ESPN College Football

The Big Ten was the only major conference to avoid head-coaching changes this offseason, but the league certainly had its share of staff shuffling with assistants coming and going. Indiana's hiring of Mo Moriarity as offensive line coach on Monday marked one of the last turns on this year's Big Ten coaching carousel. Wisconsin still needs to hire a defensive assistant, but things are just about wrapped up.

Barring any late coaching changes, here's a look at who's gone, who's back and who's in new roles.

ILLINOIS

Offensive coordinator

• Who's out: Mike Schultz (fired)
• Who's in: Paul Petrino (previously offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach at Arkansas)

Defensive coordinator

• Who's out: Dan Disch and Curt Mallory both were demoted to position coaches. Disch is staying on staff as linebackers coach.
• Who's in: Vic Koenning (previously co-defensive coordinator at Kansas State)

Quarterbacks coach

• Who's out: Kurt Beathard (fired)
• Who's in: Jeff Brohm (previously quarterbacks coach at Florida Atlantic)

Tight ends coach

• Who's out: Jim Pry (fired)
• Who's in: Greg Nord (previously running backs coach/recruiting coordinator at Louisville)

Running backs coach

• Who's out: Reggie Mitchell (left to become running backs coach/recruiting coordinator at Kansas)
• Who's in: DeAndre Smith (previously running backs coach at UNLV)

Other moves

• Mallory left his position as secondary coach to become defensive coordinator at Akron.
• Special-teams coordinator Mike Woodford was fired along with Schultz, Beathard and Pry.
• Ron West was hired as a defensive assistant. His official responsibilities have not been announced.

INDIANA

Offensive line coach

• Who's out: Bobby Johnson (left to become assistant offensive line coach with the Buffalo Bills)
• Who's in: Myron "Mo" Moriarity (previously served as head coach at Carmel (Ind.) High School

IOWA

No staff changes, but recruiting coordinator Eric Johnson was named tight ends coach. Wide receivers coach Erik Campbell previously had worked with the tight ends, while Johnson had helped Darrell Wilson with the linebackers.

MICHIGAN

Linebackers coach

• Who's out: Jay Hopson (left to become defensive coordinator at Memphis)
• Who's in: Quality control assistant Adam Braithwaite was promoted to outside linebackers/strong safeties coach. Defensive coordinator Greg Robinson will take a more active role with the linebackers in 2010.

Other moves

• Secondary coach Tony Gibson will continue to work with cornerbacks and free safeties, and also serve as special-teams coordinator.

MICHIGAN STATE

Running backs coach

• Who's out: Dan Enos (left to become head coach at Central Michigan)
• Who's in: Brad Salem (previously served as head coach at Augustana College)

MINNESOTA

Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach

• Who's out: Jedd Fisch (left to become quarterbacks coach with the Seattle Seahawks)
• Who's in: Jeff Horton (previously served as quarterbacks coach with the Detroit Lions)

Wide receivers coach

• Who's out: Richard Hightower (left to become assistant special-teams coach for the Washington Redskins)
• Who's in: Steve Watson (previously served as associate head coach with the Denver Broncos in 2008)

Other moves

• Running backs coach Thomas Hammock was named co-offensive coordinator

NORTHWESTERN

No coaching changes

OHIO STATE

No coaching changes

PENN STATE

No coaching changes

PURDUE

Defensive line coach

• Who's out: Terrell Williams (left to become defensive line coach at Texas A&M)
• Who's in: Gary Emanuel (previously served as defensive line coach at Rutgers). Emanuel also was named co-defensive coordinator with a focus on run defense.

WISCONSIN

Defensive backs coach

• Who's out: Kerry Cooks (left to become outside linebackers coach at Notre Dame)
• Who's in: Chris Ash (previously served as defensive backs coach/recruiting coordinator at Iowa State)

Other moves

• Randall McCray, who served as Wisconsin's recruiting coordinator and assistant secondary coach, left to become defensive coordinator at Middle Tennessee. Wisconsin has yet to fill the vacancy.

Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster once again has gone back to the NFL to fill a staff vacancy.

After losing wide receivers coach Richard Hightower to the Washington Redskins' staff after just one season, Brewster tabbed Steve Watson as his replacement on Tuesday. Watson served as a Denver Broncos assistant from 2001-08, coaching the wide receivers from 2003-06. He was the team's associate head coach from 2007-08.

"Steve and I coached together with the Denver Broncos and in that time I developed a real admiration of him as both a coach and a person,” Brewster said. "He is an outstanding teacher of fundamental wide receiver play and I expect our players will benefit greatly from his experience. I am very excited that he has agreed to join our staff."

A former standout receiver for the Broncos, Watson coached with Brewster from 2003-05. He takes over a wide receiver group that struggled after star Eric Decker went down with an injury midway through the 2009 season. Watson will work under new offensive coordinator Jeff Horton, who comes to Minnesota from the Detroit Lions.

The Gophers will turn to Troy Stoudermire, Da'Jon McKnight, Brandon Green and others to step up in the passing game this fall.

Watson's son, Steve, is a junior linebacker/defensive end at Michigan who appeared in six games last season.

Barring any surprises, Brewster's staff is now complete for 2010.

Can I take a snow day?

• Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Bradley is the Big Ten's recruiter of the year, according to Rivals.com.
• Count Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez among those who favor an early signing period, annarbor.com's Dave Birkett writes. The Wolverines expect a wide-open competition at running back heading into the season, Angelique Chengelis writes in The Detroit News.
• Wisconsin's hiring of secondary coach Chris Ash last week could be a pre-emptive move if defensive coordinator Dave Doeren bolts for a head-coaching job, Tom Mulhern writes in the Wisconsin State Journal.
• Former Minnesota wide receivers coach Richard Hightower is heading back to the NFL, Kent Youngblood writes in the Star Tribune.
• Illinois head coach Ron Zook tuned in as former Illini running back Pierre Thomas helped the Saints win the Super Bowl, Teddy Greenstein writes in the Chicago Tribune.
• These are good times to be a Purdue fan, Darren Everson writes in The Wall Street Journal.
• Four Indiana players get ready for the NFL scouting combine up the road in Indianapolis, Dustin Dopirak writes in The (Bloomington) Herald-Times (subscription required).

Minnesota has promoted running backs coach Thomas Hammock to co-offensive coordinator, while the Gophers are saying goodbye to wide receivers coach Richard Hightower after only one year.

Hammock, the Golden Gophers' running backs coach since 2007, will share coordinator duties with Jeff Horton, hired last month from the Detroit Lions. Minnesota also has a co-coordinator situation with its defense as Kevin Cosgrove and Ron Lee both share the title.

"This promotion is a reward for the tireless work that Thomas has done as both a coach and a recruiter," Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster said in a statement. "He has done an outstanding job with our running backs and has been a huge asset to our staff. Thomas is one of the outstanding your coaches in America and I could not be more please to reward him with the title of co-offensive coordinator. He and Jeff [Horton] will do a great job coordinating our offense."

Hammock and Horton will look for better results from Minnesota's running game this fall. The Golden Gophers have ranked last in the Big Ten in rushing in each of the past two seasons, and no back has truly emerged to take charge. Hammock has been one of Brewster's best recruiters, helping to land running backs Lamonte Edwards, Donnell Kirkwood and Devon Wright, among others, for the 2010 class.

Hightower came to Minnesota from the Houston Texans and will step down to pursue another coaching job. Brewster expects to find a replacement soon.

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

MINNEAPOLIS -- Eric Decker looks for a place to sit down and chat, so he enters Minnesota's football offices and pokes his head in the team meeting room.

	Bruce Kluckhohn/US Presswire
	Eric Decker led the Big Ten with 84 receptions in 2008.

Hearing the booming voice of a coach going over film with a group of players, Decker quickly ducks out.

"We shouldn't go in there," he said.

If Decker were like most Big Ten football players, he'd be in there, going over routes and formations.

After all, he's Minnesota's best player, a team captain and one of the top wide receivers in America. An hour earlier, Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster sat in the same meeting room and told reporters that Decker, a senior this fall, should be on the short list for the 2009 Biletnikoff Award. Decker was a finalist last fall, when he led the Big Ten with 84 receptions -- 15 more than any other player -- and also topped the list in receiving yards (1,074).

At this moment, however, Decker is an outsider in the Gopher football offices. For the second straight spring, he's playing for Minnesota's nationally ranked baseball team, which is off to a 13-6 start after a solid road trip through Texas.

The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Decker is more concerned with tracking down fly balls in center field than footballs thrown by Minnesota starting quarterback Adam Weber. The Gophers football team opens spring practice Tuesday afternoon, but Decker will work out with the baseball squad later that night.

"I'll probably come in early, catch the end of [football] practice, see how guys are doing, see how the offense is going," Decker said.

His focus is on baseball, but Decker tries to stay involved with football as much as he can, especially since the Gophers are installing a new offense with new coordinator Jedd Fisch. He still serves as a football captain, and when Minnesota votes on its 2009 captains after spring ball, he hopes to retain the position.

It's a heavy burden, but Decker wouldn't have things any other way.

"It's been hard to balance it, but it's been good," he said. "It's been everything I've wanted."

(Read full post)

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

I'm not quite ready to put a stopper in the Big Ten coaching carousel for 2008-09, though the ride is pretty much over. Barring some unforeseen changes in the coming weeks, Minnesota's hiring of Richard Hightower as wide receivers coach will complete the staff shuffling for this year.

Here's a review of the coaching changes around the league this year. It's interesting to note that none of the league's top four teams in 2008 -- Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan State and Iowa -- lost an assistant. If it ain't broke ... 

ILLINOIS

• Offensive coordinator: Mike Locksley left to become New Mexico's head coach. Illinois hired TCU offensive coordinator Mike Schultz as his replacement. 
• Defensive line: Tom Sims was fired and replaced by hired Cincinnati's Keith Gilmore. 
• Offensive line: Eric Wolford left for the same post at South Carolina, and Ron Zook hired Houston's Joe Gilbert as his replacement. 

Notes: Outside receivers coach Kurt Beathard will now work with the quarterbacks.

INDIANA

No changes

IOWA

No changes

MICHIGAN

• Defensive coordinator: Scott Shafer resigned and was replaced by former Syracuse head coach Greg Robinson. 

MICHIGAN STATE

No changes

MINNESOTA

• Offensive coordinator: Mike Dunbar resigned and was replaced by Denver Broncos wide receivers coach Jedd Fisch.
• Defensive coordinator: Ted Roof resigned to take the same post at Auburn and was replaced by former Nebraska and Wisconsin defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove. Defensive backs coach Ron Lee was promoted to co-defensive coordinator. 
• Offensive line: Phil Meyer resigned and was replaced by Alabama assistant Tim Davis. 
• Wide receivers: George McDonald left for a quality control position with the Cleveland Browns and was replaced by Hightower.

Notes: Davis will oversee Minnesota's run game. Lee will continue to coach the Gophers' secondary. 

NORTHWESTERN

• Offensive line: Bret Ingalls left to become running backs coach with the New Orleans Saints. Superbacks coach Adam Cushing was moved to offensive line. 
• Superbacks: Cushing became offensive line coach and Lafayette offensive coordinator Bob Heffner was hired as his replacement. 

OHIO STATE

No changes

PENN STATE

No changes

PURDUE

• Head coach: Danny Hope took over for the retiring Joe Tiller.
• Offensive coordinator: Ed Zaunbrecher was fired and replaced by Florida Atlantic offensive coordinator Gary Nord.
• Defensive coordinator: Brock Spack left to become Illinois State's head coach and was replaced by Eastern Kentucky defensive coordinator Donn Landholm.
• Running backs: Joel Thomas left for the same job at Washington, and Hope hired former Kansas State assistant Cornell Jackson as his replacement.
• Offensive line: Hope handled the line in 2008 and hired former Eastern Kentucky assistant Shawn Clark as his replacement.
• Special teams: Mark Hagen moved from special teams to linebackers, and graduate assistant J.B. Gibboney was promoted to this position.

Notes: Tight ends coach John McDonnell was not retained for 2009. Terrell Williams will once again coach the entire defensive line this fall after working strictly with the ends in 2008.

WISCONSIN

No changes

Notes: Brad Pendergrass was named director of football operations. Pendergrass most recently served as assistant director for football operations at Mississippi State.

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

Houston Texans assistant Richard Hightower has been named wide receivers coach at Minnesota, the team announced today. 

Hightower replaces George McDonald, who left last week for a quality control position with the Cleveland Browns. He spent the past four seasons with the Texans, working primarily with special teams and defensive backs. 

"He's a young man who I've known quite some time, going back to when he played at Texas," Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster said in a statement. "Richard has developed into an outstanding football coach. His experience as an assistant coach with the Houston Texans will be invaluable to him as he joins our staff. Richard is going to help our wide receivers be the best they can be." 

Hightower played wide receiver and defensive back at Texas from 1999-2002. Brewster served as a Longhorns assistant from 1998-2001. 

McDonald had been one of Minnesota's top recruiters, luring top talent from south Florida. Hightower gives the Gophers another presence in the Houston area, which Brewster has recruited for years.