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Vaccines, NIL, transfer portal figure to be hot topics at B1G media days

Jeff Brohm hopes an overahauled defense helps his program get back to the postseason.
Jeff Brohm hopes an overahauled defense helps his program get back to the postseason.

Big guys in suits.

They will be all over Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Thursday and Friday, tugging at their snug collars during 2021 Big Ten football media days.

This time last year, uncertainty hung over the Big Ten season, as the league struggled with how games could be played safely amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Staging a media event was the least of the conference’s concerns. So, it was cancelled.

Now, Big Ten media days are back, a sign of normalcy. But the league is still tip-toeing around COVID-19 issues, which still threaten the season due to variants and vaccine hesitancy.

Amid that backdrop, the conference has moved the event three hours south down I-65 from Chicago to Indianapolis, as the league still deals with COVID concerns it feels can be better addressed in cavernous Lucas Oil Stadium.

What will be the buzz-worthy storylines on Thursday and Friday in Indy?

• Ohio State: Can the Buckeyes win a fifth Big Ten title in a row?

• Vaccinations: What's the rate among Big Ten teams? Will players be forced to get vaccinated?

• Name, Image, Likeness: What do players and coaches think?

• Expanded College Football Playoff: Good thing? Need more than 12 teams? Less?

• Transfer portal: How has college football "free-agency" been embraced?

• COVID-19 protocols: How often will players not vaccinated be tested? Will games be made up if a team is unable to play due to an outbreak?

• Super Seniors: What's the impact?

Purdue will be part of the events on Friday, along with Rutgers, Michigan State, Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin and Ohio State. The other seven schools will participate on Thursday.

Jeff Brohm is slated to have a press conference from 12:15 p.m.-12:30 p.m. ET on Friday. Brohm will be the second-to-last coach to speak on Friday, with Ohio State’s Ryan Day bringing up the rear.

Then, from 1:15-5 p.m. ET on Friday, coaches and players will be available at individual podiums for 60 minutes. Brohm will be available from 1:30-2:30 p.m. ET. George Karlaftis, David Bell and Jackson Anthrop are slated to speak from 4-5 p.m. ET at their podiums.

The most likely Purdue storylines …

• Overhauled defensive staff: Four new assistants, six transfer additions, new scheme.

• Transfer additions: Nine overall, with eight coming via the transfer portal.

• Loss of Rondale Moore: The dynamic wideout left for the NFL after his junior season.

• Tough schedule: The great Phil Steele ranks Purdue's schedule the toughest in the Big Ten and the fifth most daunting in America.

• Development of offensive line: Two full-time assistants are devoted to a unit that has potential but much to prove.

• Special teams: New kicker, new punter.

• And, of course, the quarterback situation. Who’s it gonna be: Aidan O’Connell or Jack Plummer?

Also of note: On Thursday, Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren will speak before all the assembled Big Ten and national media in what will be his first media day event since taking over for Jim Delany. And, no doubt, Warren will be asked about the clumsy way the league handled the 2020 season.

This is a great chance for Warren to put some salve on his image and help convalesce a Big Ten house that was divided at this time last year. Some of the key events from that summer of tumult:

• Aug. 5, the conference unveiled a revised 10-game, conference-only schedule.

• Aug.11, the Big Ten announced it was cancelling the season. Two days later, Brohm announced his plan for a spring season.

• Sept. 16, the league changed its mind and announced it would play a 2020 season beginning Oct. 24 with teams playing eight regular-season games over eight weeks.

It was a roller-caster ride for the Big Ten and its rookie commissioner, as games were cancelled, players opted out, schedules were uneven and rules were tweaked to make Ohio State eligible for the Big Ten title game.

The next milepost for Purdue in 2021: Aug. 5, the day players report. And the first day of training camp is Aug. 6. The season begins Sept. 4 vs. Oregon State in Ross-Ade Stadium, where there will be no capacity constraints.

It’s good to have football back ... with a bit of caution.

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