ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

Defensive end Cornelius "Tank" Carradine won't sign Wednesday with Illinois after committing to the school back in November, Bob Asmussen writes in The (Champaign) News-Gazette. Academic issues forced Carradine elsewhere, and he's looking at Michigan, Cincinnati, NC State and Kentucky. 

It will be an interesting signing day for Illinois, which hopes to retain top wide receiver Terry Hawthorne and a class that should once again rank in the nation's Top 25. 

As signing day approaches, here are some quick Big Ten items regarding recruiting and other matters:

• Michigan expects to land top offensive line prospect Quinton Washington on Wednesday, ESPN's JC Shurburtt reports. South Carolina and Miami are also in the mix for Washington, ranked No. 82 in the ESPNU 150.  
• Penn State defensive tackle Abe Koroma and former Lions defensive end Maurice Evans will serve a year's probation after being charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession in September. Both players can have the charges removed from their records if they complete a program for first-time offenders. 
• Northwestern linebacker Malcolm Arrington was denied a medical hardship after sustaining a knee injury in Week 8 last fall. Arrington, the team's top linebacker, had hoped for a sixth season with the Wildcats.
  
• Sorry this is a little late, but Michigan State added to its strong 2009 recruiting class with safety Jairus Jones, the son of former Detroit Lions running back James Jones. Jairus Jones committed during the weekend. 
• Iowa's state Board of Regents approved plans for a new drainage system at Kinnick Stadium and FieldTurf to replace natural grass as the playing surface. Iowa will become the seventh Big Ten member with FieldTurf as its home playing surface. The cost is estimated at slightly more than $2 million.

"Our staff has been looking at alternatives and options the past couple years as the drainage in Kinnick has grown progressively worse," Iowa athletic director Gary Barta said in a statement. "It reached a point of critical concern this year prior to our game against Iowa State. We brought in engineers to conduct additional studies and realized our only option is to replace the drainage system that is now 20 years old."

• Wisconsin's disappointing 2008 season didn't turn off commits or top in-state prospects, Tom Mulhern writes in the Wisconsin State Journal.