Preps – Page 32 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Vikings & NFL Finishes Parrot NBA

Posted on December 14, 2021March 15, 2023 by David Shama

This fall the NFL has made news with dramatic endings and must-see TV for four quarters. The Vikings are more than doing their part with 12 of their 13 games decided by one possession (eight points or fewer).

And in seven of the games the outcome could have, or was, decided on the final play.

With four games remaining on the schedule, the 6-7 Vikings might tie or break the NFL record for most one-possession games in a season. The 1994 Giants and 2015 Ravens hold the record with 14 each.

Dalvin Cook (photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings)

NFL rosters are loaded with gifted playmakers including Viking wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen, and running back Dalvin Cook. The league likely has never offered more extraordinary athletes including at the skill positions of quarterback, pass receiver and running back. NFL rules favor the offense (holding could probably be called on most plays) and teams stretch defenses until they break with sophisticated schemes and quick strike pass plays.

The NFL show seems like basketball on grass, remindful of the NBA and its blueprint for games decided in the closing minutes. That’s long been part of pro basketball’s formula for entertainment success, and now similar drama is present on the football field.

This season the NFL has 28 games decided by a game-winning score on the final play. That’s the most ever through Week 14.

There have been 39 games with a game-winning score in the final minute of regulation or in overtime. That’s the fourth-most at this point of a season all-time (tied with 2003).

Worth Noting

A Vikings executive, speaking anonymously after being asked for a scoop: “I don’t have anything.”

Earlier this fall sources believed the Vikings had interest in Lincoln Riley as their future head coach. At that time Riley may have been curious about his next move from head coach of Oklahoma. Since then he has taken over at USC.

The Big Ten Network’s football Signing Day coverage will be live from 1 to 4 p.m. Central Time Wednesday, with the show repeating that night.

The Goal Line Club will hear from Gophers coach P.J. Fleck about his 2022 recruiting class at a Huntington Bank Stadium luncheon Wednesday. In the evening the club hosts a Happy Hour at the stadium featuring Minnesota recruiting authorities Ryan Burns and Luke Buer. https://www.goallineclub.org/

Minnesota Mr. Football winner Emmett Johnson from the Academy of Holy Angels had no power five offers until a few days ago but now is expected to sign a national letter of intent with Nebraska. In June the Gophers promised Zach Evans from Rockwall, Texas that he would be the only running back offered a scholarship for the class of 2022, per Burns.

Running back Max Grand, from Ellsworth, Wisconsin, will be a preferred walk-on in the class of 2022.

Arriving Friday at Target Field: A 53-foot trailer housing ice-making and ice-monitoring equipment to create an NHL-caliber skating surface for the January 1 Winter Classic between the Wild and Blues. It’s billed as the world’s largest mobile refrigeration unit.

Condolences to the family of Jack Lanza who died earlier this month at age 86. The Minneapolis-born and longtime Minnesota resident is a WWE Hall of Famer. The DeLaSalle High School alum briefly played football for the Gophers, and first wrestled using the name “Cowboy Jack Lanza.” Then he switched to the villainous role of “Blackjack Lanza” and later was a producer for the WWE. Despite his stage presence as the “world’s meanest wrestler,” Jack was a private and kind man.

Here is a trivia question that will stump just about everyone (no Google): Who was the first Northwoods League alum to make the majors? Answer at the bottom of the column.

New York Times best selling author and former University of Minnesota golfer Harvey Mackay is a COVID-19 “long hauler” but his health is improving. He will be in attendance at Minnesota’s December 28 Guaranteed Rate Bowl game against West Virginia in Phoenix (his second home, along with Minneapolis).

Britt Robson, the elite Timberwolves writer, resonated with many fans when he Tweeted this Monday about controversial D’Angelo Russell: “As an ex-DLo ‘hater,’ I get it’s hard to give him credit for elevating his team at both ends this year. But the game is dynamic—your mind is supposed to be changed if you watch honestly. If DLo reverts to his matador D+coach-killing indifference, I’ll start ripping him again.”

Former Wolves head coach and U alum Ryan Saunders attended the Gophers’ stunning basketball upset over Michigan Saturday night in Ann Arbor. Saunders’ next job could be either in the NBA or college.

The 8-1 Gophers (1-1 in the Big Ten) have three nonconference games before resuming league play at home against Illinois Sunday, January 2. If Minnesota wins the next two, the Illini game might be the first sellout of the season at Williams Arena.

Gabe Kalscheur, the former Gopher who transferred earlier this year to Iowa State, is the second leading scorer for the AP No. 11 ranked Cyclones, averaging 11.6 points while making .319 percent of his field goals (.245 of three pointers). The 10-0 Cyclones were 2-22 last season.

TJ Presthus, the promising freshman soccer player at Yale, is the son of Edina High School alum Tom Presthus who is a former MLS All-Star. Grandfather Paul Presthus captained the 1966-67 Gopher basketball team.

Shari Ballard, the new Minnesota United CEO who came out of retirement from Best Buy, joins a growing list of women leading MLS franchises.

The NWCA Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll out today has undefeated Big Ten programs Iowa, Penn State and Michigan at the top, with the 1-1 Gophers ranked No. 14.

Trivia answer: Jeff Weaver, a former Dubuque Mud Puppy pitcher, became the first Northwoods League alum to make the majors when he started for the Tigers against the Twins on April 14, 1999.

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U Nabs Headliner in DE Anthony Smith

Posted on December 12, 2021December 16, 2021 by David Shama

Defensive end Anthony Smith from Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, is expected to sign his National Letter of Intent Wednesday with the University of Minnesota. Ryan Burns—the recruiting authority from Gopher Illustrated and 247Sports—told Sports Headliners Smith is a special recruit.

247’s website describes Smith as a four-star prospect whose college offers include Penn State, Michigan and Michigan State. “He’s a guy that Minnesota doesn’t get a chance at too often,” Burns said. “I think Chad Wilt, (Gophers) d-line coach, did a great job there (recruiting Smith).”

There are 16 high school verbal commits the Gophers want to sign on Wednesday but Burns believes Smith has without question “the highest ceiling” of anyone in the class. “He is the ideal size. He’s, 6-4, 6-5, 280. He’s incredibly athletic. …”

Athleticism and length are physical attributes characterizing the 2022 recruiting class that has one player each at quarterback, running back, tight end, linebacker and safety; along with two wide receivers, and three prospects each at cornerback, offensive line and defensive line. The class reflects the need to fill future openings on the roster.

All the players are three-star recruits, per 247, except four-stars Smith and defensive lineman Trey Bixby of Eden Prairie. The Gophers coveted Bixby going back to his days competing as a prep in Ohio. He has fought through health and injury issues at Eden Prairie but is okay now, Burns said.

In recent days 247 evaluators have been looking at future Gopher quarterback Jacob Knuth from Harrisburg, South Dakota. There is a “realistic shot,” per Burns, Knuth could move up to four-star status, as might running back Zach Evans of Rockwall, Texas who has turned heads playing at the highest level of competition in that state.

Burns is optimistic coach P.J. Fleck and his staff will hold on to all their commits between now and Signing Day. He expects the Gophers could add three or more signees beyond the 16.

Three-star defensive lineman Hayden Schwartz of Jacksonville, Florida, who de-committed from Nebraska in October, is scheduled to visit the Minnesota campus this weekend. Other prep prospects are scheduled, too, plus there are players the Gophers are looking at from the college transfer portal.

News broke Saturday that Minnesota has a verbal commitment from Abilene Christian transfer Ryan Stapp, a defensive back from the same college program Gophers linebacker Jack Gibbens came from. Stapp turned down offers from various power five teams including Nebraska and Northwestern, per Burns. Stapp was a 2019 FCS freshman All-American.

Here are brief descriptions from Burns of the high school players expected to become Gophers. Smith, already profiled, is excluded.

Trey Bixby: At 6-5, 255 pounds, he seems to have the ideal size and strength to compete in the Big Ten as a defensive lineman. He is skilled at knowing how to use his hands and disengage from offensive linemen. He could play defensive end or tackle in college.

Zach Evans: the 5-9, 200-pound running back is a north-south runner who may draw comparisons with Gopher All-American Mo Ibrahim. He senses where a hole will open and his balance is outstanding. Minnesota coaches told him he would be the only RB in the class offered a scholarship.

Jacob Knuth: As a 6-4, 207-pound quarterback he not only has a strong arm but also is athletic. Has a “high ceiling” and his pass-run balance could be an ideal long range fit in the offense of new coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca.

Kristen Hoskins: At 5-9 and 160-pounds, Hoskins better be quick and fast. Don’t worry about it. The Alexandria, Minnesota recruit runs 4.4 and is probably the most electric open field runner in the state. He will be a wide receiver and kick returner who could see the field next fall.

Ike White: ESPN ranked the 5-11, 185-pound Philadelphia native a four-star wide receiver. Gophers wide receiver coach Matt Simon worked with White at summer camp and likes his abilities including route running.

Aidan Gousby: The coaches want not only athleticism but also length with their cornerbacks. The 6-2, 185-pound Lehigh Acres, Florida native has his position listed as “athlete” by 247 but he is expected to play corner at the U.

Rhyland Kelly: He tested well at a satellite camp Minnesota coaches attended. The 6-2, 185-pound prospect from Clearwater, Florida fits that size and length profile the coaches want in cornerbacks.

Tariq Watson: At 5-10, 165, the Harvey, Louisiana native doesn’t fit the CB profile so much but his speed is special. Word is he ran 4.3 at a couple of summer camps. Could play slot corner or safety.

Coleman Bryson: Gophers secondary coach Joe Harasymiak is a big fan of the Rabun Gap, Georgia native. At 6-2, 190 pounds, the athletic Bryson is taller than past Gopher safeties.

Joey Gerlach: Minnesota defensive coordinator Joe Rossi scouted Gerlach at summer camp and saw a high football IQ competitor with athleticism. The Woodbury High School linebacker prospect is 6-3, 195. He will have to add 20 pounds or more when he plays for the Gophers.

Jack Pyburn: He has 100-plus tackles each of the last three seasons in high school. The Jacksonville, Florida prospect is 6-3, 255 pounds and is a high motor, physical athlete who will be a rush end for the Gophers. He is a state championship wrestler.

Tony Nelson: He is from small town Tracy, Minnesota but at 6-6, 265-pounds he could one day be a big contributor on the offensive line. He has the physical tools of a Big Ten tackle including good feet.

Ashton Beers: The 6-5, 295-pound offensive lineman has been receiving more attention of late and he could be similar in potential to Nelson. The Slinger, Wisconsin native was a North Dakota State commit until recently but the Gophers flipped him. Word is the Bison coaches aren’t happy about their loss.

Nathan Jones: At 6-5, 240, Jones has the size to play tight end. The Brock, Texas native had Big 12 Conference offers but is headed for Minnesota where he has the potential to be another drive blocker like current tight end Ko Kieft.

Spencer Alvarez: It was thought the Columbia Heights High School prospect might play tight end but his Gopher position looks like offensive tackle. He is coming off knee surgery but the 6-7, 255 Alvarez has the frame to be a Big Ten tackle after adding weight and strength.

Among the players listed above, Alvarez, Evans, Gousby and Kelly, plus college transfer Stapp, are expected to be enrolled at Minnesota in January and attending winter classes, according to Burns.

Minnesota’s 2022 class has a composite ranking of No. 45 in the nation. The composite rankings come from the rankings of 247, Rivals and ESPN. (Minnesota has a No. 36 ranking from 247.)

The Gophers’ composite number is bunched near five of its six Big Ten West Division rivals: No. 44 Wisconsin, No. 43 Northwestern, No. 41 Illinois, No. 39 Iowa and No. 37 Purdue.

What do the recruiting rankings mean in the Big Ten and across the country? Well, they’re meaningful but don’t bet your Tesla stock on all of them.

Alabama, Georgia and Michigan are in this season’s College Football Playoff. Their 2022 incoming recruiting classes have composite rankings of No. 1, 2 and 10 respectively. Upstart Cincinnati, the fourth team in the playoffs, has its class at No. 27. “There is a correlation between finishing high in the recruiting ranks, and finishing high in the polls,” Burns said.

Burns said five-star prospects are something like 32 times more likely to reach the NFL than four-stars. Four-stars could be about 100 times more likely than three-stars to one day play in the NFL.

Then there is this: Fleck said awhile ago it’s meaningful if over 50 percent of a Minnesota recruiting class become contributors. “I mean it’s not wrong,” Burns said. “I go back and I look at the 2018 recruiting class and there’s not a lot of those guys left.”

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U Axe Win Not Just Another Victory

Posted on November 28, 2021 by David Shama

The Golden Gophers’ 23-13 win over No. 18 Wisconsin was the 57th game of the P.J. Fleck era and one of the most SIGNIFICANT during his five years as head coach at Minnesota.

Euphoric Golden Gophers fans dancing with delight after a home win has seldom been seen in these parts over the decades. But it’s happened twice now in three seasons, with delirious fans on the stadium field celebrating Saturday night’s repossession of the Axe—and two years ago when the Gophers upset No. 5 ranked Penn State in Minneapolis on their way to a historic 11-2 season.

A “here we go again” malaise has hung over Gopher football for decades. Whether it’s coaching tenures that didn’t work out, blown leads in big games, or losing streaks in border rivalries, Gopher football has hardly been the toast of the town for a long time. Just two weeks ago the Gophers lost a seventh consecutive game in the series with the hated Hawkeyes of Iowa. Yesterday’s win over the Badgers won’t wipe away the past but it is a shot of confidence for a skeptical public that waffles in its interest and support for the program.

Minnesota went into the Wisconsin game a touchdown underdog to the nationally ranked Badgers who with a victory could have advanced to the Big Ten championship game. By halftime the Gophers trailed 10-6, partly because of an interception turned into a Badger touchdown.

But the Gophers clearly out-played their opponent in the second half, defeating the Badgers in Minneapolis for the first time since 2003. They also claimed the Axe for the second time in four years, having beaten “Bucky” 37-15 in Madison in 2018.

“This program is all about responding, not reacting,” Fleck said Saturday night after Minnesota defeated the Badgers for only the fourth time this millennium.

Fleck was talking about more than overcoming a halftime deficit in a big rivalry game before a near sellout crowd where patrons paid more than $100 per ticket. Time allowing, he could have detailed a lot of obstacles the Gophers have faced on and off the field, this year and in the past.

The list starts with the loss of All-American tailback Mo Ibrahim who was injured in the opening game and won’t play again until next season. In a run-heavy offense, Ibrahim is the unit’s irreplaceable player. It doesn’t require much reflection to contend Minnesota could have flipped a couple of losses into the victory column with him playing this fall. (During the season, Ibrahim was one of five tailbacks on the roster not available).

The Gophers lost three games by a total of 17 points. With Ibrahim, or more emphasis and execution of the passing game, Minnesota might have won against Bowling Green, Illinois and Iowa.

In season ending wins over Indiana and Wisconsin, Fleck and offensive coordinator Mike Sanford opened up the offense. By doing so they helped the run game and the throwing rhythm of quarterback Tanner Morgan.

Fleck’s conservative offensive philosophy of run-run-run and taking time off the clock has been a solid approach at Minnesota. Some Saturdays the Gophers face a talent disparity against their opponents, needing to reduce possessions by the other team’s skilled playmakers, and long scoring drives by Minnesota have paid off many times during the Fleck era, especially with a game changing runner like Ibrahim. But the willingness to open up the offense with more passes from Morgan and more receivers targeted is a significant change and one that should continue into the bowl game and next season.

The win Saturday gives the Gophers an 8-4 overall record, 6-3 in Big Ten games. The perception and reality of those totals is much better than records of 7-5 and 5-4. Minnesota finished in a second place tie with the Badgers and Purdue in the West Division standings. Only nine times in the last 50 years have the Gophers finished at .500 or better in conference games.

Minnesota is no coaching paradise. It is one of the more challenging jobs in the Big Ten including because of its distance from recruiting hotbeds like California, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas. The U has fired eight coaches since 1970—and they weren’t all inept coaches. Iowa and Wisconsin, BTW, have fired zero head coaches in the last 30 seasons.

Every Gopher head football coach in modern times has been challenged to find adequate in-state talent to make a run at even being a .500 team in the Big Ten. The better college football prospects, regardless of where they are from, want to play at a program that wins season after season, goes to big bowl games, has CFP aspirations and a track record of sending players to the NFL. That hasn’t exactly been Minnesota’s profile.

Fleck and his assistants (including highly valued defensive coordinator Joe Rossi) are on the favored side of winning and losing. Fleck’s overall record at Minnesota is 34-23. His winning percentage of .597 is the third best ever among Gopher coaches who coached in 45 games or more. Minnesota had had 19 coaches since 1900 and Fleck ranks sixth all-time in program wins.

Fleck’s Big Ten record is 21-22. Pat Fitzgerald, considered by authorities to be among the best coaches in the Big Ten and a consensus top coach nationally, is 64-68 in league games at hard-to-win Northwestern. Scott Frost, who just finished his fourth season at Nebraska and is head coach of a storied program, is 10-25 in conference games.

Fleck is also 2-0 in bowl games including a New Year’s Day Outback win over the SEC’s Auburn Tigers. The Wisconsin win could boost the chances of a quality bowl game destination for the Gophers who won’t be headed to Detroit this holiday season.

The victory over the Badgers and the overall success of the coaching staff is a return on investment for University of Minnesota leaders and outside boosters. This fall athletic director Mark Coyle and school president Joan Gabel approved a new seven-year contract for Fleck, and along with that commitment will come increased compensation for assistant coaches. The U, including the board of regents, and outside financial boosters, have made major commitments in recent years to all varsity sports with the most visible new resource being the Athletes Village.

Clearly the football program is going in the right direction and is authentic. And whether fans like it or not, it’s also time to accept Fleck as genuine. His personality is too over the top for critics but this is who Fleck is. “Row the boat,” and all that goes with it, is not an act.

This is a coach committed to the RBT culture and his way of doing things. It’s not for all recruits, players and fans. But it works for many. “We’re all about fit here,” Fleck said Saturday.

When it comes to sharing messages, Fleck’s Gophers never know what they’re going to hear but sometimes the lesson ties to his long ago vision of being an elementary school teacher. The other day he spoke about the need for his players to be themselves and no one else, referencing the children’s book Be You! That’s also authentic Fleck.

During the five years of the Fleck era the program has made progress on and off the field. The Gophers are 22-10 in the last three seasons, while dealing with the chaos of the pandemic and social unrest in Minneapolis-St. Paul. Collectively the student-athletes have achieved a record GPA, dedicated countless hours to community service helping children and adults, and avoided external incidents that could bring embarrassment to all involved.

Every Gophers football coach has been criticized for his personality and his results. It goes with the job. But they all noticed the chorus quiets when you win.

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