Dan O’Brien is joining the staff of Gophers football coach Tracy Claeys as assistant to the head coach, assistant defensive backs coach and co-special teams coordinator. The announcement was made this morning by interim athletic director Beth Goetz in an e-mail to staff.
O’Brien was a senior associate athletic director for the Gophers overseeing the football program. The Winthrop, Minnesota native was director of football operations for ex-head coach Jerry Kill before being promoted to the administrative position in the athletic department. His career coaching experiences include high school positions and being head football coach at Concordia, St. Paul.
The announcement seems surprising but the new assignment may provide O’Brien with more job security since the athletic department leadership is uncertain with a new AD expected to be hired next year. A source told Sports Headliners O’Brien’s salary will increase by a lot in his new role which includes working with Pat Poore in coordinating special teams.
O’Brien has excellent relationships in the state including with high school coaches. He and linebackers coach Mike Sherels, another Minnesota native, will be responsible for recruiting in the state.
The change appears indicative of Claey’s vision as the new leader of the football program. Yesterday he dismissed offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover and quarterbacks coach Jim Zebrowski.
Claeys, who has shown a willingness to take risks on the field coaching his team, likely has replacements already in mind. It would be unusual for a head coach on the major college level to make dismissals without having a solid idea regarding philosophies he wants his coordinator and quarterbacks coach to have, and also not having names of candidates he wants to pursue.
At least two former Gophers and Minnesota natives could perhaps enter the picture. Tony Levine, who was let go as Houston’s head coach last December, might be a name to consider for the offensive coordinator job. Levine, a wide receiver for the Gophers under Jim Wacker, has an extensive coaching resume including under offensive coaching whiz Kevin Sumlin. A source said this morning Levine is living in Houston but not coaching.
Adam Weber received praise this year in his first season as an offensive graduate assistant working primarily with the quarterbacks. A four-year starter for the Gophers as a record-setting quarterback under then head coach Tim Brewster from 2007-2010, Weber has playing experience in pro football and is interested in a coaching career.
His knowledge and ability to relate to young players could make him an attractive hire as quarterbacks coach under Claeys.
Worth Noting
Sports Headliners’ final Big Ten football power rankings:
1. Michigan State, 11-1: One controversial call at Nebraska leaves Sparty inches short of an undefeated season.
2. Ohio State, 11-1: Rare times when a one loss team is labeled a disappointment but the description fits the defending national champs.
3. Iowa, 12-0: Textbook season by the Hawkeyes who didn’t try to do more than their talent could deliver and seldom made mistakes.
4. Michigan, 9-3: With Jim Harbaugh in charge, these are your father’s Wolverines.
5. Northwestern, 10-2: After two seasons of mediocrity, the Wildcats claw back near the top.
6. Wisconsin, 9-3: The Badgers couldn’t run the ball in Big Ten games until they arrived in Minneapolis and found a Gophers defensive line wrecked by injuries.
7. Penn State, 7-5: Coach James Franklin’s recruiting looks good on paper but Nittany Lions aren’t back yet as a Big Ten power.
8. Nebraska, 5-7: Talented Cornhuskers beat Michigan State but mostly beat themselves with self-inflicted wounds.
9. Minnesota, 5-7: Risk being called a homer by ranking the Gophers ahead of Indiana and Illinois but here we go.
10. Indiana, 6-6: Hoosiers bowl-bound for first time in five seasons under coach Kevin Wilson, who has a go-go offense, and a yikes defense.
11. Illinois, 5-7: Illini matched Minnesota losing four of its last five games including one to the Gophers.
12. Rutgers, 4-8: I doubt many people in Manhattan are boasting that the Scarlet Knight’s are “New York’s college team.”
13. Maryland, 3-9: The Terps are searching for a new head coach and need a good one.
14. Purdue, 2-10: Boilers are cemented in as Big Ten’s worst after coach Darrell Hazell has won two league games in three seasons.
Gophers senior offensive lineman Jon Christenson will earn his masters degree in public health next semester. He plans to be enrolled in medical school in the fall of 2017, hopefully at Minnesota. What will the Minnetonka native specialize in?
“Right now I am leaning toward orthopedic surgery,” he said. “I would love to be somewhere in sports medicine. I really feel like I could relate well to patients, especially young athletes—having been through so much myself. Unfortunately I know quite a few orthopedic surgeons from my experience here (being injured).”
After yesterday’s 20-10 win by the Vikings over the Falcons, coach Mike Zimmer has his team in first place in the NFC North with an 8-3 record. Running back Adrian Peterson leads the NFL in rushing with 1,164 yards. The Vikings have given up 194 points, second only to the Bengals with 193.
The Vikings have remaining games at home against the Seahawks, Bears and Giants. Road games remain versus the Cardinals and Packers. The Vikings could be favored in every game except the matchup against the 9-2 Cardinals.
Fox commentator John Lynch, the former defensive back with the Bucs, critiqued Teddy Bridgewater on yesterday’s telecast and said the Vikings quarterback holds the ball “longer” while attempting to pass than any quarterback in the NFL.
The 4-2 Gophers play 4-1 Clemson tonight at Williams Arena as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge series. The Tigers’ one loss was 82-65 to Massachusetts but of more interest to Gophers fans should be Clemson’s 76-58 neutral court win over Rutgers, a team that is a popular choice to finish last in the Big Ten. Minnesota is predicted to finish near the bottom of the standings too. Tonight’s game is on ESPN2.
Save the date: the annual Breakdown Sports Tip Off Classics at Minnetonka High School involving boys and girls teams will be December 12. Among the anticipated matchups is the 3:45 p.m. boys game between Class 4-A powers Apple Valley and Hopkins. Apple Valley’s roster includes national recruiting targets Gary Trent Jr. and Tre Jones—junior and sophomore standouts. Hopkins features Amir Coffey, a favorite to be the state’s best prep senior. Michael Hurt, another senior and like Coffey committed to the Gophers for next fall, will play for Rochester John Marshall in an 8 p.m. boys game against Shakopee. Both are 4-A teams. More on the tournaments at Breakdownsportsusa.com.
The Gophers hockey team has a disappointing 4-7 record so far but entering this season Minnesota had won more games (105) the last four seasons than any Division I men’s program. The Gophers also made program history by winning consecutive regular season league titles the last four years, with two championships in the WCHA and the two most recent in the Big Ten.