Big Ten Daily (Jan. 18): Ohio State Stars Justin Fields, Trey Sermon Turning Pro
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — A pair of Ohio State Buckeyes have decided to officially declare for the 2021 NFL Draft.
Quarterback Justin Fields and running back Trey Sermon both announced on Twitter that they are foregoing their senior years to declare for the draft.
Ohio State got to the National Championship game this season, but the Buckeyes were defeated by Alabama 52-24.
Both Fields and Sermon are projected to be first-round NFL Draft picks, according to ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr.
Michigan, Indiana Find New Defensive Coordinators
The Wolverines fired defensive coordinator Don Brown after the team went just 2-4 in 2020.
On Sunday, Michigan found a new DC in Mike Macdonald, who is the Baltimore Ravens linebackers coach.
“It is an honor to join coach (Jim) Harbaugh’s staff at the University of Michigan,” Macdonald said. “I firmly believe in his vision and am excited to get to work."
Another Big Ten team also appears to have found its new DC. Indiana's Kane Wommack took a head coaching job at South Alabama, so the Hoosiers went out and are expected to hire Charlton Warren, who spent the last two seasons as the defensive backs coach at Georgia.
Warren is a solid recruiter and will take over an Indiana defense that led the nation in interceptions last season.
Nebraska, Michigan State Still Affected by COVID-19
It doesn't seem like that long ago when Indiana and Nebraska were competing in the Big Ten Tournament, and Cornhusker head coach Fred Hoiberg was sick on the sideline and there were concerns he had COVID-19.
It turned out to be the flu, but now 10 months later, Hoiberg announced on Twitter that he has tested positive for COVID-19. Hoiberg said he is experiencing symptoms.
Nebraska was forced to shut down its basketball program on Jan. 11, which was one day after Indiana played them in Lincoln. The Cornhuskers haven't played a game since then. Their game against Minnesota on Wednesday has been postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 issues within the program.
Another Big Ten team experiencing COVID-19 issues is Michigan State. The Spartans had two games postponed last week — Iowa and Indiana — after two players tested positive.
Tom Izzo had a Zoom call with reporters Monday, and he said the team has had three more positive COVID-19 cases. The Spartans' game against Illinois this Saturday is now postponed. It's the third-straight game impacted for Michigan State.
Six Big Ten Teams Ranked in AP Top 25
The newest Associated Press Top-25 rankings were released Monday for college basketball.
Six Big Ten teams find themselves ranked inside the top 25. Iowa is the top one at No. 4. Indiana will be playing at Iowa on Thursday.
Michigan comes in at No. 7, Wisconsin at No. 10, Ohio State at No. 15, Minnesota at No. 17 and Illinois at No. 22.
Below is the full AP Top 25 Poll:
1. Gonzaga (14-0)
2. Baylor (12-0)
3. Villanova (8-1)
4. Iowa (12-2)
5. Texas (11-2)
6. Tennessee (10-1)
7. Michigan (11-1)
8. Houston (11-1)
9. Kansas (10-3)
10. Wisconsin (11-3)
11. Creighton (10-3)
12. Texas Tech (11-4)
13. Virginia (9-2)
14. West Virginia (9-4)
15. Ohio State (11-3)
16. Virginia Tech (11-2)
17. Minnesota (11-4)
18. Alabama (11-3)
19. Missouri (8-2)
20. Clemson (9-2)
21. Oregon (9-2)
22. Illinois (9-5)
23. UConn (7-1)
24. UCLA (11-2)
25. Saint Louis (7-1)
Others receiving votes: Louisville 155, Colorado 148, Oklahoma State 119, Florida State 112, USC 74, Duke 43, Drake 42, LSU 20, Boise State 15, Xavier 7, Belmont 5, Michigan State 3, Winthrop 3, Toledo 2, Utah State 1, Purdue 1
Tom Brew is an award-winning journalist who's worked at some America's finest newspapers, including the Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and the Indianapolis Star. He also owns the book publishing company, Hilltop30 Publishing Group, and he has written four books and published 16 others.