Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer, January 13, 2016

A new NCAA proposal could mean saying ?good-bye? to satellite camps and ?hello? to text messaging.

But I am most bummed to hear there is no early-signing period on the horizon for football. I just don?t get it. Basketball has an early-signing period, but football doesn?t? I think we all know why there isn?t one in football: The big, elite schools don?t want it.

***

On the subject of pushing the envelope with rules ? if it is Wednesday, Jim Harbaugh must be making headlines. The latest: He plans to spend the night at the home of the nation?s top kicker.

***

Purdue coach Darrell Hazell boldly shook-up his staff after another dreary season, canning both coordinators. He stayed in house to fill his offensive coordinator spot, promoting tight ends coach Terry Malone. He?s a vet who ran the Michigan offense from 2002-05 during a nine-year run in Ann Arbor. GoldandBlack.com has a good Q&A with Malone. All things considered, this looks like a solid hire.

***

Good podcast from the stellar website Peegs.com that covers Indiana. A talk with ex-Hoosier Todd Jadlow, who at one point went to prison.

Jadlow has a ?Give It Back Foundation? dedicated to making a difference and providing financial assistance for those in need of recovery.

***

How will the Rutgers offense look under coordinator Drew Mehringer?

It should be fun, as Mehringer was part of a dynamic attack at Houston. But know this: a dual-threat QB is needed. Does RU have one? Dan Duggan of NJ.com says Rutgers will use similar power spread schemes under Mehringer, who was Houston's wide receivers coach last season. But it's unlikely that Rutgers' offense will be a carbon copy of the one run by Houston and dual-threat quarterback Greg Ward, who rushed for 1,108 yards last season.

"Are the principles and schemes going to be relatively similar? Yes," Mehringer said in an interview with NJ Advance Media. "But you have to cater the play-calling and things like that around what you can and cannot do based on who you have, not only at the quarterback position, but the tight end position, the wideout position and what your offensive line can do. There's a lot of pieces to that puzzle."

***

Bummer for Penn State, as WR Geno Lewis will transfer to Oklahoma for his final season of eligibility. He was a good one, but the Nittany Lions have some nice options at wideout.

Pennlive.com says Lewis? decision was likely driven by many factors, and one of them was the possibility of a reduced role in 2016. Lewis appeared in all 13 games in 2015, starting three, and put up 17 catches for 196 yards and three touchdowns, but his role was unclear going forward with freshman receivers Irvin Charles and Juwan Johnson set to come off redshirt seasons.

***

The page has been turned to 2016 with the official end of the college football season on Monday. At Iowa, one of its goals is to beef up RB Akrum Wadley for a bigger role next fall with Jordan Canzeri gone.

Canzeri (5.4) graduates, while senior LeShun Daniels (4.5) and junior Derrick Mitchell Jr. (6.5) return. Wadley entered this past fall fourth on the depth chart and exited third. HawkCentral.com wonders if he will begin 2016 as the starter.

"He took a huge step (against Northwestern)," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said at a press conference Thursday. "To me, I'm hoping that's a career-changer for him."

***

OK, Northwestern fans: What worries you about your 2016 football team?

For me, it?s the offense. More explosiveness is needed overall-but especially in the pass game. And I wonder if QB Clayton Thorson is really the answer under center. RB Justin Jackson can carry the ball only so much. He needs help.

***

Ex-Nebraska QB Zac Taylor is a rising star in the coaching ranks who recently became OC at the University of Cincinnati after being OC for the Miami Dolphins. Check out this interview with him on The Bottom Line out of Omaha.

***

I?m including this link ? well, just because. Michigan State freshman Deyonta Davis is rated the No. 17 NBA draft prospect by ESPN.

***

Email Tom Dienhart using the form below.

And if you want to leave a comment on this post, use the box below. All comments need to be approved by a moderator.