Big Ten Roundup: Northwestern Extends Collins; Michigan State QB Enters Portal, Others Follow

Northwestern rewarded Chris Collins for one of the most successful seasons in program history. On Monday, Collins inked a three-year contract extension to coach the Wildcats through the 2027-28 season.

"It has been an honor to be the Head Coach at Northwestern University for the last 10 years," Collins said in a release. "The Northwestern community has become our family's home, and I couldn't be more excited to continue this journey. I am thankful to President Schill and Dr. Gragg for showing the confidence in me to continue to lead Northwestern Basketball. It's a responsibility that I love and embrace. To have the opportunity to be a part of accomplishing so many firsts in the history of the basketball program during my tenure has been special, and I can't wait to get to work to pursue more amazing moments in the future."

Collins led Northwestern to a 22-12 record in 2022-23, the second-highest single-season win total in program history. Following a second-place finish in the Big Ten at 12-8, Northwestern lost its first Big Ten Tournament game to Penn State, but still received a No. 7 seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

The Wildcats defeated No. 10 seed Boise State 75-67 in the Round of 64 behind 42 combined points from Boo Buie and Chase Audige. Buie earned first-team All-Big Ten honors after leading the team with 17.3 points per game. Audige, averaging 14.1 points and 2.4 steals, was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and earned a spot on the second-team All-Big Ten.

Northwestern gave No. 2 seed UCLA its best shot, but the Wildcats' season came to an end with a 68-63 loss in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32. With this result, Collins is responsible for Northwestern's only two trips to the NCAA Tournament in program history, 2017 and 2023.

Northwestern's ceiling in 2023-24 will largely be determined by upcoming decisions from Buie and Audige, who declared for the NBA Draft while maintaining collegiate eligibility. Starting power forward Robbie Beran is transferring to Virginia Tech, but Northwestern could still return the bulk of its production from last season. Collins has also made additions through the transfer portal with Princeton guard Ryan Langborg Denver guard Justin Mullins and Liberty forward Blake Preston.

Michigan State hit hard by transfer portal

Major questions surround Michigan State football after starting quarterback Payton Thorne, leading receiver Keon Coleman and starting cornerback Charles Brantley entered the transfer portal on Sunday.

Thorne started all 25 games over the last two seasons, helping the Spartans go 11-2 in 2021 with a Peach Bowl win over Pittsburgh. Despite starting the season at No. 15 in the AP poll, Michigan State took a step back in 2022, going 5-7 with losses to Indiana and Penn State in the final two games to ruin the Spartans' bowl-eligibility hopes.

Joining Michigan State in 2019 out of Naperville, Ill., Thorne passed for 6,493 yards, 49 touchdowns and 24 interceptions with a 61.0 completion percentage in 29 games. The 6-foot-2 quarterback ranks fourth in program history in touchdowns, fifth in completion percentage and sixth in passing yards.

With Thorne heading to the transfer portal, Michigan State will turn to a pair of inexperienced quarterbacks for the starting job in 2023. Noah Kim, a 6-foot-2 quarterback, joined Michigan State before the 2020 season as a three-star recruit, but didn't make his first appearance until 2022. He completed 14-of-19 passes for 174 yards and three touchdowns in four games against Ohio State, Minnesota, Akron and Western Michigan. Another option could be 6-foot-3 Katin Houser, who attempted two passes in 2022 and will be a redshirt freshman in 2023.

Along with Thorne, Coleman's departure is a big hit to Michigan State's receiving corps. As a 6-foot-4 sophomore in 2022, Coleman led the Spartans with 58 receptions for 798 yards and seven touchdowns, earning third-team All-Big Ten honors. Michigan State also lost second-leading receiver Jayden Reed, a second-round pick by the Green Bay Packers in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Brantley, a 6-foot, 170 pound cornerback, started 11 games in 2022 and played the fourth-most snaps of any Michigan State defender. He led the Spartans with six pass breakups, along with 48 tackles and a pick-six against Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud.

Coach Mel Tucker, who signed a 10-year, $95 million extension during the 2021 season, has plenty of work to do to replace his starting quarterback, leading receiver and starting cornerback after a 5-7 season in 2022.