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Porter Moser had to put together an entire staff when he was hired as Loyola coach in 2011, and he's at it again in 2013.

Moser confirmed Monday he has lost all three of his assistant coaches to other positions.

Rick Malnati left the program in April after two seasons to become a high school coach again. Malnati will be the varsity boys basketball coach at Fenwick High School in Oak Park, Ill. Malnati was previously the varsity boys basketball coach at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Ill.

Armon Gates recently left Loyola to be an assistant coach for Northwestern coach Chris Collins. Gates' hiring is expected to be announced by Northwestern soon. Gates spent two years with Moser.

Jason Gardner also recently departed Loyola to be an assistant coach for Memphis coach Josh Pastner, who Gardner played with at Arizona. Gardner had been given his first college coaching position with Moser and was at Loyola for two seasons.

"I was called for permission to talk to Armon in one hour, and the next hour I was called for permission to talk to Jason," Moser said on Monday. "That's just part of the business. I'm happy for everybody. I hope this is a reflection that I hire good people. It's a positive reflection on who we're hiring. People are looking at our program. They're high-character people. I'm going to miss them. I'm going to miss going through the day-to-day grind with those guys.

"We were really trying to resurrect this program. I'm 100 percent sure that I'm going to hire guys with that same vision. I wanted high-energy, high-character guys that can recruit and coach and relate to people. I'm not going away from what I hired before. Obviously, it's always a challenge when you lose an assistant. I'm going to hire a great staff again."

Moser said no one has been officially hired yet, but he already is in the process of adding to his staff.

According to a source, Daniyal Robinson is expected to join Loyola's staff and be reunited with Moser. Robinson was an assistant coach to Moser from 2003-2007 at Illinois State. Robinson has spent the past three seasons as assistant coach at the University of Houston.

Northwestern first-year coach Chris Collins is set to hire Armon Gates as the final assistant to his staff, according to a source.

Gates has spent the past two seasons as an assistant to Loyola coach Porter Moser. He was also an assistant coach at TCU and Kent State and a graduate assistant at Western Kentucky.

Northwestern is expected to announce the hiring of Gates once he is cleared through a background check, according to the source.

Moser said Monday that Collins was receiving a quality coach, recruiter and person.

"I think Armon is a rising star," Moser said. "He did a great job for me the two years he was here. He's a high-energy guy, a high-character guy. He was a good friend as well as a good colleague. I wish him all the best. Chris is getting a good one. Northwestern is getting a good person and good coach."

Gates is from the Chicago area and played at Hillcrest High School in Country Club Hills, Ill. He played at Kent State and earned his master's degree from the school in 2007.

Gates will complete Collins' staff. Collins previously announced the hiring of assistant coaches Brian James and Patrick Baldwin. Tavaras Hardy recently left Northwestern's staff to take an assistant position at Georgetown.

Former Washington D.C. high school coach Renard Phillips was named as an assistant to DePaul coach Oliver Purnell's staff on Monday.

Phillips had been at Friendship Collegiate Academy in Washington D.C. since 2012. Friendship Collegiate Academy went 20-7 and reached the semifinals of the Beltway Independent Playoffs last season. He has also been a prep coach at Arlington Country Day in Jacksonville, Fla., Progressive Christian Academy in Temple Hills, Md., Georgetown Prep in Rockville, Md.

Phillips was also involved in coaching DC Assault, a club program in Washington D.C., since 2008.

Phillips replaces Brian Ellerbe on the Blue Demons' staff. Ellerbe wasn't retained by Purnell after DePaul went 11-21 overall and 2-16 in the Big East last season.

Illinois coach Tim Beckman finally got his man as former Oklahoma State Wes Lunt has decided to transfer to the Illini, colleague Joe Schad is reporting.

Lunt, who passed for 1,108 yards with six touchdowns and seven interceptions as a freshman at Oklahoma State, picked Illinois ahead of Sugar Bowl champion Louisville. He'll sit out the 2013 season and have three seasons of eligibility left with the Illini.

Although Lunt is a Rochester, Ill., native, his transfer choice is sure to raise some eyebrows given the seemingly opposite trajectories of Illinois and Louisville. Some are already wondering whether Beckman will have an opportunity to coach Lunt in 2014. Beckman faced heavy criticism during a disastrous first season as Illini coach, and there was some talk Illinois would part ways with the coach following the 2-10 clunker.

Lunt's transfer is undoubtedly a big boost for Beckman and creates some optimism/goodwill among Illini fans. Will it cool off Beckman's seat and help his chances of a third season in Champaign? We debate it.

Adam Rittenberg

There's no denying Beckman needed some good news after nothing went right in Year 1. Illinois made a very strong push for Lunt, reportedly having former Illini quarterback Jeff George, who transferred to the school from Purdue, meet Lunt during his visit to Champaign. This is a big victory for Beckman, who landed Lunt despite all of his problems last season and a surging competitor in Louisville. How big? There's a better chance you'll see Beckman on the Illini sideline in 2014 with Lunt potentially calling signals.

Lunt wouldn't have made this decision if he thought Illinois would fire Beckman after just two seasons at the helm. He's taking a bit of a gamble as another 2-10 season -- or worse -- could spell the end for Beckman. But Illinois doesn't want to make another change in a program that has seen too much of it in recent years, and athletic director Mike Thomas certainly doesn't want to dump the guy he hired after only two seasons. What does that say to the next group of candidates? Illinois must show some improvement under Beckman in Year 2, which quite frankly won't be hard. Just take a step this season. The team has a clear offensive vision under new coordinator Bill Cubit that attracted Lunt. A few more wins and a sliver of hope for the future -- along with Lunt waiting in the wings -- should be enough to earn Beckman a third season.

Brian Bennett

The Lunt transfer is some rare good news and a much-needed off-the-field victory for Beckman, who can use any positive momentum after last year's disaster. But how much impact this move will have on Beckman's future is questionable at best, in my view.

Though Lunt and his family clearly must have checked in with Thomas and the Illini administration on their commitment to Beckman before deciding to come to Champaign, spring-time assurances of job security are worth about as much as a Hasheem Thabeet rookie card. I firmly believe that Thomas will give Beckman every chance to succeed and that he has no desire to dump his first major coaching hire at Illinois after just two seasons. But I also believe that if the Illini limp into November with only one or two wins and the Memorial Stadium stands are empty, then Thomas will be worried about the impact on his athletic department's bottom line, not some promise to or the promise of a transfer quarterback waiting in the wings.

Besides, do we even know if Lunt is worth all this hype? His numbers last year at Oklahoma State weren't great, and while he deserves credit for playing as a true freshman, the Cowboys' system usually makes stars out of its signal-callers. There's no guarantee that Lunt is better than Aaron Bailey, who was considered one of the jewels of Beckman's 2013 signing class.

Landing Lunt helps Illinois' depth and sends a signal that Beckman can still attract top talent. Ultimately, whether Beckman is still around to coach Lunt in 2014 depends on whether the Illini can show even modest improvement in 2013.

Sophomore tight end Dan Vitale will help Northwestern's passing attack create better balance in the offense during the 2013 season

Wes Lunt has finally decided on a new home. He's transferring to Illinois, a source told colleagues Joe Schad and Brett McMurphy.

Lunt, who grew up an Illini fan, believes the spread offense operated by offensive coordinator Bill Cubit would be a good fit.

Lunt also has a relationship with coach Tim Beckman and could potentially succeed as a senior starter and help turn around a program in front of his home-state fans.

Lunt heading back to the flagship school of his home state was mostly predictable all along (I called this one in print on May 17), and it's probably the best move for him after he decided to leave Oklahoma State. Homesickness had to play a big role in his decision to leave.

From purely a football perspective, his decision to transfer made no sense. Still, people far too often forget that the guys in helmets every Saturday in the fall are human, and if you don't enjoy the other 352 days a year when you're not playing football, it's hard to stay somewhere if you're happy just for those precious 13.

He won't win as much at Illinois as he would have in Stillwater in the next three years, but he's still got a path to the NFL and he'll probably enjoy his day-to-day life a little better, too. That's nothing against Oklahoma State -- it's mostly just a "different strokes for different folks" type of situation.

Lunt's exit and coach Mike Gundy's decision to limit him from nearly 40 schools drew criticism from plenty of folks (rival coach Bob Stoops was the only notable person I heard come out in support of the decision), but Lunt landing back close to home to help rebuild a program he loves likely won't draw any complaints from the Lunt camp.

Good spot for him. He'll have to sit out 2013, but will have three years of eligibility remaining. That's a lot of time to rewrite a legacy for a player who showed he's got a whole lot of talent, even in an abbreviated season in Stillwater.

Former Oklahoma State quarterback Wes Lunt has decided to transfer to Illinois, a source said Monday, after considering his options for more than a month.

Read the entire story.

Northwestern coach Chris Collins named his former high school coach Brian James to his coaching staff as an assistant on Thursday.

James coached Collins at Glenbrook North High School in Northbrook, Ill. James spent the last three seasons as an assistant to Collins' father, Doug Collins, with the Philadelphia 76ers.

"We're very excited to add Brian James to our staff," Collins said in a statement. "He has been a big part of my family going back to my high school days when he was my coach. Brian has been a great mentor for me. A lot of the things that I have carried with me throughout my playing and coaching career are things that I've learned from him. I look forward to having him on staff to lend his expertise. His experience coaching great players in the NBA for so many years will be a huge asset to our program as we move forward."

James has 14 years of NBA coaching experience. He was also an assistant on the Milwaukee Bucks, Washington Wizards, Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons. He was also as an NBA analyst for ESPN.com and spent two years as an advance scout for the Seattle Supersonics.

"This is somewhat full circle for me personally," James said in a statement. "Chris Collins and I have been extremely close since he starred for me at Glenbrook North at the age of 14. Now 25 years later, I get to coach with one of the most competitive big-game participants I've ever been associated with, regardless of the level. I'm elated that Chris would ask me to rejoin him as our staff strives to make Northwestern basketball a household name."

Collins still has one assistant opening to fill because Tavaras Hardy recently left the program to become an assistant coach at Georgetown. Collins previously hired Patrick Baldwin to his staff.

Notre Dame has landed consecutive top-10 recruiting classes. Which players from those groups have the best chances of making an impact as first-year players this fall?

C.J. Prosise, WR: The 6-foot-2, 208-pound Prosise redshirted a safety last season. He switched to the offensive side of the ball before spring practices this year, and the early returns have been positive. The Petersburg, Va., native had a long touchdown catch in the open field during an open scrimmage this spring, and his 35-yard touchdown reception in the Blue-Gold game marked the only time the Irish offense reached the end zone in the spring contest. With the spring transfers of second-year receivers Davonte Neal and Justin Ferguson, the opportunity is wide open for Prosise to seize the vacant slot position. He will likely enter camp as the leading candidate to bolster Notre Dame's struggling punt return unit, too.

Greg Bryant, RB: Bryant will not officially enroll at Notre Dame until June 17, but he has the potential to become an immediate contributor to the Irish offense. The ESPN150 prospect form Delray Beach, Fla., was ranked second nationally among running backs, making him one of the top running back recruits Notre Dame has landed in recent memory. The 5-foot-11, 197-pound Oklahoma de-commit should get a chance to compete in a deep but untested backfield after the departures of Theo Riddick and Cierre Wood.

Malik Zaire, QB: The early enrollee drew rave reviews from the staff this spring and figures to have a shot to play this fall after the suspension of Everett Golson. The southpaw is a dual-threat signal caller from Archbishop Alter in Kettering, Ohio. ESPN rated Zaire No. 6 among quarterbacks from the Class of 2013, and coach Brian Kelly said that he will get an opportunity to compete like everyone else in camp for the starting spot.

Corey Robinson/James Onwualu, WR: Both players enrolled this spring and found themselves getting plenty of time all over the field after Neal and Ferguson left the program. The 6-foot-4.5, 197-pound Robinson, the son of hoops Hall of Famer David, has the size and speed to go up and get anything in sight on the outside, as evidenced by a deep, diving, juggling catch he made during an open scrimmage. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Onwualu should also get a chance to contribute inside immediately after displaying flashes of athleticism early.

Notre Dame wanted out of its series with Arizona State, but the Sun Devils wanted to play. A compromise was announced Tuesday that is a win for the Sun Devils.

The Fighting Irish will visit Tempe on Nov. 8, 2014, but the Sun Devils won't make a return trip to South Bend, Ind., in 2017.

The meeting scheduled for Oct. 5, 2013, between the teams at Cowboys Stadium outside Dallas has nothing to do with this game contract. It's still on.

A statement from ASU vice president for athletics Steve Patterson:

“We’re pleased that Notre Dame was able to resolve its scheduling issues in a way that allows it to play at Sun Devil Stadium in 2014. ... Our entire Sun Devil family -- season ticket holders, fans, students, alumni -- and our entire community here in the Valley have been looking forward to playing Notre Dame in Tempe since the original agreement was signed in 2008. While the game at Notre Dame in 2017 has been canceled, what is most important to us is that the game in Tempe has been saved."

Notre Dame, which has been reworking its schedule after it agreed to play five ACC football games per year from 2014 on, apparently had a weakness in its negotiating position with ASU: Not including a buyout in the original game contract.

The loss of starting quarterback Everett Golson is major cause for concern at Notre Dame.

Though the offense in 2011 was slightly better with Tommy Rees at quarterback (2.3 points per drive) than it was with Golson last season (2.2 points per drive), the loss of Golson's rushing ability will be an issue.

Golson's departure means the Irish will be without their top three rushers from a year ago (Theo Riddick was a senior in 2012 and Cierre Wood left school early for the NFL). The only returning contributor from the backfield is George Atkinson III. He’ll be joined by USC transfer Amir Carlisle (who missed 2012 due to injury) and Greg Bryant (No. 2 RB in 2013 ESPN 150).

After a slow start last season, Golson and the Irish rushing attack came into their own in October. The team averaged 3.8 yards per rush in its first four games, but that average jumped to 5.3 from that point forward -- and that includes the 19-rush, 32-yard performance against Alabama in the BCS National Championship Game.

Starting with the game against Miami on Oct. 6, more designed runs were called for Golson. He also took it upon himself to pick up yards with his legs more often. Golson's designed runs went from 2.0 to 5.1 per game, and his scrambles went from 1.2 to 2.9 per game.

In the first four games of the season, Golson rushed a total of 13 times for one first down and two touchdowns. After that, 23 of his 64 rushes resulted in a first down and he reached the end zone four times.

Rees simply does not have this element in his game. He has exactly one rushing play in his career longer than 8 yards -- a 12-yard run against Tulsa during his freshman season -- and has never had more than 6 net rushing yards in a game.

Former Illinois forward Myke Henry said Saturday he is transferring to DePaul.

Henry, a 6-foot-6, 230-pound forward, averaged 3.2 points and 10.6 minutes in 35 games during his sophomore season at Illinois last year. He will sit out next season and have two years of eligibility remaining per NCAA rules.

“I really like what they have to offer me,” Henry wrote in a text. “I like the style of play that the coaches run. I like it because it's a new start for me, and I think I can really help them get this thing off the ground.”

Read the entire story.

This week, we told you that ESPN.com stats guru Brad Edwards picked Wisconsin as one of five teams that was better than its 2012 record and therefore looks like a sleeper pick in 2013.

Edwards has also gone the opposite route in identifying five teams that he thinks were worse than their record indicated last season , and his list includes two Big Ten double-digit win teams from 2012: Ohio State and Northwestern.

He is once again using an advanced metric called Extra Points Added that also accounts for the strength of each team's opponents. The Buckeyes and Wildcats were teams that played above their stat lines. That doesn't necessarily mean they will backslide in 2013, but Edwards says they will likely have to play better than they did last season to equal or surpass their win total.

Of Ohio State, he writes:

"EPA numbers tell us that Ohio State was not only a notch below fellow regular-season unbeaten Notre Dame in 2012, but the Buckeyes weren't even close to being a top-10 team. OSU did not rank in the top 20 of adjusted EPA for offense, defense or special teams. Considering that Ohio State won half of its games by seven points or fewer -- and that four of those narrow victories were against teams that didn't have a winning regular-season record -- this shouldn't be all that surprising."

And of Northwestern:

"Northwestern didn't play a single team ranked in the final top 20 of adjusted net EPA, and the Wildcats went 2-3 against teams ranked in the 21-40 range. From an EPA standpoint, Northwestern was just above average in all three phases of the game. Perhaps the larger mistake made by the voters last season was assuming the Big Ten was on a level similar to that of the Big 12 and Pac-12. According to EPA, it was not. The Wildcats were the sixth-ranked Big Ten team in adjusted net EPA and ranked around 40th in the nation. The sixth-ranked teams from the Big 12 and Pac-12 ranked around 20th."

Hmm. Well, you could certainly argue that Ohio State was not a dominant team last season, despite its 12-0 record. The Buckeyes struggled defensively in the first half of the season, needed big plays late to put away a mediocre Cal squad at home, and held off Indiana 52-49. They also needed a miracle to beat Purdue in overtime at home, won in overtime at Wisconsin, and squeaked by Michigan State on the road by a single point.

But what the numbers can't possibly show was the grit of last season's Buckeyes team, or its knack for making winning plays, especially by guys like Braxton Miller, John Simon and Ryan Shazier. With the exception of the Purdue game, none of their victories really seemed fluky.

It's also not surprising that the numbers don't love Northwestern, whose statistics in most areas from last season won't overwhelm you. Yet the Wildcats were in every single game and had a chance to go undefeated if more things went right for them in the fourth quarter. Nebraska and Michigan needed epic comebacks to beat Pat Fitzgerald's team, and Northwestern convincingly dispatched Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl.

The argument about the strength of the Big Ten is debatable, though the league is a little light in evidence to prove it wrong right now. Still, both teams don't face a ranked opponent in the nonconference schedule this year -- and share a same foe in Cal -- and will have their toughest games in the league. Northwestern's biggest concern is a schedule that includes crossover games against Wisconsin and Ohio State, and a three-game stretch where it plays at Nebraska and vs. Michigan and Michigan State in November. The Buckeyes lose some great leaders off last season's team, but still have the talent and schedule to be just as good. It's just hard to go undefeated once, much less twice in a row, no matter what the numbers say.

Looking at Illinois' X factor for 2013: the influx of junior college players.

Eddie Vanderdoes, the nation's top-rated defensive tackle recruit in 2012-13, has changed his mind and will attend UCLA instead of Notre Dame, despite signing a letter of intent with the Fighting Irish in February.

Vanderdoes, the No. 10 overall recruit on the ESPN 150, will have to sit out this season and lose a year of eligibility because Notre Dame has refused to release him from his letter of intent.

From the article:

Several coaches across the country have reached out to Notre Dame and also Florida State coaching staffs to ask they not release high-profile incoming freshmen from their NLIs.

These coaches feared that a precedent could be set forcing staffs to continue to recruit incoming freshmen after they already signed. Florida State incoming freshman linebacker Matthew Thomas similarly has sought a release from his scholarship.

That actually makes sense. A national letter of intent functions as a binding, one-year contract.

But this is also why elite prospects, such as Vanderdoes, should consider the option of merely signing scholarship papers on national signing day. That allows for a last-minute change of heart with no penalty.

Of course, most prospects can't be so bold. Scholarship spots fill up, and coaches might not want to play ball with a prospect who might back out on them.

But, from what I hear about Vanderdoes, he could right now go anywhere he wants. And now he's going UCLA.

The Bruins have some questions -- mostly based on injuries -- on their defensive line this fall, but starting NT Seali'i Epenesa is a senior, so Vanderdoes could step in and start in 2014. All three projected Bruins' D-line starters, in fact, are seniors.