By Tyler Barto
Twitter: @Tyler_Barto
tbarto@trentonian.com

For insight into Ralph Friedgen's impact on college football, look no further than the Big Ten dynamic he's about to join as Rutgers' offensive coordinator.

Friedgen, who's coached a combined 45 seasons between Division I and the NFL, finds three of his former assistants are now coordinators in the Big Ten and one, Penn State's James Franklin, is a head coach.

John Donovan, Penn State's offensive coordinator, served under Friedgen at Maryland from 2001-07. He followed Friedgen there from Georgia Tech, where Friedgen was a play caller.

Tim Banks, defensive coordinator at Illinois, and Maryland offensive coordinator Mike Locksley worked under Friedgen from 2003-06 and 2001-02, respectively.

Franklin spent two separate trips under Friedgen at Maryland and was once the Terps' coach-in-waiting.

OTHER RUTGERS-BIG TEN CONNECTIONS: Michigan State's Mark Dantonio coached against Rutgers' Kyle Flood and Maryland's Randy Edsall — then at UConn — for three seasons at Cincinnati. ... Dantonio, Spartans defensive coordinator Dave Warner and Rutgers offensive line coach Mitch Browning all served on the same Kansas staff in the early 1990s. ... Illinois offensive coordinator Bill Cubit spent Greg Schiano's first two seasons in Piscataway (2001-02) as a play caller and quarterbacks coach. ... Darrell Hazel, Purdue's head coach, beat Rutgers at Kent State in 2012, 35-23. He was also a Rutgers assistant from 2001-03. ... Purdue offensive coordinator John Shoop coached against Rutgers three times between 2008-12 in the same position at North Carolina. ... New Ohio State co-defensive coordinator Chris Ash schemed against Rutgers at Arkansas last year, when he said he noticed Brandon Coleman didn't look 100 percent.