Which schools are leading Olympics medal chase in Paris?

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In case you forgot what DeShaun Foster taught us at Big Ten media days … UCLA is in fact in L.A. The first-year coach seemed to poke fun at his awkward podium intro with a new shirt at preseason practice yesterday. Well done, Coach. 👏

Olympic Medal Breakdown

Which schools have the most medalists?

As college football fans, we own the bragging rights for the most chaotic, entertaining sport of all. But just as important is our loyalty to our schools. And once every four years, we get to see our schools represented on the world’s biggest stage.

According to the NCAA, 1,225 current, former and incoming NCAA athletes are competing in the Paris Olympics. They represent 253 schools across 60 conferences, and while most of them are competing with Team USA, more than 100 other countries have an NCAA athlete on their team.

Stanford sent the most athletes to Paris (51, including 38 for Team USA), with USC (44), Michigan (42) and Florida (40) following as the most well-represented schools.

Here’s a quick medal count of the schools with the most medalists so far. It’s important to note I’m distinguishing by school and not conference. ACC, are you really taking credit for Katie Ledecky’s medals??!!

(Medal counts per the NCAA as of 9 a.m. ET today)

1. Stanford: 11 medalists (three gold, five silver, three bronze)
2. Texas: six medalists (three silver, three bronze)
3. Notre Dame: five medalists (two gold, one silver, two bronze)
4. Arizona State (three gold, one bronze), Florida (one gold, two silver, one bronze), Michigan (four bronze)
5. Cal, Virginia: three medalists each
6. Ohio State, NC State, Indiana, Tennessee: two medalists each

One medalist: Auburn, UCLA, Oregon State, Princeton, St. John’s, Minnesota, Harvard, Georgia, LSU, Long Island University, Penn State, Quinnipiac, Wisconsin, Dartmouth, Williams, Eastern Illinois, Army, BYU

Big Ten Player Survey

Pretty in pink?

Much like the ACC player survey we reviewed on Tuesday, The Athletic’s Audrey Snyder and Jesse Temple surveyed a range of Big Ten players last week about topics from their favorite stadiums to their toughest opponents to their quirkiest NIL deals.

Here’s a quick look at the two survey questions I found most interesting.

Stadium with the best and worst visiting locker rooms?

Illinois WR Pat Bryant: “Who is that with the pink locker room? Iowa.” Bryant agreed with multiple other players that Kinnick Stadium’s all-pink locker room is the worst in the league (which I find absolutely hilarious). Northwestern RB Cam Porter remembers everything down to the towels being pink in Iowa City. There was one outlier in the group. Wisconsin LB Jake Chaney said Iowa’s is the best because it’s spacious. “I know they have the pink stuff, but it’s not that bad,” Chaney said.

Iowa’s visiting locker room was a popular topic in the Big Ten player survey. (Courtesy of University of Iowa)

Best offensive player in the Big Ten not on your team?

Rutgers RB Kyle Monangai and Michigan RB Donovan Edwards were the two most common answers here. Monangai ranked 17th in the FBS in total rushing yards in 2023 (1,262) and ended on a season-best performance with 25 carries for 163 yards and one touchdown against Miami in Rutgers’ Pinstripe Bowl win.

Edwards played an integral role in Michigan’s national championship win against Washington, scoring two touchdowns in the title game. Minnesota RB Darius Taylor said he was a fan of Edwards while he was still in high school.

Read the rest of the survey and learn about the conference’s most hot-headed coaches.

Nebraska freshman QB Dylan Raiola is the program’s highest-rated recruit of the century. (Courtesy of University of Nebraska)

Freshman Sensation

Raiola reports to camp

Nebraska freshman QB Dylan Raiola looked and dressed — intentionally or not — a lot like Patrick Mahomes while moving into his residence hall on Tuesday. A photo of Raiola, the No. 2 QB in the 2024 class who signed with the Huskers as their highest-rated recruit of the century, posted by Nebraska Football went viral yesterday with everyone comparing the doppelgangers. Tyreek Hill tagged Mahomes, to which the Kansas City QB replied, “That’s my lil cuzzo.”

No, Mahomes and Raiola aren’t actually related, but they do share similarities. Raiola trained with Mahomes’ longtime trainer, Bobby Stroupe, who was featured on the Netflix series “Quarterback” in 2023, during the summer. Mahomes is also the inspiration behind Raiola’s selection of jersey No. 15 at Nebraska. Mitch Sherman caught up with Raiola’s offseason prep, which included everything from treating his O-linemen to dinner to flying his receivers to Texas. Can Raiola lead the way to end the Huskers’ bowl brought?

I brought in Mitch to answer a couple of quick questions:

What part of Raiola’s summer agenda intrigued you most?

That he’s positioning himself as the starting QB before Nebraska coach Matt Rhule has made any announcement. It’s one thing to organize workouts on campus; it’s another to fly five of the top wide receivers to Texas for a weekend. Clearly, Raiola has money to spend, thanks to a hefty NIL deal, but it remains a bold move to step into this type of role before his freshman season. Some teammates could have seen him as overstepping — but apparently, they’re on board.

Raiola’s actions speak to the urgency that he and others in this program feel. He could have waited until he’d played one season and fit more naturally as a ring leader. But patience has worn thin around Nebraska. It needs to win now. So why wait? And considering his family connections to the school and his uncle’s spot on the coaching staff, Raiola likely would not have stepped to the front as he did with teammates unless he’d received encouragement behind the scenes from Rhule and other Nebraska coaches.

Assuming Raiola is the starter, what would he need to achieve to have a successful season?

He doesn’t need to be a superstar. That’s in his plans — and in Nebraska’s plans — for later in his career. Right now, to achieve success, he needs to guide the Huskers to a winning season. The schedule sets up well for Raiola to get acclimated during the first seven games. It’s not an easy stretch for Nebraska, but it’s manageable. And Raiola must manage it. He needs to avoid the turnovers that plagued the Huskers last year.

He must grow comfortable with the coaching, life in the spotlight and the grind of a season. It’s important, too, for Raiola to recognize that Nebraska is not looking for him to shoulder all the pressure. More playmakers exist around him at receiver, tight end and perhaps at running back than did for Adrian Martinez in his four seasons at Nebraska and certainly than did for the Huskers’ three starters at quarterback a year ago. Lean on those weapons.

Quick Snaps

Speaking of QBs facing pressure, can QB Avery Johnson lead Kansas State toward its CFP hopes? Bruce Feldman has more.

Kalen DeBoer’s winning resume (104-12 as a head coach) starts with his relationships with the people around him. Kenny Smith details the new Alabama coach’s mentality and how it led him to Tuscaloosa.

How will new roster limits across college sports impact Power 4 football, Group of 5 football and Olympic sports? Read more here.

Is the Notre Dame-USC rivalry in jeopardy amid conference realignment? Irish athletic director Pete Bevacqua doesn’t think so.

You can buy tickets to every college football game here.

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(Top photo of Katie Ledecky: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)