Football hype starts Monday with Big Ten Media Days

Urban Meyer and three Buckeyes speak Monday in Chicago

The Ohio State Buckeyes start practice for the 2017 bright and early Thursday morning at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. They get underway at 6:30 a.m. and will practice again Friday before taking the weekend off.

Before the work begins, the talking starts. Big Ten Media Days take place Monday and Tuesday at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago. The Big Ten Network will provide 14 hours of live coverage.

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Here’s a quick glance at the schedule:

• Big Ten Network President Mark Silverman and Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany will speak to the media at 11:15 a.m. Monday. Each will talk for 15 minutes and field questions.

• Beginning at noon, seven coaches will speak at the podium, each for 15 minutes, in this order: Wisconsin’s Paul Chryst; Indiana’s Tom Allen; Illinois’ Lovie Smith; Michigan State’s Mark Dantonio; Maryland’s DJ Durkin; Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz; and Ohio State’s Urban Meyer.

• Coaches and players will conduct interviews from 2-5:30 p.m. Defensive end Tyquan Lewis, center Billy Price, linebacker Chris Worley will represent the Buckeyes.

• Springboro grad Sean Welsh, a senior offensive lineman, will be one of three players representing Iowa.

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• On Tuesday, coaches and players from the seven other teams will talk to the media. The coaches start at 8 a.m. with 15-minute sessions at the podium. They will speak in this order: Minnesota’s P.J. Fleck; Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald; Penn State’s James Franklin; Purdue’s Jeff Brohm; Nebraska’s Mike Riley; Rutgers’ Chris Ash; and Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh.

• There will be a session for fans with coaches and players from all 14 teams from 10-11 a.m.

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• The annual kickoff luncheon will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Coaches and players from Minnesota, Northwestern, Penn State, Purdue, Nebraska, Rutgers and Michigan will conduct podium interviews from 2:15-6 p.m. One of the players representing Michigan will be Trotwood-Madison graduate Mike McCray, a senior linebacker.

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