Golden Gophers – Page 321 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Kill Ranks U D-Backs with Big Ten’s Best

Posted on August 6, 2014August 6, 2014 by David Shama

Gophers football notes…

Jerry Kill has praise for his defensive secondary as the Gophers prepare for their 2014 season and opening game on August 28 against Eastern Illinois. “We’re deep in the secondary—secondary-wise we’ll be as good as anybody in the Big Ten,” the head coach said on WCCO Radio’s Sports Huddle program on Sunday. “We’re athletic.”

The secondary players aren’t drawing national attention but program insiders are impressed including Kill who said on the radio there is “tons of talent” available. However, Lindy’s Big Ten preview magazine, for example, isn’t on board and ranks the Gophers defensive backfield No. 13 in the 14-team Big Ten. And the Jim Thorpe award is given annually to the nation’s best defensive back and no Gophers are included among the 39 candidates on the 2014 watch list.

Gophers offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover sends passers and receivers against the secondary in practice and said on occasion “we’re not going to look good.” Senior safety Cedric Thompson, senior cornerback Derrick Wells, and junior cornerback Eric Murray are among the talented defensive backs. With plenty of talent and experience, the secondary can “get you frustrated,” Limegrover said.

Former Gophers offensive lineman Ed Olson, a senior on last year’s team, referred to the defensive backs as “studs.” “They will live up to the hype,” he told Sports Headliners. “They’re a great group of guys. They work hard and they’ll never give up.”

The collective skills of the secondary players should ultimately help make redshirt sophomore Mitch Leidner better in his first full season as the starting quarterback. Leidner only threw three touchdown passes last season but the defensive competition in pre-season camp this month figures to help him.

Olson describes Leidner as an outstanding leader and the “hardest worker” he’s known. “I remember when he came in as a freshman he was on my off-season workout team. Didn’t really know him. He’s probably the best pick I ever made. He came up to me and said, ‘You won’t regret this pick.’

“I’ll never forget that. He stepped up. We won like the off-season ‘Rose Bowl’ (competition) and everything. He’s a big reason for it. Great friends ever since.”

At practice this week Olson watched his brother Tommy Olson who is on the Rimington Award watch list for the nation’s top center. Tommy started the last four games of 2013 at center after being moved from guard prior to the season beginning. As a senior, this will be his last chance to have his best season. “He’s really into football this year and he’s loving it,” Ed said.

His brother also said Tommy has added about 10 pounds and weighs well over 300 but he has also emphasized flexibility in the off-season. “He’s gotten a lot stronger and faster,” Ed said. “He says he’s the fastest and strongest he’s ever been. He can’t wait for the start of the season.”

With no more football in his future, Ed has gone on a low carbohydrate diet and dropped about 90 pounds from his playing weight of 320. He wore jersey No. 58, the same number his father, Ed Sr., did playing for the Gophers in the early 1980s. Now Tommy will wear No. 58. “Really cool,” Ed Jr. said about Tommy continuing the tradition. “Couldn’t think of anyone else wearing it.”

Ed Jr. was recruited as part of coach Tim Brewster’s 2009 recruiting class. He was redshirted that year, and then played as a starting tackle in 2010 before Kill succeeded Brewster for the 2011 season.

Olson has watched the program go from a Big Ten punch line to a respected program. The Gophers won four league games last year for the first time since 2005 and went to a second consecutive bowl game. What about a New Year’s Day bowl game in 2015?

“I can’t make any predictions now but if they take it day-by-day and keep improving like they have been, the sky’s the limit for these guys,” Olson said.

Dan O’Brien, Gophers associate athletic director, has worked with Kill since the coach came here from Northern Illinois and sees him every day. He said Kill is driving a motor vehicle, an indication of being seizure free for a long while.

“I think he’s managing his schedule well,” O’Brien said. “He seems like he has great energy. I know he’s excited for the year. He thinks this will be our best year in his time here.”

Both the Gophers and Stillwater-based Creative Charters are sponsoring fan trips to Minnesota’s game in Fort Worth against Texas Christian on September 13. The trip is something new for the athletic department, while Creative Charters has been organizing football and basketball trips for many years.

O’Brien said the intent of the TCU trip is to allow fans to get “closer to the team.” Part of the fun will be having the Gophers Marching Band in Fort Worth. But other than the TCU travel package (a few openings remain) and a possible bowl game trip, the athletic department has no further plans for fan travel. “We have zero interest in doing it more than once a year,” O’Brien said.

Freshman walk-on quarterback Jacques Perra is a player to watch develop. At Roseville Area High School he played for former North Dakota State quarterback Chris Simdorn who led the Bison to NCAA Division II titles in 1989 and 1990. Perra was the 2013 Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year and threw 35 touchdown passes and only four interceptions.

The Big Ten Network crew that stops at Big Ten schools previewing the football programs will be in Minneapolis to showcase the Gophers for a report airing August 16.

The Gophers and other Big Ten programs reduce their nonconference games from four to three and increase league games from eight to nine starting in 2016. Michigan State has arguably become the best program in the Big Ten but the Gophers don’t play the Spartans again until 2017.

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Iowa Safety Rogers to Visit Gophers

Posted on August 4, 2014August 4, 2014 by David Shama

Former Iowa State defensive back Charlie Rogers, now at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Iowa, may become a Gopher, according to Scott Strohmeier.

Strohmeier, the Iowa Western head coach, told Sports Headliners his safety’s top two Division I college choices are Minnesota and Illinois. He also said Rogers is making plans to visit the University of Minnesota.

Rogers chose Iowa State over the Gophers as a high school player at Iowa City West where he was better known as a quarterback than defensive player. He was a Rivals.com three-star prospect and considered one of Iowa’s best prep recruits in the class of 2012.

As a redshirt freshman last year at Iowa State, Rogers was one of seven freshmen to play for the Cyclones. He participated in 12 games, starting two at cornerback and nickelback. He was second team All-Big 12 academic.

Rogers, 6-1, 195 pounds, wouldn’t be the first Iowa Western alum to play for the Gophers. Mike Henry, a senior fullback on last year’s Gophers, first attended Iowa Western after graduating from Mahtomedi High School. Linebacker Cody Poock, from Spirit Lake, Iowa, transferred to Minnesota after playing for Strohmeier last fall.

Strohmeier is from Watkins, Minnesota. He has been head coach of the Reivers since 2008 and won the 2012 National Junior College Athletic Association championship.

Strohmeier’s relationship with the Gophers is enhanced by his friendship with Gophers associate athletic director Dan O’Brien who oversees the U football program and is a former head coach at Concordia of St. Paul. “Dan gave me my first coaching job at Concordia,” Strohmeier said. “He got me in the profession.”

Iowa Western is a possible destination for former Washburn High School running back Jeff Jones, the Rivals.com four-star recruit who is trying to become NCAA eligible this summer so he can join the Gophers who started practice last Friday in preparation for their season opener on August 28 at home against Eastern Illinois. “I would love to have a guy like Jeff but he deserves to play Division I,” Strohmeier said. “We’re here if he needs to be.”

If Jones were to become a Reiver, he would play in the same backfield with Eden Prairie High School alum Anthony Anderson, a power back who will have major college recruiters watching him in Council Bluffs. Strohmeier lost his top two tailbacks from last year’s No. 2 nationally ranked team and he expects Anderson to help fill the void.

What would it be like to have a backfield with the elusive Jones and powerful Anderson? “I could sleep a lot better at night. I can tell you that much,” Strohmeier said.

Worth Noting

After reporting on Jones for months and following his story, I will be surprised if he isn’t admitted to the University of Minnesota soon, even if he isn’t NCAA eligible to play for the Gophers this season.

Among the Gophers’ best chances for a road upset this season could be September 27 at Michigan. The Gophers have only won twice in Ann Arbor since 1986 and have lost five consecutive games to Michigan, but the Wolverines have been faltering the last two years with a 15-11 record.

“It was a low energy program a year ago,” said Big Ten Network analyst Gerry DiNardo last Monday on BTN’s coverage of the conference’s Media Day.

The Wolverines’ problems include having lost five of their last six games against Michigan State. Spartans’ coach Mike Dantonio was asked at Media Day how MSU can keep up the intensity for the in-state rivalry. “I continue to live in (the state of) Michigan,” he answered. “That ought to do it.”

Eighteen attendees paid $2,000 each for the “Boys of Fall Elite Camp” that coincided with the opening of Gophers training camp last Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Participants received an inside look at the Gophers program, attending team and position meetings and eating with players. The camp raised money for the football program.

Senior redshirt wide receiver Devon Wright is now on the Gophers’ 105-man roster, after replacing injured redshirt sophomore tight end Duke Anyanwu. Wright is a former Tim Brewster recruit as a running back from Florida. He played on special teams last year.

Former Gophers linebacker Jon Leverenz is teaching science at Bloomington Jefferson High School and is the head boys track coach. His 162 tackles in 1987 ranks second for a single Gophers season behind linebacker Bill Light’s 172 in 1970.

Former Gophers basketball captain Al Nuness will be part of the inaugural hall of fame class at his old Chicago area high school, Proviso East, on August 30.

It might be a matter of when—not whether—U.S. Bank is announced as the naming rights choice for the new Vikings stadium.

Wasn’t that Tom Lehman looking at the University of Minnesota Les Bolstad Golf Course last week with the possibility of helping with renovations?

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Taylor Not Pressured to Trade Love

Posted on July 30, 2014July 30, 2014 by David Shama

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor told Sports Headliners he isn’t feeling pressured to trade Kevin Love and isn’t discounting the possibility of starting the season with the star power forward on his roster. He also said late last week that a trade might have been made by now if the Wolves and one other club were involved, indicating a multi-team exchange is preferred by him and team president Flip Saunders.

Love and Jeff Schwartz, his agent, have done nothing to discourage media reports about the six-year veteran wanting to leave the Wolves with one year remaining on his contract before he becomes an unrestricted free agent, possibly joining a winning team like the Cavs who have added LeBron James to their roster this summer. The Wolves haven’t made the playoffs since 2004.

Love’s desire to leave Minneapolis sets up an uncomfortable situation for him if Taylor and Saunders still have him on the roster when training camp starts in September. Love will be facing hostile fans in Minnesota, and it would be much easier for him to become acclimated to a new team in training camp rather than during the season.

“We would probably prefer to get it (a trade) done before camp,” Taylor said. “Not so much the pressure on us, but I think maybe on Kevin. It would be better for him to know where he stood before that.”

Taylor said neither Love nor his agent have pressured the Timberwolves about a trade. Taylor hasn’t pressured them either and said it’s possible Love could remain on the Wolves roster until a deal is made next year prior to the winter trade deadline. “There’s a possibility (of next year) in the sense that we don’t feel that we are under any type of time frame ourselves. We haven’t put that on ourselves that we have to get it done by a certain time. My preference is that Kevin would stay here.”

Like a veteran poker player, Taylor appears to be sitting at the trade table wanting adversaries to believe he holds a lot of winning cards—even the possibility that Love will remain with the team for years to come. Taylor called it “realistic” that Love could stay with his team, yet acknowledged the impression given by his player and agent certainly makes that appear unlikely.

“Do I think it’s possible? I certainly do think it’s possible,” Taylor said. “But at this time we’re looking at all the scenarios.”

Taylor believes Love could enjoy playing for Saunders who this spring added coaching to his front office responsibilities. Saunders relates well to players and Taylor wants to believe if the Wolves play well early next season Love might be convinced to re-sign with Minnesota in the summer of 2015. If not, a trade could still be managed next winter.

Taylor hasn’t spoken with Love since the trade saga surfaced after the 2014 season but if he thought the opportunity was right for a meeting the billionaire businessman would be available. “I would be glad to do it but I think at this point what we’re doing is looking at all the alternatives,” Taylor said. “A number of teams have come to us with different options and Flip is kind of looking at them all, and that’s where we’re at. It hasn’t been the right time to talk to Kevin because we’re looking at a lot of different things. But if I felt that was the last or most important issue, of course I would sit down with Kevin and talk to him…”

Love is a former NBA all-star and Olympic gold medal winner. He has established himself as one of the world’s best rebounders and is an extraordinary scorer, particularly away from the basket with his three-point shooting. The Wolves know his talent gives them leverage and they will want to maximize the return in a trade, whether it’s with one club or more.

“We think we can best be served by getting more than one team involved.” Taylor said. “We have time to work on these things, and we’ll probably take some time to get it done.”

If the Wolves can receive the best players from a team in their conference, they won’t hesitate to trade with that club or clubs even though it will mean playing more against Love. What about trade preferences for receiving draft choices versus veteran players?

“I know those are the considerations we’re considering right now,” Taylor said. “I don’t think it’s going to be quite as simple as just one or the other. I think we just got to look at everything.”

Worth Noting

Kevin Garnett had made $315.4 million in career earnings last spring, according to an April 29 Businessinsider.com story by Cork Gaines. That put Garnett at No. 1 for the most ever earned by an NBA player and he plans to play a 20th season with the Nets in 2014-2015, reportedly for $12 million. Maybe Garnett, who played 12 seasons for Taylor and the Wolves, might one day have interest in buying a minority share of the Timberwolves.

“I would always explore that,” Taylor said. “At one time Kevin and I had a wonderful relationship. We haven’t been in touch for awhile and I don’t know what the relationship would be. I have…a certain respect and relationship with Kevin that I hold highly.”

Losing money on the Timberwolves operation, including last season, is the annual norm for Taylor but he said depending on payroll the franchise could make a profit next season.

Taylor’s other team, the Lynx, has the second best WNBA record, 20-6, and is trying to win another league championship. Fourth-year forward Maya Moore, the WNBA MVP last year, may end up having her best season. She scored a franchise record 48 points earlier this month and has been leading the league in scoring at 24.3 points per game.

“Her potential (upside) is hard to tell,” Taylor said. “She has so many wonderful characteristics. Not only the physical, but the mental characteristics and leadership characteristics to just be superb in so many areas. Yet she plays team ball with the other players.

“I don’t know what her limits would be. One might just say the sky’s the limit with her…”

The Vikings didn’t practice yesterday but resume workouts today leading up to Saturday night’s annual passing scrimmage at training camp in Mankato. The team also doesn’t practice on August 3, 7 and 9 in Mankato.

Hollis Cavner, executive director of the 3M Championship, told sports radio 105 FM on Monday that he will take Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus to Saturday night’s Paul McCartney concert at Target Field. Palmer, Nicklaus and Gary Player will be among those playing in the Greats of Golf Challenge on Saturday as part of the 3M promotion at TCP Twin Cities in Blaine.

The Gophers home nonconference hockey game against Notre Dame, originally scheduled for November 8, has been moved to November 9. The team’s Big Ten schedule has also been finalized with more information at Gophersports.com. The 2014-15 season will be the 93rd for the program.

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