EAST LANSING — Mark Dantonio may have retired from head coaching five years ago, but he didn’t retire from football. In reality, he’s around it as much as he ever was.

The Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame inducted Dantonio Friday as part of its six-member 2025 class. It enshrined his program-record 114 wins, 12 bowl games, three Big Ten championships and one College Football Playoff appearance over the course of his 13-year career as the Spartans’ coach.

Dantonio’s coaching career may be over, but nowadays he’s watching more football than he even did as a coach as a member of the CFP Selection Committee.

“I really have,” Dantonio said. “I’ve watched more coaching film, and I watched a lot of TV games to sort of get the start of the season, who’s who and things of that nature. … I’ve always watched a lot of football, but probably pushing it a little bit more now.”

That’s his idea of retirement. Of taking it easy. On top of all that work, Friday’s induction marked the third hall of fame the 69-year-old Dantonio has entered in the past year, joining the College Football Hall of Fame (for which he also entered the Spartan Stadium Ring of Honor) and the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 2024.

The football itch has never been scratched for Dantonio, who started out as an All-Ohio safety at Zanesville High School in the 1970s. He played for South Carolina from 1976-78 before embarking on a 40-year coaching career across nine different schools, including the head coach at Cincinnati from 2004-06 and Michigan State from 2007-19. Dantonio earned Big Ten Coach of the Year twice in that span (2010 and 2013).

To Dantonio, his selection to Michigan State’s hall of fame is an honor beyond himself.

“I got started because I wanted to be around young people and watch young people develop,” Dantonio said, “and I love the X’s and O’s of it, and all the things that go along with it. But it really was about the players, and what can you accomplish with young people.”

How much could Dantonio accomplish? A lot. He brought Michigan State back as a powerhouse of the Big Ten in the 2010s, routinely in bowls and routinely winning against rivals — his 8-5 record against Michigan is the highest win percentage of any coach in program history. With Dantonio coaching football and Tom Izzo coaching men’s basketball, Michigan State established itself as a premier athletic department.

These days Dantonio’s program is the standard by which his Michigan State successors are judged — easy enough when he’s the winningest to ever do it. But in many respects, Michigan State’s program has never quite recovered since Dantonio’s retirement. It was a decision that caught many inside and outside the university by surprise when he announced it in February 2020, right before national signing day. Five seasons since his departure have yielded one winner: Mel Tucker’s 11-2 campaign in 2021 powered by Kenneth Walker III.

Piece by piece, it appears current coach Jonathan Smith (hired in November 2023, after Tucker’s scandal-clad dismissal brought Dantonio back to the sideline one more time as an associate head coach) has gotten the closest to filling that hole. Smith has given Dantonio his props over the course of two years in East Lansing, and Dantonio said he feels Smith has the program “on the right course.”

Dantonio himself didn’t build his own program in a vacuum, taking plenty of inspiration from two other Michigan State hall of fame members: George Perles and Duffy Daugherty.

“I think everybody has their own program, but you always look back in the past and try and, I think, replicate what was good,” Dantonio said. “You know, that’s what I tried to do. I reached back to Coach Perles’ teams, and then also to Duffy’s teams and things like that. And, you know, Michigan State’s got great tradition here. So once you’ve done it once, there’s always the possibility of doing it again.”

College football is a markedly different landscape since Dantonio retired. The transfer portal and name, image and likeness (NIL) legislation changed the fabric of the sport so much that teams can now share revenue directly with athletes. The money side of the sport is more transparent than ever, and with that comes roster churn. That side of the sport is antithetical to Dantonio’s program, known for players sticking with him and his staff.

Dantonio still misses some joys of coaching, even if he’s still ingrained in the sport.

“I don’t miss the butterflies,” he said. “You know, that apprehension a little bit. But I miss the competitiveness of it and the thrill of winning.”

Maybe that’s why he’s never truly retired.

Funny how life works

From 1986-90, Dantonio served as the defensive coordinator for Jim Tressel’s Youngstown State program, helping lay the foundation for what would become a four-time NCAA Division I-AA national champion in the 1990s.

Saturday, that same Youngstown State program comes to East Lansing to play the Spartans (2-0).

“Going full circle a little bit,” Dantonio said. “I think I was 29 years old when I took the job at Youngstown. I was there for five years, and then (Tressel) stayed, I think, another 13 and won some national championships. (My) last year, ‘90, we were undefeated, but lost in the playoffs. But Youngstown had a great program, and still to this day, I think they’re very highly regarded.”

Current Youngstown State head coach Doug Phillips became a grad assistant with Tressel’s team the year after Dantonio left.

Youngstown State has played Michigan State three times in history, with the Spartans winning in 2011, 2013 and 2021, the first two under Dantonio.

EAST LANSING — Usually college football coaches have all the answers. At Michigan State, they’ve got all the questions.

Though the money and attention paid to college sports has professionalized the sport, college football is still, at its root, about player development. The vast majority of players come to campus either eyeing a future in professional football or needing to improve to touch the college field. From the perspective of Michigan State’s coaches, getting players there starts with their own ears.

“We believe that a smarter player is a better player, right?” safeties coach James Adams said Wednesday. “And so part of teaching and coaching and developing these young people is figuring out how they learn.”

Not only how players learn, but what they know in the first place. In order to develop better players, coaches deconstruct the framework of how they think about football, then fill the gaps. Players are different these days. The Spartans (2-0) have made a deliberate effort to recruit the sorts of players who want to learn and grow, who can handle themselves with intention.

“Kids are changing, you know,” offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren said in August. “And it’s not the kids’ fault, it’s not the parents’. It’s just what’s around them. So you try to find those right kids.”

When the right type of kids get on campus, though, they’re all at various levels of football understanding. Before coaches can teach them anything, they must learn where players are at in their understanding of the game.

In the past, there’d be that caricature of an old-school coach who would rip into a player and tell them exactly what they needed to do, and the player’s success depended on how well they applied the lessons. These days, more young players are inquisitive. They want to, or even need to, understand “why” before they act. Their grasp of purpose dictates their chance of success.

Michigan State’s coaches are well equipped to handle those questions of “why.” In fact, they prefer it that way. Purpose is central to the development of players, getting down to the nitty-gritty details to elevate players’ football IQs.

It works like this: Aidan Chiles goes to a film session and watches back his tape. Before a coach lays into his ball placement, or his footwork, or his decision of when to scramble, they first ask what he sees. And through direct communication developed by trust, Chiles shows where he’s at.

“I have to have that with him,” quarterbacks coach Jon Boyer said Tuesday. “And so for me, everything, I try to pose questions rather than giving him the answers so that I know exactly what he’s thinking. We have to have that open line of communication, and that’s the way that we’re building the room together with all the quarterbacks.”

The same goes with defensive players. Adams, for example, will ask his defensive players what they see in the film room or even on the sideline. It’s what makes the difference between Armorion Smith miscommunicating on a touchdown play and making the game-saving pass breakup in double overtime, like he did Saturday.

“My question is always what happened?” Adams said. “If they can tell me what happened, right, we can work through the hows and the adjustments.”

By developing smarter players — especially on defense — Michigan State’s coaches can accelerate growth.

“We give them a clear way to learn and a process to learn,” Adams said. “The game of football hasn’t changed in 100 years, so we’re still teaching Cover 2 and Cover 3 like everybody else. But making sure the guys understand the why of what we’re doing and what we’re calling it, and then situationally how that may change.”

This philosophy has advantages on the financial side, too. The Spartans’ roster may not be laden with blue-chip talent, but head coach Jonathan Smith and his staff squeeze everything out of — and give every opportunity to — their players in order to maximize success. As Michigan State continues building its war chest to compete with the big spenders, Smith’s strategy gets a lot of bang for a smaller buck.

This strategy comes with responsibility for players, too. They have to be honest, first and foremost, about what they see on the field. Players almost have to be coaches themselves, something that favors older players who’ve played a lot of football. It’s a slow process, but the results can be strong, as Smith’s latter years at Oregon State showed.

“We’ve got a veteran group that they do a great job of coaching themselves and correcting themselves,” Adams said of this year’s team.

After one more tuneup against Youngstown State on Saturday (3:30 p.m./BTN), Michigan State will enter Big Ten play, where the margin for error shortens and there’s less time for learning. But don’t expect coaches to stop asking questions. Because it’s there where the key to this program’s success lies.

Two-point conversion

Aidan Chiles had a rowdy celebration after Saturday’s win over Boston College. He climbed into the student section to dance, hugged teammates, coaches and even commentators on the field. And he scooped up a child on the field and swung him around with a big hug.

That child was Boyer’s son. He and Chiles have known each other since Boyer was on Smith’s Oregon State staff that recruited Chiles in the 2023 class.

“Moments like that, (Chiles) earned the opportunity,” Boyer said. “And then for me to be a part of that and my son to be a part of that at the end of the game with a big hug, that’s what it’s about.”

EAST LANSING — A lot of words were said at halftime of Michigan State’s 42-40 double-overtime win over Boston College. A lot of tough truths. Probably some words not to be repeated in front of strangers. Some of the most important came from Nick Marsh.

The sophomore wide receiver had three catches on five targets for 22 yards and a touchdown in the first half, but he felt like he could’ve had more against a secondary that gave him space. Down 21-14, it was time to make a play. He let Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith know it.

“I told him coach, I got one-on-one coverage, give me the damn ball,” Marsh said.

Smith did, and it was Marsh who scored a tide-turning 41-yard touchdown to kickstart the Spartans’ comeback. He added one more catch, on six targets, for a 68-yard night.

How did Smith take his star speaking up?

“If that’s the case, he’s probably right, if it’s one-on-one,” Smith said. “Nick’s a competitor, I thought that was huge. Talk about his first touchdown, he’s carrying guys into the end zone on a slant like that. He is a competitive kid, talented and so, yeah, we gotta continue to find ways to get him the ball.”

Marsh has already tied his career high in touchdowns in a season — three — two games into the season. He had a quiet Week 1 against Western Michigan with just five catches for 32 yards.

A performance like Saturday’s flashes the kind of spark Marsh can ignite, both within himself and within his team.

Marsh was one of eight different players to catch a pass in the win and one of four with multiple touches, including fellow receivers Omari Kelly and Chrishon McCray.

“All these guys are great receivers,” quarterback Aidan Chiles said. “And if it’s their day, it’s their day. If they’re open, they’re open. And we’re going to get them the ball.”

Spencer crucial to the defense

Chiles’ apparent injury in the fourth quarter made Spartan Stadium hush to silence, but there was an equally important one in the first half. Safety Malik Spencer went down near the Michigan State sideline without putting weight on his right leg.

With Spencer gone, Boston College’s offense struck. The Eagles rattled off three straight scoring drives, with the majority of the yardage coming up the middle of the secondary where his absence created a hole.

“He’s a pretty big piece,” Smith said. “He is a good player, experienced out there. … He’s one of our better players on defense. And so again, we miss him when he’s (not) out there.”

In Spencer’s absence until late in the second half, Justin Denson Jr. and Devynn Cromwell played often. Cromwell got beat for a 56-yard sideline throw from Boston College quarterback Dylan Lonergan to receiver VJ Wilkins. That drive tied the game at 7, with 83 of 88 yards coming through the air.

Boston College scored two more touchdowns through the air in the second half, with Lonergan racking up 217 passing yards on 18-for-22 passing in the first half. By game’s end, he had 390 yards and another touchdown (scored in overtime). Nine of his passes went for more than 15 yards.

Not all of Michigan State’s secondary woes can be ascribed to that first-half spell without Spencer, but it exacerbated a talent problem in a secondary riding depth above star power. Spencer’s health, as well as that of fellow safety Nikai Martinez (out for the first two games of the season with an offseason injury) are two of the biggest questions facing this defense early.

Elsewhere in the defense, cornerback Joshua Eaton got beat a few times in coverage, and so did the linebackers over the middle. It’s an area Michigan State must clean up, because it’s part of the reason this game nearly went off the rails before halftime.

Ball security a problem for Kelly

Before he’d said anything at his postgame press conference, Kelly had something to get off his chest:

“I would like to shout my teammates out for not giving up on me,” Kelly said.

Saturday’s game started as a disasterclass from Kelly. After the defense forced a three-and-out to begin the game, Kelly fumbled away the punt return trying to strain for extra yards. The Spartans got the ball back off a fumble by Boston College running back Turbo Richard, but Kelly nearly gave it back later in the ensuing drive when he tried to hurdle a defender, knocking the ball loose with his knee before it bounced out of bounds.

“Something I live by is ‘don’t flinch,’” Kelly said. “Like whatever happens, however things go — good or bad — don’t flinch, because things are changing in a second.”

How quickly Kelly shook off his performance when he made a 30-yard catch out of halftime to set up Marsh’s touchdown, or when he fell on a Makhi Frazier fumble in the fourth quarter to prevent a vital drive from slipping away. And when the second overtime forced Michigan State to go for two, Chiles found Kelly on the left side of the end zone for the win.

Kelly’s punt returns showed a lot of risk, though, beyond his fumble. His decision-making under pressure faltered, like when he tried to corral a ball with one hand while surrounded by Boston College players in the second half. He’s not one to call a fair catch when he can avoid it, an area of unpredictability.

EAST LANSING — There’s a kick from Friday’s game that might bug Michigan State punter Ryan Eckley for a while.

It wasn’t any of his punts, two of which trapped Western Michigan within an stone’s throw of the goal line. It wasn’t his kickoffs either, including one that he sailed into the end zone for a touchback. It was a 46-yard field goal that he just sliced left to end the first half of a 23-6 win.

“Ahh, it would have been cool,” Eckley said listfully after Wednesday’s practice. “It would have been cool.”

Usually, Eckley is the holder on field goals. Who knew back in November that his first appearance of his senior season would include kicking them? With the Spartans’ top two kickers injured and the only healthy one — Blake Sislo — limited in range, Eckley had to dust off some skills he hadn’t used since his Newsome High School days down in Florida.

Forgive him for missing that field goal, even if his teammates gave him some loving grief on the field as the Spartans ran down the tunnel for halftime. He’d been practicing those long kicks for weeks during fall camp, kicking five field goals a day at eight or 10 practices by his estimation. He hit them all the way back to 60 yards, he says, even though he wanted to save his leg for his day job.

“I still have the leg to make it,” Eckley said. “I mean, it’s just finding the accuracy and consistency, not doing it as often as I used to.”

What Eckley definitely has is the confidence. His presence could command any stage, a self-deprecating humor and dry honesty that makes an audience hang on every word. And he loves talking about his craft. He uses golf as a metaphor.

“Kicking and golf are identical,” Eckley said. “You come over the ball, you slice, you pull, you draw, you leave your club face open. Your foot is your club.”

Like that 46-yard field goal?

“Probably an 8-iron, 9-iron lob shot,” Eckley said.

Or that second-quarter kickoff he sailed for a touchback?

“Sixty-degree Mizuno Pros,” Eckley said. “Just got them fitted.”

Even punting has its own selection of clubs, mostly wedges, depending on where and how he wants the ball to go. That’s an area that he wanted to grow this season, and so far it appears he has.

“Sometimes it’s like, hey, I need to play the 3-wood,” co-special teams coordinator Chad Wilt said Aug. 14. “I need to play the draw, I need to play the fade. It’s very similar to, like, what’s the shot selection for those guys?”

It’s fitting that after his second-quarter kickoff, Eckley stood on the Spartan head at the 50-yard line and mimed a drive, a little bit of swagger at a position used to making cult heroes. Like Bryce Baringer, his Big Ten Punter of the Year predecessor and holder of multiple records at Michigan State in career and season yardage. Baringer is now with the New England Patriots. Eckley is following those footsteps, with his game earning him both recognition from fans and boosting his hopes of one day punting on Sundays.

For now, he’s punting and kicking on Saturdays, with his name on the preseason Ray Guy watch list honoring the nation’s best punters. Eckley comes off a junior year averaging a Big Ten-best 47.9-yard average.

In four punts against Western Michigan, he averaged 51.3, with two of them pinning Western Michigan inside of three yards to the goal line. One of those led to a safety by Alex VanSumeren and Jalen Thompson. The other probably could have too if the Western Michigan quarterback didn’t fall on his own lineman. Plays like that make Eckley a defense’s best friend.

“The percentages are higher for the defense when the ball is closer inside the 20 and things like that,” Thompson said Wednesday. “So Eckley making it possible for the defense is only gonna help us.”

Without progress on the injury front, there’s a high chance Eckley continues pulling out all his clubs against Boston College in Saturday’s game (7:30 p.m./NBC). Head coach Jonathan Smith said if everything holds, Sislo will kick extra points and short- to mid-range field goals, while Eckley will kick long field goals and kickoffs.

Punts, kickoffs, holds — there isn’t a whole lot Eckley hasn’t done at his position, save for one bucket list item:

“I gotta score at some point,” he said.

Whether he throws, catches or runs in a touchdown, Eckley counts them all the same. It’d be a fitting addition to the scorecard of a player who’s done just about everything else for the Spartans, especially this season.

“I just try to have fun out there,” Eckley said. “At the end of the day, we’re playing a kids’ game, and you want to have fun with it.”

EAST LANSING — With 5:40 on the clock in Michigan State’s 23-6 win over Western Michigan, running back Brandon Tullis lined up in the backfield in pass protection. As quarterback Aidan Chiles snapped the ball, he scanned ahead of him. He turned to his right.

Too late.

By the time Tullis reacted to the play, Western Michigan linebacker James Camden had crunched Chiles with a big hit — one that took Chiles out of the game, though he said he just had the wind knocked out of him later. The ball rolled out of Chiles’ hand and the Broncos recovered.

That’s a scene that Michigan State (1-0) doesn’t want to repeat itself this season, the kind that can lead to losses.

“We gotta be better in protection as a whole,” Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith said Monday. “Whether it’s identification, where you’re going at — and once we identify it, the communication of how.”

Give Western Michigan some credit for totaling four sacks against Michigan State, especially defensive end Nadame Tucker, who had two himself and looked like a Power Four player. But that many sacks against an overmatched opponent isn’t the kind of performance you want to see out of any offensive line.

Smith pointed to one play in which the offensive line saw and reacted to something completely different than the running back. Those are miscommunications that tend to happen in Week 1. The key is not to let them last into Week 2, Week 3 or deeper.

Other teams are watching that film and salivating. Boston College (1-0), who comes to Spartan Stadium for a 7:30 p.m. tilt Saturday (NBC) poses a tricky defense with experienced cornerbacks. Against Fordham in a 66-10 blowout, the Eagles showed a number of tricky blitzes with the secondary — and those are looks that coach Bill O’Brien is comfortable using up in a meaningless Week 1 warmup against an FCS school that had two wins last season.

“What we put on tape, that’s going to try to get exposed again, right?” Smith said. “So we’ve got to shore up some of the protection, identification, communication, then — yeah, ultimately — the technique and winning in protection.”

There’s more trickery coming, and so it’s imperative that the pass protection gets better going forward. From Tullis to the offensive line (one that’s still under extensive tryouts), the Spartans are focused on getting that part of the offense right.

Milivojevic falters in late snaps

All of fall camp, teammates and coaches of Michigan State backup quarterback Alessio Milivojevic sang his praises. From year one to year two, the redshirt freshman from Naperville, Ill., had taken supposedly big strides. And though his only career pass attempt had been picked off in a season-ending loss to Rutgers, the Spartans had confidence in their guy.

Then he did it again. With his only passing attempt on third-and-4, Milivojevic threw a pick-six to Western Michigan safety Tate Hallock.

Two passes. Two picks. Needless to say, that’s not a stat anyone wants on their resume.

Smith leaned away from criticizing his young prospect, the heir apparent to Chiles, in his Monday press conference. He cautioned that it’s a lot harder to sit on the bench and check into a game late, throwing on a third down after not establishing the run.

“Alessio’s competitive,” Smith said. “He’s practiced so well. We even talked about it on the team side. His time is coming, and if the situation arises (where) we’d want to put him back in the game, we’re going to do it.”

Milivojevic will be eager to prove himself when that opportunity arises — eye next week’s game against Youngstown State for a proper drive or two. But in the event that Chiles is injured or otherwise can’t play, the early looks at Milivojevic aren’t all that inspiring. Then again, those reps came at the tail end of a Week 1 opener. That deserves some proper grace.

Velling still catching up

An injury put Jack Velling on the sidelines for much of Michigan State’s fall camp. He showed that rust against the Broncos, making just one catch for three yards and a first down in the first quarter. But he actually ended the day a net-negative in yardage, having taken a false start penalty in the third quarter that helped stall out a drive.

Such a performance was exceptionally tame from the senior, compared to his 36 catches for 411 yards last season. There’s more to his position than just production, but the lack thereof evidenced his continued climb back to full speed.

“In fairness, Jack, he missed a decent amount of camp,” Smith said. “So he’s working his way back into it, but we do feel like he moved around. Just watching him on the tape, he moved around well.”

Smith praised some of Velling’s contributions in the run game, an area that both he and Michael Masunas played a strong part in. This Michigan State team went heavy on personnel all game, running 12 personnel and fullback sets often and establishing the run early with the contributions of young running backs Makhi Frazier and Brandon Tullis.

Masunas himself caught two passes for 22 yards, rumbling for a 14-yard gain in the fourth quarter, showing he can provide some measure of offense at his position even if Velling is still gearing back to full speed. But as a consistent threat in last year’s offense, look for Velling to bounce back over the next few weeks.

Injury report

Unlike a year ago, Michigan State didn’t lose any starters to injury after the first game of the season. It’s also getting closer to full strength.

Smith said he was “optimistic” about the health of safety Nikai Martinez and offensive guard Luka Vincic, two players who will be reevaluated at the end of the week. Kicker Martin Connington has “a chance” to return this week, the same as Tarik Ahmetbasic.

Martinez was a starter at safety last season, and his return would bode well for a secondary that had some missteps against Western Michigan. Vincic, held out of last game with a foot injury, figures to rotate into the continued tryouts for different offensive linemen.

Smith will take a look at the health of Connington and Ahmetbasic, as well as how third-stringer Blake Sislo is performing, at the end of the week. If everything holds, Sislo will kick extra points and short- to mid-range field goals, while punter Ryan Eckley will kick long field goals and kickoffs.

Sislo hit 3-for-3 PATs in Friday’s win, while Eckley missed a 46-yard field goal wide left.

“He put a good swing on it,” Smith said. “It had the distance. It was just left.”

ANN ARBOR — Michigan senior Max Bredeson, a two-time captain who has made a name for himself as a violent blocker, pregame motivator and leader, went to head coach Sherrone Moore before the start of preseason camp and made a request.

Moore was pairing up teammates to room together during camp and figured Bredeson, a fullback/tight end, would enjoy spending time with tight end Marlin Klein. Bredeson had a different plan. He was aiming to room with highly touted freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood, who on Monday was named the team’s starter. He is the fourth true freshman quarterback to start for the Wolverines.

“He’s like, ‘I want to be with Bryce,’” Moore told reporters on Monday, adding he asked why Bredeson wanted that roommate assignment. “He’s like, ‘Yeah, let’s get that done,’ (and) I was like, ‘OK, cool. You’re the captain. We can do that.’”

For the duration of camp, Underwood, who turned 18 this month, and Bredeson roomed together. They found out, among other things, that they both enjoy Cheez-It Grooves crackers.

“That was fun,” Bredeson said of rooming with Underwood. “A lot of great things (happened), like obviously getting to see him play football. It’s cool to see that stuff, but the way he talks to people, the way he interacts in the building, I think that’s really special.

“I got to be around him every day for a month straight and you get to see what someone’s really like after you go back to a hotel room after a three-hour practice, you can see the real version of them, and the real version is as good as could be.”

Moore initially found himself wondering why Bredeson would make that request but realized it was about messaging and what an experienced senior could share with a freshman. And not just any freshman, but one of the most talked about in college football entering this season.

Bredeson said he doesn’t know exactly what he hoped to get out of the experience but instinctively felt it was a good plan.

“I just knew it could help the team being around each other every day,” Bredeson said. “Everybody wants to have a positive impact on everybody. I got a lot out of it from him, too. So it wasn’t all about me trying to be around him. A lot of good things came for me from being around him, too.”

Bredeson wanted to use the opportunity to impart some of his well-earned football wisdom. He also knows what it’s like to be a freshman and trying to find your voice within a team. Underwood, because of the nature of his position, has to be in control of the offense and has to command respect. That’s not easy to earn or develop.

“He’s definitely been able to grow in that role and kind of settle in,” Bredeson said.

Underwood hasn’t had a lot of media interaction, but when he has, he has made clear he’s confident in his abilities. He told Big Ten Network last week, for instance, that he wants to “shock” the world.

“They’ve seen a lot of freshmen, but nobody’s seen a freshman like me,” Underwood said on BTN.

During an interview with The Detroit News in April, he was asked his best on-field traits.

“What I feel like I do best, I lead and I’m an honest-to-God game-changer,” he said.

In an interview with Rich Eisen earlier this year, he said he plans to win “a couple Heismans and at least one natty.”

Bold talk but no one seems to mind. Perhaps that’s his media persona, because the players and coaches have said they’ve seen nothing but a young quarterback who wants to learn, one who stays late to work on his game and study film.

“Bryce is a very even-keel kid,” Moore said. “Doesn’t get up too high, too low, but he was very excited about the opportunity (to start). He said that’s why he came here, to be that guy.”

Now that he is that guy, Moore made clear that while he considers Underwood “mature beyond his years,” people need to understand he will make mistakes. He called it a journey and said the entire team is along for the ride.

The coaches have always leaned toward Underwood during preseason interviews about the quarterback competition, which is why the announcement Monday was anticlimactic. Offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey described the starting quarterback as requiring the right mindset to own the key leadership position. The best guys he said he’s coached have not been the loudest but those who can motivate.

“Whoever affects the other 10 guys the best,” Lindsey said during camp about what he looks for in a starting quarterback. “Whoever can manage the whole offense. Communication, getting us in and out of the right plays, making sure we’re in the right protection and so forth. Who has that ability to affect the others?”

Underwood and the receivers will work this season to revive a pass game that struggled last season. Junior receiver Semaj Morgan, who attended West Bloomfield and knew Underwood from the 7-on-7 circuit, said the receivers and Underwood have developed chemistry.

“Since I already knew Bryce, he already knew what I can do and believes in me,” Morgan said.

Senior left guard Gio El-Hadi said it doesn’t matter that Underwood is only 18. He has the attention of his teammates.

”He’s very confident,” El-Hadi said. “He has that natural leadership. He’s loud, he calls something he’s confident in. You gotta be confident to be a quarterback. Not cocky but confident, and I really love that about him. He’s (18) years old playing with 21-, 22-, maybe 25-year-olds, but he just has that ability to lead us and the ability to talk through stuff just like all the other quarterbacks. And for him to do that at a young age is so impressive.”

Now, Underwood must navigate the pressure that comes with being the starting quarterback.

Not a problem. Moore said the freshman embraces it.

“I think he kind of likes it, and I think he also turns it into fuel,” Moore said. “I asked him a question, like, what’s his goal, and it was just me and him. He said, ‘Do everything I can to help my team win.’ That’s it. That’s all you want to hear. And all those other things, I think everybody has individual goals, and they should have them, but ultimately you should be about the team.

“He definitely is about the team and wants to make sure the team is at their best. So there is hype, but that’s what happens when you’re the starting quarterback at Michigan.”

It’s been nearly nine months since Matt Drinkall was named new head football coach at Central Michigan. This week, he makes his game-day debut for the Chippewas. Is he ready?

“S—,” Drinkall said with a laugh, speaking the other day over the phone. “I hope so.”

Drinkall was hired away from Army, where he spent six years on the staff in a variety of jobs coaching the offense, to replace Jim McElwain, who retired after 40 years in coaching, including 12 as a college coach.

Drinkall takes over a Central Michigan team that hasn’t made a bowl game in four years, and last season was 4-8. In the Mid-American Conference preseason poll, CMU ranks last among the state’s teams, picked to finish ninth. Maybe they will, maybe they won’t, but the effort will be there on the field, Drinkall has promised. That’s pretty much all Drinkall has promised, bringing his service-academy mentality to Mount Pleasant.

CMU opens on the road for the first three weeks of the season, starting at San Jose State at 10:30 Friday night, followed by trips to Pitt and Michigan.

“(The key) to me is us being really at being Central Michigan, being really good at the things we can control, that we are responsible for,” Drinkall said. “You can play really well and another team can win a jump ball or kick a field goal and beat you, and that doesn’t mean you’re bad or you’re a loser. It’s (about) the effort and penalties and alignment. I want our team to line up and show that they play their absolute butts off and love each other and play as a team.

“That’s the stuff I want us to do well.

“And beat Western and Eastern, always.”

The defense might be the better unit for Central Michigan, led by linebacker Jordan Kwiatkowski (Sterling Heights Stevenson), who made the preseason Butkus Award watch list, and redshirt senior lineman Michael Heldman, two unicorns in college athletics today in that they’ve spent their entire careers at one school.

CMU actually returns a fair number of players from last year. After the season, when McElwain already had announced his retirement, 16 players entered the transfer portal. After Drinkall was hired, all 16 of them came back.

Among the players back are redshirt senior quarterback Joe Labas, who came over from Iowa before last season and played six games before going down with a shoulder injury, and redshirt senior running back Nahree Biggins.

Kwiatkowski, Heldman, Labas and Biggins are the captains of a team that Drinkall believes has a fair amount of depth.

“We don’t go out and try to buy individual players and then have big holes on the roster,” Drinkall said. “So we really think if you’re on our 72-player travel roster, we expect you to contribute and help us (in that game).”

The roster also leans toward experience, with plenty of senior leadership, Drinkall said.

McElwain made two bowl games in his first three years with CMU, but none in the last three, with the last two seasons marred by the belief that somebody on his staff let then-Michigan staffer/sign-stealer Connor Stalions on the sideline to scout the season opener against Michigan State in 2023. Central Michigan has been under investigation for two years, and some form of punishment could be looming from the NCAA. The NCAA, in releasing its findings against Michigan, confirmed that it was Stalions on the sideline, and he was there to help CMU as well as scout for Michigan. Central Michigan officials have said little on the topic, other than saying they’re discussing a resolution with the NCAA.

The focus for Drinkall, 42, is on the current team, of course, and the season starts with a challenge against a San Jose State team that has made three straight bowl games and is coached by former Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo.

“I’m just excited to get going and find out where we’re at,” Drinkall said. “My guess is, everybody wishes you had more time and were a little bit healthier. Did you do everything? Get all the boxes checked?

“We feel great, we feel confident. I know how hard our kids have worked. Now it’s an issue of, go out and execute.”

CMU opens conference play Sept. 27 at home against Eastern Michigan. The game against Western Michigan will be on the road, in Kalamazoo on Nov. 1, as the rivalry game finally shifts back to a Saturday.

Eastern Michigan

For all the turnover in college sports today ― and EMU has 51 players on the roster ― the Eagles do have stability in the coaching ranks, with Chris Creighton the eighth-longest-tenured head coach in FBS. This is his 12th season, and he’s led Eastern Michigan to six bowl appearances. But EMU missed out last year, finishing 5-7.

There’s hope in Ypsilanti for a bounceback season, with a roster that Creighton and Co. consider one of the deepest in his tenure at EMU, which began with the 2014 season.

There is significant optimism on offense, particularly with the running-back room, which features the return of graduate student Dontae McMillan, who broke his leg during the game at Washington in 2024, and the addition of senior running back Tavierre Dunlap, who transferred from Michigan, as well as James Jointer Jr. from Liberty. Junior Joey Mattard (Hartland), who played in 10 games for the Eagles last season, also is back in the mix.

At quarterback, there are three players in the mix, led by graduate student Noah Kim, who previously played at Michigan State, and transferred in this season from Coastal Carolina.

Kim, senior Jeremiah Salem and junior Cameron Edge, a transfer from Maryland, all are in the mix, though Creighton wasn’t willing this week to make public his starter for the season opener at Texas State on Saturday.

“My comment to our whole team out the quarterback situation is, it’s as deep of a room as I can remember, in terms of our comfortability,” said Creighton, who is 57-75 at Eastern, and is second in wins at the school, behind the legendary Elton Rynearson (114), for whom the football stadium is named. “They each have their strengths, things that they do best, but it’s a good room, and it’s a deep room. … The three have different styles.

“We feel we’re in great shape there.”

Kim played 10 games at MSU, including five as the starter in 2023.

EMU’s other nonconference opponents are Kentucky on the road, and Long Island Universtiy and Louisiana at home, before opening MAC play at Central Michigan. The Eastern Michigan-Western Michigan game is Nov. 25, in Ypsilanti.

The Eagles were picked to finish eighth in the MAC in the preseason poll.

Western Michigan

This is the third season for head coach Lance Taylor, whose team improved from 4-8 his first year to 6-6 last regular season, before falling in the bowl game.

In his third season, Taylor already is working with a fourth defensive coordinator ― Chris O’Leary came from working as the safeties coach under Jim Harbaugh with the Los Angeles Chargers. O’Leary and Taylor worked together on the Notre Dame staff several years back.

And the defense has a chance to make a marked improvement, after finishing ninth in the MAC in points allowed last season. Edge-rushing seems to be a major area of growth, with the addition of transfers Nadame Tucker (Houston), a redshirt senior, and Kershawn Fisher (Louisiana Tech), a graduate student, and linebacker Sefa Saipaia Jr., a redshirt senior from Division II national-champion Ferris State, transferred in, too. Sapiaia broke four facemasks this spring.

On offense, where WMU was second in the MAC in points last season, there were many departures for a team that this season counts 33 new players who came from the transfer portal.

There’s a quarterback battle, too, with redshirt sophomore Broc Lowry, an Indiana transfer, and junior Brady Jones, a JUCO transfer, set to split the duties in the season opener at Michigan State on Friday night. Both can run.

“It really is still a competition,” Taylor, 44, said earlier this week. “We want to continue to evaluate them with live game, live reps. Both of these guys could be our starter. I feel comfortable with either one being our starter and playing the full game. Both of them have earned the right to play for us on Friday night.

“We don’t have to tailor the offense to one or the other depending on who’s in, which I think is an added bonus.”

Western Michigan’s nonconference schedule also includes a road game at Illinois, and home games against North Texas and Rhode Island. It opens MAC play Sept. 20 at home against Toledo, the preseason pick to win the conference.

The Eagles were picked to finish seventh in the MAC in the preseason poll.

MAC preseason poll

First-place votes in parentheses

1. Toledo (7)

2. Miami (3)

3. Ohio (3)

4. Buffalo

5. Northern Illinois

6. Bowling Green

7. Western Michigan

8. Eastern Michigan

9. Central Michigan

10. Ball State

T11. Akron

T11. UMass

13. Kent State

Note: The MAC championship game is Dec. 6 at Ford Field in Detroit.

EAST LANSING — When Michigan State banned alcohol at Munn Field tailgates in 1998, the decision frustrated students so much as to lead to rioting. Two decades later, tailgating on the field was banned completely. Now, a Michigan State gameday tradition is back in action.

Michigan State athletics announced Monday morning that Munn Field will host food and alcohol vendors for the 2025 season, which begins Friday with a 7 p.m. kickoff against Western Michigan.

“We’re excited to introduce The Munn Tailgate as a pregame destination for Spartans of all ages,” athletic director J Batt said in a statement circulated by MSU Athletics. “Gameday traditions, including tailgating and the pregame experience, are an important part of what makes Michigan State football gamedays special. I’m confident The Munn Tailgate will quickly become a pregame tradition for many, providing food, drinks and fun for the entire family, and adding to the energy around Spartan Stadium.”

Batt was brought in this June as the first external hire at athletic director in more than 30 years, with a string of predecessors opting to limit tailgating, at the very least those furnished with alcohol, on campus sites. It took less than three months for Batt, a known revenue generator, to make a shockwave.

Munn tailgates were beloved among those alumni who attended Michigan State during its heyday. Couches and kegs were common accessories, with fans gathering at the field that’s located south of Munn Ice Arena and a stone’s throw to the southwest of Spartan Stadium.

In 1994, Michigan State banned kegs on Munn Field but allowed bottled and canned alcohol on site. That lasted until 1998, when alcohol was banned in its entirety. The decision caused uproar among students, leading to rioting on campus in May 1998. Police officers used tear gas to disperse students when the protest flowed onto Grand River Avenue in East Lansing, where they caused property damage. By 2018, all tailgating on the field was ceased.

This season’s Munn tailgates are far more controlled than their predecessors of yesteryear. The 517 Beer Garden will host multiple alcohol and food vendors for fans to access. Service begins four hours before kickoff and ends 30 minutes before the start of games. Fans looking to access the field will need a pass from the MSU athletic department.

“Counting on a record-sized student section this coming Friday to add to our energy and create a home-field advantage,” Michigan State football coach Jonathan Smith said Monday. “… Some unique, cool things at the tailgate at Munn Field that’s going to take place on Friday. So just a lot going on to add to the excitement of this particular game and this season.”

Martinez, Ahmetbasic game-time decisions

Safety Nikai Martinez and kicker Tarik Ahmetbasic — two of Michigan State’s starters — are injured heading into the season, and they’ll be game-time decisions Friday.

Depth behind Martinez softens the blow, including returners Malik Spencer, Justin Denson Jr. and Armorion Smith in addition to Bowling Green standout Tracy Revels. Michigan State plans to rotate defensive backs anyway, with a lot of different players auditioning in live reps for more secure spots later in the season.

It’s a little thinner at kicker, where the Spartans will utilize third-stringer Blake Sislo, a redshirt senior from Dexter who transferred from GLIAC school Davenport and has never kicked in a game.

Last year, the Spartans could turn to Jonathan Kim for its kicking needs, the transfer’s leg scoring 79 out of 232 points. Not having that kind of reliability at a key position creates some difficulties, especially when the offense struggled in the red zone a year ago and ranked 115th with a 75.7% conversion rate.

“Big old leg, extremely high confidence. Yeah, that changes your approach,” Smith said. “You get into the high red zone, we’ll call it, I don’t know, the 30- 40-yard line. And his distance, he had a big leg. And so depending on who’s our kicker this week will, we’ll call it impact, decision making and play calling on offense.”

At long snapper, Kaden Schickel continues to progress from his season-ending knee injury last season. He wasn’t active much in fall camp, and Smith said he expects Hudsonville true freshman long snapper Jack Wills to be the backup.

Not all of the injury news was bad. Jack Velling, the starting tight end, spent most of fall camp out of his pads with an injury. Smith expects him to be good to go for Friday, having been a full participant in recent practices.

WMU QB battle complicates prep

Michigan State didn’t have to worry much about who its quarterback will be this season with Aidan Chiles back for a second year as its starter. Its opponent, though, is still figuring out who’s going to be under center.

The competition is down to returner Broc Lowry and JUCO transfer Brady Jones, but Western Michigan’s quarterback duel is still undecided as of Monday. That poses some interesting wrinkles for Michigan State’s game prep.

“Prepared for both,” Smith said. “We can look at junior college tape, and we’ve done some of that. Obviously it’s a little bit of tape on the other one and the competition.”

Lowry played in 11 games last season as a redshirt freshman and threw for 21 yards on 4-for-8 completions. He really made his mark as a scrambler, rushing for 129 yards and three touchdowns on 24 attempts.

Jones is far more experienced, throwing for 4,456 yards and 44 touchdowns on 64% completion at Riverside Community College in California. His season ended in a 37-35 loss to Mt. San Antonio in the Southern California Football Association championship, throwing for 331 yards and a touchdown in the game.

Western Michigan coach Lance Taylor said Monday that both quarterbacks will play in Friday’s game, with a plan to split series and evaluate who may be the full-time starter the rest of the season.

“I think each one of them possesses something that we can use and that gives our offense a different edge,” Taylor said. “And so as we go into Week 1, we want to continue to evaluate that competition with live game, with live reps and really evaluate it as we go into the game.”

“I think both of them have unique skill sets,” Smith said. “One of them may be a little bit more physical, athletic, can run. The other one has thrown the ball for thousands of yards. So we’re prepared for both.”

Nothing builds anticipation for a new college football season like carping about future playoff restructuring. Here we go again, letting the politics of an exhausting, never-content, always-bracing-for-mayhem sport overshadow the fun on the horizon. The 2025 campaign hasn’t had its first game, and the parents already are arguing about the seating chart at their grandchild’s wedding.

College football refuses to stay in the moment. There is too much money to pursue. There are too many factions to satisfy. There is too much power to protect, even if it results in compromises that threaten the stability and long-term interests of a sport rooted in tradition. The latest ego-driven nonsense involves the Big Ten, which floated the idea of expanding the playoff from 12 participants to a 24- or 28-team format. It’s probably a ploy to motivate other stakeholders to support a 16-team setup that the Big Ten prefers.

Despite the chatter – okay, outrage – the Big Ten stirred, it’s not worth debating the merits of a supa-dupa playoff because the conference’s goal was to be preposterous. Such disingenuous tactics come with the warning that, if the Big Ten isn’t guaranteed a larger plate of food, it just might yank the tablecloth and ruin everybody’s meal.

College football stopped dealing in good faith long ago. Maybe it never did. Determining a true national champion isn’t the objective; forging tenuous alliances to fatten the revenue stream is. Every program is for itself until forced to profit together. At the Football Bowl Subdivision level, it took the sport 145 years just to create a miniature, four-team playoff in 2014. That lasted 10 years, and then it became clear that expanding to 12 would be more lucrative. In 2021, a wave of conference realignment began that resulted in the obliteration of the Pac-12, once the jewel of West Coast football.

All of a sudden, with the SEC and Big Ten swelling to a combined 34 schools, it only made sense to alter the postseason. But amid all the chaos, the conferences agreed to stop eating each other and expand the playoff to 12 teams for the 2024 and 2025 seasons. The temporary solution made the current fight inevitable.

In March 2024, ESPN and the College Football Playoff agreed to a six-year, $7.8 billion contract that begins in 2026 and runs through the 2031 season. The playoff field can grow or remain the same. But the power dynamics behind the format have changed. The current system required Notre Dame and the 10 conference commissioners to reach a consensus. In the new deal, the SEC and Big Ten hold the control, and their only obligation is to discuss matters with Notre Dame and the eight other conferences.

In earlier discussions, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey expressed interest in a “5+11” expanded format: five automatic bids, 11 at-large bids. Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti has been more enthusiastic about a “4-4-2-2-1-3” structure: four automatic bids apiece for the Big Ten and SEC, two each for the ACC and Big 12, one for the highest-ranked conference champion outside of the Power Four leagues and three at-large bids.

One structure is as clean as it gets in college football. The other is tough to remember and, sadly, is most representative of the mess the super conferences have made. With its incomparable depth, the SEC would collect plenty of its proposed 11 at-large bids every season. In comparison, the Big Ten is more top-heavy, which is why four guaranteed seats at the table appeals to Petitti. The Big Ten dreams of a scenario in which its third and fourth automatic bids could be decided via play-in games, a possible engine to drive big-time money from television as well as ticket sales.

The flip side of stacking automatic bids for major conferences is that you’re forcing a structure – for appeasement purposes – that could produce weaker fields in some seasons.

The SEC and Big Ten have until Dec. 1 to agree on a format. With the Big Ten throwing 28-team haymakers with 3½ months left, it will be an obstacle to find middle ground.

“I think there’s this notion that there has to be this magic moment, and something has to happen with expansion, and it has to be forced,” Sankey said last month.

It seems he would be okay remaining in stare mode until the clock expires.

“That’s fine,” Sankey said. “We have a 12-team playoff, five conference champions. That can stay if we can’t agree.”

Petitti has tried to be similarly chill. Even as decision time looms, he has said, “I’m not going to put any deadline on it.” But this new idea sparked reaction and raised the urgency to a level that felt on par with next week’s Texas-Ohio State showdown.

Perhaps that’s a sign to stand down and stop changing a sport that has changed dramatically the past few years.

Playoff expansion is the most popular and laziest answer to drive revenue. It’s happening in every sport. Television and streaming companies always want more sports inventory. But college football can withstand only so much expansion – from the toll on players’ bodies and academic requirements, to the audience’s bandwidth, to the quality of play.

Last season, the first with a 12-team tournament, nine of the 11 playoff games were decided by double figures. Growing the field to 16 could result in nothing more than four more mediocre games. Growing beyond 16 would ensure early-round snoozers. The transfer portal and pay-for-play allowances increased parity in college football, but there’s still a significant gap between the top tier and the rest of the contenders. Watering down the product will just make that reality clearer to viewers.

For the most compelling tournament, eight teams would be the perfect number. Twelve makes it just inclusive enough to pretend to be a national competition with access for all. Right now, anything bigger does nothing more than massage the shoulders of the most powerful conferences.

Let ’em stew for a while. Let us adjust to all of the recent change. You shouldn’t need to buy a new handbook every year to know how college football functions.

There is no perfect playoff format for a sport that doesn’t truly believe it needs a playoff. It’s just a mechanism for money, pride and status. In this case, the status quo doesn’t mean irresolution. For this warring sport, it would feel a lot like peace.

Michigan could be without one of its top freshmen, five-star offensive tackle Andrew Babalola, this season.

Babalola, who had been turning heads during preseason camp in the competition for the starting left tackle spot, has suffered a knee injury that could be season-ending, CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz reported Monday.

Michigan is in its final week of camp before the team begins game-week preparations for the season opener on Aug. 30 against New Mexico, and this is when the coaches begin to finalize the depth chart.

Redshirt sophomore Evan Link, who made 10 starts at right tackle last year during the regular season and then started at left tackle in the ReliaQuest Bowl, is expected to start the season opener. Redshirt freshman Blake Frazier has been practicing at both tackle spots and is in the mix at left tackle.

Babalola had been praised all camp for his football IQ with how quickly he had adapted to the college game and learned the playbook.

“Babs is amazing,” veteran offensive lineman Gio El-Hadi, the starting left guard, told reporters recently. “He’s a really good freshman. So smart. I was not that smart when I was a freshman. It took me a lot longer to learn the playbook, and he already knows it. Just with the natural abilities he has, he’s going to be a superstar.”

When the NCAA late last week released its report on Michigan’s sign-stealing scheme, the takeaway for anyone north of Lansing was that it finally verified that the unknown staffer on Central Michigan’s sidelines vs. Michigan State in the 2023 opener was indeed Connor Stalions.

Prior to his testimony to the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions, Stalions — the mastermind behind U-M’s sign-stealing operation — had never admitted the CMU-gear-clad, goatee-wearing figure visible in screen shots from the broadcast was him.

When the NCAA’s 74-page report dropped Friday, confirming that it was him, the question turned to: How did he get there, and what was he doing?

According to a published report by CBS News Detroit’s Gino Vicci, it seems Stalions’ presence may have been requested by the CMU staff.

“Two sources with direct knowledge of the incident confirmed to CBS News Detroit that a CMU coach initiated contact with Stalions and that then-head coach Jim McElwain was likely aware of and approved of the arrangement to secure Stalions a sideline credential and outfit him in CMU-issued gear,” wrote Vicci. “According to the CMU source, Stalions’ role during CMU’s game against MSU was the result of a direct request from CMU’s staff, with the sole purpose of assisting their program for that game.”

That idea was also previously posited by Justin Spiro, the host of “The Spiro Avenue Show” podcast, last week.

While former CMU head coach Jim McElwain retired after last season, and was moved to an advisory role in the athletic director’s office, the school’s athletic department has maintained its collective innocence all along, saying that Stalions was not on any pregame pass list, but noting that they were cooperating with the investigation. McElwain said he didn’t know how the Michigan staffer got on the Chippewas’ sidelines, either.

“I certainly don’t condone it in any way, shape or form,” McElwain said at the time. “I do know that his name was on none of the passes that were let out. We keep tracing it back to try to figure it out. It’s in good hands with our people.

“There’s no place in football for that.”

Stalions’ presence on the sidelines at all, as a staffer at another institution, was in and of itself a violation.

“On one occasion in 2023, Stalions personally engaged in-person scouting when he stood on CentralMichigan University’s sideline wearing a bench pass and disguised in Central Michigan-issued coaching gear during the institution’s contest against Michigan State. According to interview statements by a former football staff member, Stalions attended that game in part to decipher Michigan State’s signals, but also to help a Central Michigan staff member with play calling,” the NCAA report read.

“With regard to Bylaw 11.6.1, Michigan and Stalions argued that the scope of the scouting bylaw is narrow. Based on the text of the bylaw, both parties claimed that an institutional employee must attend the contest in-person to commit a violation. Thus, they both agreed that Stalions’ in-person attendance at the Central Michigan game constituted a violation.”

McElwain was on former U-M coach Jim Harbaugh’s staff as wide receivers coach in 2018. A former student assistant under McElwain at both Michigan — overlapping Stalions’ tenure — and CMU, Jake Kostner was quarterbacks coach for the Chippewas in his second stint in Mt. Pleasant was cut short by his abrupt resignation on Sept. 15, 2024, after CMU’s third game of the season.

While CMU is under investigation for its involvement in the process, the athletic department told Tony Paul of the Detroit News in late July that it was negotiating a settlement with the NCAA.

“We are aware that the NCAA has updated its online infractions dashboard for parties contesting their allegations,” Central Michigan said in its statement to Paul. “CMU has not received a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA because it is working with the NCAA toward a negotiated resolution. We have been working collaboratively with the NCAA since fall 2023, and we look forward to bringing our matter to a fair conclusion soon.”

Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood, the nation’s No. 1 recruit in his class, has spent months getting ready in hopes of starting the 14th-ranked Wolverines’ season opener against New Mexico.

If follows an outstanding high school career in which Underwood threw for 11,488 yards and 152 touchdowns while leading Belleville to a 50-4 record and two Michigan state championships.

The 6-foot-4 freshman heads our list of freshmen who could make a major impact this season.

Underwood arrived on campus in time for spring practice and went 12 of 26 for 187 yards in the spring game, throwing an interception but also delivering an 88-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Hoffman on a reverse flea-flicker.

“I think he’s grown every single day since he’s been on campus,” Michigan coach Sherrone Moore told reporters at the Big Ten media days event last month. “He’s been with us since December. Continues to do everything he can to be, one, the best teammate he can be; two, to be the best student he can be; and then, three, to be the best football player that he can be and quarterback that he can be for our football team.”

Michigan fans would love to see better quarterback production after the Wolverines followed up their 2023 national championship with an 8-5 season in which they threw more interceptions (13) than touchdown passes (12).

Underwood could change that.

He was committed to LSU for much of his recruitment but changed his mind and signed with Michigan in December after a sales pitch that included a FaceTime chat with former Michigan quarterback and seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady. He has made quite an early impression on his new coaches.

“He does everything the right way,” Moore said. “He makes sure that he attacks everything the best way.”

Michigan isn’t the only Big Ten school that could be starting a freshman quarterback. Maryland freshman Malik Washington was competing with UCLA transfer Justyn Martin and Khristian Martin, who aren’t related, as the Terrapins prepare to open their season against Florida Atlantic.

Other freshmen who could make immediate contributions:

Clemson DT Amare Adams

No. 4 Clemson has some experience at defensive tackle with DeMontre Capehart and Peter Woods returning from last year’s playoff team, but Adams could be strong enough to earn himself a featured role as well. Adams, who is 6-4 and 310 pounds, was the No. 3 defensive lineman and No. 22 overall prospect in his class according to composite rankings of recruiting sites compiled by 247Sports.

“He’s just not a normal freshman,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “He’s a really, really talented young player.”

Another defensive lineman who bears watching is Georgia’s Elijah Griffin, who was ranked third overall in the 247Sports Composite.

BYU QB Bear Bachmeier

BYU has an uncertain quarterback situation following the summertime departure of 2024 starter Jake Retzlaff, who is now at Tulane. Retzlaff’s exit left Bachmeier and McCae Hillstead competing for the starting spot.

Bachmeier initially signed with Stanford but transferred following the March firing of coach Troy Taylor. Bachmeier isn’t the only Big 12 freshman quarterback who could earn an immediate starting role. Julian Lewis was competing with Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter at Colorado.

Oregon WR Dakorien Moore

This 5-11 wideout accumulated over 3,400 yards receiving and scored 40 touchdowns during his high school career at Duncanville (Texas). The 247Sports Composite had him as the No. 1 wide receiver and No. 4 overall prospect in his class.

Moore could provide an immediate boost for an Oregon receiving unit that could use the help with Evan Stewart injured and Jurrion Dickey suspended indefinitely. Stewart, who caught 48 passes for 613 yards and five touchdowns last season, is expected to miss at least part of the season after tearing his patellar tendon in June.

LSU CB D.J. Pickett

Pickett came to No. 9 LSU from Zephyrhills (Florida) High as the nation’s No. 2 cornerback and No. 11 overall prospect in his class, according to the 247Sports Composite. He could provide an immediate upgrade for an LSU defense that intercepted just six passes last season, the lowest total for any Southeastern Conference team.

Tennessee OT David Sanders

No. 24 Tennessee must replace four starters from the offensive line that helped the Volunteers earn a playoff berth last season. That creates plenty of opportunity for Sanders, who came out of Charlotte, North Carolina, as the 247Sports Composite’s No. 6 overall prospect in his class. Sanders, who is 6-6 and 305 pounds, is expected to open the season as Tennessee’s starting right tackle.

Florida WR Dallas Wilson

Wilson provided a tantalizing glimpse of his potential by catching 10 passes for 195 yards in No. 15 Florida’s spring game, though he suffered a lower-leg injury that has sidelined him for part of preseason camp. The 6-3 wideout caught 130 passes for 2,424 yards and 30 touchdowns in his high school career in Tampa. Wilson signed with Florida after initially committing to Oregon. He’s rated as the nation’s No. 35 overall prospect and No. 8 receiver in his class by the 247Sports Composite.

— By STEVE MEGARGEE, Associated Press

EAST LANSING — It caught some by surprise at July’s Big Ten media days when Michigan State wide receiver Nick Marsh sat at the podium and described his reasons for taking less money than he could have made elsewhere to come back to the Spartans.

There he was, this 18-year-old star football player — speaking in Las Vegas, no less — playing a position that begets money and fame and privilege immeasurable.

Instead, Marsh put the focus on his deep connection to God.

“All money is not good money,” Marsh said. “So I’m building something here at Michigan State, a foundation, a brotherhood, a family. And I think that’s more important than money. I think family and God is more important than materialistic things.”

Family and God have been two of the big themes of Michigan State’s offseason, at least among a large contingent who participate in a bible study group hosted by some members of the team. The effect has brought teammates together at a key time for the program during an age when the influx of money into the sport has challenged the role of faith in athletics.

“I think that there’s been a Jesus revolution on this team,” defensive lineman Grady Kelly said back in April. “I think that there’s guys that are not only claiming to follow Jesus and to be Christians, but guys that are willfully and lovingly submitting their lives to him.”

Faith and football have long been connected, whether that be in the form of day-to-day prayers and worship or more publicized expressions of faith. Tim Tebow, the two-time national championship-winning quarterback and 2007 Heisman winner at Florida, was one of the most outwardly expressive of his faith. His prayer kneel celebration became a viral trend, and his eye black writing of John 3:16 led to millions of Google searches for the verse when he completed a 2012 NFL game in which he threw for 316 yards and 31.6 yards per completion.

The current crop of Michigan State players grew up watching Tebow, not only how he played football but also how he represented his faith.

“He’s supposed to be this first-round, All-American, amazing player. He’s preaching now, you know what I’m saying,” defensive lineman Quindarius Dunnigan said. “Football is just a platform. It’s a gift from God. And at the end of the day, if that’s not what he wants you to do, he’ll let you know. And you just gotta find peace with that.”

For now, the Spartans’ own platform is still football. Saturday’s first scrimmage of fall camp is a big step toward embarking on the second season of the Jonathan Smith era, attempting to build off a 5-7 debut in East Lansing. The 2025 season begins Aug. 29 at home against Western Michigan.

The Spartans’ bible studies are held at players’ houses, most led by Dunnigan, Kelly and linebacker Jordan Hall. The study sessions are part of the larger Athletes in Action sports ministry, which has been active on campus for decades. At their study sessions, players discuss their faith and how it applies to their lives well beyond the football field. The sessions aren’t mandatory (they can’t be at a public institution), but they are well attended.

“Really, we just host it,” Hall said. “It’d be at my house or Grady’s house or Q’s house, but we’re just having conversations and letting the Holy Spirit kind of flow through those rooms that we’re having.”

Added linebacker Darius Snow: “We have a lot of guys on the team that are very faithful, very religious. And I know that everybody has their own beliefs, but I’m a Christian man, and it’s beautiful to see people diving into that.”

Faith has long been prominent with the Michigan State football team. Individually, players have expressed their faith openly, including quarterback Kirk Cousins. Back when Mark Dantonio coached the team, he sometimes handed his kickers prayer cards to motivate them, like he did when Matt Coghlin kicked a winning field goal in an upset of No. 7 Penn State in 2017. This summer, recently graduated running back Nate Carter released a book about his faith. And players have long been involved in Athletes in Action, which hosts Tuesday night meetings at the Skandalaris Football Center.

Faith has a freeing effect for Michigan State’s players, who escape the day-to-day emotional whims of their football careers through their religious beliefs.

“I think that the biggest thing about Jesus in sports is when we have our identity in the world, we ride these ebbs and flows of performance,” Kelly said. “Everything’s performance-oriented. So when I do good, I’m on top of the world. When I do bad, I hate myself and I’m shameful and guilty, and that affects performance, too. So when you put your identity in Christ, your value as a person — no matter your performance — is unwavering, it’s unchanging, because he’s constant.”

To Michigan State’s religious players, they see their abilities on the football field as gifts from God that enable them to spread the gospel. The bigger the platform they build, the greater their opportunity to do so.

“I think as Christians, we’re called to be disciples and make people aware of the gift of Christ,” Hall said. “And given the platform that college football gives us players, it would be a disservice to not use that platform to spread the gospel to somebody who might not ever hear the gospel.”

ANN ARBOR — When asked who the player is to watch this season on their side of the ball, most players often take a few moments to consider the question before formulating an answer.

Max Bredeson, a Michigan captain last season and a fullback/tight end, did not hesitate with his response when the question was posed to him late last month before Big Ten media days and the start of preseason camp.

“I mean, it shouldn’t be a surprise you, but I’ll put all my chips in for Marlin Klein,” Bredeson said of the tight end who is the heir apparent to first-round NFL Draft pick Colston Loveland. “That’s my guy. I’m excited for him to go do it.

“At Michigan, we’ve always had the tight end, and Marlin and Colston came in the same class. Marlin’s ready to go. He’s heard so many times how much talent he has. This is a guy who’s done hearing that, and he’s all about wanting to go do it.”

Klein has heard plenty about his talent and potential, and perhaps that’s because the German native started the game so late. He was a fine soccer and basketball player, but when he decided to move from Germany to Georgia to play at Rabun Gap-Nacoochee, that potential was all everyone was banking on.

Now, the 6-foot-6, 250-pound junior has developed that potential and is expected to pick up where Loveland left off. Klein recently made Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks List” at No. 35, an improvement from No. 90 the year before. Feldman noted Klein’s speed and agility.

“Oh, that’s cool, but winning every game this season is more important to me,” Klein told reporters on Friday of his appearance on Feldman’s list. “But yes, it’s cool. A national championship will be even cooler.”

Loveland, who led the team in receiving last year, was asked the previous two seasons to be more of a pass-catcher. He could block, but that’s not how he was needed in the offense.

Chip Lindsey, in his first season as Michigan’s offensive coordinator, believes he has a complete tight end in Klein and likes the fact that he has been an important part of the offense in terms of mixing it up and being physical.

“He’s one of the best blockers in the country, in my opinion,” Lindsey said this week. “But what’s surprising is he’s got really good speed. He can get vertical quick. Big, rangy target. You like that as a quarterback, where obviously it’s a lot easier if a guy is covered and throw it to the spot and let him go get it.

“But the guy is kind of a dirty work, lunch-pail kind of guy, or a blue-collar guy. Love his attitude and approach. He likes the physicality of the position. And I think that’s probably why him and Max play off each other so well. They’re both wired the same way. A really talented kid. I’m excited to coach him, and hopefully he’ll have a big role in our offense.”

Klein knew that if he was ever going to find his way onto the field, he’d have to develop as a blocker.

“Coming in here from high school, like I never blocked (a) soul in high school,” Klein said with a laugh.

He credits former Michigan tight ends for teaching him the all-around nature of the position, guys like Luke Schoonmaker, Joel Honigford, AJ Barner and Loveland.

“You want to chase the best, compete with the best each and every single day, and I was able to learn from (them),” Klein said. “But it really took a lot of hard work, a lot of steps for me.”

Bredeson is known for his tenacious blocking. Klein said much Bredeson’s selflessness in terms of playing the game has rubbed off on him the last few seasons.

“I don’t think I had that same approach when I came in, in 2022. Being able to learn from him and (his) almost kind of psycho mentality about the game of football, it’s just been so much fun for me,” Klein said. “When I first got here, I was like, this might be a little crazy. But hanging around him and just really seeing how much he actually loves the game of football, that’s why he is the way he is, and that’s why he is the best at what he does in the country.”

Klein said he has always felt like he belonged in the college game; it simply took him a little bit longer to reach the level of his teammates who had played for years. He knew it would be a challenge, but it’s one he sought.

Last spring, with the help of tight ends coach Steve Casula, who’s now also a co-offensive coordinator, Klein said he began to realize he’s much more than just potential.

“We went to the jungle,” Klein said.

The jungle, as Klein described it, involved only the two of them and it was run-game specific.

“It was really the most critical time of my life,” Klein said. “And it was never good enough, but that was really just because he tried to push me to my best. He helped me to (reach) the standard, which is the Michigan standard, and the Michigan standard is a championship standard. So that equals the best.”

The jungle was not a fun place to be in real time. But looking back, it was game-changing for Klein.

“The way (Casula) describes the jungle is really like we’re locked in,” Klein said. “He was the most critical person on me, but it wasn’t a personal thing. I knew he wanted the best for me. Each and every single day, the meetings weren’t the most fun for me, (but) I have to get better now. He pushed me every single day. It was the biggest blessing that ever happened to me, and that took my game to the next level.”

As the Royal Oak Leprechauns fight for a playoff spot, a collective of former Catholic League stars have played integral roles in the team’s success this summer.

Some, like Aidan Schuck, a Detroit Catholic Central grad who just finished his freshman year at Oakland University, are done for the summer — in his case, his last game with the Leprechauns came last weekend — but have left their mark.

Schuck batted .337 this summer for the team, with 23 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. But he hit his stride as his time with the team wore on, and began to put together a hitting streak that eventually reached double-digits.

“I didn’t even have an idea the streak was going on until I think it was the 15th game,” Schuck said. “I was told by one of our interns who does the stats and he said you’re two away from the franchise record.”

It ended up as a 19-game hitting streak before it was snapped, and at one point included a span of five games where he had 13 base knocks. “You can tell when you’re doing well, seeing it well, but yeah, I had no idea there was a streak going on. It’s kinda harder once you know about it, because then self-consciously you’re trying to continue it.”

In his first year as a Golden Grizzly, Shamrock batted .279 with 10 RBIs in 18 games, but he believes he’ll be returning to OU as a better player after this summer. “I’d say I had a good year, but there were times where I struggled seeing spin,” he said. “I feel like this summer, I made a big jump and I was able to hit off-speed pitches and drive them the other way. Obviously, this was my freshman season of college and I saw new to seeing a lot of the pitching, but playing (as many games as I did this summer) against college pitching, , that’s the best way to get better, seeing arms like that every day. Overall, I developed as a hitter.”

From Brother Rice, Tristan Crane (Eastern Michigan) played 39 games for the team, batting .305 with a .378 on-base percentage and drove in 29 runs. Fellow Warrior Owen Turner (Yale) drove in 21 runs while stealing eight bags in 40 appearances.

The Leprechauns’ all-star representative this season, infielder Ryan Tyranski (Cincinnati), another one-time staple in the Brother Rice lineup, has been a fine example of the difference a year makes. He played 31 games in Royal Oak in 2024 and batted .262 with 12 RBIs and six stolen bases in 31 games. This summer, he’s hitting at a .296 clip in 54 games, has hit a pair of home runs (along with four triples), driven in 33 runs and swiped 19 bags.

On the mound, another Warriors’ alum, Wyatt Ruppenthal (Kalamazoo College), has been one of the Leprechauns’ best arms. In 14 appearances, the 6-foot-2 righty has sported a 3.58 ERA over 27 2/3 innings, striking out 29 with a solid 1.30 WHIP.

For some, it’s a chance to thrive while getting to know ex-rivals even better, and also forge new bonds.

“It’s awesome playing with all the Catholic League guys the whole summer,” Schuck said. “There’s time we’ve had debates in the dugout about who was better in high school. It’s fun getting to know those guys you somewhat knew (when) playing against them, but were never on the same team. Then they’ve got new guys who’ve come in towards the second half of the season, guys like Danny Cook from Pepperdine, a couple guys from Colorado, and it’s good getting to know those guys from all across the country as well as ones we already know.”

With just single-digit games remaining, the Leprechauns have a string of games at home coming up that includes Military Appreciation Night Sunday afternoon against the Kenosha Kingfish and Fan Appreciation Night on Tuesday evening against the Kalamazoo Growlers.

Tom Izzo has got his next point guard.

Metro Detroit prospect Carlos Medlock Jr. announced his commitment to Michigan State on Friday evening.

Formerly of Wayne Memorial High School, the four-star prospect Medlock currently plays for Link Academy in Branson, Mo.

He is the first commitment of the Spartans’ 2026 recruiting class, ranked the 10th-best point guard in his class and just outside the top 100 overall by the 247Sports Composite.

Izzo’s teams rely on a strong point guard to lead the way. Jeremy Fears Jr. will return as the starter this coming season as a core returner from last year’s Big Ten championship team.

En route to the Elite Eight, Fears averaged 7.2 points and 5.4 assists in 36 games. He has three years of remaining eligibility, and so does incoming Miami transfer Divine Ugochukwu.

Medlock appears the heir apparent somewhere down the line to run the Michigan State offense.

A fairly undersized guard at 5-foot-11 and 165 pounds, Medlock is the son of former Eastern Michigan star Carlos Medlock, who scored 1,574 points and 400 assists in an All-MAC career.

The younger Medlock received offers from a dozen Division I programs, including Michigan and Iowa. Michigan State was the earliest power conference school to offer him.

In Medlock, Izzo has his replacement when Fears either runs out of eligibility or decides to go pro, though in the meantime Medlock’s scoring ability may open up some options at shooting guard.

He’s been tearing up the Adidas-sponsored 3Stripes Select league. He’s explosive out of ball screens with a knack for finishing off balance.

Players of his size can struggle against bigger players in college, but so far those problems haven’t shown. He’s also got plenty of time to grow.

The most recent recruiting cycle yielded a modest two-man class for the Spartans in DMV freshmen small forwards Cam Ward and Jordan Scott. Both are expected to play this season.

Michigan State will follow up a 30-7 run to the Elite Eight with a team led by returners Fears, Coen Carr, Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper. The Spartans added key transfers in Ugochukwu and Samford journeyman Trey Fort in the offseason.

ANN ARBOR — When the dust settled on Michigan’s roster a year ago, coach Dusty May thought he and his staff assembled one of the premier frontcourts in college basketball.

Danny Wolf, a first-round draft pick, and Vlad Goldin, an All-Big Ten first-team selection, ended up proving May right.

As the Wolverines prepare for a new campaign with a different cast, May feels this season’s revamped frontcourt can be just as good, if not better, than any in the country.

“I do,” May said this month at the midway point of summer workouts. “I felt like that last year when we signed Danny and Vlad.”

That’s saying something, considering Wolf and Goldin played starring roles as they led Michigan to a 27-10 record, Big Ten tournament title and Sweet 16 appearance. On top of that, the two were finalists for awards that recognize the nation’s top power forward and center.

But May and the Wolverines put together a frontcourt mix that’s arguably more talented and deeper than a year ago, bringing in transfers Morez Johnson Jr., Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara and returning Will Tschetter and Oscar Goodman. There’s also incoming freshman Malick Kordel, a 7-foot center from Germany.

“When you look at their skill sets, when you look at what they do well, their physical attributes, I do think all of them complement each other,” said May, noting Kordel wasn’t on campus for the first half of summer practice but is expected to join the team soon.

“We do think we have a lot of options. As the teams in the Final Four proved last year, you need great depth if you want to play late into March and, hopefully, April.”

Each of the frontcourt pieces has different strengths and can impact the game in different ways. As Lendeborg explained, Johnson is a “brute force inside who can do whatever you need” at the power forward and center positions, while the 7-foot-3 Mara is a “surprisingly good passer” and someone you can throw the ball up to anywhere.

Both Johnson and Mara are lob threats whereas Lendeborg described himself as more of an “under-the-rim player.” Johnson takes pride in his defense and being physical, something Lendeborg has noticed as he’s had a tough time bumping Johnson off his spots. Mara, whom Lendeborg called the “tallest person I’ve ever met in my life,” has ridiculous length that can frustrate and baffle others.

“We do layup drills, and I’m trying to take a layup. I’m thinking it’s a good layup. (Mara) comes out of nowhere, blocks it, and I’m like, ‘OK. How do I score on him?’” Lendeborg said. “Morez as well. He’s a super athlete. He’s my height (6-foot-9) jumping like 40 inches off the ground. It’s been crazy.”

Tschetter, who has worn different hats throughout his Michigan career, is a 3-point threat who can space the floor and slide up and down the lineup. He’s the glue guy that every team needs and does the little things — like boxing out, setting screens and constantly communicating — that make a big difference. Goodman, who joined the team midseason last year and redshirted, is another versatile piece that allows Michigan to play big or small. Kordel is a project who has long-term potential and upside.

Then there’s Lendeborg, the do-it-all forward who can play out on the perimeter, handle the ball under pressure and operate with bigger or smaller defenders on him. He can knock down outside shots and be a playmaker in ball screens like Wolf.

“We’ve got so many guys that are versatile and can do everything, and that’s going to help us out a lot,” Johnson said. “We’re very interchangeable.”

Added Lendeborg: “We’re diverse. We have a lot of assets.”

One key to making it work is the team’s unselfishness, something that Lendeborg, Mara and May all pointed to. Everyone in the frontcourt is a willing passer and shares the game.

Lendeborg, for example, hasn’t been shooting as much in summer workouts. He’s been more focused on figuring out how to get the ball to his teammates in their spots rather than figuring out his scoring spots.

“He (Lendeborg) enjoys passing the ball. When you have a guy that’s been as publicized as Yax, if they’re selfish, they’re about numbers, if they’re about themselves, it can present a number of challenges,” May said. “With Yaxel, he’s so team-oriented that it’s been a pretty smooth transition.”

Much like Goldin and Wolf, opportunity is what drew Johnson, Lendeborg and Mara to Michigan. And seeing how Goldin and Wolf were utilized in May’s system last season also caught the trio’s attention.

Mara decided to leave UCLA after two seasons. May noted like most big men, Mara likely wasn’t physically ready as a freshman. It wasn’t until the second half of his second year with the Bruins that Mara began to emerge and come into his own.

Seven of the nine times he scored in double figures last season came in the final 16 games, including a three-game stretch in late January where he scored 22 points in 21 minutes against Wisconsin followed by back-to-back 12-point, five-block outings against Washington and USC.

“After two years, I felt like they didn’t give me an opportunity to help the team,” said Mara, who averaged 6.4 points and four rebounds in 13.1 minutes off the bench as a sophomore.

“When I went into the transfer portal, I spoke with Coach (May) a couple of times. I really liked the way (Michigan was) playing. They were a good team and won the conference (tournament). Coach told me the way that they’re playing — a lot of ball screens, ball movement — and he knows how to use the bigs, so I was really excited to come here.”

Mara added he’s comfortable playing in the high and low post and at whatever pace May wants. Given his background as a European big, he’s used to running in transition and playing in pick-and-rolls.

Despite cracking the rotation as a freshman at Illinois, Johnson felt transferring “would be better for my game overall and its longevity.” As a rim runner and bruiser in the paint, Johnson did much of his damage around the rim and was one of the best in the Big Ten at cleaning up on the offensive glass.

Johnson believes he’ll get a chance to do more and show more at Michigan, whether that’s being in more dribble handoffs, driving if a defender closes out too hard or taking catch-and-shoot 3s (he didn’t attempt a single 3-pointer in 30 games at Illinois).

“Just adding more reads to my game, instead of having just one read,” said Johnson, who averaged seven points and 6.7 rebounds in 17.6 minutes per game and set a freshman record at Illinois by shooting 64.2% from the field.

“I connected with May and (assistant coach) Akeem (Miskdeen). They’re both player coaches. They’re hands-on. I love how they focus on player development, and I love how they let their bigs play.”

For Lendeborg, Michigan and the Big Ten offer a bigger stage. After shining in the American Athletic Conference with UAB the past two seasons, he’ll look to follow Wolf’s and Goldin’s footsteps, make the high-major jump and produce at a high level.

Lendeborg was projected to be a late first-round draft pick following a stellar season where he averaged 17.7 points, 11.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists, earned All-AAC first-team honors and was named the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year. He opted to withdraw from the draft and head to Michigan, where he’ll put the feedback he received from NBA teams into action — like showing more “aggressiveness” and getting better at initiating and playing through contact, he said — and be determined to prove himself against Power Four competition.

“Seeing what Danny Wolf and Vlad were doing, coming from basically the same level as me, was great,” Lendeborg said. “The role that Wolf played, too, was something that I wanted to be a part of.”

It’s all led to this for May and the Wolverines: A new season with some new faces, but a similar feeling.

“We’re going to be the best frontcourt in the game — Big Ten, NCAA, whatever it needs to be,” Lendeborg said. “I have high hopes for us, and I feel like we’re going to do the best we can to deliver.”

LAS VEGAS— Adding four new teams to the Big Ten brought plenty of rivalry games along with them last season, but one of the most heated may be that of Michigan and Michigan State.

In two of the past three seasons, the teams have come to blows with 2022’s tunnel fight and 2024’s postgame melee, and the animosity between the teams continues to take a year-round tone. There was March’s basketball dustup at Breslin Center. And just this week, a group of Michigan players at a golf outing were already mocking their peers in East Lansing, with the usual chirps of “little brother” accompanied by pretend belting.

It will be a charged environment when Michigan comes to Spartan Stadium on Oct. 25, one that may end in dustups that have become all the more common between the schools. But the Big Ten conference is prepared for the animosity that may show up, whether it’s with this rivalry or any others in the 18-team league.

“If you take a look at what’s going on in the Big Ten, there’s so many good teams, so many good rivalries,” said Bill Carollo, the Big Ten’s coordinator of football officials. “Our antennas are up on every single game.”

The preparation for any big conference rivalry game starts with Zoom calls between the conference, officials, coaches and athletic directors. They get all parties of influence on the same page.

“Because we think there was trouble last year, there’s a good chance there’s payback this year, right?” Carollo explained. “And these are kids, and I look at a lot of seniors and they don’t care, you know, whatever their next game might be. And they’re kids. They’re 18- to 20-year-old people that make mistakes.”

After meeting with the administrators and coaches, a 100-minute meeting prepares officials to deal with the extremes. Clearing the field, dealing with threats to the stadium and, of course, if teams start fighting.

“The reality is, I really focus on how we’re going to handle a situation where there’s bad blood between the teams or the coaches,” Carollo said. “And someone says something, you know, poster board information — ‘we’re going to kick their butts.’ Well, there might be a fight later that game, and the game’s over, and if it’s lopsided, we have problems. So we prepare for the worst and hope that things are under control.”

The Paul Bunyan Trophy has set up a long-term home at Schembechler Hall as of late, with the Wolverines winning the past three games, including last year’s 24-17 nailbiter at home. Michigan State’s last win in the rivalry came in 2021, when the Spartans won a bout between two undefeated, top-10 teams.

Lost locker room doomed Maryland

There’s a sign hanging outside of the Maryland football team’s locker room, coach Mike Locksley says, that sets the ground rules for what goes on behind its closed doors.

“You can leave your Louis belts, your car keys and your financial statements outside of this locker room, because when you enter those doors, we all pay the same price for success or failure.”

Locksley didn’t hold back Tuesday, admitting that, hand-up, he lost control of his locker room last season. As NIL money and the finances of college football create a divide between “haves and have nots,” as Locksley described, the rift between his players sabotaged his team from the inside.

Locksley learned a lesson.

“That valuable lesson is important for me even in the midst of this change, to continue to educate our players on the importance of what playing for something bigger than yourself is all about,” Locksley said.

Maryland finished last season at a paltry 4-8, 1-8 in Big Ten play. It was the worst record since his 2019 debut at 3-9, 1-8, coming on the heels of massive steps forward that landed the Terrapins three straight bowl games for the first time since 2006 to 2008.

Most preseason polls rank Maryland in the bottom couple of spots in the 18-team conference, not the echelon that Locksley wants to occupy. There’s pressure on his team to win, especially with new athletic director Jim Smith at the helm after a messy split with Damon Evans.

Locksley feels it is imperative to keep his locker room this season, but that falls on his entire team to keep faith in him, too.

“With the new day and age of how everything’s going, you gotta have a brotherhood in order to be one of the best teams in college football,” linebacker Daniel Wingate said. “So being able to keep it all together, and him emphasizing the message, it really is something that helps us to continue to work together.”

Maryland starts its season against Florida Atlantic. Its toughest games are Week 10 versus Indiana and Week 12 at Illinois.

Raiola applies dad’s lessons

Dylan Raiola could’ve played anywhere when he was rated one of the top two quarterbacks in the 2024 class. At one point, he committed to Ohio State. Then he decommited for Georgia. Before signing day, Raiola flipped again this time for … Nebraska?

Yeah, that decision stumped some people, though his dad, Dominic Raiola, was a Rimington winner there at the turn of the century before a 14-year NFL career with the Lions. His uncle Donovan Raiola is an offensive line coach on Matt Rhule’s staff. The Nebraska coach wooed Dylan with a pitch that might’ve seemed counterintuitive:

“When I recruited Dylan, I said, ‘Hey, come help me turn around Nebraska football, man; it’s going to be hard,’” coach Matt Rhule said. “And doing something hard is how we can become great.”

It worked, but everything Rhule told Dylan about the difficulty of the path ahead came true his freshman season. The Cornhuskers finished 7-6, 3-6 Big Ten, with a win in the Pinstripe Bowl capping an up-and-down season. At one point, the group was 5-1 with only an overtime loss to ranked Illinois. The college football world’s eyes were wide open. And then a four-game losing streak to Rutgers, Ohio State, UCLA and USC left Nebraska listless.

“I mean, that’s about as much adversity as it comes down to,” Dylan Raiola said. “You train, you prepare so hard in the offseason and in the week to get ready for a game and you lose. You know, that sucks to happen multiple times. It’s unfortunate, but it’s a growing opportunity.”

Dylan knew what he was getting into, and so did his family. After all, his dad was the starting center on 2008’s 0-16 Lions. He gave Dylan some advice.

“He just said stay true to yourself,” Dylan said. “There’s gonna be a lot of people saying different things, but all you have is your teammates, your family, and at the end of the day, my faith is what carries me through everything. So I’m gonna stand on that. And that’s kind of just my foundation.”

Raiola and Nebraska are one of the Big Ten’s more intriguing teams this season, with the growth of Raiola and other young contributors central to fielding a more competitive group. Nebraska is fresh off its first bowl game in eight years, its first win in nine. The Cornhuskers open with a game at Cincinnati, and the regular-season slate includes games against Michigan and Penn State.

“As much as I didn’t want hard things to happen at our program, the things that coach Rhule was telling me — they happened, and I’m still here now, right?” Dylan said. “And so our team’s ready. I’m excited. We have a bunch of great dudes ready to go play this year.”

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Former Michigan football staff member Connor Stalions, whose actions triggered an NCAA investigation into sign-stealing, says he knew almost every signal opponents used in seven games over two seasons.

Stalions shared those details Saturday on social media, responding to TCU coach Sonny Dykes telling On3 that his team changed some signs in advance of its win over the Wolverines in the 2022 College Football semifinals.

“We got some favorable matchups because of that and, yeah, there was some big plays in the game,” Dykes said in the On3 report.

Stalions bristled at the latest attempt to suggest Michigan won or lost games because of his sign-stealing role with the team.

“There were 7 games in my time at Michigan where I knew almost every signal the whole game: 2021 MSU, 2022 MSU, 2022 PSU, 2022 OSU, 2022 TCU, 2021 Georgia, and 2021 Wisconsin,” Stalions wrote in his post. “We lost 3 of those games because we didn’t tackle well, and Georgia was historically good. We won the four other games because we dominated the line of scrimmage & tackled well. Blocking, ball security, tackling, run fits & coverage tools.

“That’s football. This is not rocket science.”

Nearly a year ago, the NCAA alleged in a notice relating to Michigan’s sign-stealing investigation that current coach Sherrone Moore violated rules as an assistant under former coach Jim Harbaugh, who served a three-game suspension in exchange for the Big Ten dropping its own investigation into the allegations after the two ended up in court.

Moore also was accused of deleting text messages with Stalions, before they were recovered and provided to the NCAA. Moore has said he has and will continue to cooperate with the NCAA’s investigation.

Michigan is prepared to suspend Moore for two games during the coming season. The NCAA will decide if that self-imposed sanction is enough to address allegations that Moore failed to cooperate in an investigation that rocked college football during the 2023 championship season with Harbaugh on the sideline.

The school had a hearing with the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions last month. The governing body takes three months on average for contested cases to make a final decision.

The Wolverines open the season on Aug. 30 at home against New Mexico State and then go to Oklahoma, where Moore was an offensive lineman, on Sept. 6.

The NCAA does not have rules against stealing signs, but it does prohibit schools from sending scouts to the games of future opponents and using electronic equipment to record another team’s signals. Records from other Big Ten schools showed that Stalions bought tickets to games involving future opponents, sending people to digitally record teams when they signaled plays.

Stalions initially was placed on leave by Michigan and later resigned. He did not participate in the NCAA investigation.

The NCAA previously put Michigan on three years of probation, fined the school and implemented recruiting limits after reaching a negotiated resolution in a recruiting case and banned Harbaugh from coaching college football for four years.