Big Ten Roundup (July 19): Purdue Adds Colorado Transfer, Michigan State to Play Baylor in Detroit
Austin Johnson spent four years playing football for the Colorado Buffaloes, but following the hiring of Deion Sanders in Boulder, the offensive lineman transferred to Purdue to play the 2023-24 season for the Boilermakers' new head coach, Ryan Walters.
On the basketball court, Michigan State and head coach Tom Izzo are set to play a neutral site game this upcoming season against the Baylor Bears and Scott Drew, though the Spartans won't have to travel far with the contest taking place in Detroit.
Here's everything you need to know in today's Big Ten Roundup:
Colorado OL Transferring to Purdue
From the gold and silver to the gold and black, Austin Johnson is heading to West Lafayette to continue his college football career.
The three-star offensive lineman finally saw his first bit of playing time this past season for Colorado, and now has two seasons of eligibility left to give to the Boilermakers. Johnson plays the guard and center positions on the interior and comes in at a solid build of 6-foot-4 and 290 pounds.
After veteran offensive linemen Eric Miller and Spencer Holstege left Purdue for Louisville and UCLA, respectively, and starting center Gus Hartwig recovers from a knee injury suffered in the penultimate game of the 2022-23 regular season, Johnson steps in as a key cog in the Boilermakers' offensive line.
Expect to see the Colorado transfer on the field early as Purdue seeks to defend its West division title in the 2023-24 season.
Michigan State and Baylor to Play in Detroit
It wouldn't be a college basketball preseason without Tom Izzo making some headlines.
On Tuesday, Jon Rothstein reported that Michigan State will be playing Baylor this season on Dec. 16, 2023, at Little Caesar's Arena in Detroit.
Michigan State is the favorite to win the Big Ten this season, as projected by our own Jack Ankony, and the Spartans are coming off a tournament run in which they advanced to the Sweet 16, making it further than any other team in the Big Ten during the 2023-23 postseason.
Baylor has also established itself as a perennial contender under head coach Scott Drew. The Bears won the national title in 2021, and the two seasons following have achieved No. 1 and No. 3 overall seeds, though they have bowed out in the Round of 32 in each of the last two NCAA Tournaments.
For more on Michigan State and Baylor's scheduled game for the 2023-24 season, go check out the full story on our sister site Spartans Nation.
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