Gophers Football – Page 259 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

RB Jones ’50-50′ about Gophers-Cyclones

Posted on January 27, 2014January 27, 2014 by David Shama

Jeff Jones, the Rivals.com four-star running back from Washburn High School, met at his Minneapolis home late yesterday with Gophers coach Jerry Kill. Jones committed verbally to the Gophers after Signing Day last year but is undecided whether he will attend Minnesota or Iowa State.

“I think it’s 50-50,” Jones told Sports Headliners last night. “At this point I don’t know.”

Jones described Iowa State’s head coach Paul Rhodes as a “great guy” and a leader who is enthusiastic. But he likes Kill, too. “He cares about his players a lot,” Jones said.

Kill made a good impression with Jones and family members last night. Kill had them laughing including when he said no flash would be necessary for photos because of his bald head.

Kill’s visit to the Jones home lasted about two hours. It was the most recent of several contacts the two have shared. “I feel I know him,” Jones said.

The 2014 National Signing Day will be February 5. Jones plans to wait until then to announce his decision and sign his national letter of intent. He will do so at Washburn with other Millers who will announce college plans.

Jones said his college choice will primarily be determined by him and he is unsure what will be the deciding factors.

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Give Teague Credit for Pitino Hire

Posted on January 24, 2014January 25, 2014 by David Shama

It took courage for first-year athletic director Norwood Teague to dismiss Tubby Smith as Gophers basketball coach last March. Then Teague stuck his neck out further by hiring 30-year-old Richard Pitino as Smith’s successor.

Smith faltered at Minnesota, unable to win even half of his Big Ten games, but because of his stature as a basketball icon the firing was criticized locally and nationally. Teague, though, believed he could find individuals more capable of leading the Gophers’ program.

When Teague seemed to whiff on a number of rumored candidates to succeed Smith, Gophers fans wondered who would end up with the job. And when Gophers alum and Dinkytown hero Flip Saunders couldn’t strike a deal with Teague there were plenty of passionate fans ticked off.

After 10 months on the job Pitino has the program flirting with 2014 success and teasing with what might develop in future seasons. The Gophers are a surprising 4-3 in the Big Ten and 15-5 overall. In the last nine days Minnesota has rocked Williams Arena and made national news with upset wins over early season basketball powers Ohio State and Wisconsin.

Gophers deputy athletic director David Benedict, who starts a new job on Monday as Auburn athletics chief operating officer, was part of the administrative team involved with interviewing candidates to replace Smith. The group also included Teague and senior associate athletic director Mike Ellis who oversees basketball.

“I am not going to take a lot of credit for Richard’s hiring,” said Benedict. “Norwood has done that before and Mike Ellis has been involved with those hires.”

Benedict referred to the hiring of Anthony Grant and Shaka Smart. Grant was hired by Teague at VCU and after making his reputation there accepted the head coaching job at Alabama. Smart succeeded him at VCU and his fiery defensive teams have emerged as part of college basketball’s culture. “There’s no reason to believe Richard is not another young superstar in college basketball,” Benedict said.

Pitino and staff have impressed with their teaching. They spend considerable time with the players working on individual skills. Then at team practices they blend those skills into the group concept.

The result has been players, who once looked like they couldn’t play competitively in the Big Ten, are contributing to the success of a team that observers believed last fall had only minimal talent in guards Andre Hollins and Austin Hollins. Players like centers Elliott Eliason and Mo Walker have become difference-makers and so, too, have two players Pitino added to the roster, point guard DeAndre Mathieu and shooting guard Malik Smith.

A Big Ten TV commentator said this week Eliason is the most improved player in the Big Ten. Walker has lost 65 pounds since last season and without his 18 points off the bench the Gophers wouldn’t have won against Wisconsin on Wednesday night. Mathieu had been a walk-on at another college and Smith was lightly recruited out of high school.

Whether Pitino can ultimately make the Gophers a conference and national power will be determined by recruiting. But Benedict said the “recruiting piece” is probably his least area of concern. Pitino polished his recruiting as an assistant coach working for two former national championship coaches, his father Rick Pitino at Louisville and Billy Donovan at Florida.

Benedict said Pitino’s recruiting network, relationships, experience and work ethic will result in success. Identifying Mathieu and Smith as potential contributors and bringing them to Minnesota are early indicators of Pitino’s promise as a recruiter. “We didn’t have any question whether Richard was going to be able to recruit,” Benedict said.

Benedict also said Pitino’s success in taking a Gophers team that before the season was predicted to finish near the bottom of the Big Ten and having Minnesota in fourth place today and perhaps on its way to a NCAA tournament invitation hasn’t surprised him. But he knows the reality of Big Ten coaching is Pitino must prove a lot more in the months and years ahead.

Still, the Pitino hire looks impressive today. “He’s been around big time basketball all his life,” Benedict said. “He’s seen what success looks like.”

Worth Noting

The Gophers are at Nebraska on Sunday (5 p.m. start) where the Cornhuskers are averaging more than 15,000 fans per game in the new Pinnacle Bank Arena and selling out their games. “It’s (the atmosphere) supposed to be electric is what everyone down there tells me,” said Gophers center Elliott Eliason. “Should be a lot of fun.”

Eliason is from Chadron, Nebraska and his parents, brother and friends from high school will attend the game.

Gophers center Mo Walker, who came off the bench to not only score 18 points but grab nine rebounds against Wisconsin, said he plans to stay humble and “hungry.” Walker had 14 points in the first half after the Gophers lost their best player, Andre Hollins, with an ankle injury. “Without Mo tonight, I don’t think we win that game,” said Malik Smith.

Dan O’Brien is succeeding Benedict and will be in Benedict’s former office starting on Monday. O’Brien, a St. Thomas graduate and former athletic director at Hamline and Concordia of St. Paul, has been involved with Gophers football operations since 2008. As part of athletic director Norwood Teague’s group of top administrators, O’Brien will oversee the football and men’s golf programs, and be involved with facilities and the M Club.

O’Brien, whose new title will be senior associate athletics director, has a strong relationship with football coach Jerry Kill. Teague’s promotion of O’Brien is another indication of the athletic director’s support for Kill.

Former Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel and Kill will headline the Hamline Football Coaches Clinic tomorrow. The Tressell-Kill session will be moderated by Jim’s brother and former Hamline coach Dick Tressel. Clinic speakers will also include Minnesota high school coaches such as Givoan Jenkins from Washburn, Jeff Ferguson of Totino Grace and Andy Rostberg from Hutchinson. More information is available from Hamline football coach Chad Rogosheske, 651-523-2595.

Cretin-Derham Hall defensive end Jashon Cornell, who has been ranked by ESPN as the No. 1 recruit nationally in the prep class of 2015, has been elected a Raiders captain for next fall. A source told Sports Headliners Cornell has about 20 college offers including Michigan and Notre Dame but the Gophers remain a favorite.

Cornell, who weighed 225 pounds as a freshman, is now at about 275 and has rejoined the basketball team after not playing earlier in the season, according to the source.

Jeff Jones, the highly recruited Washburn running back, has cancelled visits to Florida and Michigan after both schools told him they made commitments to other backs. Jones has a home visit with the Gophers on Sunday, according to Jenkins, his Washburn coach.

Prior Lake senior linebacker Blake Weber has a scholarship offer from Northern Iowa, and Iowa is recruiting him as a preferred walk-on. The Gophers have also recruited him as a preferred walk-on.

Isaiah Gentry, a 6-4 wide receiver from Moeller High School in Cincinnati, is being recruited by the Gophers and is scheduled to be in Minneapolis this weekend. Considered a late developer with Big Ten potential, Gentry’s receivers coach is Pete Hopewell, brother of former Gopher Paul Hopewell.

Twins president Dave St. Peter told Sports Headliners he’s expecting total attendance of about 15,000 at Target Field for TwinsFest today through Sunday. He said the total will compare favorably with the top drawing winter fanfests staged by other major league teams.

The Metrodome attracted TwinsFest crowds of more than 30,000 but with that site no longer available St. Peter said the organization will be surveying fans for their opinions about the new venue. With adult tickets priced at $20, he described the event as a “great value” and reminds fans TwinsFest is a fundraiser for the Twins Community Fund.

Approximately 73 former, current and future Twins will participate in TwinsFest. They donate their time with the organization paying for travel, lodging and meal costs.

Among those players will be new pitcher Ricky Nolasco. St. Peter said this is Norlasco’s third time ever in Minneapolis. The first was last year when he and his Marlins teammates were snowed out of a game. The second time was late last year when a blizzard hit town and the third visit came earlier this week when cold temps hit Minneapolis. “We’re trying to convince him it will (eventually) warm up in Minnesota,” St. Peter said.

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Jerry Kill Headed Back to Sidelines

Posted on January 10, 2014January 10, 2014 by David Shama

Will Jerry Kill coach from the sidelines next season?

“I may coach from a helicopter,” Kill told Sports Headliners this week. “I get so tired of answering that question.”

The Gophers football boss has also joked about coaching from a stadium “Jumbotron” during games. Because of struggles with epilepsy, Kill coached from a press box for much of the 2013 season and not from the sidelines.

Kill has made adjustments to his lifestyle including easing back on his almost 24-7 schedule. Coaching from the press box rather than the sidelines was part of the change but next fall he expects to be on the field with the team during games. “I certainly plan on doing everything the way I‘ve always done it,” he said.

During the second half of the Texas Bowl last month Kill was on the sidelines. The move down from the press box was another indication of Kill’s improved health and avoidance of seizures during games.

“I proved everybody wrong my whole life,” Kill said. “I believe I’ll be driving by March, maybe even sooner. I am doing well. I look forward to getting behind the wheel and driving to work.

“All the people that have put my situation (down), and a lot of other people down, all that does is motivate me. I’ll be doing everything like I’ve done my whole life and I am gonna do it better.”

Ignorant fans have disparaged Kill because of the seizures but he is revered by thousands of Minnesotans who admire his courage, values and coaching. Kill has battled his way to success first as an undersized football player and later as a coach who not only had to rebuild college football programs but deal with cancer and epilepsy.

Last season was Kill’s third at Minnesota and the team had a breakout year with an 8-5 record. The 8 wins were the most since the 2003 team won 10 games. The 4-4 Big Ten record was the best since 2005. Among the wins was the program’s first over Nebraska since 1960.

The improvement from 3-9 to 6-7 to 8-5 indicates the program is turning around after decades of inconsistency and periods of dismal results. “It’s happened faster than I thought it would because I still think we need a couple more recruiting classes,” Kill said. “Certainly one (more class).”

Wide receiver Derrick Engel, tackle Ed Olson and H-back Mike Henry won’t return on offense because they are seniors. Key seniors from the defense are tackle Ra’Shede Hageman, linebacker Aaron Hill and cornerback Brock Vereen. Placekicker Chris Hawthorne will be gone, too.

Kill praised the seniors but is optimistic about the future. “I think we got some kids who are ready to step in and play,” he said.

The Gophers will return most of their regulars and Kill expects his best Minnesota team yet in 2014. “I think we should be better in all phases of the game,” he said. “I’ll be disappointed if we’re not. I think our kids understand that. We’ll know in the offseason. We’ll see how hungry they are and how hard they work.”

The Gophers lost the Texas Bowl when Syracuse’s Brisly Estime returned a punt 70 yards to set up the winning touchdown in the game’s closing minutes. “We had three or four guys that didn’t make plays (on the return),” Kill said. “We had our chances to bring the ball (carrier) down where he gets a 10 yard return, or something of that nature.”

The Gophers didn’t lose the 21-17 game just because of the punt return. Kill blamed problems with “execution” during the disappointing game. Minnesota had been favored to win over a team that came to Texas with a 6-6 record.

“You can’t define the whole season by one game,” Kill said. “Am I disappointed and are my kids disappointed about the bowl game? Certainly. You’re always disappointed when you end the season with a loss.

“But we’re also a very young team, and they (the Gophers) should be starving when they come back into school because now they know what they can do and what they didn’t do well. It will be pointed out. We’ll move forward and we’ll get better. …”

Kill is quick to praise his assistant coaches. He said the group has been together longer than any major college football coaching staff in the country. The assistants are loyal but that doesn’t mean changes can’t happen including at this time of year when other programs are reorganizing their football staffs.

“Most of the coaching positions (in college football) open up over the next two months,” Kill said. “Time will tell on that.”

At some programs offensive and defensive coordinators earn between $500,000 and $1 million. Other assistants also earn salaries deep into six figures. “It’s different than it was five or 10 years ago,” Kill said. “You can’t blame anybody if they go work for $100,000 more, $200,000 more or whatever it may be. You just can’t. There’s nothing you can do about it.

“We’ve had guys together for a long time. We’re going to do everything we can to keep them together but I also understand that some of them may want to be a head coach if that opportunity arises. Maybe not at Division I. Maybe it’s 1-AA.”

Kill is the lowest paid head football coach in the Big Ten at a reported $1.2 million annually. That is likely to change soon since he is highly valued by the University of Minnesota leadership including president Eric Kaler.

Kill said no one has “sat down” with him yet regarding compensation. “I really haven’t focused on all that,” he said. “I’ve had a lot more to deal with than those things. I figure if those things happen, hell, that’s great. All I can do is worry about what I can control. My job is to keep getting our program better.”

Kill prefers to emphasize the need to better compensate his assistant coaches and have a football complex comparable to most other programs in the Big Ten. “I think everybody knows what we need to do. We just gotta get it done and I am sure our administration will.

“The sooner we can break ground on a facility the better. That helps in recruiting. Everything I’ve been told we’re making progress so that’s the most important thing. The most important thing is the coaches and that new facility.”

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