UW’s DeBoer expects ‘smooth’ jump to Big Ten
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Heather Dinich, ESPN Senior Writer
The College Football Playoff national championship game between No. 1 Michigan and No. 2 Washington will be a sneak preview of two future Big Ten opponents, as the Huskies will join the 18-team superconference in August, and Washington coach Kalen DeBoer said on Wednesday there’s already plenty of familiarity with their new home.
Washington and Oregon will join the Big Ten in 2024 along with USC and UCLA, which will make the conference the biggest in the country.
“Our staff has a lot of ties and connections, both to the Midwest and the Big Ten, whether it be coaching there in the Big Ten, or just from that region of the country,” DeBoer said when asked on a CFP teleconference about recruiting for the Big Ten. “I think it will be a transition that will be pretty smooth for us that way. We have lot of familiarity with the type of football they play, the different styles of each program.
“We still have to keep our footprint in the West Coast, but we won’t be afraid to venture off and find the right fit, the guys we have contacts with, head coaches, and we’re very familiar recruiting already,” he said. “There’s certainly a lot that we already feel we have in this program that fits well with what can compete well in the Big Ten.”
In 2019, DeBoer was on Indiana‘s staff as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, where he met quarterback Michael Penix Jr. They helped guide the Hoosiers to an 8-5 record and a berth in the Gator Bowl. IU’s eight wins that season matched their highest win total in 26 seasons, and the Hoosiers ranked No. 3 in the Big Ten in total offense.
In 2020, after DeBoer left IU to become the head coach at Fresno State, Penix Jr. beat Michigan during the COVID-19-ravaged season. He threw for 342 yards and three touchdowns in the Hoosiers’ 38-21 win against the Wolverines, but he said it won’t be a factor in his preparation or mindset heading into the national title game.
“I don’t remember much, I just remember winning, really,” Penix Jr. said. “It’s a totally different ball game. But I’m always confident in myself and this team and the preparation that our coaches give going into each game.”
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh hasn’t forgotten how good Penix Jr. is.
“He’s a super great player,” Harbaugh said. “My impressions of him when he played at Indiana were the same. Big-time arm talent, tremendous presence in the pocket, sees the field really well. He is so polished. Watching him and his accuracy, his decision-making, timing. He has really just continued to have this tremendous presence of going through progression, feels pressure, will drop it off to a checkdown. Yeah, it’s at an elite level.”
That’s why Harbaugh said he’s thinking “more about the here and now” than playing Washington more regularly as a future conference opponent. The two teams will play again on Oct. 5 this fall in Seattle.
“They’re an outstanding football team,” Harbaugh said, “just a very one-track mind of today, getting our team prepared, get them back moving around, but also schematically onto what Washington does and preliminary plans for putting in our game plan.”
In addition to establishing itself as the best team in the country on Monday night, Washington also has a chance to set the bar for preseason expectations as a member of the Big Ten by knocking off the undefeated conference champs.
“Physically, you get to this point in a playoff, you’re facing the best of the best,” DeBoer said. “Obviously we’ll learn more about that when we step on the football field against them and where we match up as far as being the best in the Big Ten as well.”
The 2025 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby is fast approaching — and the field is set.
Braves hometown hero Ronald Acuna Jr. became the first player to commit to the event, which will be held at Truist Park in Atlanta on July 14 (8 p.m. ET on ESPN). He was followed by MLB home run leader Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, James Wood of the Washington Nationals, Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins, Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays, Brent Rooker of the Athletics and Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the New York Yankees.
On Friday, however, Acuna was replaced by teammate Matt Olson.
With all the entrants announced, let’s break down their chances at taking home this year’s Derby prize.
Full All-Star Game coverage: How to watch, schedule, rosters, more
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 434 feet
Why he could win: Olson is a late replacement for Acuna as the home team’s representative at this year’s Derby. Apart from being the Braves’ first baseman, however, Olson also was born in Atlanta and grew up a Braves fan, giving him some extra motivation. The left-handed slugger led the majors in home runs in 2023 — his 54 round-trippers that season also set a franchise record — and he remains among the best in the game when it comes to exit velo and hard-hit rate.
Why he might not: The home-field advantage can also be a detriment if a player gets too hyped up in the first round. See Julio Rodriguez in Seattle in 2023, when he had a monster first round, with 41 home runs, but then tired out in the second round.
2025 home runs: 36 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: It’s the season of Cal! The Mariners’ catcher is having one of the greatest slugging first halves in MLB history, as he’s been crushing mistakes all season . His easy raw power might be tailor-made for the Derby — he ranks in the 87th percentile in average exit velocity and delivers the ball, on average, at the optimal home run launch angle of 23 degrees. His calm demeanor might also be perfect for the contest as he won’t get too amped up.
Why he might not: He’s a catcher — and one who has carried a heavy workload, playing in all but one game this season. This contest is as much about stamina as anything, and whether Raleigh can carry his power through three rounds would be a concern. No catcher has ever won the Derby, with only Ivan Rodriguez back in 2005 even reaching the finals.
2025 home runs: 24 | Longest: 451 feet
Why he could win: He’s big, he’s strong, he’s young, he’s awesome, he might or might not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. This is the perfect opportunity for Wood to show his talent on the national stage, and he wouldn’t be the first young player to star in the Derby. He ranks in the 97th percentile in average exit velocity and 99th percentile in hard-hit rate, so he can still muscle the ball out in BP even if he slightly mishits it. His long arms might be viewed as a detriment, but remember the similarly tall Aaron Judge won in 2017.
Why he might not: His natural swing isn’t a pure uppercut — he has a pretty low average launch angle of just 6.2 degrees — so we’ll see how that plays in a rapid-fire session. In real games, his power is primarily to the opposite field, but in a Home Run Derby you can get more cheapies pulling the ball down the line.
2025 home runs: 20 | Longest: 479 feet
Why he could win: Buxton’s raw power remains as impressive as nearly any hitter in the game. He crushed a 479-foot home run earlier this season and has four others of at least 425 feet. Indeed, his “no doubter” percentage — home runs that would be out of all 30 parks based on distance — is 75%, the highest in the majors among players with more than a dozen home runs. His bat speed ranks in the 89th percentile. In other words, two tools that could translate to a BP lightning show.
Why he might not: Buxton is 31 and the Home Run Derby feels a little more like a younger man’s competition. Teoscar Hernandez did win last year at age 31, but before that, the last winner older than 29 was David Ortiz in 2010, and that was under much different rules than are used now.
2025 home runs: 16 | Longest: 463 feet
Why he could win: If you drew up a short list of players everyone wants to see in the Home Run Derby, Cruz would be near the top. He has the hardest-hit ball of the 2025 season, and the hardest ever tracked by Statcast, a 432-foot missile of a home run with an exit velocity of 122.9 mph. He also crushed a 463-foot home run in Anaheim that soared way beyond the trees in center field. With his elite bat speed — 100th percentile — Cruz has the ability to awe the crowd with a potentially all-time performance.
Why he might not: Like all first-time contestants, can he stay within himself and not get too caught up in the moment? He has a long swing, which will result in some huge blasts, but might not be the most efficient for a contest like this one, where the more swings a hitter can get in before the clock expires, the better.
2025 home runs: 23 | Longest: 425 feet
Why he could win: Although Caminero was one of the most hyped prospects entering 2024, everyone kind of forgot about him heading into this season since he didn’t immediately rip apart the majors as a rookie. In his first full season, however, he has showed off his big-time raw power — giving him a chance to become just the third player to reach 40 home runs in his age-21 season. He has perhaps the quickest bat in the majors, ranking in the 100th percentile in bat speed, and his top exit velocity ranks in the top 15. That could translate to a barrage of home runs.
Why he might not: In game action, Caminero does hit the ball on the ground quite often — in fact, he’s on pace to break Jim Rice’s record for double plays grounded into in a season. If he gets out of rhythm, that could lead to a lot of low line drives during the Derby instead of fly balls that clear the fences.
2025 home runs: 19 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: The Athletics slugger has been one of the top power hitters in the majors for three seasons now and is on his way to a third straight 30-homer season. Rooker has plus bat speed and raw power, but his biggest strength is an optimal average launch angle (19 degrees in 2024, 15 degrees this season) that translates to home runs in game action. That natural swing could be picture perfect for the Home Run Derby. He also wasn’t shy about saying he wanted to participate — and maybe that bodes well for his chances.
Why he might not: Rooker might not have quite the same raw power as some of the other competitors, as he has just one home run longer than 425 feet in 2025. But that’s a little nitpicky, as 11 of his home runs have still gone 400-plus feet. He competed in the college home run derby in Omaha while at Mississippi State in 2016 and finished fourth.
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 442 feet
Why he could win: Chisholm might not be the most obvious name to participate, given his career high of 24 home runs, but he has belted 17 already in 2025 in his first 61 games after missing some time with an injury. He ranks among the MLB leaders in a couple of home run-related categories, ranking in the 96th percentile in expected slugging percentage and 98th percentile in barrel rate. His raw power might not match that of the other participants, but he’s a dead-pull hitter who has increased his launch angle this season, which might translate well to the Derby, even if he won’t be the guy hitting the longest home runs.
Why he might not: Most of the guys who have won this have been big, powerful sluggers. Chisholm is listed at 5-foot-11, 184 pounds, and you have to go back to Miguel Tejada in 2004 to find the last player under 6 foot to win.
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