Boilermakers Country

Big Ten Daily: Mike Woodson Says Trayce Jackson-Davis Has Been Indiana's Most Improved Player

Indiana basketball coach Mike Woodson says Trayce Jackson-Davis is the team's most improved player this summer, Ohio State offensive lineman Ryan Jacoby enters the transfer portal and Northwestern football coach Pat Fitzgerald addressed the team's quarterbacks. Here's the latest from around the Big Ten.

D.J. Fezler

Indiana basketball coach Mike Woodson's first priority was keeping star forward Trayce Jackson-Davis in Bloomington. Jackson-Davis, a 6-foot-9 forward and former 2019 Indiana Mr. Basketball, has already been Indiana's best player the past two years, but there are still a lot of holes in his game.

Woodson met with the media on Friday, and the Hoosiers' first-year head coach had nothing but high praise for the progress Jackson-Davis has made this summer.

"I think Trayce has (stood out all summer),'' Woodson said. "He's one player that was always intriguing to me. When I took the job, I was desperately trying to get him to stay and we were able to get that done.

"But from the time we started to where we are now, he's made some improvement in terms of how he's running and playing. He's playing much more aggressive than he did in some of the tapes that I watched last season. And we're going to need him to be that guy, the guy that plays aggressive. If he can average 20 points and double-digit rebounds, that's a major bonus for our ballclub.''

Jackson-Davis averaged 19.1 points and 9.0 rebounds during the team's 12-15 campaign last year, which led to Archie Miller's firing after four seasons. He recorded 13.5 points and 8.4 rebounds a game as a freshman.

Even though his numbers improved, Jackson-Davis could have been better last year, and he's buying into Woodson and his new staff.

"I think the biggest thing I worked on this summer from last summer is definitely my conditioning,'' Jackson-Davis said. "I felt like last summer, I wasn't in the best shape I could be in like my freshman year. I thought my freshman year I was in shape for the most part. But this year I've gotten a lot better.

"Then just being able to space the floor out a little bit more because our offense is going to be mostly position-less basketball. Just being able to just make plays for my teammates and be able to hit open shots is really big for me this coming season.''

For more from our Sports Illustrated Indiana site, HoosiersNow, CLICK HERE.

Ohio State Offensive Lineman Enters Transfer Portal

Ryan Jacoby, a third-year guard for the Ohio State football program, entered the transfer portal Monday, according to Rivals.

He has never appeared in a game for the Buckeyes and was slated for a backup role in Columbus once again this upcoming season. 

Ohio State hasn't had a player transfer from the program since May when Tyreke Johnson left the team and ended up at Nebraska.

Before entering the college ranks, Jacoby was a four-star prospect and the 283rd ranked player in the nation, according to 247Sports. He also was the 23rd ranked tackle in the country and the seventh-ranked recruit in Ohio for the class of 2019.

He committed to the Buckeyes in March of 2018, but will now be in search of an opportunity to start.

Northwestern Coach Pat Fitzgerald Discusses QB Situation

The Northwestern football program is searching for its starting quarterback to start the 2021 season. Without Peyton Ramsey leading the charge, another candidate is poised to start under center this fall.

Wildcats coach Pat Fitzgerald addressed the team's quarterback situation Monday, and he said three players are battling for the role. 

Hunter Johnson, South Carolina transfer Ryan Hilinski and Andrew Marty will all be in the mix during fall camp. Johnson even earned Fitzgerald's praise early on.

Johnson spent the 2017 season at Clemson before joining Northwestern and eventually seeing playing time in 2019. He's recorded 432 passing yards, one touchdown and four interceptions in that span.

Marty comes in without much experience. In his college career, he's registered just 150 yards passing on 14 completions with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Hilinski, who threw for more than 2,500 yards at South Carolina in 2019, will look for an edge with his experience. In that season with the Gamecocks, he passed for 11 touchdowns and just 5 interceptions in 11 games.

As of now, there is no timetable for an official quarterback announcement.

Recent Stories From Boilermakers Country 

  • SEMISI FAKASIIEIKI INJURED IN PRACTICE: Semisi Fakasiieiki was carted off the field Monday during Purdue football fall camp. The redshirt fifth-year senior has played appeared in 28 games for the program during his college career. CLICK HERE 
  • AUSTIN BURTON'S IMPROVEMENT ARE 'NIGHT AND DAY': Austin Burton is in a position to compete for the title of starting quarterback for Purdue football. Having a full year to master the playbook has made all the difference for the UCLA transfer. CLICK HERE
  • AIDAN O'CONNELL MAXIMIZING STRENGTHS: Fifth-year senior Aidan O'Connell looks to be named the starting quarterback of the Purdue football team for the second straight season. While he won't amaze everyone with his athleticism, he's constantly working on what he does best. CLICK HERE
  • FORMER PURDUE DT SIGNS WITH DENVER BRONCOS: The Denver Broncos announced the addition of former Purdue defensive tackle Lorenzo Neal Jr. on Sunday. Neal went undrafted and originally signed with the New Orleans Saints following the 2021 NFL Draft. CLICK HERE
  • PFF RANKS KARLAFTIS FOR 2022 NFL DRAFT: George Karlaftis is among the top defensive NFL prospects in the Big Ten and the nation. After playing in only three games last season due to injury and COVID-19, the future NFL draft pick looks to make a big leap in 2021. CLICK HERE

Become Part of the Boilermakers Country Community!

Published
D.J. Fezler
D.J. FEZLER

D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball. 

Home/Basketball