Rondale Moore Among Many Big Ten Stars Returning for 2020 Season
Early August was a time of uncertainty for all players involved with Big Ten football.
Some of the Big Ten's biggest stars opted out of the season because of concerns with COVID-19 and the lack of concrete planning from the Big Ten. Then, when the conference decided to postpone the season until the spring, even more players opted out because they preferred to prepare for the NFL come spring time.
But now that the Big Ten is officially having a season starting Oct. 24 with specific protocols set in place, some of those players have decided to come back for the season.
Purdue's Rondale Moore is the latest to make the decision to return. Moore announced his intentions on ESPN2 on Thursday evening.
"So for me, I think the whole decision behind me opting out was the uncertainty and to secure my safety and my mother's safety," Moore said. "It was important to me to kind of dig deeper and find out some more information, and hopefully the Big Ten would come to terms and find a way to get things done and we'd have a season.
"So, the Big Ten found a way to consistently test and have safety protocols that made me feel safe, so I want to thank them. I want to thank Purdue as well for keeping me safe as I've been here, so I've decided to opt back in, and you know, play for the Boilers this season."
It's huge news for Purdue as Moore only played in four games last season before suffering a hamstring injury, which slowed down the Boilers' offense.
As a freshman in 2018, Moore had 114 receptions for 1,258 yards and 12 touchdowns, making himself one of the more explosive players in the country.
Another top receiver is hoping to come back in the Big Ten as well, and that's Minnesota's Rashod Bateman, but many players who are seeking to return need to be approved by the Big Ten.
Other big names who are opting back in is Maryland center Johnny Jordan and Ohio State's Shaun Wade and Wyatt Davis.
Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons has still not made a decision about whether he'll stay or go after originally opting out.
As for Indiana, no players opted out in August or intend to opt out, according to head coach Tom Allen.
"Nobody ever came to me and said, 'Coach, I'm not doing this,'" Allen said in a Zoom call two weeks ago. "I think our guys are pretty locked in and believe in what we're doing. They are excited to play together. This team has wanted to play together, and now we're going to get that chance."
Related Stories:
- INDIANA STARTING DAILY TESTING RIGHT AWAY: Indiana has started daily, rapid testing immediately, which has helped the program get off to a good start. CLICK HERE
- INDIANA'S 2020 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE: To view Indiana's full 2020 football schedule, CLICK HERE
- HERE'S WHAT KIRK HERBSTREIT SAID: ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit gave some thoughts on the Big Ten schedule release. CLICK HERE
