Big Ten Roundup (July 14): Northwestern Fires Baseball Coach, Names Interim Football Coach
Amidst the fallout of the Northwestern football hazing scandal, Northwestern baseball coach Jim Foster was fired on Thursday. The school fired football coach Pat Fitzgerald on Monday.
Less than an hour after that news dropped, Northwestern also announced David Braun would serve as the football team's interim head coach for the 2023 season. Northwestern hired Braun in January to be the team's defensive coordinator, following a four-year stint as the defensive coordinator at North Dakota State, where he helped Bison win FCS national championships in 2019 and 2021.
In other news, Michigan and Jim Harbaugh added to the Wolverines' loaded 2024 recruiting class with the commitment of four-star EDGE Jacob Smith, while Dylan Harper — the No. 1 high school basketball player in the class of 2024 — revealed a timeline for his college decision, with multiple Big Ten teams involved.
Here's everything you need to know in today's Big Ten roundup:
Northwestern Fires Foster, Promotes Braun
Who knew that five of the last six Big Ten Roundups would, deservedly, be focused on Northwestern?
Somehow, that's exactly where we've landed, as the school fired baseball coach Jim Foster Thursday afternoon. Reports stated that the coach engaged in bullying and abusive behavior, made inappropriate comments about a female staffer and was despised, if not hated, by almost every Northwestern baseball player this past season.
News of the firing was first reported by Danny Parkins of 670 The Score.
Less than one hour after Parkins reported the news of Foster's firing, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported that Northwestern defensive coordinator David Braun had been promoted to be the team's interim head coach for the 2023 season.
This doesn't come as much of a surprise, as Northwestern previously named Braun the team's day-to-day liaison soon after the firing of former coach Pat Fitzgerald.
Braun previously worked at FCS powerhouse North Dakota State as the Bison's defensive coordinator. He was hired in January after Northwestern had moved on from defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil.
Given what is currently known on the Northwestern hazing scandal, Braun's promotion makes sense, as he just recently joined the football program and did not work under Fitzgerald during the time in which the allegations of hazing were brought forward.
Michigan Lands Four-Star Jacob Smith
The two-time defending Big Ten champions are loading up for additional runs at the conference title, as Michigan added four-star EDGE Jacob Smith to its 2024 recruiting class this Thursday. Smith is twin brother of Jerod Smith, who had already committed to the Wolverines earlier this year.
Smith is Michigan's 26th commit in the class of 2024, and as a result, Michigan now holds the fourth-ranked 2024 recruiting class in the country, according to 247 Sports.
For more on the commitment of Smith, check out the full story on our sister site Wolverine Digest.
Dylan Harper Recruiting Update
Though Steve Pikiell and the Scarlet Knights aren't known for landing high profile recruits, they're hot on the chase of New Jersey prospect Dylan Harper, the No. 1 high school basketball player in the class of 2024, according 247 Sports' rankings.
Harper told 247 Sports back in April that he was waiting until after the Nike EYBL Peach Jam event to make his commitment, and this past weekend, he told 247 that he would make his college decision, "probably some time after this or during the high school season."
Harper has narrowed down his list to just five schools: Rutgers, Indiana, Duke, Auburn and Kansas.
Rutgers already has a stellar 2024 recruiting class, headlined by five-star and No. 2 overall prospect in the class of 2024 Airious Bailey. A commitment from the highly-touted Harper would put the Scarlet Knights on the national radar in 2024-25.
Related Stories:
- NORTHWESTERN FIRES PAT FITZGERALD: After a legendary playing career and 17 years spent as the head coach, Pat Fitzgerald is out at Northwestern following student journalist reporting that revealed further detail on the investigation of hazing within the football program. CLICK HERE
- PATRICK NGONGBA II LISTS IU IN HIS FINAL 8 TEAMS: The undecided four-star center in the class of 2024 announced his final eight teams this past week, and Indiana made the cut. Here's a full scouting report and film breakdown on his game. CLICK HERE
- INDIANA COACHES WATCHING COOPER FLAGG: Mike Woodson's assistant coaches were in attendance for the generational prospect's games at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam. Here's our scouting report on the IU target. CLICK HERE
- BIG TEN TRANSFER PORTAL TRACKER: Welcome to our Big Ten men's basketball transfer portal tracker, where we'll keep you updated on the latest incoming and outgoing transfer news for all 14 Big Ten teams this offseason. CLICK HERE
