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Coach Jerry Kill Fundraising in Arizona

Posted on March 16, 2015March 16, 2015 by David Shama

Gophers football coach Jerry Kill is in Arizona fundraising for the Athletic Department and the master facilities plan to raise $150 million. Kill is in the Phoenix area with his wife Rebecca, athletic director Norwood Teague and other department leaders. The athletics facilities fundraising effort is being assisted by longtime Gophers booster and Minnesota native Dick Ames, who has a ranch in the Phoenix area.

Kill is popular with Gophers donors and has become the face of the department since taking over as coach for the 2011 season. He is adamant about having a new football complex that will include much improved practice facilities—a key piece to the master plan that will include other buildings and resources benefitting various sports at the University of Minnesota.

The department hopes to break ground on facilities this year but won’t do so in piecemeal fashion. That means the football facility won’t begin as a single endeavor. Fundraising for the master facilities plan has reached $70 million but $120 million is needed to break ground—meaning 80 percent of the $150 million is in place. That $150 million figure will eventually be replaced with an additional $40 million, raising the total to be privately fundraised to $190 million. The $150 million will fund an initial phase of assessed needs such as new football and basketball practice facilities, and an academic and nutrition “Excellence Center” benefitting all Gophers athletes.

Kill’s impact on fundraising can’t be understated. He had a close relationship with the late Dave Larson, the former Cargill executive and member of the University of Minnesota Board of Regents. Larson’s widow Janis told Sports Headliners awhile ago she is making a $15 million donation toward the new football complex. She said the facility will be named the David and Janis Larson Football Performance Center.

The Gophers’ practice facilities, including for football where there is an “arms race” among schools to have state-of-the-art buildings and amenities, are among the most outdated in the Big Ten Conference. Gophers associate head football coach Tracy Claeys acknowledged that high school recruits select colleges based on multiple factors including winning reputations and relationships, but modern facilities make a difference, too.

“It has a huge impact of being able to get more selective in recruiting at this level,” Claeys said. “We don’t look at it as an expense; we look at it as an investment. Right now the popularity of the sport of football is (that) it’s making a lot of money.”

Worth Noting

Claeys said true freshman linebacker Julian Huff from Bolingbrook, Illinois has impressed him during spring practices. Huff enrolled in school earlier this year. “That kid loves football,” Claeys said. “He’ll get after it. I’ve been really pleased with him. He’s got a lot to learn, but the one thing is you don’t have to tell him is to go sic’em.”

The Gophers had one of the best defensive secondaries in the Big Ten last season and despite losing seniors Cedric Thompson and Derrick Wells, junior defensive back Antonio Johnson thinks he will be part of another outstanding unit because Minnesota has “some of the best guys in the country.” Among the talented defensive backs is junior Eric Murray, a physical and tight coverage cornerback. Johnson and Murray were freshmen roommates. Johnson was amused while recalling Murray’s TV viewing preferences. “He likes…Japanese cartoons like Pokémon and stuff like that. I just think that’s kind of weird. You wouldn’t expect that from him.”

Jim Dutcher, who coached the Gophers in the 1980s and remains a passionate student of college basketball, is (like everyone else) predicting 34-0 Kentucky to win the NCAA title. “You have to shoot the lights out to beat Kentucky,” he told Sports Headliners. “I am not going to bet against them going 40-0.”

Dutcher’s other Final Four teams are Iowa State, Michigan State and Wisconsin. MSU is only the No. 7 seed in the East Region and Dutcher admitted his Big Ten bias shows through in favoring the Spartans. But he likes how the Spartans are playing at season’s end and isn’t that impressed with the region’s higher seeds.

Duke is the No. 1 seed in the South Region but Dutcher likes Iowa State, a No. 3 seed coached by former Timbewolves player and executive Fred Hoiberg. He likes Iowa State’s depth, three-point shooting and comeback style. “Duke can have those (scoring) droughts,” Dutcher said.

The WCHA Final Five this Friday and Saturday could have an economic impact on downtown St. Paul of $1.4 million, according to Visit Saint Paul—the city’s convention and visitors bureau. Matchups at Xcel Energy Center on Friday are (first game) No. 2 seed Michigan Tech against No. 3 Bowling Green, followed by No. 1 seed Minnesota State playing No. 4 Ferris State. The championship game is Saturday night. The WCHA has two of the four top ranked teams in college hockey with No. 2 ranked Minnesota State and No. 4 Michigan Tech.

New WCHA commissioner Bill Robertson is using his sports marketing background to promote the tournament and increase league revenues from sponsorships and ticket sales. There will be a Mall of America celebration event in the Rotunda from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday that will include school bands, interactive hockey games and the Broadmoor (championship) Trophy. The games will be televised on Fox Sports North with play-by-play announcer Doug McLeod and analyst Kevin Gorg. A ticket package for the Final Five offers all three games and costs $69. Single session tickets are $35 each.

The WCHA plans to meet with Arizona State representatives in April regarding the Sun Devils possibly joining the league. ASU is also talking to the Big Ten and NCHC. ASU is playing several WCHA schools next season in non-conference play.

“They would be an excellent addition to our conference and we would love to have them join the WCHA,” Robertson said. “They could help us in many areas, with the thought of other southwest and west coast schools (eventually) joining our league. It would be wonderful, but we’re just starting down the road with Arizona State University.”

The Twins have optioned left-handed pitchers Logan Darnell and Jeff Wheeler, and right-handed pitcher Lester Oliveros, to Triple-A Rochester, and outfielder Max Kepler, and infielders Jorge Polanco and Miguel Sano, to Double-A Chattanooga. They have reassigned 10 players to minor league camp: left-handed pitchers Ryan O’Rourke and Taylor Rogers; right-handed pitchers Jose Berrios, Tyler Duffey and Adrian Salcedo; catchers Mitch Garver and Stuart Turner; infielders Argenis Diaz and Heiker Meneses, and outfielder Byron Buxton. As of this morning the Twins had 45 players in spring training camp: 21 pitchers, six catchers, 10 infielders and eight outfielders.

The 2015 Mr. Basketball Award winner will be announced tonight on WCCO Radio at 5:30 p.m. Candidates are: Sacar Anim, DeLaSalle; Bjorn Broman, Lakeview Christian Academy; J.T. Gibson, Champlin Park; Jarvis Johnson, DeLaSalle; Marshawn Wilson, Hill-Murray. The award goes annually to a high school senior.

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U Recruit May Top All Big Ten QB’s

Posted on February 1, 2015February 1, 2015 by David Shama

Ryan Burns, a football recruiting authority for Gopherillustrated.com, compares the athleticism of Rockford, Illinois high school senior quarterback Demry Croft with the Vikings Teddy Bridgewater. Burns told Sports Headliners the Boylan Catholic High star could be a special player for Minnesota within a couple of years.

Croft, 6-5, 200, verbally committed to the Gophers last year and is expected to sign a National Letter of Intent this week binding him to Minnesota and making him one of 20-plus players to accept scholarships for head coach Jerry Kill’s 2015 recruiting class.

Bridgewater, who completed over 70 percent of his college passes during his final year at Louisville, was recently voted the Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year. “I am not saying he is going to be Teddy Bridgewater,” Burns said. “I am just saying athletic ability-wise, he’s very similar.”

Like Bridgewater, Croft “likes to sit in the pocket, read the defense, (and) not necessarily run,” Burns said. “He doesn’t flinch if he feels pressure. He steps up in the pocket.”

Bridgewater and Croft do put defenses on high alert not just because of their passing but also running. In Croft’s senior season he rushed for 845 yards and 10 touchdowns, while passing for 2,011 yards and 21 touchdowns, according to statistics from Gopherillustrated.com.

“It could be pretty scary on what he could accomplish here down the line in two or three years,” Burns said.

When Burns makes such a statement it’s not only based on abilities Croft has shown but also that Croft has limited experience playing quarterback. He played both receiver and quarterback his junior year of high school.

Burns said Croft compares impressively with quarterback recruits being signed by the other 13 Big Ten Conference schools. “I think he has the potential to be one of the best—if not the best—quarterback of this Big Ten quarterback class in three or four years. I think his ceiling is extremely high. He has all the physical tools.”

Burns predicted Croft will go through a lengthy learning process with the Gophers before receiving significant playing time. “In the first year or two I don’t think he’ll play much. I think he’ll redshirt and sit another year but down the line I think he does have potential to be a pretty good star.”

It looks like Croft will be the only quarterback in the Gophers 2015 recruiting class to be formally announced on Wednesday. He appears to be another under the radar, undervalued high school prospect that Kill and his staff have earned a reputation for identifying and coaching.

Gophers assistant coach Brian Anderson is from Rockford, Illinois and that is a factor in the Croft recruiting. Croft is also a cousin of Donovahn Jones, a wide receiver who was in the Minnesota program until early this winter. Even more important is Croft made such a favorable impression last summer at a Gophers camp for high school players.

“Live evaluations are huge with this staff,” Burns said. “It’s the No.1 thing they look for before offering a kid. They have to see him live. See how he moves.”

After Croft verbally committed to the Gophers, Penn State made a late run at him but he hasn’t wavered on Minnesota, Burns said.

Croft has made Kill and the staff look good so far with not only an impressive senior season but his showing in the Offense-Defense All-American Bowl. At the prep all-star game in Florida last month he completed 12 of 15 passes and threw two touchdown passes.

Worth Noting

Former Gophers center Ray Hitchcock worked last year during the offseason with Nick Connelly and Bronson Dovich, high school linemen from Red Wing and Chaska high schools expected to sign with the Gophers on Wednesday. “Those guys are players,” Hitchcock said. “They are really wide-frame players.”

Connelly is listed at 6-7, 277 and Dovich at 6-5, 295, according to Gopherillustrated.com. Hitchcock said Connelly moves well and could be a defensive end in college. Dovich might increase his weight to 320 and likely be an offensive tackle.

Seth Green, the East Ridge High School junior quarterback who has verbally committed to national power Oregon, might be moving out of Minnesota because of a possible job transfer by his father Bryan Green. “It’s not a done deal,” Raptors assistant coach Dave Fritze told Sports Headliners. “I don’t think his dad knows (yet).”

Green is one of the most highly recruited prep quarterbacks in state history. He can’t sign a National Letter of Intent with Oregon until next February when he will be a high school senior.

The Raptors were 10-2 last season and have the majority of starters returning. Fritze said he would “feel sorry” for Green if he couldn’t finish his senior year at East Ridge with classmates and friends. The Raptors, especially if Green returns, will be among the state’s favorites next fall to be a power. “It would be a huge loss for the program,” Fritze said.

Registration closes at noon on Monday for the Gophers Signing Day Social at TCF Bank Stadium on Wednesday. The fan gathering includes comments by Kill about the Gophers recruiting class. The event begins at 5 p.m. and more information, including cost, is available at Goallineclub.com.

BTN will air a live, two-hour special on Wednesday starting at 2:30 p.m. Minneapolis time evaluating incoming recruiting classes of all 14 Big Ten schools.

Fox Sports North will televise 12 Twins spring training games starting with the March 4 game against the Gophers in Fort Myers.

Saint John’s men’s basketball coach Jim Smith (780-553 career record) tied Lute Olson last week for 15th on college basketball’s all-time wins list. Smith is six wins behind Lefty Driesell (786-394) for 14th.

Condolences to family and friends of former Gustavus Adolphus men’s tennis coach Steve Wilkinson who died last month. Steve coached at Gustavus for 39 years and his 929 wins are the most in collegiate tennis history.

Justin Dahl, who has accepted a basketball scholarship offer from nationally-ranked Northern Iowa, scored his 1,000th point last week for Holy Family Catholic High School. The 6-11 senior could break the school record of 1,138 points set last year by Joe Hanel.

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OSU ‘Transformation’ Wows Glen Mason

Posted on January 11, 2015January 11, 2015 by David Shama

Former Gophers head coach Glen Mason predicts Ohio State will win the first ever College Football Playoff National Championship tomorrow night in Arlington, Texas. Oregon is about a six point favorite but Mason spoke with conviction and enthusiasm regarding the Buckeyes during a telephone interview with Sports Headliners.

Mason played football at Ohio State and later was an assistant coach for the Buckeyes. Now he’s a lead analyst for the Big Ten Network. There is no disputing Mason has Ohio State and Big Ten roots but he was convincing the other day when he raved about the Buckeyes’ last two games and the talent coach Urban Meyer has assembled in Columbus.

The Buckeyes were an unexpected entrant in the four-team college playoffs. Despite their 11-1 record going into the Big Ten Championship game on December 6, the Buckeyes didn’t come up a lot in conversations targeting the four teams likely to be invited to participate in the playoffs. In the last regular season game on November 29 against Michigan, starting quarterback J.T. Barrett broke his ankle. Barrett had replaced the injured Braxton Miller as the starter in August. For the Big Ten title game the Buckeyes had to start their third team quarterback from last summer, Cardale Jones.

No problem.

Ohio State destroyed Wisconsin 59-0 to win the Big Ten championship. That stunning performance and score earned an invitation to join Alabama, Florida State and Oregon in the playoffs. Alabama was the most popular choice to emerge as the national champion but the Buckeyes refused a ride on the Crimson Tide bandwagon. In the semifinal playoff game between the two legendary programs, the Buckeyes rallied from a 21-6 deficit to win 42-35.

A lot of college football observers are impressed with the Buckeyes. “They’re on a roll right now,” Mason said. “I’ve never seen a team that’s gone through a transformation in two games like Ohio State. They were a good team this year, now they’re a really good team. They became a really good team against Wisconsin and parlayed it right into the game against Alabama.”

Oregon, of course, hasn’t exactly stumbled in its last couple of games. In the Pac-12 championship game the Ducks avenged their only loss of the season with a convincing 51-13 win over Arizona. Then in the semifinal playoff game against undefeated Florida State the Ducks easily defeated the Seminoles, 59-20. “Both these teams are peaking at the right time,” Mason said.

When Mason coached the Gophers he spoke about “swagger.” After the Gophers earned a big win, he might talk about the program’s confidence. The secretaries in the football office even carried themselves differently, he claimed.

Mason sees that “swagger” with the Buckeyes. He brought that up with Meyer before the Alabama game and the Buckeyes coach agreed his team was different than earlier in the season. “They’ve gotten their swagger back, their confidence,” Mason said. “I don’t think they had it during the year up until they played Wisconsin. …”

Mason described it as “truly amazing” Ohio State can be playing in tomorrow night’s national championship game after not only losing their two top quarterbacks but also seeing seven players from last year’s team become starters in the NFL.

Among the losses from the 2013 team were four starting offensive linemen. Replacing those four and having such an inexperienced line was worrisome last summer regarding national championship hopes but those prospects really seemed doomed when Miller—a leading candidate to win the Hesiman Trophy—injured his shoulder and was ruled out for the season.

“If they win Monday they’ll have a national championship. It’s a testament to the amount of talent that Ohio State (has) and it’s a testament to the coaching job being done by Urban Meyer and the coaching staff,” Mason said.

Jones, a 6-5, 250-pound redshirt sophomore, threw for 243 yards and one long touchdown against Alabama. He also ran for 89 yards. Mason praised Jones’ abilities to “punish” tacklers when he runs and also the inexperienced quarterback’s arm strength. “They call him 12-gauge because he wears No. 12 and he’s got an arm like a shotgun,” Mason said.

Miller, a senior, has twice been the Big Ten MVP. Barrett, a redshirt freshman, was so impressive for most of the 2014 season he finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting. Jones has turned heads in his two starts against Wisconsin and Alabama.

Mason couldn’t remember one college team ever having three quarterbacks so talented. All three have remaining college eligibility and they could be back with the Buckeyes next season—although transferring to another school perhaps is also in the mix for Miller or Jones. “If they all stayed at Ohio State, you’d have three guys that would be (in) the Heisman Trophy discussion at the same position going into the season,” Mason said.

Tomorrow night Ohio State will have to contend with Oregon’s skilled passing and running quarterback Marcus Mariota. The redshirt junior from Hawaii has thrown 40 touchdown passes in 14 games this season and rushed for 15 more. He has thrown only three interceptions. He was a unanimous first-team All-American and won the 2014 Heisman Trophy.

Winning college football’s most prestigious individual award can be a precursor to something bigger—a national championship. Quarterbacks Cam Newton from Auburn and Jameis Winston of Florida State won Heismans in 2010 and 2013, and then led their teams to national titles.

The Ducks are known for their speed and Big Ten teams have long been considered a plodding bunch but don’t get too caught up in stereotypes. When Mason coached the Gophers they defeated Alabama and Arkansas, two programs from the speed-based Southeastern Conference. After those games opposing coaches told Mason they had underestimated the Gophers’ speed.

Mason didn’t even think the Gophers were a fast team but Ohio State is. He watched the Buckeyes against Alabama and thought, “Ohio State is the fastest team out here.”

Oregon is second in the country in scoring at 47.2 points per game while the Buckeyes are fifth at 45 points. OSU ranks at No. 26 in scoring defense allowing 22.1 points. The Ducks are No. 27, allowing 22.3 points.

Comparable stats for two 13-1 teams who have apparently saved their best football for the biggest stage. No wonder Mason predicts it will be a “heck of a contest.”

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