ESPN College Football

Slow news time in the Big Ten, huh?

• A ton of coverage on Jim Tressel's resignation and the aftermath at Ohio State from The Columbus Dispatch and The Cleveland Plain Dealer.
• Even the Chicago Tribune's editorial board weighs in on Tressel's downfall.
• The Big Ten can no longer claim to take the high road after the Tressel mess, Mike Hlas writes in The (Cedar Rapids) Gazette.
• Michigan State fans could be nervous as Mark Dantonio's name is mentioned for the Ohio State vacancy, Matt Charboneau writes in The Detroit News.
• Image isn't everything when it comes to Tressel, Paul Daugherty writes in the Cincinnati Enquirer.
• Purdue reserve kicker Jonathan Linkenheimer will seek a transfer, Michael Lewis writes in the Daytona Beach News-Journal.
• Both Michigan and Michigan State could benefit on the recruiting trail from Tressel's departure, Mark Snyder writes in the Detroit Free Press. More Michigan reaction to Tressel from annarbor.com's Michael Rothstein.
• Joe Paterno remains the highest-paid employee at Penn State, Bob Cohn writes in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
• Colleague Ted Miller thinks Colorado's trip to Ohio State is no longer so daunting.
• The Lincoln Journal Star's Steven M. Sipple thinks Bo Pelini lacks a deep desire to coach at Ohio State (LSU could be different). The Big Ten's top teams are down, which creates an opportunity for new member Nebraska, Dirk Chatelain writes in the Omaha World-Herald.
• Tressel's departure means Iowa's Kirk Ferentz is now the Big Ten's highest-paid coach, Sean Keeler writes in the Des Moines Register.
• Indiana AD Fred Glass thinks Hoosiers football is a "hidden gem," Randy Beard writes in the Evansville Courier & Press.
• A look at how Wisconsin fared against Tressel during the years, Jeff Potrykus writes in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Sad news for Wisconsin fans as the school has no plans to sell beer at games, Andy Baggot writes in the Wisconsin State Journal.
• Terrelle Pryor spurning Michigan ended up being good for the Wolverines, Rothstein writes.
• Missed this from last week, as ex-Minnesota coach Tim Brewster talks about the disappointing end to his time in the Twin Cities, Woody Wommack writes in the Naples Daily News.

The depth chart means a lot everywhere, but especially at Purdue.

Head coach Danny Hope has been known to post a different depth chart at the entrance to Purdue's practice field every day of spring ball or preseason camp. Boilermakers players constantly know where they stand with the coaches, and that they can't let up, even for one practice.

Given the ever-changing nature of Purdue's depth chart, the pre-camp version revealed Tuesday (page 16) should be studied accordingly. Still, it provides some clues about what the coaches are thinking entering preseason practice, which kicks off next month.

We already knew that Robert Marve will enter camp as Purdue's No. 1 quarterback, but here are a few more notes:

• Ralph Bolden is still listed at Purdue's starting running back despite undergoing ACL surgery in May. From the moment Bolden went down, Hope has remained very optimistic about the junior's status for the season despite the severity of the injury. Al-Terek McBurse is listed as the backup but likely will start the opener Sept. 4 against Notre Dame. Former wide receiver Keith Carlos is the third-string running back.
• Former quarterback Justin Siller, who rejoined the team this summer after a year-long dismissal from the university, is listed as a starting wide receiver alongside Keith Smith and Cortez Smith.
• The offensive line figures to feature some competition this summer, and here's how the starting five looks entering camp: left tackle Dennis Kelly, left guard Justin Pierce, center Peters Drey, right guard Ken Plue and right tackle Nick Mondek, who switched to offensive from defensive tackle this spring.
• The secondary is another group with some question marks. Charlton Williams and Josh Johnson are listed as the starting cornerbacks, while Albert Evans and Logan Link are tabbed as the starting safeties. Evans looks like the guy at strong safety, but the other three spots are fluid.
• Redshirt freshman Kevin Pamphile is listed as a starting defensive tackle next to Kawann Short. It'll be interesting to see if Pamphile maintains the top spot throughout camp, as there should be some good competition.
• Carson Wiggs could once again be a busy man this fall. He's listed as Purdue's starting kicker and a co-starter at punter with freshman Cody Webster. Wiggs or freshman Jonathan Linkenheimer will handle kickoffs.

Illinois' 2010 class won't make national headlines like the 2007 haul, and a few weeks ago, the team seemed to be in big trouble on the recruiting trail. But Ron Zook and his new-look staff are finishing strong and picked up several key recruits, including defensive back Earnest Thomas, during the final weekend before national signing day (Wednesday).

Here are all of the Big Ten-related recruiting bits from the weekend, courtesy of ESPN's Scouts Inc.

Wisconsin draws lineman Joe McNamara from the Deep South

A 6-foot-2, 275-pound defensive/offensive lineman, Joe McNamara of Cypress Bay (Weston, Fla.) has accepted a Class of 2010 scholarship offer from the Badgers.

A former Stanford commitment, McNamara choose Wisconsin over offers from FAU, FIU and Marshall.

Illinois snares highly-recruited defensive back Earnest Thomas

Safety Earnest Thomas of St. Mary's (Orchard Lake, Mich.), who recently decommitted from UCLA, has decided to sign with the Illini for the Class of 2010.

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound prospect also drew offers from Indiana, Purdue, Louisville, Minnesota, Missouri, Penn State, Wisconsin, Stanford and Vanderbilt.

Glenbard South prospect Austin Teitsma accepts Illini scholarship

A 6-foot-3, 230-pound defensive end/tight end, Austin Teitsma of Glenbard South (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) has chosen Illinois.

Ball State, Indiana and Northern Illinois also offered.

Boilermakers land Daytona Beach kicker Jonathan Linkenheimer

Mainland (Daytona Beach, Fla.) punter/kicker Jonathan Linkenheimer is headed to Purdue for the Class of 2010.

Four Buccaneers are now bound for the Boilermakers including The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Linkenheimer, defensive back Ricardo Allen, receiver/defensive back Chevin Davis and receiver O.J. Ross.

Illini snare 240-pound running back in Jay Prosch of Alabama

Recruited as a fullback, Jay Prosch of UMS Wright (Mobile, Ala.) has given a Class of 2010 pledge to Illinois of the Big Ten.

He was also recruited by Louisiana Tech and Northern Illinois.

Ole Miss scores four-star cornerback Tony Grimes

Highly-coveted senior Tony Grimes (Hollywood, Calif./Hills) has committed to Mississippi over Michigan and Maryland, ESPN affiliate InsideTheGrove.com reports.

"I had two good trips to Michigan and Maryland there's just something about Ole Miss that stuck with me. I like the other schools but I think Ole Miss beats them out and that's where I belong," he said.

Lely defensive back Jhony Faustin no longer headed to Boilermakers

Purdue has withdrawn a Class of 2010 offer to Jhony Faustin of Lely (Naples, Fla.), because the three-star prospect has yet to qualify academically.

Nittany Lions score sleeper linebacker/defensive end Brad Bars

From Montgomery Bell Academy (Nashville, Tenn.), promising defensive prospect Brad Bars has accepted a Class of 2010 scholarship offer from Penn State.

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Bars also holds offers from Army, Navy, Arkansas State and Central Michigan.