Latest news with #Big Ten
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Penn State O-Line holds keys to success
One thing about James Franklin is that he will never stop emphasizing the trenches. At Big Ten Media Day, while a lot of coaches were talking flashy transfers and NIL deals, Franklin stayed true to what's built Penn State's identity the last few years with the offensive line. Even with Olu Fashanu off to the NFL in 2024 and some big names gone, Franklin's message was clear that this 2025 team is still going to live and die up front. He didn't sugarcoat it. He knows it's a new-look group, but he believes it still has the toughness, depth, and accountability to win at the highest level Penn State has reached a point where the O-line room is not just five guys, Franklin said. That's a far cry from where Penn State was just a few years ago. Back then, if one guy went down, the whole unit took a hit. Now Franklin says they can plug and play without a major drop-off. And that matters in a loaded Big Ten where guys in the trenches get banged up fast He also talked about how this group is handling the leadership role. It's now on guys like Vega Ioane and a few younger faces to step up, not just with their play but in the locker room. Franklin made it known that this isn't a rebuild. It's a reload He stressed the O-line's role in unlocking everything else, protecting Drew Allar, giving Kaytron Allen space, and setting the tone for a physical football team You can't have the type of offense we want if the O-line isn't right Franklin said. That's where it all starts. It's not just about blocking either. Franklin wants this group to be nasty, vocal, and physical from the first snap to the last. He called out their ability to set a standard that bleeds into the rest of the team. That mentality that edge is something Franklin's proud of. It's taken years to build and he's not letting it slip now Even with new faces stepping in Penn State's identity in 2025 is staying the same. Big, tough, and dominant at the line of scrimmage. Because for Franklin it's never been about gimmicks or hype. It's about winning the battle up front. And if this O-line holds it down like he believes they can the Nittany Lions will be in position to make serious noise this fall. This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Penn State's offensive line poised for greatness
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Loaded Iowa football offensive line boasts Big Ten's top returning tackle Gennings Dunker
The 2025 season for the Iowa Hawkeyes may run through the offensive line. The veteran group of linemen is loaded with Logan Jones at center, Connor Colby next to him, and Gennings Dunker as well. The group has experience, talent, and confidence from last season, where they paved the way for more than 2,500 rushing yards and opened up lanes for Kaleb Johnson on his way to an All-American year as the 2024 Big Ten Running Back of the Year. Advertisement The trio could be the heart and soul of Tim Lester's offense with quarterback transfer Mark Gronowski under center. Fortunately, for Gronowski, he will have the best returning Big Ten offensive tackle protecting him in Genning Dunker. Dunker has topped Pro Football Focus' list of the highest-graded returning offensive tackles in the Big Ten ahead of 2025. Gennings Dunker enters his fourth season with Iowa and has 25 starts to his name after starting each game he was healthy over the last two years. The 2024 season saw him earn Second-Team All-Big Ten Honors from the coaches and Associated Press. Advertisement A classic case of development, like so many Iowa Hawkeyes' success stories, Dunker was a three-star recruit from Lena Winslow High School in Lena, Illinois. As part of the class of 2021, he was the No. 38 interior offensive lineman, the No. 15 recruit in Illinois, and the No. 535 overall recruit, per 247Sports. Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Riley on X: @rileydonald7 This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa football offensive lineman Gennings Dunker tops Big Ten tackles
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Time for the SEC to provide an answer to schedule inequity
Conference realignment put Greg Sankey and the SEC schedule makers in a grinder when they added Oklahoma and Texas. A conference that was previously scheduled with east and west divisions in mind, while keeping historic rivalries at the forefront of the conference landscape, had to make some adjustments ahead of the 2024 season. As SEC media days begin on Monday in Atlanta, Sankey and conference decision makers are still trying to work out the details for the future of the SEC scheduling. It's not a simple task, and there isn't a simple answer. However, some delineation of the teams is necessary. The current debate that has to be resolved first is whether or not the league moves to nine conference games like the Big Ten. Most in the SEC are in favor of the eight-conference-game format. Adding a ninth conference game puts a strain on head coaches and programs' ability to make a bowl game. While the bowls have lost a little bit of their luster over the last 25 years, it's still an important benchmark for teams. And in the revenue-sharing era, an important payday as well. But if they stick with eight conference games, they'll need to improve their scheduling system. These first two years of the 16-team SEC have put programs like Oklahoma and Florida at a disadvantage with two of the most difficult schedules in the nation, while Texas and Missouri play schedules that make their path to the College Football Playoff a bit more manageable. Moving to eight-team divisions or a quad format would allow the league to create more symmetry in scheduling. One of the reasons the conferences moved away from the divisional formats was the four-team College Football Playoff and the fear that teams would get left out of the playoff by losing the conference title game. It happened from time to time in the four-team playoff era. But in an expanded playoff, a team can lose their conference title game and still make the playoff. With the playoff expanding to 12 and likely to go to 16 teams by 2026, there isn't as much of a need for pitting the two with the best records against each other. Because there is so much scheduling disparity, there's no guarantee that the two teams that make the conference title game are the two best teams. Only an assumption based on record. But if the conference were to go to back to divisions, there'd be more common opponents that could help decide it on the field. Another positive byproduct would allow a team that may not be in the College Football Playoff hunt due to nonconference losses to still have a shot at making the playoff by winning their division and then the conference title game. That's the part that makes March Madness so fun. Teams that wouldn't have a shot at making the tournament get one by winning their conference tournaments. The SEC could create the same dynamic by going back to divisions. There may not be an answer provided at SEC media days, but it will be one of the major points of discussion this week. Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams. This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Future of SEC scheduling should reconsider divisions
