Training camp is winding down, and game week is almost here (with Week Zero kicking off Saturday!). That means it’s time for a recap from the road.
On the latest episode of Y-Option, presented by our founding partner 76 — keeping you on the GO GO GO so you never miss a beat — Jim Thornby and I sit down to unpack everything learned while traveling coast to coast.
What stood out:
Penn State: The Nittany Lions have earned the right to be in the national title conversation. I’m a big believer in Drew Allar, as QBs need scars and every Penn State fan knows he has them. I think his maturity and work off the field will lead him to his most successful season in Happy Valley and I would bet in January he will say he played with the most joy in his young career.
Oregon: Despite losing a ton of production, their competitive depth is elite. Dante Moore (not yet named the starter) looked like one of the most impressive QBs I’ve seen in years. His ability to layer the ball, locate his wideouts and throw a catchable ball is as good as I’ve seen on the tour.
The Midwest stops: Illinois (my CFP sleeper), Wisconsin, and Iowa. Three places I’d never been to and each visit revealed growth and momentum. Walking away, my takeaway was simple: everybody has gotten better from a year ago. Another takeaway, Bret Bielema is one of the nation's most underrated head coaches. His experience as a head coach, an assistant with the Patriots & more has tangible depth to it and will only help this team if they can get through September undefeated. I think his team will be one of the biggest storylines of the season.
Back West: Our tour out West began in Eugene and then headed north to Seattle to see Jedd Fisch’s team in his second year. Demond Williams, Jonah Coleman, Denzel Boston are all stars. With an improved OL this group is going to give teams fits. Add in two 6’4’’ corners and UW will be a must see team this fall. We concluded in LA for some Big Ten Network crew fellowship and after watching DeShaun Foster’s Bruins and Lincoln Riley’s Trojans one thing is certain–the West Coast schools all look like B1G programs on the offensive and defensive lines.
Courtesy of UW Athletics Overall: the best part of the tour was time with my colleagues. Gerry DiNardo, Kyle Coughlin, Ashley Adamson and all of our Big Ten Network colleagues - it was an absolute blast and we made sure to make the most of it. And our Coach found himself with more slips than he knows what to do with!
In addition, we dive into Cal naming a starting QB, Utah’s opinions on public injury reports, Stanford in Week Zero and the Cougs and Beavs. Overall, this episode is a full rundown of training camp takeaways, the storylines that matter most, and what’s ahead as the season kicks off.
So with that, let’s get after it!! We appreciate you riding along and as always, much love and stay steady,
Yogi
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