Wow, what an offseason we've experienced so far in the Big Ten. The dust has cleared from signing day, so we figure it's safe to offer a rundown of coaching changes in the league, starting with the West Division.
We're treating the changes at Illinois and Minnesota, where interim coaches were elevated, as new hires, because, well, they are. So you'll see the holdovers listed, too.
ILLINOIS
Who’s out?
Tim Banks, co-defensive coordinator
Tom Brattan, offensive line
Alex Golesh, tight ends and special teams
Mike Ward, inside linebackers
Who’s in?
Paul Williams, defensive backs
A.J. Ricker, offensive line
Tim McGarigle, linebackers
Jeff Hecklinski, tight ends and special teams
Promoted:
Bill Cubit, head coach
Ryan Cubit, offensive coordinator
Mike Phair, defensive coordinator
Retained:
Mike Bellamy, wide receivers
Nathan Scheelhaase, running backs
Al Seamonson, outside linebackers
Notes: After the August firing of Tim Beckman, Bill Cubit added his son, Ryan, as a full-time coach to work with the quarterbacks and ex-Illini QB Scheelhaase to coach running backs. When the elder Cubit got his job on a permanent basis in November, so did Scheelhaase. And Ryan Cubit received a promotion to offensive coordinator. Four coaches left, including Banks, who landed at Penn State to run the defense. Of the four newcomers, Ricker and McGarigle worked under Bill Cubit at Western Michigan. Williams spent the past nine years with Al Golden at Temple and Miami, and Hecklinski was a Michigan assistant for Brady Hoke.
IOWA
Who’s out?
Jim Reid, linebackers
Promoted:
Seth Wallace, linebackers
Notes: Reid capitalized on the Hawkeyes’ 2015 success to get the defensive coordinator job at Boston College, replacing Don Brown, who took over as DC at Michigan. Wallace, entering the third year of his second stint at Iowa, served as recruiting coordinator and helped with the defense for the past two years. Wallace’s former post has not been filled.
MINNESOTA
Who’s out?
Jerry Kill, head coach
Matt Limegrover, offensive coordinator
Jim Zebrowski, quarterbacks
Who’s in?
Jay Johnson, offensive coordinator
Bart Miller, offensive line
Promoted:
Tracy Claeys, head coach
Jay Sawvel, defensive coordinator
Retained:
Brian Anderson, wide receivers
Rob Reeves, H-backs and tight ends
Pat Poore, running backs and co-special teams coordinator
Mike Sherels, linebackers
Dan O’Brien, assistant defensive backs and co-special teams coordinator
Jeff Phelps, defensive line
Notes: So much for stability. The Gophers avoided a complete reset with the removal of Claeys’ interim tag amid his six-game stretch as head coach after the October resignation of Kill for health reasons. Kill, of course, was renowned for the longevity of his staff. Claeys showed right away that he’ll do this his way, firing Limegrover -- who had been with Kill and Claeys since 1999 and landed at Penn State. Sawvel got a promotion but will still work with the secondary. Johnson most recently ran the Louisiana-Lafayette offense, and Miller, a former Wisconsin assistant, comes from Florida Atlantic.
NEBRASKA
Who’s out?
Hank Hughes, defensive line
Notes: General stability in the first year under Mike Riley, who brought four assistants with him straight from Oregon State a year ago and hired former sidekick Danny Langsdorf from the New York Giants as offensive coordinator. But Riley feels the urgency to win now after a 6-7 debut season. The 62-year-old coach cut ties with Hughes, a Riley outsider, two days after the Huskers’ recruiting class was secure last week. Hughes’ replacement looms as a key hire.
NORTHWESTERN
No changes.
Notes: Thank you, Pat Fitzgerald, for retaining some sense of sanity in this wild offseason of change. The Wildcats, after a 10-win season, were content to stand pat. Fitzgerald, entering his 11th season in charge, has not hired an assistant since receivers coach Dennis Springer came on board in 2011. Assistants Randy Bates (linebackers), Adam Cushing (offensive line), Matt MacPherson (running backs) and Jerry Brown (secondary) have worked for Fitzgerald since the beginning.
PURDUE
Who’s out?
Greg Hudson, defensive coordinator
John Shoop, offensive coordinator
Rubin Carter, defensive line
Jim Bridge, offensive line
Jafar Williams, running backs
Who’s in?
Ross Els, defensive coordinator
Darrell Funk, offensive line
Randy Melvin, defensive line
Tim Lester, quarterbacks
DeAndre Smith, running backs
Promoted:
Terry Malone, offensive coordinator
Marcus Freeman, co-defensive coordinator/linebackers
Notes: Darrell Hazell is feeling the heat. How else to explain that only receivers coach Gerad Parker and secondary coach Taver Johnson remain in their positions from last season, a third consecutive last-place finish in the Big Ten West by the Boilermakers? Els, a former Nebraska assistant, will work with the safeties and run the defense. New hires Funk, a former Michigan assistant, and Melvin are veterans. Melvin comes with three decades of college and NFL experience and served a previous stint at Purdue under Joe Tiller. Lester and Smith arrive from the fired staff at Syracuse, where they worked in similar roles last season.
WISCONSIN
Who’s out?
Dave Aranda, defensive coordinator
Daronte Jones, defensive backs
Who’s in?
Justin Wilcox, defensive coordinator
Notes: Another year of change for the Badgers. Aranda, the linchpin over the past three years as Wisconsin played the best brand of defense in the Big Ten, left to nearly triple his salary at LSU. Wilcox, deposed as the USC coordinator, brings a decade of experience in charge of the defense at big programs. Jones’ departure for the Miami Dolphins is not yet official, though it’s been confirmed by ESPN and serves as another threat to Wisconsin’s sustainability on defense.