Golden Gophers – Page 4 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Wild Contract Sit Down with Kaprizov Coming in September

Posted on August 24, 2025August 24, 2025 by David Shama

Enjoy a Sunday notes column.

Wild owner Craig Leipold told Sports Headliners superstar forward Kirill Kaprizov has been out of the country this summer but in person conversation will start next month regarding a contract extension. Leipold and general manager Bill Guerin will meet with Kaprizov who signed a five-year contract in 2021 and is eligible for an extension.

The Wild leaders have already communicated proposed contract information to Kaprizov. “All signs indicate we’re not that far apart,” Leipold said. “He’s in Russia (and) we’re going to wait until he comes back here. Let’s hope we can get something done before the season has started.”

Leipold said the Wild will offer an eight-year extension but wouldn’t identify a dollar amount. Kaprizov, 28, is among the NHL’s elite goal scorers and his next contract is certain to reflect that. Online speculation has Kaprizov receiving $14 to $15 million per season on a new deal that might make him the highest paid player in the NHL for at least a short time.

Kaprizov can become an unrestricted free agent next summer, but Leipold made it clear the Wild are determined to keep him in Minnesota. The owner said he and Guerin talk all the time about the face of the franchise.

Leipold also said the Wild will continue to request financial support from the state of Minnesota for major renovations to Grand Casino Arena. Disappointed with funding efforts during the last legislative session, the Wild will now pursue $100 million from the state, plus use $200 million each from the team and city of St. Paul/Ramsey County, to spend $500 million in improvements for the 25-year-old facility. Plans are on hold for updates to the St. Paul RiverCentre and Roy Wilkins Auditorium.

Marc-André Fleury, the Wild’s veteran goalie who retired after last season, is a Leipold favorite. Fleury, a native of Canada, is building a home in the metro area, where he and his wife will raise their family.

Leipold said Guerin “has made it known to him that we’d love to have him involved (with the organization)” when Fleury decides on his post-playing career direction.

“He is such a persona,” Leipold said of Fleury. “He is so well thought of (and) people just love this man. His family is a wonderful, beautiful family and they’re going to be a big part of the Twin Cities for many, many years. …We think that’s pretty cool.”

Pro football is a billion-dollar business with millions dedicated to scouting players. That doesn’t mean with all the technology and scouts mistakes aren’t made. The sleuths blew it, for example, in not drafting former Golden Gophers quarterback Max Brosmer.

All 32 NFL teams passed on him last spring in the seven-round draft before the Vikings signed him as a free agent. He has wowed in training camp with his work ethic, inquisitive nature, ability to process information and decision making including under game pressure.

If he doesn’t make the team’s 53-man roster to be announced Tuesday, it will be stunning. And if he is cut by the Vikings, it’s certain another team will snatch him up as a free agent.

In last Friday night’s final exhibition game Brosmer out played his presumed rival for the third quarterback spot on the roster. Brosmer completed 15 of 23 passes, including a touchdown throw, while compiling 161 yards. Brett Rypien was seven of 14 for 62 yards, and threw an interception.

He could make the Minnesota roster as an under-the-radar rookie story that is already drawing some comparisons to Brock Purdy, the former Iowa State star who wasn’t selected until the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. Dubbed “Mr. Irrelevant” for his draft position, he has been starting for the 49ers since his rookie season.

“It doesn’t surprise me at all,” Golden Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said on KFAN Radio recently about Brosmer’s splash this summer. “That kid is going to play in the NFL for 10 or 12 years. I really believe that.

“I’ve never been around a quarterback that processes the way he processes. …I am thinking when you look long term this isn’t a kid that you want to just let go and let some other team develop him and next thing you know you’re playing against him. …”

It will be interesting to see how the Vikings sort out their special teams decisions. Last season their 24.4 yards per return of kickoffs was second lowest in the NFL, while the 6.8 average on punt returns ranked last.

The Vikings got a setback when Rondale Moore, a free agent acquisition, was lost for the season earlier this summer with a knee injury. He could have contributed (perhaps dramatically) on both punt and kickoff returns.

Ryan Wright, the team’s punter the last two seasons, has been challenged in training camp by Australian newcomer Oscar Chapman. The punter puts the football in place for field goal kicker Will Reichard and Chapman didn’t help his standing when he mishandled the football on a Reichard kick Friday night.

Fleck also said on KFAN that Syracuse transfer Brady Denaburg, who will have one season of eligibility with the Gophers, will handle field goals. He won the assignment in a competition with true freshman Daniel Jackson who also ran track at Alexandria High School and has a personal best time of 10.65 in the 100 meters. Fleck teased that could prompt “fake” punts in the future, taking advantage of Jackson’s speed.

Former UCLA punter Brody Richter, who will have two seasons of eligibility with Minnesota, and Aussie native Tom Weston, with three seasons of eligibility ahead after transferring from Ouachita Baptist, are in a close competition for the starting punting job.

The Twins are on course to miss the playoffs for the fourth time in five years. Concerns about the organization include the collective work of president Derek Falvey and his staff in being productive in trades, free agent signings and development of talent inside the organization.

A disturbing trend, for example, is young players who initially excel with the Twins in the big leagues but falter after rivals figure out strengths and weaknesses. The poster boy for that is Royce Lewis who a couple of years ago was a candidate for the face of baseball but since has declined dramatically in production.

Not only is his batting average a lowly .233 but his power is minimal with only eight home runs. Are Twins coaches effective in helping players like Lewis, Matt Wallner, Trevor Larnach and Austin Martin make adjustments?

Something else to ponder: why is Falvey not only president on the baseball side, but also leading business operations? Is that too much of a workload for one person?

With a run scored Friday night against the White Sox, Byron Buxton became the third player in Twins history to reach 500+ runs, 150+ home runs, 100+ stolen bases and 400+ RBI in a career with Minnesota. The others are Kirby Puckett and Torii Hunter.

Minneapolis-based attorney Marshall Tanick wrote a timely and comprehensive article for the Minnesota Lawyer publication that details the late Hulk Hogan’s tie to Minnesota and litigation over the years involving professional wrestling. Tanick recounts litigation involving Hogan, Jesse Ventura and others as he takes on the “legal lore of wrestling in this state.”

The former sports editor of the Minnesota Daily is not only an attorney but a prolific journalist whose articles are seen frequently in various publications.

Happy birthday to football lifer and former Golden Gophers coach Jerry Kill who turns 64 today.

Sending best wishes to former Golden Gophers basketball guard Melvin Newbern as he faces health challenges.

Tommies men’s basketball will play old MIAC rival Saint John’s on December 11 at the new UST Lee & Penny Anderson Arena. Their last game was in 2021.

Phil Esten, UST vice president and director of athletics, told Sports Headliners earlier this month that public season tickets for men’s basketball have increased from about 200 to the 400 range as the Tommies get ready for their first season in the arena. Students are admitted free to the arena that will seat over 5,000 for basketball.

The Lindenwood (St. Charles, Missouri) football program that started Division I competition in 2022 plays at St. Thomas Thursday night in the opener for both teams. The Lions will play at Minnesota in 2027.

The MIAC league office reported the MIAC Sports Network has for two consecutive years streamed more than 1,000 conference events, generating more than one million uploads across all platforms. The network app can be found and installed free by searching MIAC Sports Network on various devices, or at https://miacsportsnetwork.com/

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WR Jalen Smith Could Be Breakout Performer for Gophers

Posted on August 20, 2025August 20, 2025 by David Shama

Golden Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck, once a college football wide receiver himself, has developed some standouts at the position including Corey Davis at Western Michigan, and Rashod Bateman, Tyler Johnson and Daniel Jackson at Minnesota.

Now the Gophers may have another star in the making. Redshirt freshman Jalen Smith from Mankato West could be a breakout player this season after an initial year when he mostly practiced and watched from the sidelines. He is also coached at Minnesota by veteran wide receivers coach Matt Simon.

Offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh Jr. raves about the former three-star prospect who is listed on the roster at 6-1, 195 pounds. “The sky’s the limit,” he said of Smith who has top-end speed and is a fluid athlete who can gain separation in the open field.

Harbaugh praised Smith’s offseason work ethic and the results of making plays in practice. He loves the young receiver’s “maturation process.”

While in high school Smith and quarterback Drake Lindsey got to know each other during recruiting. That has grown into a relationship that should benefit the Gophers as Lindsey, an Arkansas native, moves in as the starting quarterback.

“I am looking forward to seeing him play,” Harbaugh said of Smith who projects to be part of a rebuilt receiver corps that Fleck likes. Fleck (head coach since 2017) added that this group of wide receivers “has a chance to be one of our best units we’ve ever had here.”

There are multiple wide receivers who could emerge as top performers including Smith and senior Le’Meke Brockington who Fleck praises for his skills and leadership. “I talk to the NFL scouts all the time about Le’Meke. I mean, this guy is…close to a 12-foot broad jumper, (has) over a 40-inch vertical. He’s gonna run really fast. He’s a 700-pound squatter. He’s a great blocker, he can fly. So, it’s been fun to watch him lead that entire unit.”

Brockington started last season, but two other regulars are gone, Jackson and Elijah Spencer having used up their eligibility. So, there’s a lot of competition among wide receivers in training camp as the Gophers prepare for their season opener August 28 against Buffalo.

Worth Noting

Lindsey will be starting his first game for the Gophers against Buffalo, one of the favorites to win the Mid-American Conference. There will likely be adversity for Lindsey in that game, and certainly during the season, but Harbaugh said, “nothing really rattles him.”

No unit may have more to do with Minnesota’s success this season than the offensive line. It’s mostly a new group from 2024 that is in transition, but Harbaugh said the line has been “gelling” of late.

The running backs can help that line look effective. The Gophers return Darius Taylor, an All-Big Ten prospect, and have added transfers A.J. Turner (Marshall) and Cam Davis (Washington). The speedy and elusive Turner averaged a nation’s best 8.3 yards per carry for runners with over 100 rushing attempts. Davis is an experienced player to say the least—now in his seventh year of college football. Redshirt freshman Fame Ijeboi has impressed with his toughness.

Harbaugh said this is a versatile backfield group. “I feel very comfortable with any of the four guys out there. They can do a lot of different things, but they’re also different at the same time.”

With Danny Striggow departing at rush end because of eligibility expiring, multiple players could see time at the position. Defensive coordinator Danny Collins said redshirt sophomores Jaxon Howard and Karter Menz figure into plans, with Howard’s physicality apparent and Menz’s speed for pass rushing.

Collins is starting his first season as defensive coordinator but his relationship with Fleck goes back 13 years to when the two were at Western Michigan. A go-getter, Collins was at first an unpaid staffer and worked at FedEx to earn money.

“Coach Fleck took me under his wing at a very young age. He saw the vision that I had for myself and he wanted me to get that vision. …I mean I would run through the wall for coach Fleck.”

Preseason All-American safety Koi Perich will also play offense and perhaps return punts. It seems likely Perich will be given some time off on defense. Collins said he will adapt to the circumstances and that his safety roster is the deepest in the Big Ten, “if not in the country.”

Perich, a true sophomore, could be earning more money than anyone on the team now that players receive both revenue sharing from athletic departments and outside income form Name, Image and Likeness. “He has such intentionality with his money, and he’s already thinking 10, 20, 30 years down the road,” Fleck said. “He’s already thinking about the sports facility he wants to open and then franchise. He’s just an elite thinker.”

Congratulations to longtime Gopher boosters Lee and Louise Sundet who will have their 74^th wedding anniversary next week.

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Birthday Wish for WR Adam Thielen: Please Come Home

Posted on August 17, 2025August 17, 2025 by David Shama

Minnesota native and former Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen turns 35 on Friday. What a birthday present for him and the Vikings if he returned home to bolster a potentially troubled Minnesota passing game.

Will it happen? It’s possible but probably less than a 50-50 bet.

Thielen, still a productive receiver, is valued by the Carolina Panther where his experience is a settling factor for quarterback Bryce Young who is trying to establish consistency as he begins his third NFL season. Thielen, who in 2023 with Carolina had his only 1,000-yard reception year of his 11-year NFL career, is also positioned to mentor Carolina’s inexperienced wide receivers.

The lowly Panthers, 5-12 last season, might be more inclined to part with Thielen deep into the season rather than when hopes are beginning. The Vikings have a need of receiving help now, though, with Jordan Addison suspended for the first three regular season games. Addison is a star having 875 receiving yards last season, second on the team to Justin Jefferson with 1,553.

A gloomy possibility for the Vikings is the hamstring injury for superstar wide receiver Jefferson lingers into the early season. Even if Jefferson returns 100 percent, he will miss the threat Addison brings to defenses by taking attention off him. Jefferson is likely to line up on opening night in Chicago September 8 with mediocre receiver company in starters Tai Felton and Jalen Nailor.

Adding to uncertainty is that Nailor has a hand injury. Head coach Kevin O’Connell said yesterday: “…I definitely don’t feel overly concerned about a long-term thing. But at the same time, we want to make sure that…he can hit the ground running and be healthy. And that’s where we’ll make sure we know exactly what it is…(and) can I get him rehabbed and ready to roll.”

Thielen, playing the slot instead of Nailor, would be an upgrade for first season starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy. He’s going to have plenty of challenges out of the gate and could be nursed along by Thielen who played under head coach Kevin O’Connor in 2022, and he wouldn’t be an expensive addition at a base salary of $6.25 million, per Spotrac.com

The Vikings want to build confidence in McCarthy from the beginning, and they need help in the pass catching room to make that happen. Without it, look for the Vikings to depend on the running game even more than suspected prior to Addison’s suspension.

The Vikings best shot at acquiring Thielen could be by offering 29-year-old Harrison Phillips, the defensive tackle whose base salary is $7 million this season, per Over the Cap. The Panthers were the NFL’s worst defense last season and could strengthen their interior line and run-stopping with Phillips, a valuable veteran. The Vikings would still retain defensive tackle quality in Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen.

Worth Noting

O’Connell said local favorite Max Brosmer, who is trying to make the Vikings’ 53-man roster as a rookie free agent, “plays with very fast eyes, and very rarely, you know, puts the ball at harm’s way when he’s doing it, which is a unique trait.”

After yesterday’s second preseason game, O’Connell said he’s still sorting out the quarterback competition (involving Brosmer, Sam Howell and Brett Rypien) behind starter McCarthy.

Look for the Vikings to cap their season tickets at about 60,000 for home games at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Former Vikings and Packers quarterback Brett Favre continues to battle Parkinson’s Disease. Interestingly, the Hall of Fame gunslinger seldom got to throw the football in high school playing in his father’s wishbone offense. He was recruited to Southern Mississippi as a defensive back.

John Randle was a big hit as the celebrity golfer at the Ben & Adith Miller Golf Classic last week. The former Viking and Pro Football Hall of Famer helped raise $150K for the Patient Fund at Winona Health. The fund helps provide financial support to those who need healthcare but cannot afford it

ESPN’s 2025 preseason college football All-America team includes the Golden Gophers Koi Perich at second team safety.

The Associated Press, celebrating 100 years of AP college football All-American teams, named its all-time team and included Gopher legend Bronko Nagurski at defensive tackle. Honored as all-time wide receivers were Minneapolis native Larry Fitzgerald Jr. who played at Pitt, and former Viking Randy Moss, a Marshall University alum.

In advance of their August 28 season opener against Buffalo in Minneapolis, the Gophers are selling upper level $10 tickets for a 24-hour span starting Monday at 12 p.m. and continuing until the same time Tuesday.

Sushi Man, whose owners include Steve and Dorothy Erban, won the $75,000 Minnesota Derby at Canterbury Park earlier this month. Race horsing patrons for years, the Erbans are also known for their ownership of Minnesota based Creative Charters which annually takes travelers to events such as the Kentucky Derby and Golden Gophers football and basketball games.

Former Twins GM Thad Levine has a podcast worth a listen. “Rosters to Rings” started a few months ago and offers insights about sports front offices. Levine is joined by former NBA GM Ryan McDonough on the weekly podcast that can be found at: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rosters-to-rings-podcast/id1815705227

Levine told Sports Headliners the podcast was encouraged by his wife who recognized he had so many experiences to share that could give fans an inside look at what goes on with front office decision making. He said certain things or people are off limits, but he can share about “60 percent” of experiences during his career which includes leadership positions with the Rangers and Rockies

Calling it a “passion project,” Levine and McDonough might discuss what goes into making or not making trades. They might compare the MLB and NBA drafts, offering interesting nuances. Varied guests can include prominent media, too, with their unique insight on what they see, hear and who they talk with

Levine, who is also lecturing on leadership to corporations and has spoken on the subject at the University of Minnesota, has no timetable but is interested in going back into management with an MLB team. He was with the Twins from 2016-2024.

MLB.com ranked the Dodgers No. 1 and Twins No. 2 recently among the 30 farm systems. Rankings, of course, aren’t the literal gospel. A better way for fans to understand rankings is to break them into tiers or groups. The Twins, with their prospects including those acquired this summer in trades, for sure deserve to be in the top half dozen tier.

Jim Kaat, the former 86-year-old Twins pitcher in town for the weekend’s celebration of the 1965 Twins American Lague championship, is probably the only ambidextrous golfer ever to shoot his age multiple times. And he’s still playing.

That 1965 Twins team won the pennant with a 102-60 record after being 79-83 the year prior. A number of Twins had superb seasons, but perhaps none bigger and more surprising than AL MVP and shortstop Zoilo Versalles.

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