Welcome to Tuesday Takes, where I give you four takes from the Big 12. It was a jam-packed week full of exciting news, but there were several things that caught my attention over the last few days.
More Quarterbacks Gone
Since last Tuesday, we have seen two more starting Big 12 quarterbacks enter the transfer portal. Iowa State’s Rocco Becht and TCU’s Josh Hoover both decided to look for a new school this past week.
Now I get why Rocco Becht is leaving Iowa State. Matt Campbell is gone, along with his entire offensive staff, as Jimmy Rogers is bringing in his own guys. And if you are Rocco Becht, you are a fifth-year senior, in need of a bounce-back season, trying to make it to the NFL. Learning an entirely new offense in a program that is rebuilding is not ideal.
As for Hoover, I think things were getting a little stale in Fort Worth. Maybe he felt like he was hitting a wall. His numbers dipped just a bit from 2024, but I still believe he is one of the best quarterbacks in the country, and his arm talent is off the charts. He could be the missing piece for a team to make a potential playoff run next season.
Michigan Should Call Kyle Whittingham
I wrote about this on Sunday, but I truly believe Michigan is stuck between a rock and a hard place in its current situation. The whole Sherrone Moore thing left them in shambles, and when you are this late in the calendar, good luck finding the coach of the future. Everyone already has their guy for 2026, except for Michigan, which is a top ten job in college football.
But due to the mess that is going to have to be cleaned up, bringing in a veteran coach would be the right move, and who better to call than Kyle Whittingham? It appears that he isn’t ready to retire just yet, and he seems like the perfect man to not only clean up in Ann Arbor but also to help set a foundation for the next coach. He may not be the future at Michigan, but he is a guy they need right now.
Kenny Dillingham is Staying Put
Despite the rumors of Kenny Dillingham taking the Michigan job, it appears that he is staying put in Tempe. Dillingham signed a five-year contract extension worth around $7.5 million per year. It includes a considerable increase in the salary pool for his assistants, raising it to $11 million, positioning ASU’s staff as one of the top earners in the Big 12. In recent weeks, we have seen a lot of changes in the Big 12, but it’s nice to see someone staying around for a change, especially a guy like Kenny Dillingham.
Two Big Wins on the Hardwood
I don’t cover a ton of college basketball here, but I do want to give a shoutout to Texas Tech and Houston. This past Saturday, Texas Tech completed a 17-point second-half comeback against a top-five Duke team. Christian Anderson scored 23 of his 27 points in the second half, including the tiebreaking free throw with 3.4 seconds left to help Tech take down the Blue Devils.
As for Houston, their win over Arkansas was much less dramatic, but it still was a big win. The Cougars shot over 50% from the floor as they put up 94 points up which was the most the Razorbacks have allowed this season. I know Houston got off to a slow start this year, but they did the same thing last season and still made it all the way to the championship game.
