Preps – Page 35 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

WR Dylan Wright Steps Up for Gophers

Posted on September 7, 2021September 7, 2021 by David Shama

In Dylan Wright’s Minnesota debut last week he was the team’s leading receiver with five receptions, 57 yards and one touchdown catch. The Texas A&M transfer was a difference maker, showing his speed and skill in going up to catch the football against top-five ranked Ohio State.

Wright, 6-3 and 215, is a redshirt sophomore wide receiver who played in a total of eight games in 2019 and 2020 at A&M. “This is only his first year of really playing (college) football. First game (last Thursday) playing multiple, meaningful snaps. He’s just scratching the surface of where he can go,” Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck said yesterday.

Wright helped against the Buckeyes in the absence of the team’s most established wide receiver, the injured Chris Autman-Bell. A senior, Autman-Bell has played in 33 games during his Minnesota career, with 78 receptions for 1,250 yards and six touchdowns. He should be back soon and Fleck is anticipating the trio of Wright, Autman-Bell and sophomore Daniel Jackson.

“You start to look at that core and you start to see a lot of similarities from what we’ve had,” Fleck said in reference to 2019 when the 11-2 Gophers’ boasted superlative wide receivers in Rashod Bateman, Tyler Johnson and Autman-Bell.

Fleck also praises Wright’s character, referring to him as a “wonderful person” and says the Mesquite, Texas native is devoted to football. “Dylan Wright loves football and he loves to work at it. I think that’s what makes him special is how hard he works at becoming a really good player.”

The contribution of the wide receivers to the offense will be more important than ever after yesterday’s announcement that All-American running back Mohamed Ibrahim will have surgery today for what Fleck describes as a lower leg injury. He will miss the rest of the season and the redshirt senior’s future is uncertain at Minnesota.

Fleck said there is no pressure to do so now but in the months ahead Ibrahim will decide whether to pursue an NFL career or return for another season with the Gophers in 2022. “He should be able to make a full recovery,” Fleck said about what is believed to be a left Achilles injury. (Fleck doesn’t detail injuries, believing it’s best to leave that information up to the player to disclose if he chooses to do so.)

Ibrahim had a typical high production game against Ohio State, running 30 times for 164 yards. Who replaces him as the lead running back starting with Saturday’s home nonconference game against Miami (Ohio)? “Every back is going to be able to get a look,” Fleck said.

Fans may correctly expect redshirt sophomore Trey Potts, who had 37 yards in 10 carries last week, to win the designation as lead back. Others under consideration are redshirt junior Bryce Williams, redshirt sophomore Cam Wiley, redshirt freshman Ky Thomas and true freshman Mar’Keise Irving. Williams rushed for a career high 141 yards in a 2018 win over Miami (Ohio) in Minneapolis.

Worth Noting

Matthew Trickett, the Kent State transfer who kicked an impressive 46-yard field goal in the Ohio State loss, is a first team All-Big Ten preseason pick by Pro Football Focus.

The Gopher athletic department is promoting tickets for all available remaining home games, with “starting at” prices of $20 for Miami (Ohio) and Bowling Green, $75 for Nebraska, $35 Maryland, $45 Illinois and $85 Wisconsin.

Saturday’s game with Miami will be televised by ESPNU and the September 18 game in Boulder against Colorado will be carried by the Pac-12 Network.

Arkansas’ Eric Musselman, who the University of Minnesota could almost certainly have hired as head basketball coach a few years ago, has the No. 6 ranked recruiting class for 2022, per the 247 Sports composite listings.

Iowa State, whose basketball verbal commits include Eli King from Caledonia, is ranked No. 10, and Purdue, with a potential class headed by Camden Heide of Wayzata, is No. 16. Both Minnesotans are four-star recruits, per 247.

Heide’s brother Keaton is a reserve quarterback on the FCS South Dakota State football team that upset FBS Colorado State in Fort Collins last week.

“David versus Goliath:” The St. Thomas football team, in its first season of Division I competition, plays Northern Iowa on September 18. The Panthers put a scare into top-10 ranked Iowa State last week before losing 16-10.

It’s fitting the Toronto Blue Jays will be the opponent when Canada native Justin Morneau is inducted into the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame on September 25. Prior to the game at Target Field with the Blue Jays, the former Twins first baseman and AL MVP will have former teammate Joe Mauer as his presenter.

Retiring: Bill Evers, 67 and filling in as Twins manager while Rocco Baldelli is on paternity leave, will retire at season’s end. The veteran Twins coach has managerial experience in pro baseball dating back to 1987.

“Book Reports:” Pioneer Press sportswriter Chris Tomasson Tweeted that his book, The Minnesota Vikings All-Time All-Stars, is coming out September 15 and will be available on Amazon.

There will be a private publication party September 24 at the University of Minnesota for Terry McConnell’s new book, Breaking through the Line. The book tells the story of former Gophers All-American Bobby Marshall who was the NFL’s first African American player.

The Star Tribune’s Chip Scoggins wrote on Facebook he is collaborating with fellow columnist Patrick Reusse on a book they hope to have out in the spring. The book will recount the many entertaining stories of Reusse’s career in newspapers and radio.

Real Estate: Various online reports this summer say former Minnesota Timberwolves superstar Kevin Garnett sold his unfinished Malibu, California mansion for $16 million. No word on whether he’s looking for property in Glen Taylor’s home town of Mankato.

The state’s top thoroughbreds and quarter horses race Wednesday at Canterbury Park in the 28th Minnesota Festival of Champions. The 12-race card will pay a total of $852,450 in purses.

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Fleck Gives High Praise to Frosh Class

Posted on August 22, 2021 by David Shama

A Sunday notes column with a focus on University of Minnesota football.

Coach P.J. Fleck and staff had an early look at some freshmen in the 2021 recruiting class when they enrolled in school last winter. With preseason practice underway, Fleck has now seen all his freshmen. His verdict:

“They’re really good. This class is really (a) special class.”

Justin Walley was among early enrollees and although a true freshman the cornerback seems likely to play in 2021 games. The 5-11, 185 pound Walley was the Class 6A Mr. Mississippi Football and he figures to be a key contributor in the secondary during his U career.

Help on the back end is also likely to come (sooner or later) from freshman Steven Ortiz Jr. from Arizona. The 6-foot, 180 pound Ortiz was a four-star recruit, while Walley was a three-star. Both came from winning prep programs.

Frosh quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, from Antioch, Illinois, threw some of the best spirals of any passers at a practice last week. The four-star prospect was ranked the No. 16 quarterback in the country by Rivals. He is all but certain to be redshirted on a deep QB roster.

There are freshmen showing poise despite their inexperience on the college level. Wide receiver Brady Boyd from Southlake, Texas looks the part early in his Minnesota Career. With Fleck taking a by-committee approach to the receiving game, August practice indicates Boyd could be making some Saturday receptions for the Gophers.

Four-star running back Mar’Keise Irving, from Country Club Hills, Illinois, is a name Fleck mentions when talking kick off returners. Fleck predicts improvement in the return game and wants more explosive runs. While Irving is in the mix for returning kickoffs this season, he is unlikely to break into the rotation of veteran running backs ahead of him.

Fleck initially started talking about his freshmen class last week when asked about two specific players, defensive lineman Austin Booker and tight end Jameson Geers. He raved about both.

“Austin Booker is going to play a ton of football here. I hate throwing out the word ‘freak,’ because people use it all the time, but he is a young freak. He’s very talented. He’s incredibly explosive.

“In summer conditioning, he won every single sprint. He was running the times of the skilled positions, the wideouts and the DBs. He can run.

“And he got thrown in there (at practice) probably a little bit before he’s ready. He’s pretty thin (6-6, 240) and not as strong as he needs to be. But the minute he starts filling out, he’s going to be a special player.

“Jameson Geers, he might play for us this year. He has an opportunity. He’s…tough, he can run routes, he can catch the ball.”

Among frosh players who will watch and learn while going the redshirt route are offensive linemen Jackson Hunter, Cameron James, Logan Purcell and Saia Mapakaitolo. Minnesota’s starting offensive line consists entirely of upper classmen and all could be playing their final season for the Gophers. That puts a priority on developing the four freshmen.

The hope was that by now the Gophers would have more than one o-line verbal commit in the class of 2022 (Tony Nelson from Tracy, Minnesota). If that doesn’t change, Fleck and his recruiters may target the transfer portal in the next offseason.

Ryan Burns, the 247Sports Gopher football authority, likes Nelson’s potential. “I think he’s got a chance to be the best offensive lineman in the state of Minnesota in this class. He’s certainly much more raw than a Deylin Hasert (from Marshall, Minnesota and verbally committed to Iowa State). He’s much more raw than the Hill-Murray kid as well (Lucas Heyer, with a verbal to Stanford).

“But (Nelson) he’s got athleticism and he’s got the ideal physical tools at 6-6, 265. He’s what a tackle in the Big Ten looks like. He’s what Iowa has thrown out at tackle, or Wisconsin has thrown out at tackle for so many years. Seeing him live at Minnesota’s camp…he’s not afraid to get his nose dirty a little bit too. I like him quite a bit.”

It will be interesting to see how much, if at all, the Gophers use the wildcat formation this season. It was productive as a power formation in past seasons when Minnesota called on 6-4, 240-pound tight end and former prep quarterback Seth Green. Despite his remaining eligibility at Minnesota, he transferred to the Houston Cougars.

With the deep quarterback roster, Minnesota coaches could use redshirt sophomore Cole Kramer in the wildcat. He was a heady competitor at Eden Prairie High School and is probably the best runner among the Gophers’ top five quarterbacks. At about 6-1, 205 he doesn’t have Green’s power but he offers a run-pass threat.

Former Gopher and MLB legend Paul Molitor is 65 today. Ex-Gopher women’s basketball coach Pam Borton is 56. Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen is 31.

Ron Stolski, a superb speaker and legendary state high school football coach before retiring with 389 wins, will talk to the CORES luncheon group Thursday, September 9 at the Bloomington Event Center. He has been the executive director of the Minnesota Football Coaches Association since the organization’s inception in 2006. For more information about the luncheon and program, contact Jim Dotseth, dotsethj@comcast.net. CORES is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators and sports fans.

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Intriguing If WR Wright Subs for U

Posted on August 17, 2021August 18, 2021 by David Shama

Chris Autman-Bell, counted on this fall to be the Golden Gophers’ No. 1 receiver, is sidelined with an undisclosed injury, but possibly a high ankle sprain. The injury happened in practice last week and speculation has been Autman-Bell could miss the September 2 opening game against Ohio State. Head coach P.J. Fleck said after practice last night Autman-Bell’s injury is “week-to-week” and predicted a “legitimate chance” he could compete against the Buckeyes.

Autman-Bell, a senior, has played in 33 games during his Minnesota career, with 78 receptions for 1,250 yards and six touchdowns. That’s a lot of experience for the talented wide receiver who makes difficult catches and has the skills to be an NFL prospect.

If Autman-Bell can’t play against top five tanked Ohio State, who gets his assignment? It could be a group approach and several receivers had a lot of reps in practice yesterday. None seem more intriguing than Dylan Wright who showed his speed and pass catching skills Monday.

“He consistently makes huge plays,” Fleck said. “He’s just gotta be able to have the detailed part of the game continue to be ironed out.”

Wright, 6-3 and 215, is a redshirt sophomore and new to the roster after transferring from Texas A&M where he played in a total of eight games in 2019 and 2020. Fleck didn’t offer more explanation on how Wright needs to continue improvement.

Ryan Burns, the 247Sports Gopher football authority, sees more “immediate upside” in Wright than other potential subs for Autman-Bell.

“He’s the most athletic receiver on the roster,” Burns told Sports Headliners in regard to Wright. “His straight line speed, he can take the top off the defense. He knows how to go up and get a football.”

247Sports ranked the Dallas native the No. 12 wide receiver prospect in the country coming out of high school after his 2018 senior season. Wright was also named an Under Armor All-American.

Worth Noting

Matthew Trickett, the Kent State transfer, made 11 of 14 field goal attempts late at Monday’s practice, according to Daniel House of Gophers Guru. Trickett could be a lock to win the kicking job. True freshman quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, from Antioch, Illinois, threw some of the best spirals at practice.

Burns tracks Gophers and Big Ten recruiting. In Minnesota’s 2021 recruiting class five of the 18 players are from Illinois but for 2022 none of the 13 verbal commits are from that state, per 247Sports. New University of Illinois coach Bret Bielema has vowed to make in-state talent a top priority.

Burns said restrictions caused by the pandemic limited Minnesota’s recruiting in Illinois for its 2022 class. The Gophers did hold a camp in the state but chose not to offer anyone a scholarship. “I don’t think Minnesota is scared of Bret Bielema when they recruit the state of Illinois,” Burns said.

The Gophers will again wear a helmet sticker honoring the late Sid Hartman. The legendary media figure died during the 2020 season and in late October the Gophers began wearing a remembrance sticker on the back of their helmets.

There was expectation Minnesota Wild forward Kevin Fiala, who last season led the team in game-winning goals (5), shots on goal (162), power-play points (14) and takeaways (41), might earn $6 million on his next contract but the NHL club announced a one-year $5.1 million deal yesterday. He also ranked second in scoring with 40 points, 20 goals and 20 assists.

No word from St. Thomas on what radio station will carry Tommies football and who the on-air talent will be in its first season of Division I FCS.

The Minnesota Twins’ 2022 season schedule has a quirk with the club starting play with a split doubleheader in Detroit after the MLB All-Star break. Other clubs will play Friday, July 22 but because of a concert at Comerica Park that week the Twins and Tigers will have two games Saturday, July 23.

Every year the Twins ask schedule makers to start them on the road and for 2022 they had extra incentive not to be at home and conflict with the women’s NCAA Final Four basketball games at Target Center, April 1 and 3. The Twins open the 2022 season March 31 in Chicago against the White Sox, then go to Cleveland before playing the home opener April 7 with Seattle.

All MLB teams must at least occasionally begin their seasons at home. “We think that an extra week of Mother Nature warming in April is to our benefit, to our fans benefit and our players benefit,” said Twins president Dave St. Peter.

St. Peter told Sports Headliners former Twins first baseman Justin Morneau is a hit providing color analysis on TV games and that his work draws comparisons to Tony Romo of CBS football. “We think he is a rising star,” St. Peter said.

Tommy Davis, a freshman guard on the Golden Gophers’ 1982 Big Ten championship team who finished his career as Minnesota’s fourth all-time leading scorer, will be inducted into the M Club Hall of Fame September 10. A long range shooter, Davis set a Big Ten record making 15 of 16 field goal attempts in a game at Indiana.

Davis, a Maryland native, was hotly recruited out of high school. Gophers coach Jim Dutcher was looking for an edge and asked Walter Mondale, a Minnesota native and then vice president of the United States, to help. Tommy’s dad received a surprise call one day at work, Dutcher told Sports Headliners. Someone in the office informed Mr. Davis that the vice president was on the line. “The vice president of what?” the unknowing Mr. Davis asked.

Giovanni Jenkins is the new athletic director at Washburn High School in Minneapolis.

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