(AP) Jay Paterno is leaving Penn State’s coaching staff after spending 17 years as an assistant under his father, Hall of Fame coach Joe Paterno. The younger Paterno worked the last 12 seasons as the quarterbacks coach. His departure was expected after the school last week named New England Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien to succeed JoePa as head coach. “I wish the program the best of luck in carrying on the academic and athletic excellence that have been a hallmark of this university for decades,” Jay Paterno said in a statement. Read the full AP story and check out Paterno’s blog post.

BTN’s powerful new original series “Impact the World” debuted Tuesday night. The series, hosted by actor Dennis Haysbert, will include 24 stories from all 12 Big Ten universities. On the debut episode, we focused on stories that illustrate the impact of advances in medical therapy and treatment at Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota. Watch the clip on Indiana University’s horse therapy now and find out more about the show in this post.

News that Iowa running back Marcus Coker has asked for his release from his scholarship is bad news for the Hawkeyes. The sophomore, who was suspended for Iowa’s Insight Bowl matchup with Oklahoma for violating team rules, was one of the Big Ten’s top backs, ranking second in the league in rushing (115.3 ypg). He ran 281 times for 1,384 yards and 15 touchdowns, bringing a tough, physical presence to the Hawkeye rushing attack after bursting on the scene at the end of 2010.

On tonight’s Big Ten Football Report, we aired an all-access feature where newly hired Urban Meyer gave us a tour of his office at Ohio State. BTN analyst Gerry DiNardo interviewed Meyer during the behind-the-scenes piece. Also, you can catch DiNardo’s interview with Meyer on next week’s Football Report.

Wisconsin junior center Peter Konz announced Tuesday that he will forgo his senior season and enter his name into the 2012 NFL Draft. A Rimington Trophy finalist this season, Konz started 31 games at center for Wisconsin over the last three years. This year he was named first-team All-American by the American Football Coaches’ Association and Pro Football Weekly. He was also a first-team All-Big Ten choice by the league’s media.