Big Ten Football

Jack Sawyer, a top recruit in the 2021 class, is getting an early start on his Ohio State career by skipping his senior season at high school. 

Sawyer announced on Twitter he won't play for Pickerington North this fall to "focus on training and preparation" for his early enrollment at Ohio State. 

Sawyer has been committed to Ohio State since Feb. 2019 after a visit to the campus with his parents. 

"It was just the right decision for me," Sawyer told Bill Kurelic of 247Sports. "Me and my family talked about it yesterday, and we said there is no reason to wait. My family and I are really excited."

During a playoff game with Pickerington North last November, Sawyer suffered a torn MCL in his knee. There's no indication the injury will cause him any long-term problems. 

Per 247Sports' composite rankings, Sawyer is a 5-star prospect and the No. 3 overall player in the 2021 class, with Barton Simmons writing the Ohio native is a "muscled, physically imposing defender" who can beat his opponents "in a variety of ways."

The Buckeyes' recent history of developing defensive ends is stellar, with recent alums Joey Bosa, Nick Bosa and Chase Young all turning into first-round picks in the NFL draft. 

Sawyer will look to join that group when he suits up for Ohio State starting next year. 

Purdue football head coach Jeff Brohm has released a plan for spring football after the Big Ten conference postponed all fall sports Tuesday amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The proposal features the start of training camp Jan. 16 followed by an eight-game season that runs from Feb. 27 to April 17. There are also plans for how to prepare for the 2021 season, which would also be delayed:

"When it got canceled, it was heartbreaking," Brohm told Adam Rittenberg of ESPN. "You feel for guys that have worked their whole lives to get a chance to play football, and now they don't have that. It made me angry, and it made me want to just do something about it. That's why I put this together."

The plan also breaks down advantages of playing games in the spring, including the higher probability of having fans in the stands and added television buzz.

Brohm even compared the weather in each Big Ten city in March and November to showcase the viability of playing games, though it did not include coronavirus-related safety measures beyond reduced practices and contests as conferences around the country have continued to postpone or cancel fall sports.

"This isn't a perfect plan, but it will prove that it can be done if people are willing to make sacrifices," Brohm said."

The 49-year-old was a standout quarterback at Louisville and was going into his fourth season as head coach at Purdue. Combined with his three years at Western Kentucky, he has a 47-31 career record as a coach, with a 4-1 bowl record.

The Big Ten has not yet announced further plans for the postponed games, but noted in its release that it will "evaluate a number of options regarding these sports, including the possibility of competition in the spring."

Despite exploring the possibility of playing football outside of the Big Ten this fall, the University of Nebraska reaffirmed its commitment to the conference.

Nebraska chancellor Ronnie D. Green and president Ted Carter issued a statement saying the school remains "fully committed" to the Big Ten:

The Big Ten announced Tuesday it was postponing all fall sports because of safety concerns amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Pac-12 also announced the postponement of its fall sports schedule.

As part of the announcement, the Big Ten noted it was evaluating "a number of options" that included potentially rescheduling fall sports in the spring.

In a joint statement from Green, Carter and football coach Scott Frost after the conference's decision, Nebraska hoped to play games in the fall:

"Safety comes first. Based on the conversations with our medical experts, we continue to strongly believe the absolute safest place for our student-athletes is within the rigorous safety protocols, testing procedures, and the structure and support provided by Husker Athletics.
 
"We will continue to consult with medical experts and evaluate the situation as it emerges. We hope it may be possible for our student-athletes to have the opportunity to compete."

Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren told Yahoo Sports' Pete Thamel the Cornhuskers wouldn't be allowed to play football "and be a member of the Big Ten Conference."

Prior to the postponement of fall sports, the Big Ten released a revised football schedule that featured only conference games starting Sept. 3 and running through Nov. 21.

Former NFL safety Dwight Hicks said Dr. Robert Anderson sexually abused him while he was at the University of Michigan in the 1970s.

"What happened to me in that room with Dr. Anderson, I have no words for," Hicks said Wednesday, per Rainer Sabin of the Detroit Free Press.

Hicks played at Michigan from 1974 to 1978 before playing eight years in the NFL. The university acknowledged Anderson abused young men during his time as the school's team doctor. The number of victims is unknown, but several former athletes have filed lawsuits against the school.

Anderson worked at Michigan from 1968 to 2003 and died in 2008.

"Something needs to be done desperately," Hicks said. "I still love the University of Michigan and I hope the University of Michigan understands and acknowledges what happened to so many of us. And I would hope they would recognize the trauma that was bestowed on us. But there can always be a reconciliation. And I hope the University of Michigan will mean and stand for, 'Hail to the Victors,' the leaders and best."

One lawsuit says legendary coach Bo Schembechler was made aware of Anderson's abuse in 1982. Hicks did not corroborate that claim.

The Ohio State football program won't explore avenues to play in the fall after the Big Ten canceled the fall sports schedule with the intent of resuming football in the spring. 

"There's not a fall option," athletic director Gene Smith told ESPN's Adam Rittenberg. "We had hoped and just realized that not too long ago. We're all about the spring and how do we set that up."

"We just embraced the spring. I think it's realistic," Smith added. "We hadn't spent any time on it. None. Now that we are, it becomes clear that it's realistic."

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day, meanwhile, told reporters (via Rittenberg) that he was hoping the Big Ten came up with a plan for the spring season quickly and that those games start as early as January:

"What is fast? It's got to be weeks. It can't be months. We've got to start it as soon as we can.

"I'm sure there will be a lot of back-and-forth here, but ... starting the first week of January would be the best week to go, an eight-week season. That way there is some separation between that season and the next season. We get some midyear guys to come in and possibly play a two-for-one, they'd get two seasons in one calendar year, which I think the recruits would be really excited about. That's the focus right now."

That might also afford potential NFL prospects like Justin Fields the chance to both play the season and go through NFL draft preparations. Pushing the season into the actual spring months would make it impossible fr Fields to do both, with the draft held in April each year. 

Fields pretty succinctly expressed his dissatisfaction with the Big Ten's decision to cancel the fall season:

The Big Ten wasn't alone in that decision, with the Pac-12 also canceling fall sports amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The SEC, ACC and Big-12 are currently moving ahead with plans to play football in the autumn. 

Although the Big Ten canceled all fall sports, Ohio State has yet to throw in the towel on football for this season.

Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day told reporters Wednesday he and OSU athletic director Gene Smith are continuing to discuss the matter, and Day left open the possibility of staging games independent of the Big Ten.

"That's a fluid situation," he said, per the Dayton Daily News' David Jablonski. "I know Gene and I talked again this morning. We're still exploring options. This thing's moving. It's changing. We're looking at everything. I promise you that."

Day had previously floated a temporary departure from the conference before the Big Ten announced the cancellation.

On Wednesday, he mentioned the possibility of a shorter football season that would kick off in January, thus allowing for plenty of time to recover ahead of a more traditional fall campaign.

The current quagmire across all of college football illustrates how much forward planning is required to safely stage a season amid a global pandemic. The regional nature of college sports and absence of a true universal governing body exacerbate the situation.

According to Yahoo Sports' Pete Thamel, it would appear administrators from the Big Ten didn't start to seriously consider the ramifications of delaying the fall season until a point at which it was impossible to executive any alternative plan:

The Big Ten said it would consider moving fall sports to the spring as it watches the pandemic continue to evolve.

Ohio State may not feel like waiting around for the conference to make up its mind, opting instead to work with other schools to line up the logistics for an abbreviated schedule that starts in the winter based on Day's suggestion.

Of course, that assumes the school would be able to seriously pursue that plan. Cleveland.com's Nathan Baird noted Ohio State is so big it can enjoy a level of autonomy but questioned whether another conference would welcome the Buckeyes with open arms.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers have yet to abandon the hope they can play football this fall despite the Big Ten postponing the 2020-21 season.

Nebraska Chancellor Ronnie Green, President Ted Carter, athletic director Bill Moos and head football coach Scott Frost released a joint statement following the Big Ten's decision:

"We are very disappointed in the decision by the Big Ten Conference to postpone the fall football season, as we have been and continue to be ready to play.

"Safety comes first. Based on the conversations with our medical experts, we continue to strongly believe the absolute safest place for our student athletes is within the rigorous safety protocols, testing procedures, and the structure and support provided by Husker Athletics.

"We will continue to consult with medical experts and evaluate the situation as it emerges. We hope it may be possible for our student athletes to have the opportunity to compete."

Frost first broached the idea of the Cornhuskers temporarily leaving the Big Ten on Monday:

Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren addressed those comments Tuesday. Warren didn't confirm or deny whether Nebraska could leave under any terms stated in its agreement with the conference:

Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com explained that television deals present one of the many hurdles involved in one or more schools breaking away from its current conference alignment.

In Nebraska's case, the school is committed to the Big Ten Network, ESPN and Fox as part of the Big Ten's broader TV rights package. The university simply couldn't roll those contracts over to another conference or whatever alternative plan it set up to a traditional season.

Perhaps Nebraska officials could line up all of the necessary logistics to make this a reality.

That wouldn't appear likely given how long Big Ten officials waited before seriously discussing the prospect of spring football. Yahoo Sports' Pete Thamel reported that only Monday night did the conference start to seriously consider the possible fallout from postponing the season.

One major factor that led to the Big Ten announcing the postponement of the 2020 fall sports season, including college football, was the long-term effects of the coronavirus. 

According to Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic, the conference is aware of at least 10 players who have the rare heart condition myocarditis, which reportedly has a high prevalence in people who have had COVID-19.

This is considered an "alarmingly high number" of the rare condition caused by viruses and it has caused decision-makers across college athletics to reconsider their views, per Auerbach.

Boston Red Sox pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez is out for the MLB season because of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart, which occurred after he contracted the coronavirus.

Indiana offensive lineman Brady Feeney was sent to the emergency room with breathing problems after testing positive for COVID-19.

Although the risk of hospitalization and death are lower for 18-29-year-olds who get the coronavirus compared to older individuals, there are still negative consequences resulting from the virus that has led to over 160,000 deaths in the United States, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren acknowledged the risks involved during Tuesday's announcement:

"The mental and physical health and welfare of our student-athletes has been at the center of every decision we have made regarding the ability to proceed forward. As time progressed and after hours of discussion with our Big Ten Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Big Ten Sports Medicine Committee, it became abundantly clear that there was too much uncertainty regarding potential medical risks to allow our student-athletes to compete this fall."

The Pac-12 also postponed its season, citing concerns from the Pac-12 Medical Advisory Committee that include "potential serious cardiac side effects in elite athletes."

Three letters.

That's what Ohio State star quarterback Justin Fields used to react to the Big Ten's decision to postpone the fall football season.

Fields was among the players who expressed a desire to play amid the COVID-19 pandemic. He listed a series of demands he and his peers wanted to see met, including the establishment of uniform health and safety protocols.

During an appearance Monday on College Football Live, Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day wouldn't rule out the idea that Ohio State might leave the Big Ten for 2020 in order to play games. However, making that happen is difficult since scheduling, television coverage and potentially securing neutral venues are big hurdles to overcome.

Fields previously indicated he hasn't considered opting out of this season. He might have to reexamine his stance since a spring season would likely overlap with the 2021 NFL draft or the overall draft process.

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller ranked Fields 24th overall on his most recent big board for 2021.

Penn State head coach James Franklin reiterated his desire Tuesday to stage college football games this fall as the Big Ten considers canceling the season or postponing it until the spring.

Asked about a possible cancellation of the season, Franklin said on Get Up that the Nittany Lions will "exhaust every opportunity out there." He also mentioned one potential plan in the event football is pushed back until the spring:

Franklin issued a statement Monday night saying the Big Ten should "consider all possibilities to preserve college football this fall."

The Mid-American Conference and Mountain West have already announced the cancellation of fall football with the possibility of picking up the season in the spring.

To account for the pandemic, the Big Ten adopted a conference-only scheduling format, rolling out the full schedule last week.

The Detroit Free Press' Orion Sang, David Jesse, Chris Solari and Chris Thomas reported Monday the conference was going even further and planning to scrap the fall season entirely.

According to ESPN's Paula Lavigne and Mark Schlabach, at least five athletes from the Big Ten have developed myocarditis, a heart condition linked to COVID-19. Administrators from across the Power Five conferences have been weighing the health risks athletes would face by carrying on with football this fall.

Were the Big Ten to announce a postponement or cancellation, it might see some of its member schools temporarily leave the conference in order to play. Franklin's comments come after Nebraska head coach Scott Frost and Ohio State head coach Ryan Day alluded to potential moves away from the Big Ten.

However, according to CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd, that might not be a viable solution.

Television rights are almost all tied to conferences rather than individual programs. If Nebraska or Ohio State leaves the Big Ten, it would create major logistical issues in terms of broadcasting games and distributing revenue.

Absent setting up a "bubble" location to play in—which could open the door for dismantling amateurism in the NCAA altogether—focusing on the details necessary for a spring season might be the most realistic option on the table for Big Ten schools.