pic.twitter.com/sY4Q019L5d

— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) December 31, 2021

The Panthers held the Spartans scoreless in the third quarter, but the defense eventually ran out of gas, allowing two four-quarter TDs.

In terms of the quarterback position, the Panthers are still in a good spot for 2022 after receiving a commitment from Kedon Slovis, who announced he would be transferring to Pittsburgh from USC earlier this month. 

"I was so excited when Coach Narduzzi called, because I knew that Pitt and this program were the right fit for me to keep developing into the best leader I can be," Slovis wrote in a piece for The Players' Tribune. "I'm ready to win now — and talking to the players who are returning, and seeing how hungry they are for next season, that got me pumped. They have a lot of talented players coming back. And, man … getting to throw the ball to the guy who just won the Biletnikoff?? That's something you don't pass up. The culture and identity that Coach Narduzzi has created is everything I want to be a part of."

One of the best safeties in the country is reportedly headed to the transfer portal.

According to ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, Northwestern safety Brandon Joseph will enter the portal after playing the last three seasons for the Wildcats. Joseph was at his best during the 2020 campaign when he was a consensus All-American.

Joseph arrived at Northwestern as a 3-star prospect in the class of 2019, per 247Sports' composite rankings. The Texas native surpassed all realistic expectations and became the leader of a Wildcats defense that reached the Big Ten Championship Game during a shortened season in his second year on campus.

He tallied 46 tackles, six interceptions and two passes defended in eight games for Northwestern and was a major reason the program not only reached the conference title game but also challenged Ohio State with that Big Ten championship on the line.

In fact, Joseph had an interception against the Buckeyes to go with two picks each in games against Wisconsin and Iowa.

The 6'1", 192-pounder's ability to come through in the biggest games put him under the spotlight for 2021, and he responded with 79 tackles, four passes defended, three interceptions, one sack and one fumble recovery.

Max Olson of The Athletic suggested "Brandon Joseph instantly becomes one of the best players in the portal. Everybody's gonna want him."

Joseph is a veteran who can cover receivers downfield, come up and make plays against the run, and deliver in the most important games. Whichever team lands him will immediately upgrade its secondary and improve its ceiling as a contender.        

Michigan defensive back Daxton Hill is questionable for the Wolverines' Orange Bowl semifinal against Georgia on Friday.

"He's working through something right now," head coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters Thursday. "We'll know more today whether he'll be able to play."

Harbaugh added that Hill didn't travel with the team to Miami.

The shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic looms large in bowl season. Multiple games have been canceled, and a team in the College Football Playoff will be forced to forfeit if it doesn't have the requisite number of players available.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said his team experienced some COVID-19-related issues recently but should be near full capacity by Friday's kickoff.

The reason behind Hill's absence is unclear.

He's second on the team in tackles with 65. He has also intercepted two passes and registered seven breakups in 13 games.

The 6'0" defender has helped Michigan hold opponents to 194.7 yards per game through the air. The Wolverines are also 11th in opponent passer rating (112.4).

Georgia hasn't displayed an electric aerial attack in 2021, in large part because the Bulldogs have smothered opposing teams with their dominant defense.

However, Stetson Bennett went 29-of-48 for 340 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions in a loss to Alabama in the SEC title game. Time and again, the senior quarterback has silenced his skeptics.

Michigan stars Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo might be the best pass-rushing duo in the country. They figure to make life difficult for Bennett off the edge in the Orange Bowl. Getting consistent pressure on the quarterback would be one way to compensate for Hill's absence, assuming he isn't cleared in time for Friday.

Two former Maryland football players have reached settlements with the school stemming from their lawsuits accusing former head coach DJ Durkin of subjecting them to an abusive, toxic environment. 

Per the Associated Press, Gus Little and E.J. Donahue received $200,000 each in their settlement agreements with the Maryland Attorney General’s Office. 

Durkin was fired by Maryland on Oct. 31, 2018, one day after he was reinstated by the program. 

The Terrapins originally placed Durkin on administrative leave in August 2018 following the release of an ESPN report that contained allegations of a "toxic coaching culture" in the wake of the death of offensive lineman Jordan McNair earlier in the year. 

Multiple people connected to the program, including two players on the roster at the time, said in the report there was a "coaching environment based on fear and intimidation" under Durkin. 

Per ESPN's Heather Dinich, McNair "showed signs of extreme exhaustion, had difficulty standing upright while running a set of 110-yard sprints and was found to have a body temperature of 106 degrees at a local hospital before he died of heatstroke suffered during a football workout" in May. 

In September 2018, Little and Donahue were among a group of Maryland players and people connected to the program who told Rick Maese and Roman Stubbs of the Washington Post about their experience with the Maryland football program and Durkin. 

"I don't know if I'll be able to get back to the point that I was before I came to Maryland," Donahue said.

Little said, "I lost my love for the game. It wasn't a game anymore."

Per the AP, Little and Donahue filed a lawsuit against the University of Maryland in August 2019 that alleged the program had a "toxic culture of cruelty, humiliation, (and) degradation."

Durkin, former strength and conditioning coach Rick Court and former head trainer Wes Robinson were named as defendants.

Durkin spent two seasons as Maryland head coach from 2016 to 2018. 

Little and Donahue both attended the university from 2015 to 2016. They transferred to James Madison University prior to the 2017 football season.