ESPN College Football

Three new head coaches. Fourteen new coordinators. Quarterback competitions. New faces everywhere. The Big Ten had it all during spring football.

Here are five lessons we learned about the league this spring:

1. Big Ten offenses are speeding up: Tempo was a huge theme for offensive coordinators we spoke with around the league this spring. Defenses are catching up to the spread in college football, so offenses are speeding up to stay a step ahead. Ohio State coach Urban Meyer talked about mimicking Oregon with a no-huddle spread attack, and even conventional offenses like Iowa's and Penn State's will have no-huddle elements and an emphasis on maximizing snaps. It's a myth that the spread offense is new to the league -- teams like Purdue and Northwestern have run it for more than a decade -- but most Big Ten teams have spread elements and want to keep the pedal down as much as possible.

2. Bill O'Brien is building momentum but still needs a quarterback: First-year head coach Bill O'Brien has taken the necessary steps to win over Penn State's fan base. Now he needs to do what he does best: identify a quarterback and develop the signal caller for the 2012 season. The spring didn't provide much separation as Matthew McGloin, Rob Bolden and Paul Jones adjusted to O'Brien's complex, NFL-style offense. Bolden's struggles in the Blue-White Game might have closed the window on his chances, although no decisions have been announced. O'Brien told ESPN.com he wanted to reduce the candidate pool from three to two before fall camp. Penn State needs a significant upgrade at quarterback after the past two seasons, and the O'Brien effect must pay off for the Lions this fall.

3. Fresh faces bring greater accessibility: The Big Ten has a reputation of being a buttoned-up, closed-doors league when it comes to accessibility. And in some respects, the label holds true to this day. But new faces and new approaches have created a more open feel around the conference. Penn State opened up some spring practices to media for the first time in recent memory. Ohio State hosted thousands of students at an practice, creating very cool scenes like this. Open practices at Iowa seems like a pipe dream, but one of the nation's least accessible programs had more interaction with the media this spring than in recent memory. Hawkeyes coaches are taking to the Twitterverse, and there's even talk that Kirk Ferentz might start tweeting soon. While I'm sure mentioning this will jinx us, the increased accessibility is a welcome change.

4. Nebraska isn't lacking confidence: The Huskers didn't steamroll through the Big Ten in their first go-round, as some expected, but a somewhat bumpy ride didn't damage their confidence, either. Led by junior quarterback Taylor Martinez, Nebraska players are openly discussing the national championship as a goal for 2012. The Huskers last played for the title after the 2001 season, which marks their most recent BCS bowl appearance. Coach Bo Pelini is comfortable with the title talk, and Nebraska points to an offense that returns mostly intact, a defense with potentially more depth and arguably the Big Ten's best special teams units as reasons to believe. As wide receiver Kenny Bell told me, "It's a big jump to go from a 9-4 to a 13-1 or a 14-0 season. But if you don't believe wholeheartedly in a goal, there's no point in trying to chase it."

5. Spartans look loaded on the lines: Most football games are won at the line of scrimmage, and Michigan State is positioned to win plenty of them this fall. The Spartans' defense could be the Big Ten's best unit in 2012, and it starts up front with freakish end William Gholston, veterans Tyler Hoover and Anthony Rashad White, newcomer James Kittredge and others. Perhaps more important, Michigan State's offensive line is taking shape after a choppy 2011 season that brought injuries and personnel shuffling. This could be the deepest offensive line in coach Mark Dantonio's tenure, and the Spartans will try to re-establish themselves as a power running team with top ball-carrier Le'Veon Bell back in the fold.

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Iowa linebacker James Morris doesn't go along with the status quo. Unless he thinks it's 1985.

This spring, Morris conducted what he called a "social experiment," sporting a neatly cropped mustache, more Zorro than Selleck. His Hawkeyes teammates are big fans, his coaches have warmed up to it and even his girlfriend approves, "though she wants to deny it," he said.

"I'm trying it out," Morris told ESPN.com. "It's about the only time you can have a mustache like this. You won't get fired and your boss won't give you [stuff]."

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz, who serves as Morris' football boss, has no issue with Morris' 'stache nor his career path to this point. Ferentz, who frequently consults Iowa's recent history when discussing players or teams, likened the progression this spring of Morris and fellow linebacker Christian Kirksey to that of former Hawkeyes stars Chad Greenway and Abdul Hodge.

Greenway and Hodge, who played alongside one another from 2002-05, occupy two of the top five spots on Iowa's career tackles chart. (Hodge is third with 453, Greenway is fifth with 416.) Hodge led Iowa in tackles in each of his final three seasons, and he and Greenway own two of the top three single-season tackles totals. (Hodge had 158 stops and Greenway had 156 in 2005.) Both were two-time first-team All-Big Ten selections before moving onto to the NFL. Greenway made his first Pro Bowl last year with the Vikings.

Ferentz isn't putting Morris and Kirksey in the Greenway-Hodge category just yet, but he notes that the linebackers have followed similar paths. Both Morris and Kirksey saw action during their freshman year -- the 6-foot-2, 230-pound Morris made six starts at middle linebacker and recorded 70 tackles -- and they shared the team tackles lead with 110 stops apiece in 2011.

"If you talk about Hodge and Greenway, both of these guys are in that same position," Ferentz said, "except we had the ability to redshirt both Chad and Abdul, whereas James and Chris hit the ground running."

Iowa would be thrilled if Morris and Kirksey could emulate what Greenway and Hodge did, but the juniors are interested in forming their own legacy.

"I wouldn’t say Chris and I are trying to be like Hodge or Greenway," Morris said. "A lot of people tailor their game or they try to look at the style of players who have played before them and see what they can pick up. Chris has done that, and I've done that a little bit, but we're just trying to be the best players we can be."

Iowa needs a lot from both men this season. The defense took a step back in 2011, finishing 60th nationally in yards allowed and 46th in points allowed, and has the youngest group of linemen in recent memory.

The unit's strength, at least heading into the fall, is in the back seven and particularly at linebacker. Both Morris and Kirksey moved around a bit last season but seem pretty settled entering 2012: Morris will play middle linebacker with Kirksey on the strong side. Junior Anthony Hitchens is the projected starter at the weakside position.

The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Kirksey is a speed player who also can lower the boom as a hitter.

"He's really got a good pop to him," defensive coordinator Phil Parker said. "He can run well. It puts him in a position whereas guys see him being a leader, stepping up and making plays. They're expecting him to lead, and I'm sure that's what he wants to do. Same thing with James. James is no question the inside guy you want in there."

Ferentz called Kirksey a "really positive, upbeat, high-energy player." Those qualities drew Iowa to him during the recruiting process and have helped him earn the respect and admiration of his teammates.

Morris, thrust into a vital position as a true freshman, is comfortable handling responsibility, saying, "I'm hoping to be the leader of the defense, the man in the middle."

Ferentz gave both linebackers high marks during the spring.

"They're really confident, much more so than a year ago because they've had that experience," he said. "I'm not saying it's Hodge and Greenway, but they're a little bit like them. They have good personalities, and they're both really good players who have totally invested and have a good vibe with their teammates."

The Kentucky Derby is Saturday, which is about all anyone in my hometown can talk about this week. (And if you've never been here for the Derby, put that near the top of your bucket list).

Anyway, since I've had one eye on the racing form for the past few days, I got to thinking about how the Big Ten would be handicapped if it were a horse race. Get your mint juleps ready, because I think it might go a little something like this ...

Michigan: 6-to-1 odds

The Wolverines are the hot horse now, at least in the mind of the general public, after an 11-2 season and Sugar Bowl win in 2011. They certainly have the pedigree to win the Big Ten derby. But they also face a potentially bumpy trip (Alabama, at Notre Dame, at Nebraska, at Ohio State) to the finish line. That's why I have them at somewhat tepid offs for a favorite -- er, make that the co-favorite.

Michigan State: 6-to-1

You have to like the past performances, as the Spartans have put together back-to-back double-digit win seasons, and they have looked strong this spring in workouts despite needing a new jockey to replace Kirk Cousins. They've beaten Michigan to the wire four straight times, so there's that. There could be a photo finish between these two stablemates in 2012.

Wisconsin: 8-to-1

Some see the Badgers as too much of a plodder, but they've won the Run for the Rose(s) Bowl two years in a row. With its offensive line and Montee Ball in the backfield, you know this contender can run all day. And Wisconsin appears to have an easier path to the home stretch because its division may not be as top-loaded.

Nebraska: 10-to-1

The Cornhuskers moved to a new circuit and endured a sometimes bumpy ride in 2011. That experience could prepare them for a stronger run this time around. They get a favorable draw, with Michigan, Wisconsin and Penn State coming to Lincoln, and they have the epitome of a war horse in Rex Burkhead.

Penn State: 15-to-1

The wild card in this race. The Nittany Lions get a new trainer (Bill O'Brien) and a new running style (the Patriots offense) for the first time in ages. This has felt like a program sitting on a big race. Enviable post position (Wisconsin and Ohio State at home, no Michigan or Michigan State on the schedule) could lead to a surprise victory.

Iowa: 25-to-1

This is a young but potentially frisky colt. The Hawkeyes have undergone major equipment changes for the first time under Kirk Ferentz (new coordinators on both sides of the ball) and may not have the horses in the backfield to go the distance. But Ferentz has made many a handicapper look silly in the past.

Purdue: 35-to-1

The wiseguy pick as a potential upset special. The Boilermakers broke their maiden under Danny Hope, finally making a bowl game last year, and looked healthy and sharp during the spring prep season. They're still facing a jump in class, but don't be shocked to see them at least hit the board in this race.

Illinois: 50-to-1

Ownership changed trainers (from Ron Zook to Tim Beckman) after some disappointing finishes. This talented contender was a big-time pacesetter last year (6-0 start) but faded badly down the stretch (0-6 regular-season finish). Perhaps some new training methods will help and the defense sure looks great in the paddock. But past performance indicates this is an underachiever.

Northwestern: 75-to-1

Always good for an upset or two along the way, the question remains whether these Wildcats are a one-trick pony (all offense, little defense). Plus, the traffic from the Legends Division seems a little too heavy for a clean trip.

Minnesota: 85-to-1

The Gophers showed decent closing skills last season, beating Iowa and Illinois in the second half of the year after a horrid start. Jerry Kill has a strong track record of bringing his charges along. Yet this still remains a longshot that might need another year or two of training (and recruiting) to be a real contender.

Indiana: 99-to-1

The Hoosiers didn't belong in the field last year, going 0-11 against FBS competition. They should stay a little closer to the pack this time around, but a victory in this race would be even more shocking than Mine That Bird or Giacomo winning the real Derby.

Ohio State: Scratched

DQ by the NCAA stewards. The Buckeyes are gearing up for 2013, when they might just be the favorites.

So there's how I'd write the program. What kind of odds would you give to each team, and who would you put money on in 2012?

One of the most common questions I get from both Iowa fans and Wisconsin fans -- usually around national signing day or whenever we post recruiting rankings -- is why their teams can't land more nationally elite prospects.

Then, they point to the recent NFL draft numbers.

As Brian Bennett detailed last week before the most recent NFL draft, Ohio State had the most selections (66) of any Big Ten squad in the previous 10 drafts (2002-2011). The Buckeyes' success surprises no one.

But which team came in second? Iowa. The Hawkeyes had 42 players drafted between 2002-2011. Wisconsin came in fifth, with 39 players drafted.

When I updated the numbers after this weekend's draft, they look like this.

Draft picks between 2002-2012

1. Ohio State -- 70 selections
2. Iowa -- 48 selections
T-3. Wisconsin -- 45 selections
T-3. Nebraska -- 45 selections
5. Michigan -- 43 selections

Iowa and Wisconsin have become two of the Big Ten's top four producers of NFL draft picks. The Hawkeyes and Badgers tied with Michigan State for the most players drafted (6) this year. The numbers are even more impressive when you consider that neither Iowa nor Wisconsin regularly brings in nationally ranked recruiting classes.

But that could change eventually, and Iowa and Wisconsin must do everything they can to trumpet their recent NFL draft success. The draft numbers should be the focal point for recruiting efforts going forward.

Every program has a shiny display at its football complex listing its current alumni in the NFL. Wisconsin and Iowa are no exception. But these two programs need to do everything possible to tell highly touted recruits that they can reach the next level if they play in Madison or Iowa City. Sure, it's great that Iowa and Wisconsin have turned former walk-ons or lightly recruited players into NFL prospects. But they also can develop elite recruits into next-level players.

One way to trumpet the success is through Twitter, a medium representatives of both programs maximized last weekend.

Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema had nine NFL draft-related tweets between Wednesday and Saturday, including these:

• Wednesday, 12:54 pm.: Congrats to all that landed NFL free agent contracts. We will lead the all of college football with rookies in the NFL for second year.
• Wednesday, 12:55 p.m.: The next highest number in the country was Alabama at eight. This year we should have the highest number of NFL rookies again for 2nd year!
• Sunday, 8:57 p.m.: Just wanted to wish all of our guys the best of luck rolling into draft weekend. Last year UW had 14 rookies in NFL camps for first time..

Bielema understands the value of social media and getting his message out. You can bet he'll be mentioning these numbers every time he connects with recruits in the coming months.

Iowa has been a little tardy to the Twitter game, but the Hawkeyes are catching up quickly.

Head coach Kirk Ferentz is about as likely to join Twitter as my 89-year-old grandmother, but his son, Brian, the team's new offensive line coach, was tweeting up a storm during draft weekend.

Some submissions:

• Saturday, 7:38 a.m.: Day 3 of the #NFL Draft. Only #Iowa and Alabama have produced a 1st Rd Draft Pick in each of the last 3 years #GoHawks
• Saturday, 7:41 a.m: Who does everyone think the first #Hawkeye drafted today will be? Remember, I have inside sources... #NFLDraft

Brian Ferentz surely will bring up Iowa's draft success on the recruiting trail in the coming weeks.

Both Iowa and Wisconsin face some inherent disadvantages in recruiting elite prospects, chiefly geography, as their states aren't bursting with high school talent. Neither program is a "traditional" Big Ten power, and while Wisconsin has won back-to-back league titles and Iowa has reached 10 bowl games (2 BCS) under Ferentz, the names "Wisconsin" and "Iowa" don't resonate with the top recruits as much as "Ohio State" and "Michigan" do.

But three letters resonate with everyone: NFL.

The numbers don't lie, and Iowa's and Wisconsin's recent draft output should be at the forefront of their recruiting efforts.

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- If you graded the magnitude of FBS coaching changes from the past offseason, Iowa's would barely make the needle move on the Richter scale.

Even in Big Ten territory, the ground shook more in places like State College, Columbus and Champaign. Iowa still has Kirk Ferentz, the new dean of Big Ten coaches, who has been at Iowa more than twice as long (13 seasons) as any of his peers in the league (Wisconsin's Bret Bielema and Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald are next at six seasons each). Unlike Penn State and Ohio State, the program hasn't been mired in scandal, and none of the personnel moves were forced.

But in Hawkeye Country, the transformation of Ferentz's staff equates to The Big One.

Ferentz made the first two coordinator changes of his tenure, hiring former Texas assistant Greg Davis to oversee the offense and promoting secondary coach Phil Parker to lead the defense. Two assistants moved positions -- including Reese Morgan, who shifted from offensive line to defensive line -- and Ferentz hired two former players, Brian Ferentz and LeVar Woods, as position coaches.

In the quick-change environment of college football, such moves are typically greeted with a shrug. But Iowa has been the model of continuity. Before Davis, Ferentz hadn't made an outside coaching hire since naming Erik Campbell receivers/tight ends coach after the 2007 season. By keeping offensive coordinator Ken O'Keefe, defensive coordinator Norm Parker and strength coach Chris Doyle for the past 13 years, Iowa created what Ferentz calls "a great foundation of stability."

"We've had occasional changes here, but not like this," Ferentz told ESPN.com. "It was an interesting period."

It also has been an exciting one. Spring practice inherently brings a newness, as the slate is cleaned and planning accelerates for the upcoming season. But spring ball at Iowa has taken on a decidedly different tone, one Ferentz and his players are welcoming.

While Ferentz didn't force anyone out the door -- O'Keefe left for an assistant post with the Miami Dolphins, Parker retired and defensive line coach Rick Kaczenski left for Nebraska -- he vows that changes would have been made even if the staff had remained intact. Iowa has lost momentum following an 11-2 surge in 2009, its wins total dropping to eight during 2010 and to seven last fall.

"We just needed to go back and make sure everything made sense and was adding up the way we wanted it do," he said. "Just consider some new ideas, some things that might benefit our production. Now it's actually been forced by the [coaching] changes."

Asked how receptive he is to change, Ferentz, who some label as too conservative and set in his ways, replied, "wide open."

"Bottom line is we're 4-4 the last two years in conference play," he said. "If that's the best we can do, then that's fine. But we felt like we've left something out there."

The more seismic shift takes place on offense with Davis, who steps in after a year out of football. Although his 13-year tenure as Texas' offensive coordinator ended on a down note in 2010, his offenses averaged 39 points between 2000-09, the second highest total nationally and first among BCS automatic-qualifying teams.

Davis has had success with different schemes and different quarterbacks. While Iowa fans shouldn't expect a five-wide, spread attack this fall, a historically buttoned-up offense likely will loosen its collar a bit.

"I kept hearing from Kirk, 'Regardless of whether Ken had gone to Miami, we needed to do some things differently. We needed to make sure we're growing as a staff, as players, that we're taking advantage of what our kids can do,'" Davis told ESPN.com. "So meeting with the kids, meeting with the coaches, it's been very refreshing. They've been extremely open to everything. Sometimes the same play said differently and explained differently creates excitement.

"And I sense an excitement."

The feeling is mutual. Davis said last year was the first time he hadn't been part of a sports team since he was six years old.

The 60-year-old has returned to the field refreshed and revived.

"You can tell how much he loves the game," senior quarterback James Vandenberg said. "He gets really excited for practice, especially when we go against the defense. You'd think we were playing the Super Bowl with how excited he gets when we execute well. We show up early for lifting and he is literally here every morning at 6 a.m., always ready to go.

"We all kind of feed off of that."

Vandenberg enjoyed his time with O'Keefe and showed promise in his first season as the starter, passing for 3,022 yards with 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions. But after some struggles away from Kinnick Stadium and the team’s poor finish -- Iowa dropped three of its final four games -- Vandenberg also sensed a need for change.

"It's just new blood, which kind of re-energizes everybody,” he said. "It's making us work hard, and we're watching more film than we probably would in the spring. And it's making spring ball really competitive."

The changes on defense are more subtle. Phil Parker (no relation to Norm) said he"ll run "basically the same scheme" as his predecessor, sprinkling in some new ingredients and perhaps simplifying things for a group that is extremely young up front.

Parker is a new voice, though, and a powerful one.

"He's a go-getter," safety Micah Hyde said.

"I didn't think [the team] needed coaches leaving, that kind of change," Hyde continued, "but we haven't lived up to our expectations the last couple years. We definitely should have been playing better ball. It is a good thing, just to get some new input."

That a seven-win season equals disappointment in these parts resonates with Iowa players and coaches. Iowa hasn't had a losing regular season since 2000 and since 2001 has averaged 8.4 wins.

But Ferentz's critics point to his hefty salary, ranked in the top 10 nationally, and the fact that Iowa has had just one 10-win season since 2004. The team also needs to regain its mojo in close games, which have been the norm throughout Ferentz's tenure. After a terrific run from late in the 2008 season through most of the 2009 campaign, Iowa is 3-7 in games decided by seven points or fewer in the past two seasons.

"How we maximize those close situations usually determines how we end up," Ferentz said. "We haven't done a good enough job the last two years. Everybody would agree with that.

"That's documented, so what can we do?"

They've shaken things up. And just maybe they'll send shock waves through the Big Ten this fall.

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Reporters and fans aren't the only ones who struggle to squeeze information out of Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz.

Ferentz's son, James, a senior center for the Hawkeyes, didn't fare much better this past winter.

When Iowa announced in early February that offensive line coach Reese Morgan would move to the defensive line, speculation immediately increased that Brian Ferentz, Kirk's oldest son and James' big brother, would return to his alma mater and coach the offensive front. James Ferentz heard the rumors, too. So he did some recon.

"I was trying to squeeze some information out of my mom, but she wasn't talking," James told ESPN.com. "Obviously, neither was my dad. He wasn't going to crack at all, so I knew my best chance was going to my mom. And when she wasn't talking, I knew I wasn't going to get any information."

James didn't discuss the situation with Brian, not wanting to put his brother "in an awkward position." But when their mother, Mary, clammed up about the situation, James knew there was a decent chance his brother would be leaving his post with the New England Patriots to return to Iowa City.

James ended up getting the scoop, but only a day before Kirk informed the rest of the team.

"I was really excited to finally hear the news," James said. "It's going to be good for Iowa football and selfishly good for me."

It's not unusual to see FBS coaches having their sons on the roster. Ferentz has coached his two oldest sons and his youngest, Steven, might walk on at Iowa.

There are also examples of coaches hiring their sons as assistants, like Frank and Shane Beamer at Virginia Tech or Steve Spurrier Sr. and Steve Spurrier Jr. at South Carolina.

But for a head coach to have one son on staff and another on the roster -- and to have the older son directly coaching his younger brother -- is unique. Brian played guard and center for the Hawkeyes. Kirk coached Iowa's offensive line from 1981-89.

"It's been great on two fronts," Kirk Ferentz told ESPN.com. "On a personal level, it's been interesting and neat, not something I ever envisioned happening. So that worked out beautifully. But more importantly, he's doing a competent job, and that's what we brought him here for, to do a good job coaching the line.

"He's off to a great start."

Brian's hiring has been scrutinized because of his relationship to his boss. The University of Iowa has a policy against nepotism that states familial relationships should be avoided whenever possible during the hiring process. According to documents obtained by the Associated Press, Iowa considered more than 100 candidates for two assistant positions before hiring Brian Ferentz and promoting LeVar Woods to linebackers coach.

From the AP report:

Athletic director Gary Barta has said it was his decision to hire Brian Ferentz, he will act as his supervisor and that Kirk Ferentz recused himself from the interview process. The claim was undercut earlier this month when Brian Ferentz said he had spoken about the job with his dad and took it because "you can't say no to your father."

The documents released Friday do not mention the relationship between Ferentz and his son, or any special steps taken during the hiring process. In fact, they show Kirk Ferentz was a member of the search committee for both positions along with other assistants and athletic department officials. A department spokesman had no immediate comment Friday, and university spokesman Tom Moore said the school had "followed its policies throughout this process."

Asked about the response, Kirk Ferentz said, "Not surprised, especially in Iowa, you kidding me? Anything that happens, you have to consider it to be news."

Ferentz noted how Iowa wrestling coach Tom Brands hired his twin brother, Terry, as associate head coach.

"That was a pretty good thing for the wrestling program," he said. "I wouldn't have brought Brian back here if I didn't think it would be a good thing for our program. That was the first priority."

James hasn't struggled to view Brian as a coach, first and foremost. He has been impressed by Brian's knowledge and his ability to connect with each offensive lineman.

"I don't if he's harder on me than most guys," James said, smiling. "He's probably a little quicker to point out my mistakes, but I make plenty of them, so I leave the door open a lot."

Iowa is young up front. While Ferentz has started the past 26 games at center, left guard Matt Tobin is the only other lineman with significant starting experience.

Ferentz sees the need for the line to prove itself and come together. He's excited to do so with his older brother and father calling the shots.

"If you can't appreciate the uniqueness and the incredible opportunity," he said, "I think I'd be missing out on a lot. I'm really fortunate to be in this position."

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Iowa running back Jordan Canzeri was scheduled to undergo knee surgery Wednesday, reducing an already thin position group from three to two.

"Hopefully, it will go well, and hopefully, he'll be cleared somewhere in the fall," Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz told ESPN.com. "But I don't think we can count on him next year. We're going to do what's best for him, first and foremost. We have to go on as if he weren't here."

Unfortunately for the Hawkeyes, it's a situation they know all too well. But it's also a situation they've handled remarkably well in recent years.

Despite having little to no proven depth at running back since 2008, the Hawkeyes have had a rusher finish in the nation's top 60 in each of the past three seasons.

It could happen again this fall. Damon Bullock and De'Andre Johnson both are drawing good reviews from Ferentz and new offensive coordinator Greg Davis through the first five spring practices.

"I'll probably jinx 'em," Davis told ESPN.com, "but they have not left the ball on the ground yet."

Iowa fans aren't too worried about that kind of jinx regarding the running backs. They'll be happy just having both Bullock and Johnson healthy and on the roster come September.

With heralded freshmen Greg Garmon and Barkley Hill joining the mix this summer, perhaps a featured back will emerge.

"We've had experience doing it for sure," Ferentz said. "We'll keep bringing those guys along, and when the new guys get here, we'll throw them in there as fast as we can."

Although Iowa wants to maintain its core beliefs of the power run and zone blocking, it's pretty clear the offense will trend more toward the pass under Davis. Senior quarterback James Vandenberg returns, and while All-Big Ten wideout Marvin McNutt departs, he'll have some weapons at wide receiver (Keenan Davis, Kevonte Martin-Manley) and tight end (C.J. Fiedorowicz, Zack Derby). The no-huddle will be a part of the scheme, and Iowa will try and stretch the field.

Like many, Vandenberg can't believe the misfortune that has plagued Iowa at running back, calling it "pretty crazy, actually." He also understands that the uncertainty in the backfield requires everyone else to elevate their play.

"Everybody realizes that we need to pick it up, as well as bring them along," he said. "You can't have 10 guys out there doing the right thing, and one guy doing something different because that messes it all up. So we're just making sure we're bringing them along and giving them confidence."

New offensive line coach Brian Ferentz has challenged his group to help make the running backs' job as easy as possible.

"We had an unfortunate injury with Jordan," said center James Ferentz, Brian's younger brother. "Brian just said no matter who's back there, it's our job to make sure there's holes and that we're making the way for that guy, whoever it is, to get 100 yards a game.

"Because if we can't do that, we're not going to win many games."

Iowa quarterback James Vandenberg has been brushing up on Greg Davis' history, both recent and ancient.

Since the Hawkeyes hired Davis as offensive coordinator, Vandenberg has watched numerous clips of former Texas quarterbacks Vince Young and Colt McCoy. Davis' last coaching stop took place in Austin, where he helped mold both Young and McCoy into elite college signal callers. As Vandenberg acclimates himself with Davis, he wants to get a sense of the system Davis has run and the quarterbacks he has coached.

But Vandenberg also is keenly aware he's not Young or McCoy. He's a different player with different skills. Will that be a problem for Davis? Hardly.

That's where the ancient history comes in.

"The one thing I always think of is he coached Gary Kubiak, who's the coach for the [Houston] Texans," Vandenberg told ESPN.com. "[Davis] was his college coach when [Davis] was only 28 years old. So he's been in the business for a long time and really knows the ins and outs and has done it with a lot of different people and systems."

Vandenberg is excited to be the next man in line. Before this offseason, Iowa hadn't made any coordinator changes -- offensive or defensive -- during head coach Kirk Ferentz's tenure.

While Vandenberg enjoyed working with former coordinator Ken O'Keefe, he echoes the seemingly program-wide excitement about having new voices in the football building and on the practice field this spring.

"It's some fresh blood," Vandenberg said. "That's what has everybody excited. There was nothing wrong with the old system, and we had a great coach. But the excitement comes with learning a new offense and hearing plays called from a new play-caller. There's a lot yet to be seen, but all these unknowns and knowing the success he's had is what has us all excited right now."

Davis' tenure at Texas ended on a down note in 2010, but his most recent success took place with McCoy and Young. The Longhorns had a top 25 offense every year between 2003-08. They led the FBS in scoring behind Young in 2005 en route to a national title and finished fifth in scoring behind McCoy in 2008.

Under Davis, Texas averaged 39 points per game between 2000-09, which ranked second nationally and first among teams from BCS automatic-qualifying leagues. While the numbers are notable, Davis' versatility has stood out to Vandenberg on tape.

"He knows how to play to his personnel," Vandenberg said. "When he had Ricky Williams there, he knew he was going to get 30 carries a game. When he had Vince Young, there was a lot of zone-read stuff. With Colt McCoy, there was a lot of empty stuff. He's adjusted to the guys he had and been successful in every aspect of offense, from power football to spread football.

"We're all excited to see what his wrinkle is for us."

Vandenberg, who racked up 3,022 pass yards with 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions in his first year as Iowa's starter in 2011, said he's familiar with most of the plays Davis wants to run, but needs to absorb new terminology and some different reads. Davis stresses the need to complete passes and get the ball out quickly, two areas Vandenberg feels are strengths of his.

Accuracy is a focal point this spring for Vandenberg, who completed just 58.7 percent of his attempts in 2011. His goal: 65 percent or better. He also wants to play smarter in games. To do so, he'll have to absorb Davis' system better than anyone else on the field.

"I'm able to bring guys along right now," he said. "I've had a little more time studying it. These practices are vital, just being to make sure we're all on the same page with all these new plays and all these new situations."

Change is in the air this spring at Iowa. The Hawkeyes have two new coordinators for the first time in Kirk Ferentz's tenure, one from the outside (OC Greg Davis) and one from within the program (DC Phil Parker). Ferentz also hired two new assistants, offensive line coach Brian Ferentz and linebackers coach LeVar Woods, and moved offensive line coach Reese Morgan to defensive line. For an Iowa staff built on continuity, this represents a a major shakeup. The coaches also will be working with a very young roster, as evidenced by the pre-spring depth chart issued this week. It all should make for an interesting spring in Hawkeye Country.

The Hawkeyes opened practice Wednesday, and ESPN.com caught up with Ferentz on Thursday.

Here are his thoughts.

What is the atmosphere like this spring being on the field with this group after all the changes?

Kirk Ferentz: Certainly we have a lot of learning to do for two reasons. Number one, our youth and inexperience, and secondly, with some of the staff changes. We have a lot of different elements involved. It's certainly different than when we finished up in December. It's a lot of positions, and some of it's schematically and that type of thing. We're all on edge a little bit, and that's good.

You made some of your hires fairly recently. How do you feel about where the offensive and defense schemes are at this point?

KF: We're pretty well down the road that we need to be on. We've had some really good meetings over the last several weeks. A little bit more intensive on the offensive side with Greg being hired at the end of February, but I think we've had good meetings. He certainly has a good grasp of what he likes to do and what he's comfortable with. We've been able to blend and mesh things. I think we're pretty much on the same page right now. It's been fun actually, just invigorating to re-examine some things. And the players, they always pick it up faster than the older guys.

When you sat down and talked with Greg, how close was your offensive philosophy to his?

KF: One of the things that really impressed me so much is his experience with various styles of offense. He's been with a lot of different types of players, quarterbacks, going back to Eric Zeier at Georgia, the guys he worked with at North Carolina, and at Texas, they ran several styles of attack. There was a lot of evolution when they got Vince Young. The thing is, he has a system that's been proficient and that he's comfortable with. It really is very flexible and adaptable. That part has all been good.

Very impressed with Greg, starting with all the recommendations I got, people who I have a lot of respect for in football who spoke so highly of him as a coach and so highly of him as a human being. And after a month of being with him, I can see why all of those things were said. He's really been tremendous. We've been fortunate to have great coaches here. You're always a little nervous when you lose somebody as good as Ken, but Greg has been outstanding.

I read your comments from the other day and wanted to clarify something. Did you expect to make some changes even if you didn't have the coordinators leaving?

KF: Absolutely. I was entertained a bit reading the reports of the press conference. The headlines were a little bit overstated. But that was something Ken and I had talked about, and Norm [Parker] and I had talked about as the year went on last year. You're 13 years into it, and we're all feeling good about being here such a long period of time. The great thing about stability is we all know each other.

But the other point, too, and every year you look back at things, but I remember specifically in Cleveland one year in '94 where we looked back and went through our playbook step by step. Steve Crosby had become our coordinator after the '93 season. We went through everything. The advantage of doing it is if you've been somewhere for a while, you add this one year and then you add that, and things don't always mesh or make as much sense as they should, so there's a cumulative effect there. So it's a good exercise to do, and I think it was time for us to do that regardless. And in the case of getting new coordinators, you have to do that anyway. It's been really healthy, it's been invigorating, and hopefully we'll be a more efficient operating group here moving forward.

You've talked about wanting to see better execution. What can you stress in the spring to help you execute better as a team?

KF: That's always the challenge in football. There were complaints about us. The perception is we're a conservative offense, and we threw the second-most amount of passes we had in 13 years last year, so I said they must have been conservative passes because we didn't get any credit for that. But overall, that's the name of the game, whatever you're doing, offensively, defensively or special teams, the key is how you execute those things. Certainly what you call can affect that, but at the end of the day, it's about the team that executes the best. That's the never-ending battle.

You have some guys out on the defensive line, but it's definitely one of the younger groups you've had there. With Reese Morgan moving over to that side, how do you see that group shaking out in the spring, and how will Reese's experience help there?

KF: It's maybe not identical, but it's similar to what we went through in 2005. We graduated four guys that were all in NFL camps after that season. Three of those guys are still active players -- Jonathan Babineaux, who's done a good job in Atlanta; Matt Roth's had a nice career; Derreck Robinson continues to be rostered; and Tyler Luebke is the other guy, was with the Redskins as a free agent. That's the price you pay when you graduate some good players. The last two years we've had a high number of seniors go out both years, and some NFL players in that group. It's something we anticipated, we knew it was going to be a challenge, but all that being said, we're optimistic.

One of my motivating factors for moving Reese over to that spot is Reese is just a tremendous teacher. That's the No. 1 thing I saw in him when we hired him here. He took Pat Flaherty's spot. He's a real builder, and he's done that with the offensive line. You look at last year, we had Riley Reiff, who people are talking about, but we also had Markus Zusevics and Adam Gettis, who both I think are going to get drafted here. They were both roughly 225, 230 [pounds] when they came out of high school and built themselves into players. Reese was a key component of their development, and that's what he does a great job of. I think we've got the right guy with the right group. We've got a lot of work to do, but at the end of the day, that group will be fine, just like in '05.

What would you like to see out of James [Vandenberg] during the spring?

KF: Just continued improvement. We expect him to play his best football next year and lead even better than he did. He played well last year and he led well, but he's going to have to do better. With a young team like this, it's going to be imperative that our most experienced guys play their best and lead our football team. It sure helps when you're playing better. And he's totally capable. We have confidence in James.

Is Keenan [Davis] another guy who fits into that category, needing to play his best as an older guy?

KF: Most definitely. If you look at the improvement Marvin McNutt made throughout his career, from making a move [from quarterback] in the middle of the '08 season, to the records he set, it didn't happen just by accident or just by him hanging around. He worked hard, he got better each year, and his hard work and effort, certainly in production and yardage, that's what we need from Keenan. Marvin's not here, quite obviously, so Keenan has to be the guy and take a very prominent role as a receiver. And he's certainly capable, so we expect to see that growth from him.

What would you like to see from the running back group by the end of the spring?

KF: Development and maturation. We have three guys that are working at that position who are talented enough. They're all capable, but they're young. Jordan Canzeri missed a significant amount of time last year with a hamstring issue. Damon Bullock, we moved him around enough that it probably rendered him ineffective. We'll let him settle at the running back position. And we think De'Andre Johnson has potential as well, but he's got to mature. He missed his first year because he was coming off an ACL injury from high school, so he's a little bit behind that way. But he's got every opportunity to develop and be a good player. It sure would help our football team.

When you're this young, are you more tempted to play freshmen if they come in and show that ability, or do you have to work with the guys who have some experience?

KF: We'll have a better grip on where we are at the end of spring practice. We're going to need some help at some spots, that's a given. Bottom line is for the most part, the guys that demonstrate they can play and help us, they're going to get that opportunity. We had the case with Allen Reisner. Back in '07, we had to throw him in. He was a true freshman. He wasn't necessarily ready to go, but we ran out of guys, so he had to go in there. We hopefully won't be in that situation. But anybody [who] can help us win next year, if it's special teams or on offense, defense, we'll give them an opportunity.

Greg came in from the outside, while Phil Parker has been there. What's it been like seeing him in this role? Do you see him putting his personality on the defense?

KF: We're early into the process right now. To the casual fan, it's not going to look a lot different, probably, but there will be some subtleties and some things not only Phil, but the entire staff talked about. It's like anything else, you're always trying to evolve and progress, move forward a little bit without losing your identity. That's probably what you'll see from that group. Phil's a veteran coach. He's had several chances to leave here for BCS coordinator positions and has chosen to stay here, so I don't think there's any question he's ready to go. He'll do a great job. He's very detailed and he's a good leader.

From a leadership standpoint, do you have some guys in mind, especially on defense, who you could see moving into those roles this spring?

KF: Most definitely. The guys that we're really counting on, you start with Micah Hyde. He's probably our most experienced player on defense, most proven, so we're counting on that from him. James Morris and Chris Kirksey, they're only third-year students next year, but they've played a lot of football, too, and good football. They're playing a leadership position at linebacker. And up front, I'd say Steve Bigach's a guy we're really counting on to really help set the tempo of the group. He's already been doing that, and I think he'll do a good job.

New Iowa offensive coordinator Greg Davis found himself in strange surroundings last year.

The veteran assistant coach did not have a job in football for the first time since 1973. Or, as he puts it, he wasn't part of a team for the first time since he was 6.

"It was surreal," he told ESPN.com. "The first Saturday of the season was different. It was the first one in a long, long time that I didn't wake up in the morning with my stomach turning."

Davis tried to keep up with football as much as possible. He visited with different college and high school teams in the spring and summer, and he taped every game he couldn't watch live during the season. On Mondays and Tuesdays, he'd tell his wife, Patsy, that he was going to work. Then he'd head upstairs and review the tapes while taking notes.

While Davis enjoyed spending time with his daughter and three grandchildren after moving to Dallas, he also missed the game. So when he heard Ken O'Keefe was leaving Iowa for a Miami Dolphins assistant job -- one that Davis also tried to land -- he sent Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz a text message saying he'd love to come to Iowa City.

Ferentz hired a guy who coached some prolific offenses in 13 years at Texas, including an NCAA-record breaking attack in 2005 when the Longhorns won the BCS title and the 2009 team that played for the national championship. But Texas finished 88th nationally in scoring during a wildly disappointing 5-7 season in 2010, and Davis was forced out by his longtime boss, Mack Brown.

"Our talent level slipped a little bit, and we were just not as good," Davis said of that 2010 season. "We just didn't handle things as well as we had. That was really the only year out of 13 that I was there that I felt like we didn't do as good a job as we should have."

But Davis doesn't sound bitter over the loss of his job or the constant criticism he faced even while his teams piled up wins. He understands that's part of the deal. He tells the story of the time Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a Texas A&M graduate, attended Longhorns practice and told Davis he was happy to see Texas start drills. When Davis asked why, Perry said that it would take pressure off him.

"I grew up in Texas and adore their passion for football," Davis said. "I felt in most cases there was some justification [for the criticism]. We had set the bar extremely high with what we expect as coaches and players, and we didn't meet it."

Now Davis moves on to Iowa, where O'Keefe often faced intense scrutiny for his playcalling. Of course, coordinators are often merely an extension of the head coach, and Davis isn't about to reinvent Hawkeyes football. He said the system he installs will be a blend of what he knows and what Iowa has always done under Ferentz.

"I did not come up here to run Texas' offense," Davis said. "I came up here to run Iowa's offense. I'm sure we'll do some things differently and ask different things of the players. At the same time, they have done an outstanding job here."

Davis designs an offense based on what his players can do best. For example, he said he had never used a zone read play until Vince Young came along at quarterback in Austin. Option plays were cut out of the playbook when the less swift but super accurate Colt McCoy took over the job. When Davis first started at Texas, the Longhorns rode the running game behind Ricky Williams -- "You didn't have to be Bill Walsh to know you've got to hand it to the big boy," he says.

The trick now for Davis is figuring out the strengths of players he won't work with closely until the Hawkeyes start spring practice March 24. The playbook will evolve between now and the end of the spring game.

"We'll take the approach this spring that we're a little unsure of what exactly the guys can do, where the features should be," he said.

He has already watched all of Iowa's games from last season and likes what he sees in quarterback James Vandenberg. The rising senior threw for 3,022 yards and 25 touchdowns in his first year as a full-time starter in 2011. Davis has helped develop many outstanding quarterbacks over the years, including Eric Zeier at Georgia and Chris Simms and Major Applewhite at Texas before Young and McCoy. Davis thinks he has a lot to build on with Vandenberg from the film he's watched.

"I see a guy that can make all the throws, who's throwing it from one hash mark on the field to the other," he said. "That tells you right there that he has a good arm. I see a good decision-maker. I was pleasantly surprised that he is more athletic than I had first anticipated. He's making plays off schedule and gets the ball out of his hand quickly. I would anticipate him having a really good senior year for us."

The biggest issue might be locating a No. 1 running back. The departures of star back Marcus Coker and backup Mika'il McCall after off-the-field problems leaves Iowa with very little experience at tailback.

But Davis said that's a position where he's not afraid to play youngsters. Cedric Benson and Jamaal Charles were two players who saw immediate playing time as freshmen at Texas and turned out to be pretty good.

"You worry about protections, and you worry about the quarterback getting hit," he said. "By the same token, it's kind of our job as coaches to put them in situations they are ready for. Maybe they're not ready to be an every down back or play on third down against all the different blitzes. But if he's talented enough to get in and help us, then we need to be smart enough to make sure we can get him on the field and be productive."

Those are the kinds of coaching challenges that Davis is happy to be tackling once again.

The Big Ten saw an unprecedented number of coaching changes during the offseason, as three head coaches were dismissed, Wisconsin's staff lost six assistants and many other moves were made. Barring an unexpected change, only four teams -- Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota and Northwestern -- will return their full staffs intact for the 2012 campaign.

Although the coaching carousel hasn't quite reached its end, Big Ten teams have filled all of their coordinator vacancies for the coming season. The league will have 13 new coordinators at eight different programs.

It's time to pass out quick grades for the coordinator hires (co-coordinators are graded together):

ILLINOIS

Co-offensive coordinators Billy Gonzales and Chris Beatty
Previously: Gonzales was LSU's receivers coach and pass-game coordinator; Beatty was Vanderbilt's receivers coach

Grades

Adam Rittenberg: C

Gonzales and Beatty both are strong recruiters who should help bring talented players to Champaign, but they're both young and unproven as playcallers. They should bolster Illinois' receiving corps, but I'd expect a few growing pains on game days as they adjust to bigger roles with a unit that flat-lined late in the 2011 season.

Brian Bennett: B-

Both are energetic guys who should adapt well to Tim Beckman's style, and both were considered up-and-comers. But as Adam mentioned, neither had led an offense before, so it's hard to give this too high a grade yet.

Defensive coordinator Tim Banks
Previously: Co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Cincinnati

Grades

Adam Rittenberg: A-

After a very successful 2011 season, Illinois' defense is looking for continuity and Banks can provide it. His aggressive style and pressure packages should translate well for a unit that still has a lot of talent in the front seven with linebacker Jonathan Brown, defensive tackle Akeem Spence and others.

Brian Bennett: B+

Vic Koenning declined to stay, and Jon Tenuta took the job for about 20 minutes before deciding to stay at NC State. As a third choice, Banks is a really nice hire and a better fit, in my opinion, than Tenuta would have been. After a tough first year with a Cincinnati defense lacking depth and experience, Banks did a great job turning that unit around in 2011. At Illinois, he merely needs to keep it going.

INDIANA

Offensive coordinator Seth Littrell
Previously: Offensive coordinator and tight ends coach at Arizona

Grades

Adam Rittenberg: B+

Littrell wasn't the reason Arizona made a coaching change in 2011, as his offense ranked third nationally in passing (370.8 ypg) and 15th in total yards (465.2 ypg). He comes from the fertile Mike Leach coaching tree and should help Indiana's offense become more balanced behind promising quarterback Tre Roberson.

Brian Bennett: A

It isn't easy to hire big-name coaches at Indiana, but Kevin Wilson got a good one as Littrell was left looking for a gig. The addition of Littrell already helped the Hoosiers land promising quarterback Nathan Sudfeld on the recruiting trail.

IOWA

Offensive coordinator Greg Davis
Previously: Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Texas (didn't coach in 2011)

Grades

Adam Rittenberg: B

Davis is an experienced coach who has coordinated offenses at the highest level and won a national title at Texas. He should help James Vandenberg's development at quarterback. The concern is he has been predictable at times and had his most recent success in a spread system, which Iowa likely won't use.

Brian Bennett: C+

Davis oversaw some record-breaking offenses at Texas, but he won't have the same kind of blue-chip talent at Iowa. Then again, in Kirk Ferentz's system, he won't be asked to generate 50 points per game. He's great with quarterbacks, and Ferentz will feel comfortable with a veteran coach who'll keep things simple. But to hire a guy who'd been out of football for a year was not very exciting for a program that probably could have used a battery recharge.

Defensive coordinator Phil Parker
Previously: Defensive backs coach at Iowa

Grades

Adam Rittenberg: B

Parker knows the Hawkeyes' personnel and brings an energetic personality to the defense, but he's not the big-splash addition some were hoping for after Norm Parker's retirement. Phil Parker has coached defensive backs forever but has yet to serve in a coordinator role. It'll be interesting to see how much he actually tweaks the scheme in Iowa City.

Brian Bennett: B-

Parker knows the Hawkeyes defense in and out, and I doubt much will change with the approach now that he is in charge. There was a curiously long time between Norm Parker's retirement and his successor's appointment, and Phil Parker has never been a coordinator before, so that brings my grade down a notch.

NEBRASKA

Defensive coordinator John Papuchis
Previously: Defensive line coach and special teams coordinator, Nebraska

Grades

Adam Rittenberg: B

Papuchis is a rising star and most likely a head coach in the near future. While I'm tempted to give him a higher grade, he hasn't been a playcaller and is just four years removed from being a football intern at LSU. Inexperience is the only main drawback here.

Brian Bennett: B-

Like Adam said, the grade level is held down here by a lack of previous experience. But every coordinator has to start somewhere, and Bo Pelini has been really high on Papuchis, who has done excellent work everywhere he's been put to use so far. Any growing pains should be offset by the knowledge Pelini can impart as a defensive-minded head coach.

OHIO STATE

Offensive coordinator Tom Herman
Previously: Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, Iowa State

Grades

Adam Rittenberg: B+

Herman is regarded as a rising star and a sharp offensive mind who, with the help of Urban Meyer, will inject some life into a bland Ohio State offense. The only potential drawbacks are that he hasn't proven himself in a big-time job like Ohio State, and Iowa State's offensive numbers from 2011 don't exactly jump off the page.

Brian Bennett: B-

Ohio State fans were probably expecting a bigger name when Meyer promised to bring in the best staff in the country. But Meyer has an eye for offensive talent and will be heavily involved in the offensive game planning himself. Though Herman hasn't done it on a major stage, he'll be working with a lot more talent in Columbus, and this grade could easily prove to be an A in the future.

Defensive coordinator Luke Fickell and co-defensive coordinator Everett Withers
Previously: Fickell was Ohio State's head coach; Withers was North Carolina's head coach

Grades

Adam Rittenberg: A-

There's a lot to like about this pair, as both men return to coaching defense after being put in awkward positions last season. It'll be interesting to see how Fickell fares as the primary defensive playcaller. Withers has a few blotches on his résumé (Minnesota 2007) but brings a lot of experience to the table.

Brian Bennett: A

The head-coaching experience both men got last year should only help their development as coaches, and both are excellent recruiters. My only concern is whether there are too many cooks in the kitchen, but there's no reason to believe that Fickell and Withers won't get along and accept their roles. If so, this should work out really well.

PENN STATE

Defensive coordinator Ted Roof
Previously: Defensive coordinator at Auburn (briefly took Central Florida defensive coordinator job in December)

Grades

Adam Rittenberg: C+

While I loved what Roof did at Minnesota in 2008, his exit from Auburn after some struggles there raises a few red flags. The good news is he steps into a very good situation with Penn State's defense, and he has three good assistants: Larry Johnson, Ron Vanderlinden and John Butler, two of whom (Johnson and Vanderlinden) are holdovers from the previous staff.

Brian Bennett: C

Roof has some very bright spots on his long résumé, but he's also been a serial job-changer whom Auburn fans couldn't wait to see leave town despite the national title. Bill O'Brien could have retained Tom Bradley or promoted Johnson and probably done just as well, if not better. But he has a previous relationship with Roof, so the trust factor should be high.

PURDUE

Defensive coordinator Tim Tibesar
Previously: Defensive coordinator for the CFL's Montreal Alouettes

Grades

Adam Rittenberg: C

Both the change and the hire surprised me a bit, and Tibesar is a bit of a wild card coming back to college football from the CFL. He knows how to face the spread offense, a primary reason Danny Hope hired him, and had some success in Montreal. But his previous FBS stop at Kansas State resulted in some struggles (117th-rated defense in 2008).

Brian Bennett: C-

If Tibesar pans out as a successful defensive coordinator, perhaps Hope will start a trend of teams looking to the Great White North for assistant coaches. I'll give Hope some credit for making an unconventional choice, but I'm a little skeptical about just how well the CFL experience will translate to college.

WISCONSIN

Offensive coordinator Matt Canada
Previously: Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Northern Illinois

Grades

Adam Rittenberg: B

Canada has extensive coordinator experience, including four seasons in the Big Ten at Indiana, but he has been primarily a spread coach in recent seasons. While he had success running a pro-style system during his first stint at Northern Illinois (2003), he'll have to make some adjustments. The good news: he inherits a lot of talent and understands his main job is to keep the momentum going.

Brian Bennett: B-

I was surprised that Bret Bielema didn't chose someone who was a pro-style disciple through and through given his strong comments about not changing the offense much after Paul Chryst left. As Adam said, Canada knows his stuff and has done some good work as a coordinator. But anytime a coach has to adjust his style to a larger system and not the other way around creates a seed of doubt.

1. LSU fans still may be moping about the BCS Championship Game loss to Alabama. But the university’s decision to expand Tiger Stadium by nearly 7,000 seats is an indication of how successful the Tigers are. As the Baton Rouge Advocate reported, capacity at Death Valley will be a shade under 100,000. That moves LSU past Georgia and USC into seventh place in stadium size. The rich keep getting richer.

2. It makes sense that Kirk Ferentz, who had the same coordinators for all 13 seasons at Iowa, looked for a veteran assistant to run the offense. Greg Davis sat out of coaching in 2011 after parting ways with Mack Brown, for whom he worked at Texas and North Carolina. Hawkeyes fans accustomed to a potent running game may have to learn to love the quick pass into the flat. When Major Applewhite and Colt McCoy threw it, Davis always said it served the same purpose as a run.

3. If the Big East is so awful, and the Big 12 is so wonderful, how come it cost West Virginia $20 million to leave the former while Texas A&M and Missouri are paying “only” $12.4 million to leave the latter? It may be as simple as the Big East rule that called for West Virginia to remain in the league for two more seasons before it could extract itself. That doesn’t make it any less counterintuitive.

A vocal portion of the Iowa fan base longed to replace offensive coordinator Ken O'Keefe and bring in some new blood from outside the program. Those Hawkeyes fans got their wish but might be surprised at how similar the new playcaller is to the former one.

The 58-year-old O'Keefe resigned earlier this month after 13 years as Kirk Ferentz's offensive coordinator, moving on to an assistant's job with the Miami Dolphins. O'Keefe's conservative style was heavily criticized, though his offenses experienced major success behind star quarterbacks. Ferentz chose to replace him Monday with former Texas offensive coordinator Greg Davis -- a 60-year-old veteran assistant who spent 13 years calling plays for the Longhorns and who was criticized for being too conservative, though his offenses had major success behind star quarterbacks.

OK, it's far too simplistic to suggest O'Keefe and Davis are cut from the exact same cloth. But there are certainly some interesting parallels between the two.

Like O'Keefe, Davis probably weathered more criticism than he deserved. When he had it rolling, his offenses were some of the very best in the country. The 2005 Longhorns averaged more than 50 points per game on their way to the BCS title behind the singular talents of Vince Young at quarterback. He oversaw other prolific attacks led by quarterback Colt McCoy, as Texas beat Ohio State in 2009 Fiesta Bowl and earned a spot in the 2010 BCS title game. Davis also developed standout quarterbacks Major Applewhite and Chris Simms, not unlike how O'Keefe produced stars at the position like Brad Banks and Ricky Stanzi.

Yet for all of his successes in Austin, Davis never truly felt the love from the fan base. For the longest time, before Young blossomed into a superstar, the Longhorns stalled on offense against tough opponents, especially Oklahoma. After McCoy graduated, Texas struggled for two years to get back on track before Mack Brown finally showed his longtime trusted friend the door. The team struggled mightily to generate a strong rushing game once Jamaal Charles headed to the NFL after the 2007 season. To put it simply, Davis' offenses worked when he had a great quarterback and scuffled when they didn't.

While Texas used spread elements, particularly with Young and McCoy in charge, Davis often stuck to the basics and had a maddening tendency to play it safe in big spots. Sound familiar, Hawkeyes fans?

It must also be noted that Davis also benefited from some wildly impressive, blue-chip offensive talent that Brown recruited, like Young, McCoy, Charles, Roy Williams and Limas Sweed. While Iowa has done a great job under Ferentz of identifying and developing players, the Hawkeyes don't get the kind of five-star recruits that Texas brings in every year. Few teams do, so that's no knock on Iowa. Part of the problem in Texas the past couple years seems to be that the highly-rated recruits weren't as good as people thought. Can Davis succeed without top-notch talent?

Davis must also prove that he can design a consistent, competent running game, which has long been a hallmark of Ferentz's teams. He'll need to do so without any proven depth at the position after Marcus Coker's departure. The happiest man in Iowa City should be James Vandenberg, who should thrive under Davis in his second year of starting at quarterback.

Davis has been a coach for 33 years and has been a part of a lot of very successful teams. There is much to like about him and his résumé. There are also a lot of similarities between him and O'Keefe, for better and for worse. Ferentz has never had any other playcaller at Iowa besides O'Keefe, so it's little surprise that he stayed true to form with this pick.

When the Big Ten football coaches gathered in Chicago for a meeting earlier this month, Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald looked over to Iowa's Kirk Ferentz and joked, "Which one of us is the old man now?"

Fitzgerald was struck by the notion that at age 37, heading into his seventh year as the Wildcats' head man, he is now the second-longest-tenured coach in the league. That shows how much change the conference has experienced the past two years -- and illustrates why this spring looms as an important time for many of its teams.

Three schools -- Ohio State, Penn State and Illinois -- hired new permanent head coaches this offseason, following the three that did so last year (Michigan, Indiana and Minnesota). Add in Nebraska, and seven of the 12 Big Ten teams have coaches either in their first or second year of competing in the conference.

"That's unprecedented," said Big Ten associate commissioner Mark Rudner, who has worked for the league since 1979 and currently serves as the football coaches' liaison to the conference. "It's a whole new world."

The Big Ten used to be known as a collection of icons, the league of Woody and Bo and larger-than-life coaches. No school is less familiar with change than Penn State, which will begin a season without Joe Paterno as head coach for the first time since 1966.

All the new personalities lead some to wonder if the Big Ten will maintain its identity and culture. Already, new Ohio State coach Urban Meyer has made waves with some aggressive recruiting tactics, leading Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema to criticize Meyer and caution that the Big Ten does not want to become a northern version of the SEC.

Meyer and Bielema met to hash out their differences in that coaches' meeting earlier this month. Rudner took it as a positive sign that 11 of the 12 coaches attended what was a voluntary gathering just two days after signing day. The only coach who didn't attend, Penn State's Bill O'Brien, was preparing to coach in the Super Bowl.

"Everybody seems willing to throw in with everybody else, so hopefully that will make for a lot smoother transition," Rudner said.

Transition will be the main buzzword thrown around most campuses when spring practice begins in early March.

Meyer will install the offensive system that helped the Florida Gators win two national titles as the Buckeyes begin their quest to regain Big Ten supremacy -- after the 2012 bowl ban expires, of course. Illinois is switching to a full-fledged spread attack under new coach Tim Beckman, himself a former Meyer assistant.

Jerry Kill at Minnesota and Kevin Wilson at Indiana will seek better things after disappointing first seasons, and each has brought in some junior college players to try to fill holes on the roster. Michigan won the Sugar Bowl in Brady Hoke's first year but still wants to move toward more of a pro-style offense, as long as it doesn't restrict the talents of QB Denard Robinson. Nebraska had its share of successes and setbacks in its first season of Big Ten play and now has a better idea of what it takes to compete in the league. The Huskers need to get stronger on defense but will have to do so without departed stars Lavonte David, Alfonzo Dennard and Jared Crick.

Even some of the most stable programs weren't immune to change. Wisconsin, which has gone to back-to-back Rose Bowls, lost most of its offensive staff when coordinator Paul Chryst went to Pitt and took several assistants with him. Purdue coach Danny Hope wasn't satisfied with making the program's first bowl since 2007 and reorganized his defensive staff. And as Big Ten dean Ferentz enters his 14th season at Iowa, he'll do so for the first time without defensive coordinator Norm Parker (who retired) or offensive coordinator Ken O'Keefe (who left for the Miami Dolphins).

"We probably cheated time here a little bit," Ferentz said.

Some veteran staffs stayed intact, such as Northwestern and Michigan State. The Spartans figure to make another run at a Legends Division title if they can adequately replace QB Kirk Cousins, All-American defensive tackle Jerel Worthy and their top three receivers.

"Players just want to have consistency in vision and consistency in expectations," Fitzgerald said. "When you've had a position coach for four straight years, you know what to expect, and there's something to be said for that.

"At the same time, when there's change, there's a newfound sense of urgency. Our big challenge is making sure our guys don't feel like we're Charlie Brown's teacher going, 'Wah-wah-wah-wah,' and start getting bored."

There's nothing boring about the transition at Penn State. Paterno's reign came crashing down in shocking, controversial fashion before he passed away in January. For the first time in decades, the Nittany Lions will have several new assistant coaches, not to mention a new style of offense and leadership under O'Brien. Players can already see the differences in winter conditioning.

"There's a lot of excitement around here right now," linebacker Michael Mauti said. "It's just a whole new way of doing things."

They'll be saying that on a lot of Big Ten campuses this spring.

Iowa fans grew antsy while waiting nearly two months for head coach Kirk Ferentz to name successor to Norm Parker at defensive coordinator. But Ferentz said Wednesday that he wanted to take his time with the decision, which resulted in defensive backs coach Phil Parker (no relation) being promoted on Tuesday.

"I just didn't see any advantage to moving quickly," Ferentz said at a news conference. "Unless you have to, there's no real advantage to that. So I just wanted to kind of sift through it, and I'm really glad that I did because my mind was in a couple different places. ... You want to take your time and feel really good."

Ferentz said he eventually settled on Parker -- who has spent the past 13 years coaching the Hawkeyes secondary -- as the best fit for the program. He said Parker has had opportunities to leave to go to other BCS teams, including a top-10 program that offered him a coordinator spot.

Ferentz did not announce a new offensive coordinator or any specific plans to fill the role vacated when longtime playcaller Ken O'Keefe left for the Miami Dolphins last week. He said he knew about O'Keefe possibly leaving as soon as Joe Philbin -- a friend of O'Keefe's -- got the Dolphins job. Expect Ferentz to take his time with this hire, too, even though current assistant Erik Campbell looks like a strong candidate to become another in-house promotion.

In some ways, it's understandable why Ferentz isn't making these decisions quickly. After all, O'Keefe and Norm Parker were the only coordinators he'd had at Iowa until this point.

"We probably cheated time here a little bit," he said. "I don't think anybody envisioned the head coach or two coordinators making it for 13 years. ... Right now, I'd settle for 10 out of the next two guys. That would be great if we could get 10 I'll be, what, 66. I'll have to figure that out then. Somebody will feel sorry for me and come join us at that point."

Some other notes from Ferentz's press conference:

• He explained his surprising decision to move offensive-line coach Reese Morgan to the defensive line by saying Morgan is an excellent teacher. The Hawkeyes will be very young on the D-line next season, and Ferentz felt Morgan was the right guy to get that group up to speed. He pointed to Morgan's excellent work of developing offensive linemen, including projected 2012 NFL first-rounder Riley Reiff, who came to school as a defensive end prospect.
• With the offensive line job open, speculation is rampant that Ferentz will hire his son Brian, currently a New England Patriots assistant, to coach that position. The elder Ferentz addressed that by saying he's "open to anything" but added that his son has a pretty good job right now.
• LeVar Woods was elevated from administrative assistant to a temporary coach during recruiting, and most expect him to be named the full-time linebackers coach. "He's still the interim coach as far as I know, at least," Ferentz said. "He's certainly interested in working here, and we'll let him go through the process. Hopefully he'll do well in the weeks ahead here and we'll find a seat for him."
• Ferentz said he didn't think the athletic department's budget would be an issue in hiring new assistants. But he also added, "I don't think we're going to try to sign a superstar coach or anything like that."
• A lot of Iowa fans wanted some change in the staff and many criticized O'Keefe's conservative game plans. Ferentz didn't rule out a major change with the new offensive coordinator, but odds are more likely that Iowa's style of play will look mostly the same. Ferentz said his next coordinator has to "believe in blocking" first and foremost. "As a head coach what I'm interested in is we've got to block. We've got to make the make-able plays and make sure we're doing a good job in turnover ratio. I think that's really critical if you're going to try to get somewhere."
• Iowa will move the start of its spring practice back a couple of days, and Ferentz would like to have the staff complete before the Hawkeyes get going in late March. But, again, moving fast is not his top priority. "Right now I think we've just got to make sure it's the right guy, certainly before we leave on spring break. ... Spring ball to me is about teaching the basics. It's about executing basic plays and just getting things taught. We have a very young team right now so it's not like we can be on page 7 anyway, so we really have to start at the beginning. So I think that gives us a little wiggle room there, too."