The Wolverines to send the 4 year starting safety Jordan Kovacs, Heisman candidate Denard Robinson and potential All American OL Taylor Lewan to meet the media in Chicago.
BIG TEN ANNOUNCES LIST OF 36 FOOTBALL PLAYERS TO APPEAR
AT 41st ANNUAL KICKOFF LUNCHEON
List of attendees includes 21 returning All-Big Ten selections
Park Ridge, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference announced today the 36 student-athletes scheduled to attend the 2012 Big Ten Media Days and Kickoff Luncheon, held Thursday and Friday, July 26 and 27, at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place and McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago. The 41st annual luncheon is one of the most exciting and unique preseason events in college football.
The event features all 12 conference head coaches and begins at 10 a.m. CT with the players and coaches autograph and photo session for fans attending the luncheon. The luncheon is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m., with comments from all 12 coaches and returning All-Big Ten quarterback Denard Robinson of Michigan, who will speak on behalf of the players in attendance.
The list of student-athletes scheduled to attend includes 21 returning All-Big Ten selections. The list also includes the last two Big Ten Offensive Players of the Year in Wisconsin’s Montee Ball (2011) and Michigan’s Robinson (2010). In addition to Ball and Robinson, other previous first-team All-Conference honorees include Rex Burkhead of Nebraska, John Simon of Ohio State, Kawann Short of Purdue and Mike Taylor of Wisconsin.
Attendees who have earned second-team All-Big Ten honors include Illinois’ Michael Buchanan, Iowa’s Micah Hyde, Michigan’s Taylor Lewan, Michigan State’s Max Bullough, Penn State’s Silas Redd and Purdue’s Ricardo Allen. Previous honorable mention All-Conference honorees scheduled to appear at the event are Illinois’ Graham Pocic, Iowa’s James Ferentz, Michigan’s Jordan Kovacs, Michigan State’s Chris Norman, Nebraska’s Will Compton, Northwestern’s Kain Colter and Brian Mulroe, Penn State’s Jordan Hill and Wisconsin’s Ricky Wagner. The full list of attendees can be found below.
The Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon annually attracts some of the most talented names in college sports. The event has drawn legendary coaches as well as each of the conference’s Heisman Trophy winners since 1970. In all, more than 800 of the conference’s finest players, over 60 head coaches and more than 46,000 supporters have made the Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon a yearly stop in their preseason college football schedules.
PLAYERS ATTENDING 2012 BIG TEN KICKOFF LUNCHEON
LEGENDS DIVISION
IOWA
James Ferentz, Sr., C*
Micah Hyde, Sr., DB*
James Vandenberg, Sr., QB
MICHIGAN
Jordan Kovacs, Sr., S*
Taylor Lewan, Jr., OT*
Denard Robinson, Sr., QB*
MICHIGAN STATE
Max Bullough, Jr., LB*
Andrew Maxwell, Jr., QB
Chris Norman, Sr., LB*
MINNESOTA
Keanon Cooper, Sr., LB
MarQueis Gray, Sr., QB
Ed Olson, Jr., OL
NEBRASKA
Rex Burkhead, Sr., RB*
Will Compton, Sr., LB*
Kyler Reed, Sr., TE
NORTHWESTERN
Kain Colter, Jr., QB*
Brian Mulroe, Sr., OL*
David Nwabuisi, Sr., LB
LEADERS DIVISION
ILLINOIS
Michael Buchanan, Sr., DE*
Graham Pocic, Sr., C*
Nathan Scheelhaase, Jr., QB
INDIANA
Larry Black, Jr., Sr., DT
Will Matte, Sr., C
Adam Replogle, Sr., DT
OHIO STATE
Zach Boren, Sr., FB
Etienne Sabino, Sr., LB
John Simon, Sr., DL*
PENN STATE
Jordan Hill, Sr., DT*
Silas Redd, Jr., TB*
John Urschel, Jr., OG
PURDUE
Ricardo Allen, Jr., CB*
Kawann Short, Sr., DT*
Caleb Terbush, Sr., QB
WISCONSIN
Montee Ball, Sr., RB*
Mike Taylor, Sr., LB*
Ricky Wagner, Sr., LT*
* - indicates previous All-Big Ten selection