2025 Big Ten Media Days: Bryce Underwood, Nico Iamaleava Among Day 3 Storylines

With the defending national champions out of the way on Day 1 (Ohio State) and the trendy picks to win this year’s conference title taking center stage on Day 2 (Oregon and Penn State), the third and final session of this year’s Big Ten Media Days event will be headlined by Michigan and the league’s Los Angeles contingent. 

As always, there is plenty of intrigue surrounding the Wolverines given the potential debut of five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood, the self-imposed suspension for head coach Sherrone Moore and the program’s best recruiting class since 2017, long before former coach Jim Harbaugh toppled Ohio State for the first time. Underwood, a true freshman, won’t be in attendance next week, but his growing status as a potential figurehead for the program is among the chief storylines in college football this fall. 

And would it really be Hollywood if USC and UCLA didn’t make the short trip to Las Vegas dripping with plotlines? From the explosive recruiting that is keeping the Trojans afloat to the Bruins’ splash addition of former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who will be representing UCLA at the league’s event, there is always something to discuss when it comes to football in Southern California.  

Those are certain to be among the topics of conversation when the Big Ten absorbs the national spotlight next week during its three-day media spectacle in Las Vegas, a locale that reflects the conference’s coast-to-coast membership. For the second consecutive year, each day of the event will feature the head coach and key players from six programs: 

Day 1: Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Nebraska, Ohio State, Rutgers

Day 2: Minnesota, Northwestern, Oregon, Penn State, Washington, Wisconsin 

Day 3: Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, UCLA, USC

To preview the event, FOX Sports analyzed every team ahead of the 2025 campaign. Here’s what to expect from Day 3 at Big Ten Media Days: 

[Day 1: Big Ten Media Days Preview] [Day 2: Big Ten Media Days Preview]

Iowa

Last year: 8-5 overall, 6-3 Big Ten

Postseason: 27-24 loss to Missouri in the Music City Bowl

Head coach: Kirk Ferentz, 27th season, 204-124 at Iowa

Coordinators: Tim Lester (offense); Phil Parker (defense)

Recruiting: No. 39 nationally, No. 11 in the Big Ten 

Transfer portal: No. 60 nationally, No. 17 in the Big Ten 

Key storyline: Five turnover-filled years have passed since the last time Iowa enjoyed above-average play at the quarterback position, where a revolving door of Spencer Petras, Alex Padilla, Cade McNamara, Deacon Hill and Brendan Sullivan left plenty to be desired from 2020-24, intensifying the pressure on defensive coordinator Phil Parker’s unit to compensate for wince-inducing offense. The last time a Hawkeyes quarterback threw at least twice as many touchdowns as interceptions in a single season — a modest ratio by modern standards — came in the 2019 season when Nate Stanley tossed 16 scores and seven INTs, leading Iowa to an impressive 10-3 record. But the addition of former South Dakota State quarterback Mark Gronowski via the transfer portal has triggered some renewed optimism over what the Hawkeyes can reasonably expect from their offense. Gronowski’s award-winning career with the Jackrabbits included two national titles, the Walter Payton Award, given to the most outstanding offensive player at the FCS level, 49 career victories to tie the FCS record for wins by a quarterback and more than 12,000 yards of total offense. Such an impressive body of work was enough for Gronowski to be ranked the No. 10 quarterback in this year’s transfer portal cycle and one of only two FCS signal-callers in the top 50 at that position. If he transitions well to the Big Ten, then Iowa could be in the mix for a berth in the College Football Playoff. 

Michigan

Last year: 8-5 overall, 5-4 Big Ten

Postseason: 19-13 win over Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl

Head coach: Sherrone Moore, second season, 9-5 at Michigan

Coordinators: Chip Lindsey (offense); Wink Martindale (defense)

Recruiting: No. 6 nationally, No. 3 in the Big Ten 

Transfer portal: No. 35 nationally, No. 11 in the Big Ten 

Key storyline: In classic Michigan fashion, the three players representing the Wolverines at Big Ten Media Days will be linebacker Ernest Hausmann, edge rusher Derrick Moore and tight end/full back Max Bredeson, who is making his second consecutive appearance. And while all of those individuals will be starters and key contributors for Michigan this season, the list is not exactly a who’s-who of the program’s most recognizable players. In fact, that honor would likely go to someone who has yet to log his first collegiate snap: five-star freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood, the No. 1 overall recruit in the country. Underwood’s decision to flip his commitment from LSU to Michigan last November catalyzed a complete revitalization of the Wolverines’ recruiting efforts under first-year head coach Sherrone Moore, the handpicked successor to Jim Harbaugh, with scores of elite players eager to join him in Ann Arbor. That Michigan wound up No. 6 in the national recruiting rankings for the 2025 cycle — its highest finish in eight years — and is currently on pace for another top-10 class in 2026 speaks to Underwood’s gravitational pull. With an undisclosed injury to Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene sidelining him for most of the spring, coupled with the torn ACL suffered by Davis Warren during last year’s bowl game, the deck has all but cleared for Underwood to win the starting job in fall camp. He’s certain to be a primary topic of discussion in Las Vegas without being anywhere near the desert.

Michigan State

Last year: 5-7 overall, 3-6 Big Ten

Postseason: None

Head coach: Jonathan Smith, second season, 5-7 at Michigan State

Coordinators: Brian Lindgren (offense); Joe Rossi (defense)

Recruiting: No. 57 nationally, No. 16 in the Big Ten 

Transfer portal: No. 28 nationally, No. 8 in the Big Ten 

Key storyline: Though there are plenty of roster-specific questions surrounding Michigan State entering the 2025 campaign — from the potential growth of mobile quarterback Aidan Chiles to the emerging talent of wide receiver Nick Marsh (41 catches, 649 yards, 3 TDs); from the quest to improve an anemic pass rush that finished tied for 108th in sacks to an offensive line that is almost entirely rebuilt — it’s difficult to ignore what feel like larger philosophical questions entering Year 2 under head coach Jonathan Smith, formerly of Oregon State. When it comes to roster-building efforts, the Spartans have yet to receive the new-regime bump that often follows coaching changes. Smith’s first high school recruiting class ranked 42nd nationally and 13th in the Big Ten; his second dropped to 57th nationally and 16th in the Big Ten. His first transfer portal class peaked at No. 12 nationally thanks largely to Chiles and star right end Jack Velling, both of whom followed Smith from Oregon State, but his most recent transfer haul ranked 28th nationally and eighth in the Big Ten. On the field, where Michigan State never won back-to-back games after September, the Spartans struggled on both sides of the ball during Smith’s debut campaign: the offense ranked 110th in yards per game (333.4); the defense finished tied for 77th in scoring (26.1 points per game). Smith’s forte has always been player retention and development, evidenced by the excellent work he did in guiding the Beavers to three consecutive winning seasons from 2021-23, but the progress at Michigan State remains hard to find.  

Purdue

Last year: 1-11 overall, 0-9 Big Ten

Postseason: None

Head coach: Barry Odom, first season, 0-0 at Purdue

Coordinators: Josh Henson (offense); Mike Scherer (defense)

Recruiting: No. 91 nationally, No. 18 in the Big Ten 

Transfer portal: No. 47 nationally, No. 14 in the Big Ten 

Key storyline: There are natural parallels to be drawn between the rebuilding approaches employed by first-year Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti ahead of the 2024 campaign — a strategy that ended with the Hoosiers reaching the College Football Playoff — and what Barry Odom is attempting with Purdue after joining the Boilermakers from UNLV, where he guided the Rebels to 19 wins over the last two seasons. Cignetti upended Indiana’s roster with alacrity by bringing in dozens of new players via the transfer portal and restocking the Hoosiers’ cabinet with some of his best and most trusted troops from James Madison along the way. Odom attacked the rebuild at Purdue, which reached the Big Ten Championship game as recently as 2022, in nearly identical fashion. He added upwards of 50 transfers during the winter and spring windows combined, including eight who played for him at UNLV and can help establish the proper culture. Even more transfers headed in the other direction by leaving Purdue as Odom and his newly formed staff washed away remnants of the Ryan Walters era, a disastrous two-year run in which the Boilermakers only won five games and endured a winless conference slate in 2024. But unlike Cignetti, who benefited from a velvet-soft schedule last fall, Odom is diving into a briar patch that includes games against USC, Notre Dame, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio State and Indiana. Anything more than two or three victories would be an impressive debut.  

UCLA

Last year: 5-7 overall, 3-6 Big Ten

Postseason: None

Head coach: DeShaun Foster, second season, 5-7 at UCLA

Coordinators: Tino Sunseri (offense); Ikaika Malloe (defense)

Recruiting: No. 42 nationally, No. 12 in the Big Ten 

Transfer portal: No. 20 nationally, No. 5 in the Big Ten 

Key storyline: If second-year head coach DeShaun Foster was searching for a way to generate buzz about UCLA, an oft-sleepy program forever in the shadow of USC, its highly successful crosstown rival, then diving headfirst into the Nico Iamaleava saga certainly accomplished that goal. Having guided Tennessee to the College Football Playoff during his first season as the Volunteers’ starting quarterback in 2024, Iamaleava made national headlines in April when his decision to skip one of the team’s spring practices — reportedly because of a dispute regarding his NIL compensation — prompted head coach Josh Heupel to take the program in another direction. The move sent Iamaleava, who threw for 2,616 yards with 19 touchdowns and five interceptions last fall, into the transfer portal at a time when most major programs had already settled their quarterback rooms ahead of the upcoming campaign. For Iamaleava, a former five-star prospect and the No. 3 overall recruit in the 2023 cycle, it quickly became clear that a return to his home state of California might be the best option, even though the Bruins had already landed a transfer quarterback in former Appalachian State standout Joey Aguilar. But Foster recognized that a homegrown kid of Iamaleava’s talent could be a recruiting boon for the program, so he decided to take the risk. News of Iamaleava’s impending arrival sent Aguilar back into the portal, where Heupel and the Volunteers were already searching for a replacement. It was the modern college football equivalent of a trade in which both programs are hoping they got the better end of the deal. And it means that UCLA and Tennessee, Iamaleava and Aguilar, are certain to be compared on a weekly basis this season. 

USC

Last year: 7-6 overall, 4-5 Big Ten

Postseason: 35-31 win over Texas A&M in the Las Vegas Bowl

Head coach: Lincoln Riley, fourth season, 26-14 at USC

Coordinators: Luke Huard (offense); D’Anton Lynn (defense)

Recruiting: No. 13 nationally, No. 4 in the Big Ten 

Transfer portal: No. 18 nationally, No. 4 in the Big Ten 

Key storyline: The fascinating irony surrounding USC for this upcoming season, the fourth under head coach Lincoln Riley, is that the most important developments might be taking place off the field rather than on it. Few people expect the Trojans to keep pace with programs like Penn State, Oregon and Ohio State at the top of the Big Ten in 2025. There are too many questions along the offensive line, too much inexperience in the secondary and not enough difference markers at the skill positions for USC to contend just yet. But away from the field, where Riley overhauled his personnel department and significantly altered his recruiting philosophy, the Trojans are absolutely humming in the 2026 recruiting cycle, scoring high-level players at a rate unseen since former coach Pete Carroll was winning national championships two decades ago. With 31 commitments by mid-July, including one five-star prospect and 20 four-star prospects, USC sits atop the 247Sports Composite rankings ahead of Georgia, Texas A&M, Notre Dame and Alabama. The Trojans have already earned verbal pledges from 17 in-state recruits, which is more than Riley’s previous two recruiting classes combined, including seven of California’s top 23 players. Overall, USC’s class features a staggering 10 prospects rated among the top 100 players nationally and 16 among the top 200 nationally. It’s an influx of talent that could drastically reshape the program’s trajectory if Riley and his staff can keep the group together until the early signing period in December. And that means the Trojans need to win enough games between now and then to remain the hottest school on the trail. 

Michael Cohen covers college football and college basketball for FOX Sports. Follow him at @Michael_Cohen13.

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