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U Football Commits Include 4 O-Tackles in National Top 50

Posted on June 2, 2025June 2, 2025 by David Shama

The Golden Gophers picked up five more verbal commitments over the weekend for their 2026 football recruiting class, per various media. Notably, two of those players are offensive tackles, giving Minnesota four verbal commits at that position in their 15-player class so far that eventually is expected to total at least in the low 20s.

The Gophers’ four commits are all ranked in the top 50 nationally among offensive tackles by 247Sports. Andrew Trout, a four-star recruit from Cold Spring, Minnesota, is ranked No. 23; Daniel McMorris, from Norman, Oklahoma, is No. 29; Gavin Meier, Janesville, Wisconsin, No. 44; and Mataalii Benjamin, Lehi, Utah, No 45.

Two years ago, Minnesota received commitments from and later signed two prize high school offensive tackles. Nathan Roy, from Mukwonago, Wisconsin and Brett Carroll, from Olathe, Kansas, were ranked No. 11 and 21 respectively among the best prep tackles by 247Sports.

Both project as second teamers going into fall camp for the Gophers, with Roy at tackle and Carroll playing center.

Offensive tackle is a key position in college football. The Gophers have recruiting success at the position because of their coaching staff including offensive line coach Brian Callahan who has a quality reputation and has been with head coach P.J. Fleck since he came to Minnesota in 2017. Callahan’s standouts include former NFL draft choices Daniel Faalele and John Michael Schmitz.

The Gophers will have an exceptional offensive tackle roster in the class of 2026 if all of the players keep their commitments. Ironically, Benjamin, a under the radar commit, could end up having the best college career of the Gopher four-some.

Over the recruiting weekend, the Gophers also received verbal commitments from two edge rushers in Aayen Aytch, edge rusher from Lafayette, Indiana; and Anthony Charles, from McDonald, Pennsylvania; along with linebacker Angel Luciano of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, per 247Sports.

Historically, June is a busy month for the Gophers and other college programs to pick up verbal commitments. Minnesota’s 2026 class is currently ranked No. 18 in the team recruiting rankings by 247Sports.

The class is led by two four-star recruits, Trout and defensive lineman Howie Johnson from Forest Lake. They are the state of Minnesota’s No. 3 and No. 2 ranked players by 247Sports which has Jackson’s Roman Voss at No. 1.

Voss, projecting as a tight end in college, reportedly attended last weekend’s Gopher Summer Splash recruiting event but remains uncommitted. GopherIllustrated and 247Sports recruiting authority Ryan Burns told Sports Headliners recently that Voss is expected to commit to the Gophers or Alabama.

Dodge Center athlete Pierce Petersohn, who could be a college linebacker, is a possibility for the Gophers and is ranked as the No. 4 prospect in the state. Offensive tackle Owen Linder from Chanhassen is No. 5 and verbally committed to Iowa. “Minnesota chose not to go on him at any point,” Burns said.

Jayden Moore, a wide receiver from Hopkins, is ranked No. 6 among state prospects. “…I am going to guess he’s going to play basketball in college so this is going to be a moot point (regarding a college football destination),” Burns said.

Chanhassen tight end Kade Bush and Minnetonka running back Caleb Francois, are No. 7 and 8 respectively. Bush has verbally committed to Arkansas and Francois to Iowa State. Burns said the Gophers didn’t pursue either of them.

Fleck and the Gophers have landed the top high school recruit in Minnesota in three of the four previous years: Eden Prairie defensive lineman Trey Bixby (2022), Esko athlete Koi Perich (2024), and Robbinsdale Cooper linebacker Emmanuel Karmo (2025).

Worth Noting

ESPN pro football analyst Bill Barnwell is impressed with the Vikings offseason personnel additions on the offensive and defensive lines. After evaluating NFC teams, he wrote recently of the Vikings: “Most likely to flex on the line of scrimmage.”

Aaron Judge of the Yankees is hitting a gaudy .391. Former Twin Luis Arraez was hitting over .400 in June two years ago for the Marlins before finishing at .354. Ted Williams, who played minor league baseball in Minneapolis, was the last MLB .400 hitter. The Red Sox immortal had a .406 average in 1941.

Royce Lewis, who looked like the Twins best hitter for the next five years 12 months ago, is hitting an unfathomable .127.

New Golden Gophers men’s basketball coach Niko Medved makes his first appearance in front of the Twin Cities Dunkers on June 18.

Medved announced this morning former North Carolina guard-forward Cade Tyson is joining his program. The 6-7 Tyson played at Belmont earlier in his college career. At Belmont he was second team All-Missouri Valley Conference in 2024 and ranked second nationally in three point percentage at 46.5 percent.

“Cade is a versatile player that will immediately impact our team,” Medved said in a statement. “He’s a dynamic scorer, a true playmaker and a great rebounder. Cade is a terrific addition to our program and we can’t wait for him to be a Gopher.”

At North Carolina last season he played in 31 games, averaging eight minutes and 2.6 points. Tyson will presumably have one season of eligibility at Minnesota.

Happy birthday to hockey icon Lou Nanne who celebrates his 84^th birthday today.

Comments Welcome

Sam Howell Acquisition Likely Ends Vikings QB Room Drama

Posted on April 30, 2025April 30, 2025 by David Shama

The Vikings were headed for controversy if they had added either Aaron Rodgers or Kirk Cousins to their quarterback room this offseason.

The ultra ego Rodgers would have landed here surrounded by paparazzi, with immediate expectations to replace 22-year-old J.J. McCarthy as the 2025 season starter. Cousins would have likely been willing to be McCarthy’s backup but as soon as the inexperienced QB had a difficult stretch, fans would have been in revolt and chanting Kirk’s name.

The Vikings saved millions of dollars in payroll by not pursuing the two veterans. They also negated the potential soap opera of having a former star quarterback either replacing or at least looking over McCarthy’s shoulder. In a worst-case scenario, the tumult could have even disrupted the kumbaya in the locker room.

Instead, the Vikings made a trade last week with the Seahawks for 24-year-old Sam Howell, a rather obscure NFL player who has played in 20 games in three years, including two last season. He could walk through the airport here and no one would recognize him. And in a sense, that’s the point.

Howell is clearly arriving at TCO Performance Center to be a reserve, a guy with limited starting experience to back up McCarthy. Howell was a 2022 fifth round draft choice of the Commanders. He started one game his rookie season, then 17 in 2023 throwing 21 touchdown passes and 21 picks. He led the league in passing attempts, interceptions and sacks (65).

Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell and QB coach Josh McCown excel in developing quarterbacks. Just ask Sam Darnold, the journeyman who had the best NFL season of his life leading the 2024 Vikings. Now the prime students are McCarthy and Howell who played in one game for the Seahawks last season.

McCarthy’s skills have intrigued the Vikings since before they selected him No. 10 overall in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Injured all of last season, he’s destined to start his first NFL games in September and to do it without a marquee name drawing attention away from him.

Howell’s career is in need of rehab. The former North Carolina QB was traded by the Commanders last year and played in two games, attempting 14 passes. With “Doctor” O’Connell, he will no doubt get a thorough evaluation from arm angle on his throws to his progressions as plays develop.

Worth Noting

The Wild lost a second consecutive overtime game to the Golden Knights last evening in Las Vegas. It looked like Minnesota would win 3-2 with a goal late in the third period only to have a video replay negate the score by Ryan Hartman. Teammate Gustav Nyquist was offside on the play.

Minnesota icon Lou Nanne was prophetic talking to Sports Headliners about the importance of “little things” prior to the game where the Wild was trying to go ahead 3-2 in the best of seven playoff series. “You gotta be sharp all the time. You gotta be thinking every time you’re on the ice. You gotta be aware of what’s going on.”

The Wild had to play the third period and overtime with Marc-Andre Fleury, the backup to Filip Gustavsson who had to leave the game because of illness. Nanne labeled Gustavsson the best goalie in the series and Kirill Kaprizov, with five goals in five games, the “best player on either team.”

Asked to compare the rosters of Vegas and Minnesota, he said the Knights are deeper and then added: “Pretty well balanced. It’s just that they are bigger and they are stronger. But I think it’s a good match for us. We have as much opportunity to win as they do.”

To win the series, the Wild will need to rally with victories Thursday night in the Twin Cities and Saturday in Las Vegas.

The Timberwolves, leading 3-1 in their playoff series against the Lakers, are about five-point underdogs tonight in Los Angeles. Worry if you wish about the Wolves blowing the series, but the NBA began in 1947 and only 13 teams have ever come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a seven-game series.

There are fans who think the Lakers, with their storied championship legacy and huge TV market, will be given preferential calls by the officials tonight because the NBA wants the Lakers to extend the series. This kind of conspiracy has been present for decades but it’s rubbish because the NBA powers would be foolish to issue edicts about who should win games and thereby destroy the league’s credibility.

Minnesota native Ken Mauer, who refereed in the league for 37 years, told Sports Headliners yesterday “it’s make believe” to think the refs will favor the Lakers.

The officials also have a reputation to maintain. And, BTW, the NBA has admitted the officials missed a late game call in Sunday’s Minnesota win that hurt the Lakers.

Sunday’s game on ABC peaked with 10,274,000 viewers, according to Nielsen, and was the most watched NBA game of that day and evening.

Dating back to the regular season, the Wolves are 20-5 in their last 25 games.

Last week’s three-day NFL Draft from Green Bay was viewed by an average audience of 7.5 million people across ESPN, ABC, NFL Network, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and digital channels. It is the second most-watched NFL draft ever, behind only 2020 and up 27% from last year.

Top Twins prospect outfielder Walker Jenkins hasn’t played in a minor league game for Double -A Wichita since early April because of an ankle injury.

Ex-Twin Tyler Mahle is probably the biggest pitching surprise in MLB this spring. He is 3-0 for the Rangers with a gaudy 1.14 ERA, second best among starters.

The Twins traded for Mahle during the 2022 season and injuries limited his availability during parts of two seasons. In December of 2023 he signed as a free agent with the Rangers and has worked his way back from Tommy John surgery to stardom.

The Rangers signed him to a two-year $22 million contract that pays him $16.5 million this season, per MLB.com.

The college football transfer portal is closed and for a second consecutive season the Gophers have retained most of their core players. Offensive linemen Phillip Daniels and Martes Lewis could be significant transfer losses.

247Sports ranks the Minnesota transfer class as seventh best in the Big Ten. The website lists 22 incoming and 20 outgoing transfers with the program.

The Big Ten announced men’s basketball opponents yesterday for the 18 league teams for the 2025-2026 season. Each team will play 20 league games, facing 14 opponents only once. Dates and times announced later. Below is the Golden Gophers list of opponents.

Home: Iowa, Maryland, Michigan State, Nebraska, Rutgers, UCLA, USC.

Away: Illinois, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, Washington.

Home/Away: Indiana, Northwestern, Wisconsin.

Tempting for this writer: A Kentucky Derby bet Saturday on a horse named Journalism, a bay colt with $600,000 in career earnings who has emerged as a Derby favorite.

Comments Welcome

Gophers Don’t Need Game Now Against Crosstown Tommies

Posted on March 29, 2025March 29, 2025 by David Shama

New University of Minnesota basketball coach Niko Medved should ignore suggestions he schedule a game with St. Thomas. There is no upside for his program in scheduling the St. Paul school that is only a few miles from Dinkytown.

Asked about the Tommies at his presser earlier this week, Medved was gracious about the suggestion and said it’s a possibility without giving a time commitment. Good response but behind closed doors Niko and his boss Mark Coyle should develop amnesia about St. Thomas.

The Tommies, only four seasons into Division I competition, play in the mid-major Summit League. Members are certainly not marquee names in college hoops with the likes of schools from the Dakotas and those pesky Kangaroos from Kansas City.

The Tommies, though, are already a Summit League power and a terrific mid-level program under coaching guru Johnny Tauer. They would walk through a snowstorm to play the role of “David” at Williams Arena against the Gophers.

Fuhgeddaboudit.

Medved photo courtesy of University of Minnesota

The Gopher basketball brand is so tarnished right now it would be foolish to play “Goliath” by giving the Tommies the opportunity to take down a team from the mighty Big Ten on its home floor. In that match up, Medved and company are in a no-win drama for them.

A blow-out Minnesota win? The public response is, “What do you expect from a Big Ten team playing at home?”

A close Gopher victory? The chorus says, “See the Tommies could have won. They’re just as good as Minnesota.”

A Tommies triumph? Critics crow: “The Gophers can’t even defeat a good mid-major program.”

The Tommies played road games last season at Oklahoma State and Arizona State, two teams from the Big 12 Conference. The scrappy Tommies lost both games by a combined 24 points.

Ask the marketers at those Power Four schools if the games against the Tommies did anything to boost their brand and credibility with fans, donors and potential recruits.

Avoiding the Tommies shouldn’t prompt a “game of chicken” mentality from fans who follow either program. It’s just savvy business for the Gophers to take awhile to build up their product and continue their tradition of cushy non-conference scheduling against the likes of “Hopscotch State” and “Gulf of America University.”

There is speculation that the prestigious Big East, drawn to the TV size of the Twin Cities market, may one day ask the Tommies to join that powerhouse league. That would surely be the time to schedule the Minneapolis versus St. Paul matchup—our version of Marquette against Wisconsin.

In the meantime, the Gophers need to be aware the Tommies are their competition even if the two teams don’t play on the court against one another. As the two Division I programs in the state, there is a budding rivalry for high school recruits, media attention and fans.

BTW both programs have lots of potential to build fan followings and home attendances. The Tommies, 24-10 overall last season, attracted only 20,117 total fans for 14 home games at Schoenecker Arena. The Tommies averaged 1,437 fans per game, playing to 65 percent of capacity, per stats.ncaa.org. St. Thomas will play in the new Lee and Penny Anderson Arena next fall with a basketball capacity of about 5,500.

The Gophers, whose public season ticket sales have dipped under 5,000, continued their trend of poor attendance in 2025. Minnesota averaged 8,923 fans, playing to 61 percent capacity in 14,625 seat Williams Arena.

Worth Noting

Is there anyone on the planet who doesn’t agree the No. 1 thing that will determine the Twins fate for 2025 is collective health. The Twins announced the following Injured List on Thursday, opening day.

Position players Brooks Lee (10-days, retroactive to March 24; lumbar strain) and Royce Lewis (10-days, retroactive to March 24; left hamstring strain), and right-handed pitchers Brock Stewart (15-days, retroactive to March 24; left hamstring strain) and Michael Tonkin (15-days, retroactive to March 24; right shoulder strain).

How much has the Twins Opening Day roster changed in four years? There are four players on the 2025 roster who were Twins in 2021: pitchers Jorge Alcala and Randy Dobnak, catcher Ryan Jeffers and outfielder Byron Buxton.

The Pohlad family is believed to be seeking at least $1.7 billion to sell the Twins who in Forbes annual evaluation of MLB franchises posted a few days ago values the club at $1.5 billion, a three percent increase over last year. Carl Pohlad purchased the team for a reported $44 million in 1984.

The average MLB club is now worth an average of $2.6 billion, per Forbes who ranked the Twins No. 23 among the 30 franchises in value. The Yankees are No. 1 at $8.1 billion valuation, while the Marlins are last at $1.05 billion.

While the Twins are up for sale, Sports Headliners has no reason to believe longtime Timberwolves-Lynx owner Glen Taylor, or Wild owner Craig Leipold, have interest in buying the local baseball franchise.

Word is the Wolves Tim Connelly, president of basketball operations, is not expected to exercise his contract opt out after this season and will stay with the franchise.

Cheryl Reeve, head coach and president of basketball operations for the Lynx, speaks to the Twin Cities Dunkers April 8 at Norway House in Minneapolis. Winner of four WNBA titles with the Lynx, Reeve has been a headliner three previous times at Dunkers.

Storyteller extraordinaire Jay Pivec is the latest guest on “Behind the Game” which can be viewed on YouTube and is co-hosted by Patrick Klinger and Dave Boden. A Minneapolis native, Pivec is a basketball lifer whose coaching stops over the decades include in his home state and beyond where he forged relationships and memories that entertain in his new book. The Book of Piv, available through Amazon, is his memoir from 40 years of coaching and is billed: “All stories as true as they need to be.” https://youtu.be/6jzxnB10Src

The Football Film Federation is promoting a two-day coaches technology convention at the Mall of America on April 26 and 27. The event is for those from high schools and colleges interested in film knowledge and excellence. Top vendors and key speakers will be present.

Two schools will receive the Bob Marcus Film Excellence Award which is named after the successful former Gopher and Viking video expert. More including information is available at footballfilmconference@gmail.com.

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