Michigan urges Big Ten to respect due process
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Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior Writer
Michigan president Santa Ono urged Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti to respect due process and the ongoing NCAA investigation into the football program as Petitti mulls potential discipline for the Wolverines for alleged off-campus scouting and signal stealing, according to a letter obtained by ESPN.
Ono emailed Petitti on Thursday night, in advance of their meeting Friday in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where Petitti was attending the Big Ten field hockey tournament. Petitti and Ono discussed the allegations against Michigan, as well as the information Petitti has obtained from the NCAA, sources told ESPN.
In the email, Ono noted that no program would want to be in Michigan’s position and that he’s “deeply concerned” about the allegations, adding the school is “committed to ethics, integrity, and fair play.” But Ono encouraged Petitti to let the NCAA’s investigative process play out before imposing discipline, which other Big Ten coaches and athletic directors have encouraged him to do.
Ono also shared the email with the other Big Ten presidents and chancellors.
Under the Big Ten’s sportsmanship policy, Petitti has the authority to investigate and impose discipline independent of the NCAA’s drawn-out investigative and infractions process, which likely would extend well after the 2023 season.
The NCAA’s investigation centers on former Michigan analyst Connor Stalions, who resigned from his position Friday after initially being suspended with pay.
“It’s precisely at these times — when all key facts are not known but others are all too comfortable offering strongly held opinions — that it is essential for everyone to ensure that investigations are conducted fairly and that conclusions are based on what actually happened,” Ono wrote to Petitti. “The reputation and livelihoods of coaches, students, and programs cannot be sacrificed in a rush to judgment, no matter how many and how loudly people protest otherwise. Due process matters.
“We, as would any other member of the Big10, deserve nothing less. Our students, our coaches, our program — all are entitled to a fair, deliberate, thoughtful process.”
Ono referred to the pressure Petitti is facing from other Big Ten schools to impose discipline against Michigan. Petitti held calls this week with Big Ten coaches and athletic directors, many of whom pushed him to act, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
“We are aware that other representatives of the Big10 are demanding that you take action now, before any meaningful investigation and full consideration of all the evidence,” Ono wrote. “That is not something our conference rules permit. And we both know it is not what any other member would want if allegations were raised against their people or programs.
“The Big10 has not informed us of any investigation of its own, as would be required under conference rules. And, to be clear, oral updates from NCAA enforcement staff do not and cannot constitute evidence, nor do we think the NCAA would ever intend for an oral update to be given that meaning or weight.”
Ono wrote that the “best course of action” would be to let the NCAA complete its investigation and that the Big Ten could not act against Michigan without launching its own probe first, which would give the university a chance to provide its position. The Big Ten’s sportsmanship policy states that the league commissioner “has the discretion to pursue, or choose not to pursue, an investigation as to whether an offensive action has occurred.”
Sources told ESPN that if Petitti takes action, he likely would target Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh rather than a team-related penalty. If discipline exceeds a two-game suspension, Petitti would need approval from the Big Ten’s Joint Group Executive Committee, which can approve, deny or reduce a proposed penalty.
According to a source, Michigan will “look into every option to protect due process” if Petitti imposes discipline.
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Max Olson
Penn State named Iowa State‘s Matt Campbell as its head football coach, the school announced Friday.
The deal, which will go before the compensation committee of the school’s board of trustees for final approval Monday, is for eight years, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
“Coach Campbell is, without a doubt, the right leader at the right time for Penn State Football,” athletic director Patrick Kraft said in a statement. “He is a stellar coach with a proven track record of success and his values, character and approach to leading student-athletes to success on and off the field align perfectly with the traditions and values of Penn State.”
Campbell, the winningest coach in Iowa State history, met with Penn State officials Thursday night before negotiating a deal Friday. Iowa State quickly moved to hire Washington State coach Jimmy Rogers to replace Campbell.
In its search to replace longtime coach James Franklin, who was fired Oct. 12, Penn State shifted its focus to Campbell after BYU coach Kalani Sitake agreed to a long-term extension Tuesday to remain with the Cougars.
Campbell, a three-time Big 12 Coach of the Year, led the Cyclones for 10 seasons and achieved eight winning seasons, two Big 12 championship game appearances and a Fiesta Bowl victory over Oregon in 2020 for the school’s first top-10 finish.
Campbell, 46, went 72-55 during his decade at Iowa State, becoming its winningest coach last season, and went 35-15 as coach at Toledo from 2011 to 2015.
He will bring strong Midwest ties to the job as a Massillon, Ohio, native who began his college playing career at Pitt before winning three national championships as a player at Division III Mount Union.
This season, Iowa State started 5-0 and climbed as high as No. 14 in the AP poll before a four-game losing streak knocked the team out of the Big 12 title race. The Cyclones rallied with a three-game winning streak in November to go 8-4.
Last year, Iowa State went 11-3 and would have advanced to the College Football Playoff with a victory over Arizona State in the Big 12 title game. The program finished No. 15 in the AP poll after defeating Miami in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.
Campbell and his coaching staff have developed 15 NFL draft picks over the past seven years, including NFL stars Brock Purdy, Breece Hall and David Montgomery. Defensive end Will McDonald IV became the first Cyclones player to be selected in the first round since 1973.
Before Campbell’s arrival, Iowa State hadn’t had a winning season since 2009 and hadn’t played in a Big 12 championship game. The Cyclones won 14 games against AP Top 25 opponents during his tenure.
Campbell had been a serious candidate for high-profile coaching jobs throughout his decade at Iowa State, including the Detroit Lions and USC, but preferred to stay in Ames and continue building a program that had never achieved a 10-win season until last year.
He was earning $5 million per year in total compensation at Iowa State after agreeing to a contract extension through 2032 with the school earlier this year.
Penn State ranked No. 2 in the preseason AP Top 25 and was expected to compete for a national championship in 2025 after reaching the College Football Playoff semifinals last season. Franklin was fired during a three-game losing streak to open Big Ten play that dropped the Nittany Lions out of the Top 25 at 3-3.
Franklin agreed to a five-year deal to become the coach at Virginia Tech on Nov. 17 and took a $9 million settlement with Penn State on the $49 million buyout that he was originally owed upon his firing.
Former Penn State interim coach Terry Smith agreed to a four-year deal to stay on staff and work with Campbell, sources told Thamel, confirming a report by Inside the Lions. Smith is a Penn State graduate who has been a linchpin on the school’s staff for the past 12 seasons. The Nittany Lions won their final three Big Ten games this year to become bowl-eligible at 6-6 under Smith.
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Adam Rittenberg
LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker is remaining with the program, coach Lane Kiffin said Friday on X.
Baker, who has led LSU’s defense the past two seasons, interviewed for head coaching vacancies at Tulane and Memphis this week and was a strong candidate, sources said. But he instead will remain with Kiffin, who prioritized retaining Baker, one of the nation’s highest-paid assistants at $2.5 million.
Baker is expected to receive a revised contract and a raise.
Under Baker, the Tigers ranked 15th in scoring defense and 25th nationally in total defense this fall. His retention capped a strong day for LSU, which signed defensive tackle Lamar Brown, ESPN’s No. 1 overall recruit, and defensive tackle Deuce Geralds (No. 37).
Baker, 43, is in his second stint at LSU after coaching the team’s linebackers in 2021. A former Tulane linebacker, he also has held coordinator roles at Louisiana Tech, Miami and Missouri.
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