P.J. FLECK – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Fleck: Gophers Will Recruit a Transfer Quarterback for 2025

Posted on December 4, 2024December 5, 2024 by David Shama

Head coach P.J. Fleck went to the transfer portal about a year ago to find his 2024 quarterback. The move paid off with New Hampshire transfer Max Brosmer performing superbly in both team leadership and passing with production that included a best ever at Minnesota single season completion percentage of .668.

Brosmer engaged his teammates from the beginning, building relationships and trust. He was also an insatiable learner whose knowledge and maturity gave the Gophers an in-game advantage in problem solving and creating opportunities.

“I’ve never been around a young man who processes information like he processes information,” said Fleck who predicts Brosmer will be an NFL player and later a successful coach if he chooses that career path.

The downside with Brosmer, who figures to be in training camp with an NFL team next year, is that he has used his one season of eligibility. The Minnesota quarterback job is up for grabs in 2025 and Fleck surprised some observers today by saying “we’re absolutely going to bring in a transfer quarterback to compete.”

Fleck said he’s been “transparent” in meetings with quarterbacks on the existing roster, including assumed Brosmer successor Drake Lindsey, and also Jackson Kollock who was one of 20 high school players the Gophers signed today on National Signing Day. Fleck said competition is intended to make everybody better.

A transfer quarterback is likely to have more experience than Lindsey and Kollock who potentially could spend four or more years in the program. But that’s not necessarily a given, and Fleck is certain to prioritize the ability to play at a high level right away is more important than the number of eligible seasons.

Lindsey, an Arkansas native who was the high school Gatorade Player of the Year in that state, is considered a gem from the 2024 recruiting class. The former three-star recruit had the benefit of learning from the cerebral Brosmer this fall. Fleck said the redshirt freshman “has attached himself to Max’s hip.”

Lindsey enrolled early at Minnesota and participated in spring practice where he was impressive. The true freshman played in two games during the 2024 season with the highlight being against Rhode Island when he completed three of four passes and threw a touchdown pass. He has four seasons of eligibility ahead at Minnesota.

Kollock is a high three-star in the 247Sports composite recruiting rankings. The Gophers may have pulled off a coup in getting the Laguna Beach, California quarterback who can not only pass but is more athletic than Lindsey and Brosmer, setting up the possibility of more run-pass options in the Minnesota offense.

Kollock was committed to Washington until after last season’s college football playoffs when head coach Kalen DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb left the Huskies. DeBoer is now head coach at Alabama and Grubb is the NFL Seahawks offensive coordinator. It’s a tribute to Kollock’s talent and potential that those offensive gurus pursued him.

As Lindsey did, Kollock will enroll early to learn about the offense and participate in spring practice.

So, with a transfer likely coming and Lindsey and Kollock available going into next season and beyond, the Gophers look positioned at quarterback—the most important position on the field—to start a talented player who they believe in and with a backup or two that has their confidence.

Gophers Football Notes

The one four-star recruit, per 247Sports composite rankings, is linebacker Emmanuel Karmo from Robbinsdale Cooper. He had an impressive senior season and moved up from three-star to four-star status.

The Gophers signed three of the 247 top five rated high school seniors in Minnesota. The group includes No. 2 ranked Caledonia linebacker Ethan Stendel (comparisons to Gopher Cody Lindenberg) and No. 5 defensive lineman Abu Tarawallie from Heritage Christian Academy.

The expansion of the Big Ten to include four west coast schools, including UCLA and USC, may start a trend of Gopher recruiting out that way. California, with three signees, was second among states in the Gophers’ 20-recuits class. There are six players from the state of Minnesota.

In addition to Kollock, Minnesota signed Daniel Shipp, a three-star offensive lineman from Eastvale, California and three-star wide receiver Legend Lyons from Covina, California.

Shipp injured his knee and missed much of his junior season. The Gophers need tackles and are hoping he can bolster the roster. There is also a void on the wide receiver roster where Lyons can make an impact. Fleck likened his physical skills to former Minnesota All-Big Ten wide receiver Tyler Johnson.

Fleck, who just completed his eighth regular season with the Gophers, keeps preaching he is in charge of a developmental program. Generally, that means Minnesota (like many schools in the Power 4 conferences) will not be able to attract large numbers of four and five-star players.

That is reflected in the annual 247Sports composite national recruiting rankings. Minnesota ranks No. 51 in the 2025 listings. Dating back to 2021, the Gophers have been No. 38, 49 and 46 last year.

Today’s National Signing Day precedes the opening of the transfer portal next Monday. The portal means losing players on the existing roster and adding transfers from other schools, potentially at other levels than Division I including FCS which has been a productive source for Power Four programs including Minnesota (FCS alums Brosmer, Jack Henderson and, Ethan Robinson from the 2024 team).

Despite the transfer portal opportunity after last season, the Gophers retained an impressive 16 starters from the 2023 team. Name, Image and Likeness money for football through Dinkytown Athletes, the Golden Gophers official collective handling NIL, has increased since a year ago. DA, like other collectives, keeps its balance sheet private but it’s believed there is a significant increase from a year ago partially because of a recent “million-dollar match campaign” with Mark Pearson’s Twin Cities-based financial services company, Nepsis, and donations, memberships and upgrades of memberships from the public and businesses.

The estimate here is DA will have between $2 million and $3 million for football NIL. It’s believed Koi Perich, named All-Big Ten safety this week by both the media and coaches, and a candidate for national Freshman of the Year, might receive an NIL amount of over $500,000 next year. Running back Darius Taylor is believed to be another six-figure NIL Gopher.

No doubt players transferring in, as well as those already on the roster, will benefit from earnings doing NIL work. And the Gophers will have a significant number of transfers with obvious needs at receiver, offensive line and cornerback. There could be 10 to 15 incoming players.

Fleck’s name has been linked with the North Carolina head coach opening but he likely isn’t leaving Minnesota. There is more TV money for a Big Ten program than in the ACC where North Carolina competes. Fleck and his wife like living here and have established roots after eight seasons with both the program and community, and they recently moved into their newly built suburban Minneapolis home.

Fleck also has considerable contract security here, similar to many other college football head coaches now. If he is fired without cause his buyout is over $23 million ($23,302,502), per a USA story on coaches October 16. Kirby Smart at Georgia tops the buyout list at $118,083,333. Ohio State fans are grumbling about yet another loss to Michigan but neither the school nor another entity likely wants to pay the $37,276,042 to fire head coach Ryan Day and say, “Goodbye Columbus!”

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Gophers Reverse Trends with Axe Win Over Badgers

Posted on November 29, 2024November 29, 2024 by David Shama

The University of Minnesota left a sweet taste in the mouths of their fans today with a dominant 24-7 win over the Badgers in Madison. A day after Thanksgiving, the Gophers finished their regular season in the public perception plus-column, and improved their positioning for a favorable bowl destination.

Minnesota finished 7-5 overall and 5-4 in Big Ten games. That looks and feels better than totals of 6-6 and 4-5.

With a bowl victory the Gophers can make their final record 8-5. That’s a lot better than last season’s 6-7 record that included a win in the lowly Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit. The Gophers, BTW, were 3-6 in Big Ten games during their disappointing 2023 season that had followed two nine-win years that included winning conference records.

Minnesota ended a two-game losing streak after painful missed opportunities against Rutgers and Penn State. The win over the Badgers meant the Gophers finished 2-2 in November games after being 0-4 in November last year.

The win gave Minnesota possession of Paul Bunyan’s Axe for the third time in four years. The victory stopped a 2024 string of rivalry game losses, with the Gophers unable to win the Little Brown Jug against Michigan, Floyd of Rosedale, Iowa, and the Governor’s Victory Bell, Penn State.

The win in Madison assured the Gophers they won’t go bowling in Detroit this year. Destinations in Charlotte, Nashville or Phoenix loom as warmer and more attractive possibilities. An appearance and win in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte will set up one of the more interesting on the field celebrations as the winning coach gets soaked in gallons of mayonnaise.

Gophers’ coach P.J. Fleck is undoubtedly up for the experience. His players gave him a nice 44^th birthday present today. He deflected attention from himself after the game during an interview with CBS, saying “after 40 you stop counting and you stop celebrating.”

Fleck said before the game on KFXN-FM: “We have to create turnovers.”

The Gophers didn’t do that, but they were in charge most of the game. Minnesota led 14-0 at the half and 21-7 after the third quarter. The Badgers might never have scored in the game if not for a foolish personal foul play by Joey Gerlach bailed them out of what would have been a fourth and more than 10 yards to go situation. Wisconsin got a first down and later scored their only TD of the game on a 15-yard pass that created some momentum for the Badgers then trailing 21-7.

Minnesota quarterback Max Brosmer threw touchdown passes to Daniel Jackson and Jameson Geers, and scored on a one-yard tush-push. Brosmer, arguably the program’s top passing quarterback in decades, has a .668 best-ever completion percentage at Minnesota.

His consistency through the season was a trend Gopher fans can celebrate tonight. And here’s another that makes the fans in Dinkytown happy:

The Badgers’ 5-7 final record ends 22 seasons of winning records and likely bowl eligibility.

Worth Noting

Derik LeCaptain, the linebacker and special teams standout who blocked a punt against Penn State, is a team leader and has decided to return for a seventh season with the Gophers in 2025.

Can’t let the month of November pass without recalling Bob McNamara’s game for the ages against border rival Iowa. On November 13, 1954, 70 years ago, the All-American halfback from Hastings led the Gophers to a 22-20 win and a final 7-1 record in coach Murray Warmath’s first season in Minneapolis.

With more than 65,464 fans packed into Minnesota’s Memorial Stadium, the game’s highlight came in the first half with the score tied at 7-7. McNamara received an Iowa kickoff at Minnesota’s 11-yard line and made an 89-yard touchdown run that deserves a place among the most determined efforts in program history.

McNamara shook off Iowa tacklers, refusing to go down to the ground. Warmath said in his biography, The Autumn Warrior, that McNamara’s run was indeed the stuff of legends. “It was the finest example of brilliance and desire I have ever seen,” the coach praised.

Viking Ed Ingram talking about the adjustment in losing his starting right guard spot to Dalton Risner: “At the end of the day, if they didn’t want me they would have got rid of me so they obviously see something in me and they want me to just take a step back…just learn from a veteran. Just see what I can do.”

Ingram, a third-year veteran who has been a starter during his career, is facing a challenge now. “I feel like everybody has their own way of coping with it. Me personally, I pray a lot. I go to God. Whenever something like this happens, I just put it in his hands.”

St. Thomas senior running back Hope Adebayo from Inver Grove Heights is among 35 finalists for the Walter Payton Award recognizing the top offensive player in the FCS. He rushed for 1,137 yards this season, averaging 6.3 yards in 11 games.

The Twins front office could give the team and fanbase a boost if they signed Diamondbacks free agent Christian Walker. He’s won three consecutive Gold Gloves at first base. Last season he hit .251, with 26 home runs and 84 RBI. At 33, he is looking to cash in on his best ever contract and that looks like $22 million to $30 million for multiple years.

My friend Charley Walters reminded me of some humorous Herb Brooks wisdom the other day. The legendary hockey coach said eat dessert first, you never know what’s next.

Tickets costing up to $500 are available for the WWE extravaganza at Target Center next Friday and Saturday night.

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Koi Perich ‘Big Fan of NIL,’ Will be Endorsing Gushers

Posted on October 29, 2024October 29, 2024 by David Shama

Koi Perich, the Gophers freshman phenom, is going to be working with General Mills and promoting Gushers as part of his Name, Image and Likeness activities that include clothing. https://athletesthread.com/collections/koi-perich

Blake Baratz, the Minneapolis-based sports agent, told KFAN’s Paul Allen yesterday morning that Perich has “something coming up with General Mills and Gushers.” He didn’t provide details about Perich’s endorsement of the fruit-flavored snack.

Perich, whose football success as a true freshman has drawn national attention, was also on Allen’s program and talked about multiple subjects including NIL that allows college athletes to be compensated for various roles including endorsing products and personal appearances. “I am a big fan of NIL,” Perich said. “I don’t have a lot to say on it, but, yeah, anything that can help me, and I’ll use anything I can…to help other people. That’s a big thing and awesome what they’re doing with it.”

NIL played a role in the 19-year-old Perich wanting to become a Gopher. He and those around him know that with his performance on the field, likeable personality and Esko, Minnesota roots, the opportunities with NIL can keep growing.

With his generational talent, Perich could enrich himself more at some other schools, but he expressed his confidence in head coach P.J. Fleck and the Gopher program yesterday. “I feel like in the next couple of years we’re just going to keep improving and improving, and it’s going to be really fun,” he said.

Before Perich left the KFAN studios Fleck joined Allen as he normally does on Monday mornings. The host teased that it was “student show” day and someone with the initials “K.P.” had a question for the coach.

The student asked: “Why don’t you blitz your safeties more?”

Not sure if the ultra-competitive Perich, who is confident he can do a lot of things on the football field, was serious or teasing, but Fleck kind of poked back with this answer:

“If you don’t like catching interceptions, I can blitz you a little bit more. You’re not going to be on KFAN as much (without those interceptions).”

At that point, Perich was like, Row the Boat. Whatever for the team.

Perich has been impressive returning punts for the Gophers but it’s been his interceptions from the safety position that have led to honors. He leads the Big Ten with five interceptions including two that closed out wins over USC and UCLA. He has been named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, Big Ten Freshman of the Week, Thorpe Award National Defensive Back of the Week and the Shaun Alexander National Freshman of the Week.

Koi Perich photo courtesy of University of Minnesota

Before Perich’s career is over at Minnesota, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him have a role on offense, perhaps as a receiver with limited snaps. “I can play a lot of positions,” Perich said on KFAN. “That’s what I’ve done my whole life. I feel any time, any position they put me there I can play it. It will just take me a little time and I can master it.”

Fleck admires the focus and commitment of how Perich lives his life. …”You’re talking about a kid, whatever he does, he is fully committed. He’s no nonsense. He just wants to compete and be fully committed and help make teams better. …

“He’s only been on campus for about five months, so he’s got a long career ahead of him. And a lot of work to do and he’ll just keep doing it better.”

Baratz’s company, IFA, represents other Gophers, too, including sophomore running back Darius Taylor. He burst on the scene last year as one of the nation’s premier runners. His emergence also prompted Fleck to say about 12 months ago the Gophers could lose players to other schools without NIL support from the public and the program would deteriorate.

Asked about where NIL is now, Fleck said this at his news conference yesterday: “It’s always a work in progress. It always will be. Always has been.

“We’ve had some very generous donors step up big time for us, and continue to do and work with Dinkytown Athletes and the collective. It’s really special to see what these people are doing for our student-athletes. I think everybody sees the importance of it. …That goes a long, long way in building football programs in 2024 and beyond.

“I’m really excited about where we are and the progress we continue to make every single day. The job of the head football coach is even more important now in fundraising. Not just for facilities and stuff, but for your student-athletes and getting out there and making sure people are really, really aware of what’s going on in college football. …So, I think people are really becoming more aware of it, especially our fans, our donors, our boosters, our supporters. And I can’t thank them enough. …”

NIL isn’t going away, even as revenue sharing with college athletes waits in the wings. It’s believed the Gophers football team has at least two players earning six-figures in NIL income. That number will increase and will be made possible by more individuals and businesses in the state supporting NIL for football and the other 21 sports at the University of Minnesota.

Dinkytown Athletes, the official NIL collective of Gopher athletics, recently announced a “million-dollar match campaign.” Mark Pearson’s Twin Cities-based financial services company, Nepsis, is matching dollar for dollar donations, new memberships or upgraded memberships to DA through November 10. The proceeds will go to Gopher football and volleyball.

Worth Noting

The Gophers have answered critics of their game management this fall. In the UCLA game Minnesota was trailing 17-14 with 2:20 remaining. The Gophers went on a scoring drive that ended with 27 seconds left in the game for a 21-17 win.

Against Maryland the Gophers got the ball on their 35-yard line with 28 seconds remaining in the first half. In six plays they moved down the field to kick a field goal with two seconds left in the second quarter boosting Minnesota’s lead to 34-13.

Gopher quarterback Max Brosmer was named the Big Ten’s Offensive Player of the Week yesterday for his performance against Maryland, a 48-23 win. Brosmer completed 26-of-33 passes (78.8 percent) for season-highs of 320 yards and four touchdowns.

The Gophers are surprisingly about 3-point favorites to win at Illinois Saturday. That would not only make Minnesota 6-3 overall and 4-2 in Big Ten games, but also end a 0-10 record against head coach Bret Bielema (3-0 as with the Illini,, before that 7-0 at Wisconsin). The Illini are No. 24 in the AP national rankings, and are 6-2 overall and 3-2 in Big Ten games.

Fleck wasn’t biting yesterday when asked what a win over Bielema and a bowl eligibility sixth win would mean for his team.

“This is going to bore you—1-0 (winning the game). It’s all we’re worried about. I have a lot of respect for coach Bielema and what he does. He always has a hard, smashed mouth, tough football team. No matter where he was, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Illinois. It’s his DNA. We gotta play our best football, playing a ranked opponent on the road. We gotta DIB, man. Do it better.”

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