Big Ten links: It's time for Wednesday's top headlines!

The Michigan State d-line needs help, having lost talent like Shilique Calhoun, Joel Heath and Lawrence Thomas. So the arrival of Nebraska grad transfer DT Kevin Williams is perfect timing.

Williams was granted a sixth year of eligibility last fall, after missing two full seasons, in 2011 and 2013, due to injury. He had already earned a bachelors and a master?s degree from Nebraska and will seek a second master?s degree from Michigan State. The 6-foot-2, 275-pound Williams played in 23 games during his five years at Nebraska, recording 27 tackles, including 10 for loss.

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It was sad to hear of the death of Tyler Sash a while back. Sash's mother blames football.

?I love football. I?m not trying to ruin football for anyone,? Barney Sash said in an emotional interview on ESPN. ?My son went the football route. He could have played basketball. It wouldn?t have cost him his life.?

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Is the Rutgers job Mission Impossible? Chris Ash doesn?t think so, as he is changing that perception.

Ash has a personality that is infectious. And, he?s a smart guy, focusing recruiting efforts on New Jersey. You can win at Rutgers. And, I think you can win big, as long as the school keeps investing in facilities. The potential of RU is tremendous.

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So, Jerry Kill has taken a job with the Kansas State athletic department. It?s just too bad he and Minnesota couldn?t have worked something out. Retaining Kill would have been nice, as he certainly could have helped with fundraising efforts with some of the relationships he had built. But the parties apparently couldn?t agree on a role each liked. Now, Kill is gone. Maybe it?s for the best, as Tracy Claeys won?t have Kill looking over his shoulder.

A Kansas native, Kill will be paid $150,000 to work in a supportive role to longtime football coach Bill Snyder. Kill has a one-year deal, but Kansas State athletics director John Currie said Tuesday, ?We do anticipate rolling it over many times.?
Good for Kill.

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Michigan A.D. Warde Manuel says he?s comfortable with Jim Harbaugh?s number of satellite camps and what they will cost. You bet he is.

Nick Baumgardner of Mlive.com says with the addition of camps in Hawaii and Las Vegas on Tuesday, Michigan's camp tour will make a whopping 36 stops. And that doesn't include the camps the Wolverines will host in Ann Arbor later in the month. Some say the number is starting to get out of hand. But internally, Harbaugh still has the full support of his new boss.

"We've talked about it in general and there's a limit because there's a time limit with what he's trying to do," Manuel said Tuesday at the Big Ten's annual spring meetings. "The numbers are high because there's some connectivity to where he's going in the country in hitting multiple events and also breaking up the staff to go to multiple events. The number is what it is at this point.

"And I'm comfortable with where we are right now."

Will all of this cost a lot of cash? You betcha. But, it will be worth every cent.

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Nebraska hoops coach Tim Miles is pretty jacked about landing big man Jordy Tshimanga, a 6-11 sun blocker from Montreal.

?We?ve been a ?donut? team,?? Miles said, citing the hole in the middle of his lineup. ?We needed to fill that void, and Jordy physically brings that to the table. It?s meaningful to our program.??
Wait, there?s more: Nebraska on Tuesday also officially announced the addition of Miami transfer James Palmer, a 6-6, 202-pound wing from Washington, D.C. Palmer played in 72 games for the Hurricanes in two seasons, and will have two years to play after sitting out a year.

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Will Maryland point man Melo Trimble go pro? TesteudoTimes.com has a good podcast that discusses Trimble's decision.

Trimble may not be a first-round pick, but he still may go, according to some draft pundits. Personally, I think he should return to College Park for at least one more season.

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Jeff Goodman of ESPN thinks so, too. And he feels Wisconsin?s Nigel Hayes needs to go back to school, as well. And Chad Ford agrees, adding the names of Big Ten brethren Troy Williams and Caleb Swanigan should returnt.

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