P.J. FLECK – Page 58 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

U 10th Football Game? Rutgers, Please

Posted on July 14, 2020July 14, 2020 by David Shama

You know that guy Kevin Warren who used to live in suburban Minneapolis and was chief operating officer of the Minnesota Vikings? Yeah, the nice man who moved to Chicago and became commissioner of the Big Ten Conference early this year.

A few years ago Mr. Warren was on the University of Minnesota search committee to choose the school’s next athletic director. The committee made a top hire in Mark Coyle who since 2016 has made his presence felt in the Gopher Athletic Department.

Now, Warren might be able to do the Gophers another good deed. His Big Ten office announced last week that all fall sports teams will play conference opponents only—if there is competition in the coming months. With COVID-19 placing question marks everywhere, there is no guarantee of a Big Ten football schedule, but it’s a possibility that has Gophers fans waiting with high expectations after last season’s team earned an 11-2 record and No. 10 final ranking in the Associated Press national poll.

Before the pandemic, Big Ten football teams were each scheduled to have nine conference opponents, plus three nonleague games. In 2020 it is the East Division’s turn to have each of its teams play five home conference games, with four on the road. The West Division, including the Gophers, had the more favorable five at home, four away scheduling in 2019.

Conjecture is the Big Ten may write a composite football schedule giving each of the 14 teams 10 conference games. That means the Gophers and other teams in the West pick up a home game. And here’s where our friend Kevin comes in.

Mr. Commish, how about sending the Rutgers Scarlet Knights to Minneapolis for a season opening game Saturday, September 12? The Gophers and Knights originally had nonconference games scheduled that day, so the date is open for both programs.

Despite the school’s fancy nickname, the Knights have been pretty dismal in football and basketball since joining the Big Ten in 2014. Pay me a buck for every Big Ten fan who believes the far away New York City area school never should have been invited to join the conference. But the Scarlet Knights are here (thanks, former commissioner Jim Delany) and no doubt other West Division teams covet adding Rutgers, 2-10 last year, to their schedules.

The Gophers and Knights have only played twice in football, including one game in Minneapolis in 2016. Minnesota and Rutgers met last season (Goldy won 42-7) but they aren’t scheduled to play again until 2022 so it’s not like we see Ozzie Nelson’s and Elizabeth Warren’s old school every fall.

The Knights are hardly a box office attraction and that just adds to the appeal of bringing them to Minneapolis in September. The Gophers and other college football programs won’t be fretting about filling up their stadiums, with teams expected to either play in front of empty stands or at maybe 25 percent capacity. Bingo, great year to schedule Rutgers at TCF Bank Stadium.

Now lest you think we’re getting over confident about taking on Rutgers, I will be the first to recommend having a bottle of Maalox nearby when watching September 12. See the Scarlet Knights talent level will again be pretty minimal but the team has a new coach in Greg Schiano, who in a previous stop in Piscataway had Rutgers knocking on the door of football royalty. Schiano, in his first game back with the Knights, will have his team prepared and motivated for an upset.

So Kevin, it’s not like we’re asking for a gift—just a little favor when your office makes revised schedules.

Here’s how the entire new Gopher schedule could look with 10 conference opponents:

September 12: Rutgers

September 18 (Friday night): Iowa

September 26 (previously BYU): at Maryland

October 3: Bye (was Maryland)

October 10: at Wisconsin

October 17: Michigan

October 24: at Illinois

October 31: at Michigan State

November 7: Purdue

November 14: Bye

November 21: Northwestern

November 27 (Friday): at Nebraska

Worth Noting

Indianapolis defensive end Kyran Montgomery, considered a rising recruit, has narrowed his college possibilities to the Gophers, Florida State and Missouri. Rivals.com ranks him a four-star, while 247Sports labels Montgomery a three-star.

With a couple of recent de-commits, and the success of other programs, the Gophers’ 2021 recruiting class has dropped to No. 20 in the national team rankings by 247Sports. In the spring Minnesota was No. 5 and second in the Big Ten only to Ohio State. With the guess that Gophers coach P.J. Fleck will line up another five to seven verbal commitments before signing days in December and February, the Gophers could improve their No. 20 ranking.

After last night’s Byron Buxton left foot injury at Target Field, expect test results later today from the Twins regarding the center fielder’s status in the days ahead.

Brian Cosgriff, the seven-time state champion girls basketball coach who recently announced his retirement from Hopkins after 21 seasons, doesn’t plan to coach again but will teach physical education full time at Providence Academy in Plymouth. “It’s closed (coaching again). It’s just time to do something else,” the 59-year-old Cosgriff told Sports Headliners.

Cosgriff has a brother who died at 61, and this spring his sister was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. He mentioned family when talking about his retirement decision, and also colleagues at Hopkins who are moving on. He plans to continue working the chain crews for Royals and Gophers football games. “You’re going to have to pry my dead hands off the (marking) pole,” Cosgriff joked.

Edina’s Mardy Fish, the former highly ranked pro tennis player, won the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament in Nevada Sunday.

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U Needs AD Mark Coyle Long Term

Posted on July 2, 2020July 2, 2020 by David Shama

An online authority ranks Mark Coyle the No. 11 athletic director among 130 FBS schools. This is the latest endorsement of the University of Minnesota AD who was hired in 2016.

It was rumored last fall University of Southern California officials were in town to test Coyle’s interest in their AD opening. There was speculation USC might even be intrigued about not only hiring Coyle, but doing a package deal that delivered Minnesota head football coach P.J. Fleck.

Minnesota president Joan Gabel and the Board of Regents approved a new contract in February for Coyle that extends through June 2026. The deal now pays Coyle $975,000 and brings him nearer the best paid athletic directors in the nation who make more than $1 million annually.

Watchstadium.com’s Jeff Goodman and Brett McMurphy ranked the top 20 athletic directors nationally after grading 130 of them on their football and men’s basketball head coaching hires. The Tuesday article said “grades were based on the success of coaches hired, difficulty of opponents in their respective conferences, bowl appearances, NCAA tournament trips, conference titles and national championships won.”

As athletics director at three schools, Coyle’s ranking is based on his hires of head football coaches Bryan Harsin, Dino Babers and P.J. Fleck. As AD at Boise State he hired Harsin, who in six years has a 64-17 record. Coyle’s hiring of Babers at Syracuse resulted in a program rebuilding, with the four-season highlight so far 10 wins in 2018.

Fleck was one of the nation’s hottest coaching names when Coyle hired him away from Western Michigan in January of 2017. Fleck had a breakout season in 2019 with the Gophers winning 11 games for the first time since 1904. The Gophers won two games against top-10 teams and ranked No. 10 in the final Associated Press poll.

Basketball didn’t figure into Coyle’s No. 11 evaluation by Goodman and McMurphy because he inherited coach Richard Pitino, who in eight Big Ten seasons has one winning year in conference games. Still, Coyle received an A- grade, and among Big Ten Conference peers ranks only behind Ohio State’s Gene Smith and Wisconsin’s Barry Alvarez. They rank No. 2 and 3 respectively in the country, behind No. 1 Joe Castiglione of Oklahoma.

If Fleck can continue his success and basketball becomes a winning program, Coyle might one day earn the reputation of Minnesota’s best athletics director ever. There will be inquiries from other schools about Coyle’s interest in moving on but the Upper Midwest native seems comfortable in the Twin Cities and with his job. During Coyle’s time at Minnesota the 25-sport program has compared very favorably with other FBS schools in academics, community involvement and winning.

Retaining Coyle could well be a key in hanging on to Fleck who at 39 remains one of the hot names in college coaching. When schools start bidding for Fleck, and they will if he continues to win, the coach may or may not show interest. If he does, bet your Goldy cap Fleck’s relationship with Coyle will count for a lot on whether he stays or goes.

Hiring the right coach is an inexact process, with a long list of athletic directors failing at the assignment including in the Big Ten. Coyle’s knack for impressive hires makes him a valued commodity at Minnesota where football and men’s basketball must pay much of the budget for the 25-sport program. There is no guarantee, of course, Coyle will always make the right hire but his presence at Minnesota should give Gopher fans more confidence about the future than at most other places across the country.

Worth Noting

With COVID-19 remaining a threat, a small number of Division III colleges nationally have cancelled fall sports. What about the 13-member Division III Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference that includes several Twin Cities schools? “At this point I am focused on having a full season,” MIAC commissioner Dan McKane told Sports Headliners yesterday.

MIAC presidents meet July 15 and may have an announcement about football and other fall sports. At that meeting McKane will have feedback from the Minnesota Department of Health. He has been in weekly contact with state health officials for awhile and last Thursday submitted a plan specific to the fall sports season.

The state’s reaction will dictate what happens next with the MIAC, and McKane said the plan could provide a template for all college sports in Minnesota. While the state could approve the proposal as is, or even reject it entirely, the more likely scenario might be recommended changes given that youth sports have already been okayed.

Things change fast with the pandemic but currently all MIAC institutions are planning to have students on their campuses this fall. If some reverse course, but not all, McKane said the MIAC would still allow competition among the schools with students on campuses. If all 13 schools moved to online learning only, the MIAC would not start or continue the fall sports schedule.

As part of the recognition for the 100th season of Gopher men’s hockey this fall, the athletic department is promoting fan voting for the greatest players. John Mayasich, who last played for the Gophers in 1955, is still revered by program historians and is perhaps the greatest player ever at Minnesota.

Mayasich still holds school records including most career points with 298, even though he played in fewer games than many others in the record book. John Mariucci, the so-called “Godfather” of hockey in the state, once said this about Mayasich: “The words to describe the boy haven’t been invented. When I say the best, that’s totally inadequate.”

Happy birthday to retired Gophers trainer Jim Marshall who turns 90 tomorrow (July 3). Marshall worked 42 years for the Gophers and has been retired for 17.

The late Harmon Killebrew, the Twins homerun king, would have been 84 June 29. A great player and person, Harmon died in 2011.

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Hometowners Loom Big for P.J. Fleck

Posted on June 25, 2020June 25, 2020 by David Shama

The 2021 University of Minnesota football recruiting class is looking like the best of the internet era for the Gophers, but there is still more potential.

Totino-Grace’s Joe Alt and Davon Townley from Minneapolis North could join others who have already made verbal commitments to the Gophers—and the hometowners would be significant additions to the class of 2021 that 247Sports ranks No. 15 in the nation.

Recruiting authority Ryan Burns told Sports Headliners a decision regarding college choice may come from Alt within the next 30 to 60 days. Burns, publisher of GopherIllustrated.com, said a summer timeline has been in place for awhile for the high school tight end who projects as a big time college offensive lineman and could finish his prep career as a four-star player.

Joe’s father John Alt was a great offensive tackle for Iowa but Burns thinks interest in the Hawkeyes might be cooling given the program’s already high count of offensive line prospects. But Notre Dame, where the family also has ties, could be even more competition for the Gophers. With the COVID-19 pandemic, though, a visit to the South Bend campus and meeting with the Fighting Irish coaches hasn’t been possible and might not be in place for awhile.

How that plays out Burns isn’t predicting but he acknowledged the importance of Alt becoming a Gopher could potentially be a “significant milestone.” Fleck and his staff have frequently been frustrated in efforts to land top players from the state of Minnesota, particularly offensive linemen who have instead chosen Nebraska, Notre Dame and Wisconsin. “I think that would represent a very serious win for P.J. Fleck,” Burns said about Alt committing to Minnesota.

The Gophers have lost two defensive linemen who once made verbal commitments including D’Marion Alexander from Texas who backed out just this week. Burns said social justice issues happening in Minnesota this spring prompted the change in plans. The departures puts a focus on Townley, a four-star defensive end.

Quality defensive linemen might play the most prized of all the positions in college football, with Burns believing “supply never meets demand.” Townley is an athletic basketball player turned football star, and Burns praises his skills including a “great first step” that is so important to pass rushers. While Penn State has offered a scholarship, Burns said Minnesota is in the lead for Townley who is related to former Gophers All-Big Ten wide receiver Tyler Johnson.

In the back and forth world of teenagers, players can decommit and recommit again. But Burns doesn’t see that happening with Albert Regis, the other defensive lineman the Gophers lost. He said the four-star Texas native wants to stay closer to home and Minnesota is too far away for him.

Better news for the Gophers among defensive linemen could come with the eventual commitment for the class of 2022 by Trey Bixby, a four-star defensive end from Ohio. Michigan State is among interested schools but Burns said the Gophers could have an edge because the family is originally from Minnesota and Bixby has a strong interest in the program. “He grew up a Gopher fan,” Burns added.

247Sports lists 16 verbal commits for the 2021 class including four-star cornerback Steven Ortiz from Arizona. Not only is Ortiz a talented player, but he has been a vocal leader with the recruiting class. His leadership among fellow recruits reminds Burns of former Gopher Carter Coughlin who while in high school in Eden Prairie was so enthusiastic about Minnesota. “He (Ortiz) is the best recruiting leader Minnesota has had since Carter Coughlin’s class (2016),” Burns said.

Burns expects the 2021 recruiting class to eventually total in the low 20s. He predicted Fleck is in no hurry to use up all his scholarships. A winning 2020 season on the field is predicted, and Minnesota could leverage that success to be a factor with hyped recruits.

Speaking of wide receivers, Burns doesn’t believe Eden Prairie native JD Spielman, who left Nebraska this spring, will transfer to Minnesota. The Gophers have an opening for playing time with Tyler Johnson gone and Spielman was one of the Big Ten’s more explosive receivers at Nebraska. Spielman’s next stop is unknown.

The Gophers do have one of the nation’s best wide receivers in junior Rashod Bateman. CollegeFootballNews.com this week ranked Bateman the No. 7 player in the Big Ten in its listing of the conference’s top 30 players. Minnesota quarterback Tyler Morgan is No. 9. Ohio State QB Justin Fields is No. 1.

Asked about possible breakthrough players among true freshmen from the class of 2020, Burns likes Florida wide receiver Douglas Emilien on offense. Another Florida native, defensive back Jalen Glaze, is his choice on defense, with the possibility for playing time at the nickel position or another spot in the secondary.

No Delay for Miguel Sano Arrival

Club president Dave St. Peter told Sports Headliners this afternoon there is no anticipated problem in arranging for Minnesota Twins players to report for training in Minneapolis by July 1, including slugger Miguel Sano who is in the Dominican Republic where he encountered a personal issue earlier this month.

“There is no concern about getting Miguel in here,” St. Peter said. “His case (alleged kidnapping) was dismissed today so there is no personal problem.”

The 6-foot-4 Sano encountered off-field issues in the past including a weight problem. Team officials monitored his 2020 offseason training and like the reports. “We expect Miguel to report in shape and ready to go,” St. Peter said.

The 27-year-old had a career season in 2019 for home runs, 34, and RBI, 79. St. Peter said the club doesn’t talk about projected future numbers but clearly there is an expectation of high performance this season and beyond.

After emerging as one of baseball’s better teams last year and adding quality players in the offseason, the Twins talked in spring training about the goal of reaching the 2020 World Series. “That goal remains in front of us today,” St. Peter said.

MLB teams begin the 60-game regular season July 23 or 24. All the Twins games will be on radio and TV. For the first time in 60 seasons the game can be heard in the metro area on both AM (WCCO) and FM (102.9 The Wolf). The addition of FM is expected to help attract a larger listening audience among young fans.

The club’s radio network will be over 80 stations, the second or third largest in MLB, St. Peter said. The radio voices will be Cory Provus and Dan Gladden. Justin Morneau and Bert Blyleven will work a package of games on TV with Dick Bremer, with other analysts expected to join play-by-play man Bremer.

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