SIU football is bolstering their defensive line and secondary in the 2020 class. The Salukis have signed five defensive linemen and five defensive backs. 

Missouri guard Dru Smith lines up for a free throw on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020, at Mizzou Arena. The Tigers played in front of a season-high crowd of 12,506.

State Journal beat reporters Colten Bartholomew and Jim Polzin break down the latest news on the University of Wisconsin basketball and football beats. 

The Class of 2019 signee played in four games last season and appeared to be in the mix for more playing time in a crowded position group.

DeMarco Murray's successor coached the past two seasons at BYU, the previous four at Rice.

Nebraska football on Thursday announced several future non-conference games, including a new home-and-home series with a Big 12 opponent.

Colorado's coach became just the latest Pac-12 boss to bolt for more money. 

One ESPN analyst pegs the Huskers as a top-25 team, citing an expected leap on offense. 

The MU guard faced self-doubt and little prep recruitment. It took leaving his only home to find himself and the talent those who believed in him always knew he had.

One in a series of looks at the Iowa football program’s 2020 recruiting class, position by position:

It’s been quite some time since we pulled the T-bird out of the garage, but the cover’s off and the ol’ gal started right up. Time for the first of many offseason drives.

LARAMIE — Mark Willis was never really interested in pursuing an NFL career. Keenan Montgomery’s body — more specifically, his head — stopped him from chasing one.

The Tigers can't earn their way into the postseason, thanks to the NCAA. So what's to play for? The answer: Plenty.

James Franklin's latest coaching hires aim to bring the staff more stability after another wave of departures.

It took some conditioning, but after strong back-to-back statlines, the freshman is looking to make his energy and pizzazz permanent staples of the Missouri rotation.

'We couldn’t be happier to partner with the Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl this year and for years to come,' Sumlin says.

The Spartans are hiring Mel Tucker, who played defensive back for UW in the 1990s, away from Colorado, with the first report by Bruce Feldman of The Athletic.

Davon House, who played six seasons in Green Bay, announced Tuesday he is retiring from the NFL and will go out as a member of the Packers.

Ashton Hausmann was the first walk-on to commit to Nebraska's 2020 class, and six months later, his former teammate and housemate decided to join him.

Former University of Wisconsin football coach wants back into the Big Ten.

Teams will play in Berkeley in 2028, in Laramie in 2029.

As far as Dicaprio Bootle is concerned, this is no offseason.The intense workouts, early morning lifts and long hours with teammates suggest something else to the veteran Nebraska defensive back — that next fall’s football team is getting better right now.“Every day we come in, we come in with killer intent,” Bootle said recently in a "Sports Nightly" radio interview. “And we just trying to make it happen.”All has mostly appeared quiet of late outside the football facility. The recruiting dead period will endure through February with the 2020 class now complete. Spring football practices are still a month away. A few Nebraska-sponsored video tweets of workouts in the Hawks Center and weight room have been among the few glimpses of the Huskers in action since the day after Thanksgiving.Bootle, a senior-to-be, said motivation hasn’t been a factor. Players recall the finale against Iowa — a 27-24 loss in the final seconds — to encourage each other if they need an extra spark to last through strength coach Zach Duval’s infamous metabolic training sessions known simply as “El Circuito” among those who face them.“It’s been very high energy lately,” Bootle said. “A whole lot of energy every day, turning the music all the way up and just trying to make the weights bang louder than the music does. A lot of guys go in there just pumped and ready to go whether it’s 7 in the morning or 10 or even the developmental lifts later on in the day at 4:40. They’re going hard in there too.”NU coach Scott Frost has noticed the attitude as well. In a recent appearance on his “Husker Football Show,” he said the camaraderie and leadership among players as they condition is finally what the third-year staff wants.“Maybe for the first time since I've been at Nebraska, the culture's about there,” Frost said. “Watching the guys work out, we still have a long way to go, we've got to get bigger, stronger, faster, better, we've still got to execute. But I love the attitude in there."How close are the Huskers to busting through after three straight bowl-less seasons? All Bootle can say is the group wants to be “better versions of ourselves than we were previously.” If everyone arrives daily and improves mentally and physically, they’ll be in good shape when they open the 2020 season Sept. 5 inside Memorial Stadium against Purdue.Bootle, a defender from Miami who has started 25 games and appeared in 36, said it’s been fun mentoring younger players. Nebraska signed seven prep players from his home state of Florida in the 2020 class, including early enrollees and defensive backs Henry Gray and Jaiden Francois. He joked he has already warned both not to stay out in cold temperatures too long.Meanwhile, with an offseason to reflect, Bootle said he sees more clearly the process the program is going through to “build it from the ground up” under Frost. He is one of just 20 scholarship players left on the roster who were in Lincoln before Frost was hired in December 2017.Whatever happens seven months down the road is growing roots now, Bootle said. And to borrow a phrase from his head coach, he sees the Huskers moving in the right direction.“We’re definitely finding ourselves right now,” Bootle said. “We’re going through the days, learning more about us as a team, learning more about our stamp — what we’re going to be known for as a team. I can tell you right now we’ve got a lot of tough guys.”

Sumlin carries a burden commonplace among African-American football coaches amid middling progress for minorities seeking top jobs.

Jeff Choate hung up the phone. The Montana State head coach was impressed, but something didn’t feel right.

LARAMIE — The number of wide receivers that signed with Wyoming during the 2020 recruiting cycle was small, but the group possesses a distinct characteristic.

Former Boise State kicker Tyler Rausa may owe a bit of thanks to former NFL star Chad Johnson for his successful debut in the XFL last Saturday.

Our Wisconsin State Journal team offers a closer look at the athletes that have committed to playing football at the University of Wisconsin beginning in the 2020 season. 

Reporter Jim Polzin and columnist Tom Oates offer an in-depth breakdown of the University of Wisconsin men's basketball team and the rest of the Big Ten Conference in the Wisconsin State Journal's annual Badgers season preview. 

The University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team officially announced its 2020 recruiting class Wednesday during its win over McNeese State at the Kohl Center.

LSU bungled its two games this week, swinging the door wide open for numerous teams to upend the Tigers for the league lead.

Wyatt Koelling's upset win was the highlight of the day for Missouri in the Tigers' loss.

LARAMIE — There’s no shortage of tight ends on Wyoming’s roster.