Big Ten Football

Purdue football head coach Jeff Brohm is finalizing a deal to take the same position at Louisville, per Chris Low of ESPN.

The reported pact would pay Brohm $35 million over six years.

Louisville had an opening at head coach after Scott Satterfield left the team to take the job at Cincinnati earlier this week.

Brohm has spent the past six years at Purdue, producing a 36-34 record. The squad went 8-5 in 2022 and made an appearance in the Big Ten title game.

The 51-year-old took over a program that went 3-9 in 2016, winning just nine games in the previous four years combined. Brohm led Purdue to a winning record in his first year, including a victory in the Foster Farms Bowl.

Last year, the Boilermakers won the Music City Bowl to end the season at 9-4, the program's best record since 2003.

Before his time at Purdue, Brohm went 30-10 across three seasons at Western Kentucky, including three bowl wins. The Hilltoppers went 12-2 in 2015, making their only appearance in the Associated Press Top 25 that year.

The coach will return home after starring as a player at Trinity High School in Louisville, winning the Kentucky Mr. Football Award as a senior in 1988. He went to Louisville from 1989 to 1993, throwing 38 career touchdown passes while leading the squad to a 9-3 record as a senior.

Brohm was inducted into the school's Ring of Honor in 2006.

After a seven-year NFL career, mostly as a backup, and one year in the XFL, Brohm returned to his alma mater as a coach. He led the quarterbacks from 2003 to 2006, becoming an assistant head coach in 2007 and offensive coordinator in 2008.

Louisville is coming off a 7-5 regular season and will face Cincinnati in the Fenway Bowl on Dec. 17.

With Michigan back in the College Football Playoff, there have been questions about head coach Jim Harbaugh's future with the team as NFL clubs could come knocking at his door this offseason.

However, Harbaugh shut down rumors of a potential departure from Michigan on Sunday, telling reporters that he would return to the Wolverines in 2023, via ESPN's Tom VanHaaren:

"That time of the year type of speculation, but I think no man knows the future. But I think that people that think we've done a good job and are pleased with the job that we've done here at Michigan, they're going to be very happy to learn that we will be back enthusiastically coaching the Wolverines in 2023. And for those people that don't approve of the job we've done or would rather see somebody else coaching here, I think they'll be most likely disappointed to learn we'll be back coaching the Wolverines and in 2023."

Harbaugh's comments come after NFL Network's Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport reported that "multiple NFL teams have been doing background work recently" on the Michigan head coach.

Pelissero and Rapoport wrote:

"One NFL source plugged into the situation said they believe Harbaugh would consider a return to the NFL, and a source with another team that could be running a head-coaching search said they believe Harbaugh would discuss an opening if asked and weigh the right situation."

Harbaugh has been head coach of the Michigan Wolverines since 2015. In his eight years at the helm, he is 75-24 and has now led the team to back-to-back appearances in the College Football Playoff.

Last season, Michigan finished 12-2, falling to Georgia in the CFP semifinals. This year, the Wolverines are 13-0 and set to face the TCU Horned Frogs in the CFP semifinals on Dec. 31.

Harbaugh's college success isn't the only reason why he's drawing interest from NFL teams. He previously coached the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2014, going 44-19-1 and leading the team to the NFC Championship Game three times and an appearance in the Super Bowl.

The 58-year-old flirted with an NFL return after the 2021 season, interviewing for the Minnesota Vikings' head coaching vacancy, though they never offered him the job instead hiring Kevin O'Connell.

Harbaugh is under contract with Michigan through 2026 after agreeing to a five-year, $36.7 million contract with the Wolverines in February.

Former Michigan Wolverines quarterback Cade McNamara is transferring to Iowa, with a formal announcement expected soon, per ESPN's Pete Thamel.

McNamara entered the transfer portal on Monday as a graduate transfer.

McNamara was a 4-star prospect in the 2019 class and ranked 268th nationally, per 247Sports' composite rankings. He originally committed to Notre Dame before flipping to Michigan.

The Nevada native didn't play at all in 2019, sitting behind starter Shea Patterson. However, he appeared in four games during the 2020 campaign, replacing Joe Milton III before being named Michigan's starter for the 2021 season.

In 14 games in 2021, McNamara completed 64.2 percent of his passes for 2,576 yards and 15 touchdowns against six interceptions. He also rushed for 37 yards and one score. The Wolverines went on to win the Big Ten and earn a berth in the College Football Playoff.

McNamara lost his starting job in 2022 following a quarterback battle with J.J. McCarthy.

McNamara started the first game of the season against Colorado State, completing 9-of-18 passes for 136 yards and one touchdown. McCarthy started the second game against Hawai'i, completing 11-of-12 passes for 229 yards and three touchdowns to win the starting job.

The 22-year-old appeared in the win against Hawai'i and the following week's win over UConn, but he suffered a knee injury in that game and underwent surgery before being ruled out for the season.

McNamara can play at Iowa for two seasons. He redshirted as a freshman, and the NCAA gave any athlete from the 2020-21 campaign an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on the season.

Iowa finished the 2022 regular season with a 7-5 record, sitting third in the Big Ten West behind Purdue and Illinois. The Hawkeyes currently have Spencer Petras, Joey Labas and Carson May as the quarterbacks on their roster.

The Lincoln Police Department announced Wednesday that Nebraska interim head coach Mickey Joseph was arrested for strangulation and third-degree domestic assault, and new details about the case emerged Thursday.

According to TMZ Sports, court documents stated a woman told police Joseph "pushed me on the couch and strangled me" and then "grabbed her hair from behind and pulled her backward, causing her to fall to the ground" after she initially escaped.

She said he then punched her in the face, and police observed swelling around her eye when they arrived at the scene.

A witness corroborated what she said.

TMZ Sports noted Joseph faces up to three years in prison if he is convicted on the felony charge of assault by strangulation or suffocation.

The Lincoln Police Department said "the high-profile nature of the person involved and, in an effort, to provide transparency on an arrest involving a public figure" is why it made an announcement even though it typically doesn't for domestic violence-related arrests.

According to KSBN Local 4, Joseph, who denied punching and grabbing the hair of the woman, appeared in court Thursday and will do so again on Jan. 30. He was ordered not to contact the woman.

"I was made aware of the charges against Coach Joseph and given the nature of the allegations and based on University policy he has been placed on administrative leave," Nebraska athletic director Trev Alberts said in a statement. "We will have no additional comment at this time."

Nebraska named Joseph the interim coach after it fired Scott Frost following a 1-2 start to the 2022 season.

It has since hired Matt Rhule to be the new head coach, and it had not yet been announced whether Joseph would be retained on the coaching staff.

The No. 2 Michigan Wolverines' quest for a national championship will reportedly continue without star running back Blake Corum.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Thursday that Corum is expected to have knee surgery that will sideline him for the remainder of the season.

The junior running back suffered the injury during a 19-17 win over Illinois two weeks ago. While he tried to play on his injured knee last week against the rival Ohio State, he was limited to only two carries for six yards and saw no action after the first quarter.

Corum was highly effective last season as Michigan won the Big Ten title and reached the College Football Playoff, but he reached a new level in 2022. The Virginia native rushed for 1,463 yards and 18 touchdowns on 247 carries and caught 11 passes for 80 yards and a score.

Even if Corum doesn't play another game this season, he may still receive an invite to New York City as a Heisman Trophy finalist.

Losing a player of Corum's caliber would crush most teams, but head coach Jim Harbaugh is lucky to have another top-flight running back on his 12-0 Wolverines squad.

Sophomore Donovan Edwards is second on the team this season with 687 rushing yards and six touchdowns. He has also caught 16 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns.

Corum was Michigan's bell-cow back, whereas Edwards is the change-of-pace back who makes some huge plays and is averaging 7.5 yards per carry.

With Corum basically unable to play against OSU, Edwards took over as the No. 1 back and dominated to the tune of 216 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries. Both touchdowns came in the fourth quarter and they were from 75 and 85 yards out, putting a bow on a 45-23 road win.

That victory clinched Michigan a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game against Purdue on Saturday. It looks like Edwards will be the Wolverines' go-to guy on offense in that game.

Regardless of whether they win or lose to Purdue, the Wolverines are likely also ticketed for the CFP. They're currently in line to face No. 3 TCU in the semifinals.

Being without Corum could adversely impact Michigan's attempt to win its first national title since 1997. But if Edwards continues to play at his current level, the Wolverines are still a top contender.

Michigan defensive tackle Mazi Smith was charged Wednesday with carrying a concealed weapon, a felony, in connection with an alleged incident in October, according to ESPN's Tom VanHaaren.

The University of Michigan didn't provide a comment when questioned by VanHaaren.

Smith has appeared in every game for the Wolverines this season, posting 43 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks.

Michigan named the senior one of its co-captains heading into the season.

Through his exploits on the field, Smith was putting himself in a position to get selected in the 2023 NFL draft. He's the No. 72 overall player and No. 10 defensive lineman on Bleacher Report's big board.

It's unclear how the charge might impact Smith's status for the rest of the season. The second-ranked Wolverines play Purdue in the Big Ten championship on Saturday, and a win will seal them a berth in the College Football Playoff.

Nebraska Cornhuskers interim head coach Mickey Joseph was arrested on Wednesday afternoon on suspicion of strangulation and third-degree domestic assault, according to the Lincoln Police Department.

Officers were dispatched to a house on a domestic disturbance call and after investigating the situation arrested Joseph.

The Lincoln PD noted that it generally does not provide a press release after a domestic assault arrest but did so in this case "due to the high-profile nature of the person involved and, in an effort, to provide transparency on an arrest involving a public figure."

"I was made aware of the charges against Coach Joseph and given the nature of the allegations and based on University policy he has been placed on administrative leave," Nebraska athletic director Trev Alberts said in a statement (via KSBN Local 4). "We will have no additional comment at this time."

Nebraska fired former head coach Scott Frost this season after a 1-2 start to the 2022 campaign and a 16-31 record in parts of five seasons. Joseph was hired to serve as the interim head coach and led the Cornhuskers to a 3-6 mark the rest of the season.

The school hired former Temple, Baylor and Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule to take over the position earlier this week, signing him to an eight-year, $74 million contract.

Joseph previously spent time on the coaching staff at Alabama State (2000), Nicholls State (2001-03), Central Oklahoma (2004-05), Langston University (2008-12), Alcorn State (2013), Grambling State (2014-15), Louisiana Tech (2016) and LSU (2017-21).

No. 5 Ohio State is listed ahead of No. 8 Penn State in the College Football Playoff rankings and has a head-to-head win over the Nittany Lions, but that reportedly won't stop the Rose Bowl from potentially passing on the Buckeyes even if given the opportunity to select them.

Nicole Auerbach and Stewart Mandel of The Athletic reported Wednesday that "the Rose Bowl is strongly considering taking Penn State instead of Ohio State this year" if the Buckeyes do not finish in the top four and make the CFP.

While the Rose Bowl traditionally takes the Big Ten champion, Michigan figures to be in the CFP if it defeats Purdue in the conference title game Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium. That would leave the bowl opening for another team, and Ohio State would normally be the selection.

However, as Auerbach noted, the Rose Bowl is not obligated to pick the highest-ranked team of the remaining options.

On paper, passing up on a chance to pick the Buckeyes seems foolish.

Data indicated before the season started that Scarlet and Gray have the biggest fanbase in college football. They are also television ratings juggernauts who routinely draw millions of eyeballs to watch their games.

According to Sports Media Watch, Ohio State had the highest-ranked game of the week four times this year when it faced Michigan, Maryland, Penn State and Notre Dame. It also finished in the top five most-watched games of the week when it played Toledo, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Iowa and Northwestern.

That all adds up to an easy selection for the Rose Bowl, right?

Well, not so fast.

Ohio State was just in the Rose Bowl last year and is one of the programs that approaches every season with a championship-or-bust mentality. Fair or not, the fanbase views a trip to the Rose Bowl and not the CFP as a disappointment, especially if it came after a loss to archrival Michigan.

The Buckeyes lost to the Wolverines for a second straight year when a win would have all but clinched a spot in the top four. Their fans were not enthusiastic about a Rose Bowl game consolation prize last season in the same scenario and didn't even sell out their allotment of tickets for the matchup with Utah, per Auerbach.

There is also the reality that many Ohio State players could opt out ahead of the exhibition game.

That was the case last season when Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson were among the players who didn't play to protect their NFL draft status, although that didn't stop the Buckeyes from defeating Utah in a high-scoring thriller.

Quarterback C.J. Stroud has already said he would consider sitting out a non-playoff bowl game, and he likely wouldn't be the only one.

Penn State, on the other hand, hasn't been to the Rose Bowl since the 2016 campaign. It isn't quite in the national-championship-or-bust mode that Ohio State is every year, and its fans would likely be more enthusiastic about such a trip to a prominent bowl game.

All of that means the Rose Bowl may decide to jump at the chance to take the Nittany Lions.

If the Buckeyes have their way, though, Utah will defeat USC in Friday's Pac-12 Championship Game and open up a spot in the CFP after all.

Penn State redshirt junior cornerback Joey Porter Jr. is ready to take his talents to the next level.

Porter announced on social media that he is declaring for the 2023 NFL draft, and he will skip the Nittany Lions' bowl game to prepare for the pre-draft process:

Porter played in 10 games in 2022 and racked up 27 total tackles, 11 passes defended and a fumble recovery. He ends his career with 94 tackles, 19 passes defended and one interception.

Porter was the only Penn State player to be named to the All-Big Ten first team. The No. 8-ranked Nittany Lions finished the regular season with a 10-2 record, with their only losses coming against No. 2 Michigan and No. 5 Ohio State.

NFL teams in need of defensive help will be jumping to the front of the line to draft Porter. B/R's NFL draft big board has him ranked as top defensive back and No. 6 overall prospect in the 2023 class while also listing him as the best cornerback when it comes to man-to-man coverage. B/R's most recent mock draft projected Porter as the No. 8 pick to the Philadelphia Eagles.

"Very few cornerbacks play with the same physicality and zeal as Porter does," the evaluation for Porter stated. "His approach can get him in trouble with his coverage, as he becomes too grabby, but his overall competitiveness might be the best in the entire class."

While Porter leaving for the NFL is a blow to Penn State's defense next year, the Nittany Lions received good news earlier this week when stalwart offensive tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu decided not to enter the draft and instead return for his senior season.

Iowa will bolster its offensive line in 2023 after having secured a commitment from Kadyn Proctor.

Proctor announced in June he was staying in the state of Iowa after attending Southeast Polk High School outside of Des Moines.

He's the No. 2 offensive tackle and No. 12 overall player in 247Sports' composite rankings for the 2023 recruiting class.

Hawkeyes starting left tackle Mason Richman is only a sophomore, but starting right tackle Jack Plumb will be moving on after graduating. Perhaps Proctor has a path to starting right away as a true freshman. If not, he could back up Richman on the left side or Nick DeJong before assuming a larger role in 2024.

After looking at Proctor's tape in November, 247Sports' Allen Trieu compared him to nine-time Pro Bowler Trent Williams:

Has prototypical size and has short-area burst and twitch at that size. Can run when asked to pull and make blocks in space. Has good strength and looks to finish blocks and plays with good general tenacity. Was not often challenged at the high school level though and often overwhelmed his opponents with pure size and strength. Still does not have any obvious big weak points, but continued technical development and then adjusting to college level competition will help ensure he reaches his upside. Has the physical ability to play very early and can be an All-American and early draft choice.

Given his proximity to Iowa City, the 6'7", 330-pound blocker has also drawn parallels to Tristan Wirfs, who spent three years at Iowa and was a first-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft.

However, Proctor distanced himself from any connection with Wirfs since he thought that implied he was also on his way to the Hawkeyes.

"I'm just trying to be myself and make a name for myself," he told the Des Moines Register's Alyssa Hertel. "Of course, I can look like somebody. But when someone's saying I am the next (Tristan Wirfs), that sort of means I have to follow the same path."

He also played down any idea he and Southeast Polk teammate Xavier Nwankpa were any sort of package deal. Nwankpa was the fifth-best safety and No. 53 player in 2022, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

Nwankpa beat Proctor to Iowa City, signing with the Hawkeyes in December 2021. He's made four tackles in 11 appearances so far this season.

Proctor possesses the frame that has become requisite for elite offensive tackles, and his agility isn't in much question, either. Trieu wrote how Power Five coaches became enamored with Proctor after they watched him dunk a basketball when he was a freshman.

Ryan Smith, the founder of Innovative Sports Performance, has trained him since he was in the eighth grade and told Trieu he was "one of the best athletes I've ever worked out in my life."

Proctor still has plenty of work ahead before he becomes an All-American lineman with the Hawkeyes, but he has the requisite tools to thrive in college.