Preps – Page 42 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

U Football Transfers in School Already

Posted on January 20, 2021January 20, 2021 by David Shama

Golden Gophers football transfers began classes at the University of Minnesota this week, per recruiting authority Ryan Burns of GopherIllustrated.com. Head coach P.J. Fleck and staff made news in recent weeks by bringing in more transfers than at any time in his regime dating back to 2017, with the number of newcomers distinguishing Minnesota from its six West Division rivals.

“I think that Minnesota in the West has certainly done the most to improve their short-term (talent) in 2021 using the transfer market,” Burns said. The transfers are linebacker Jack Gibbens, Abilene Christian; defensive tackles Val Martin and Nyles Pinckney from N.C. State and Clemson respectively; kicker Will Mobley, Temple; guardKarter Shaw, Utah State; punter Daniel Sparks, Louisiana-Monroe; and wide receiver Dylan Wright, Texas A&M. All but Mobley are in school now, with the Temple athlete enrolling in May, according to Burns.

The arrival of the newbies, most of whom have considerable college game experience, bolsters the overall Minnesota roster depth, while adding quality talent and potential starters. “I look at every position now and I see competition,” Burns said.

Competition will highlight the team’s offseason as players go through conditioning, weight training, meetings, drills, practices and scrimmages. Intense competition for playing time should make the Gophers more prepared and better on the field for next season starting with an opening game against Big Ten and national power Ohio State, expected to be ranked in the preseason AP top five.

Starting spots on defense are really open, with perhaps cornerback Coney Durr and end Boye Mafe the only locks. Gibbens, a grad transfer with four years experience at Abilene, is expected to provide leadership and quality play at linebacker where the Gophers were both thin and inexperienced last season. Defensive line was also a trouble spot in 2020 and Burns said junior defensive tackle Jamal Teague, who opted out last season, might not return. Another junior tackle, Noah Hickox, has left the program, leaving the defensive line roster even more inexperienced. The arrival of veteran grad transfers Martin and Pinckney clearly fills a need with their immediate eligibility.

Pinckney is a headliner after being a four-star recruit out of high school and playing in 55 games for the powerful Clemson program. The Tigers are heavy on defensive line talent for 2021, with two of their players named this week to an early ESPN preseason All-American team. Pinckney comes to Minnesota looking for a big season and invite to the NFL.

The Minnesota offense contrasts with the defense, having veterans returning at every position, but the arrival of Shaw and Wright, both underclassmen, can mean potentially helping the Gophers this year and beyond. Burns said Shaw has been told he is the center of the future, eventually replacing John Michael-Schmitz. Shaw can play multiple positions and could have helped the Gophers last season as they struggled with depth.

Wright looks like the other headliner among the transfers and Gopher fans need to hope the NCAA soon announces a new policy that underclassmen like he and Shaw can move to new schools and have immediate eligibility. Wright was a four-star recruit out of high school and wooed to A&M by former Gophers assistant Maurice Linguist who worked for Fleck at Minnesota before joining the Aggies, and is now with the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys. Burns credits Linguist with playing a huge role in Wright choosing to transfer here.

“It’s Linguist who actually tells Wright I can vouch for everything that P.J. is doing up there—look at their wide receiver development. Minnesota is able to land him,” Burns said in telling the Wright recruiting story. “He is a kid that Minnesota doesn’t have anybody in their wide receiver room right now that looks like him. He is a specimen at 6-foot-4. The question is going to be how long is it going to take for (wide receivers coach) Matt Simon to refine his game where he can help Minnesota win football games.”

Minnesota’s extra points and field goal kicking last season was poor. Burns said grad transfer Mobley, who is expected to challenge returnee Brock Walker for kicking duties, holds the Temple record for consecutive extra points made (51). Sparks was among the Sun Belt Conference’s best punters last season as a freshman and if eligible will offer competition to returnee Mark Crawford who has to improve.

Burns said Fleck obviously “wasn’t blind” to special team woes last season that included poor field position on kickoff returns. Burns’ research showed primary returner Cam Wiley, who struggled with decision making, had 11 returns resulting in average starting field position on the 16-yard line. A fair catch places the ball on the 25.

“They lost nine yards of field position every time he decided to return a kick. I cannot stress to you (enough) how horrible that is,” said Burns, who noted the Gophers had the fourth worst starting field position following kickoffs in college football last season.

In yesterday’s interview with Sports Headliners Burns also talked about Minnesota’s 2021 freshman recruiting class that has 17 players signed to national letters of intent, with two highly publicized players pending. The next date for signing is February 3, and the Gophers hope to lock up offensive tackle Saia Mapakaitolo from Arizona and Nebraska cornerback Avante Dickerson.

Mapakaitolo was committed to USC and had his choice of West Coast offers, per Burns who said a California recruiting authority raves about the athleticism of the young tackle. Listed at 6-5, 280 pounds by 247Sports, Burns is intrigued by Mapakaitolo’s size, athleticism and participation in rugby, a grueling sport.

It was a disappointment to Gopher fans that Dickerson, a four-star recruit and the highest ranked of Minnesota’s verbal commitments last year per 247Sports, didn’t sign in December as expected. Burns believes Minnesota and Nebraska are the front runners for the gifted cornerback. With only about two weeks until the February signing date, Burns said Dickerson and his mother may visit Minnesota to help make a final decision.

The issue of location, staying closer to home and playing for the Cornhuskers in Lincoln is apparently a major factor in trying to make a decision. For Burns, there is no question what school Dickerson should choose.

“I don’t think particularly highly about Nebraska, with all the (outgoing) transfers they’ve had in the last year, their win-lost record. … To me it doesn’t make a ton of sense, because especially I believe (head coach) Scott Frost is on the hot seat. So why would you want to be going to a school, other than it’s close to home, that you could potentially be playing for a new coach in the next year or two?”

Worth Noting

The Gophers also have several players from the 2021 freshmen class who have enrolled early and started classes. 247Sports identifies early enrollees as DE Deven Eastern, WR Brady Boyd, WR Lemeke Brockington, “athlete” Dylan McGill, CB Justin Walley and LB Devon Williams.

Word is the Gophers have given up on recruiting Davon Townley, the defensive end from Minneapolis North High School. At one time Minnesota coveted the four-star for its 2021 recruiting class. Where might Townley be headed? “I have no idea,” Burns said. “All I know is I assure you…it ain’t going to be at Minnesota.”

Legendary Herb Brooks, who led the hockey Gophers to national championships in 1974, 1976 and 1979, was named the WCHA’s 1970s Coach of the Decade today as part of the league’s 70-year celebration.

The NFC title game Sunday in Green Bay features the franchise, the Packers, with the most world titles (13) against the quarterback, Tom Brady of the Bucs, with the most post season wins, 32.

Packer wide receiver Davante Adams had 18 touchdown receptions during the regular season. That total ranks behind only former Viking Randy Moss (2007) and ex-49er Jerry Rice (1987), who are tied for most in NFL single season history with 23 each.

Jeff Crilley’s email newsletter, “The Rundown,” included a story yesterday listing the states whose residents are most to least stressed during these turbulent times. Citing a OnePoll survey for stress supplement Natrol Relaxia, Minnesota ranked among the most relaxed citizenry. Iowa is the least stressed, Missouri the most.

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U Regent Wants to Revive Programs

Posted on December 16, 2020December 16, 2020 by David Shama

Board of regent member Michael Hsu proposes giving about $1.2 million in University of Minnesota borrowed money next year to the Gopher men’s gymnastics, tennis, and indoor track and field programs, allowing them to continue for the 2021-2022 school year.

The regents received a report stating the U likely needs to borrow about $82 million sometime next year because of the pandemic and its adverse effects on revenues. Hsu suggested at a recent regents meeting that the $82 million be increased to $83.2 million, with the additional sum providing a short term fix for the above mentioned sports. “Give everybody a chance to kind of figure things out and see if there is any way to continue these sports using outside money,” Hsu told Sports Headliners.

In October the regents voted 7-5 to eliminate the three sports at the end of the fiscal year in June as a cost savings to the Gopher Athletic Department. Critics have scoffed at the less than $2 million amount in annual savings that will be realized, but athletic director Mark Coyle has said Title IX issues also dictated the decision. Program boosters have held protests, generated fundraising ideas and used the media to plead their case, with gymnastics coach Mike Burns even appearing nationally on the “60 Minutes” TV program.

Hsu was planting an idea with the suggestion to provide funding for the programs facing elimination. “I am not expecting a (University system) loan amount to be known until May or June timeframe, but we have several meetings before that and it may come up in some fashion. …I don’t think we’ll be acting on any loan until closer to the end of the fiscal year,” Hsu said.

Hsu also said it’s anticipated U is facing about $166 million in budget shortfall by fiscal year end. Therefore, there would be a need to source outside money via a loan, or perhaps sale of bonds, to make up for a lot of the shortfall. Hsu and others predict a significant portion of an $82 million loan would be given to the Gophers’ Athletic Department.

Earlier in the year Coyle projected a worse case revenue shortfall of $75 million for this school year. Since then one major development has been that despite the pandemic, Big Ten teams including the Gophers have been able to play a fall season and generate significant TV revenues.

Hsu doesn’t have the figures on TV revenue, or other current specific athletic department revenue and expense data, but he guesstimates the Gophers’ Athletic Department may need $40 million of the U’s borrowed money. “Let’s be clear. That is a Michael Hsu estimate—that is likely not to be right.”

Worth Noting

St. Paul Saints owner Mike Veeck told Sports Headliners he expects ticket and concession prices to remain the same next season, despite his franchise losing $1 million this year and elevating from Independent to Triple-A status in 2021.

The Saints will be a farm club of the Minnesota Twins, with officials of the big league team assuring the creative Veeck his franchise can continue its famous promotions that characterized the fan experience in St. Paul for more than 25 years. Veeck also said he will be interested to see the direction of Independent Baseball in coming years and could be interested in acquiring a franchise.

A financial victim of the pandemic, the Harold’s Cabin restaurant in Charleston owned by Veeck has closed.

Gophers football fans were wondering who No. 48 was last Saturday when Minnesota defeated Nebraska, 24-21. Redshirt senior Anders Gelecinskyj from Bloomington Kennedy, by way of Minnesota State, kicked one field goal and three extra points in his Gopher debut while subbing for regular kicker Michael Lantz who is out for the season.

On the KFAN Radio post game show Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck acknowledged his new kicker, who despite being on the team for two-plus seasons had never appeared in a game. Then Fleck told a story about Gelecinskyj giving him a gift awhile ago that is popular in the Gelecinskyj family. On Fleck’s desk sits a hollowed out egg painted in German colors.

Fleck talking about his defense that played its best game of the season in defeating Nebraska: “We knew we were going to be younger on defense, and nobody predicted COVID. Then you don’t get the spring ball and summer to develop them (young players). They’re thrown into play with a few weeks of preparation.”

Avante Dickerson, the Omaha cornerback who was the 247Sports composite top ranked Gopher verbal commit, will not sign with Minnesota today on National Signing Day and is delaying his National Letter of Intent commitment until February.

Much maligned Kirk Cousins has thrown 83 touchdown passes since joining the Vikings in 2018. That is tied for fourth best in the NFL with Tom Brady, and trailing Patrick Mahomes (109), Russell Wilson (104) and Aaron Rodgers (90).

Saint John’s coach Gary Fasching told Sports Headliners he is hopeful MIAC football teams will play a spring schedule starting in April. He said it’s likely a four-game Johnnies schedule will include a game against historic rival St. Thomas before the Tommies depart the MIAC next fall for the Pioneer Football League. The matchup was scheduled last fall for U.S. Bank Stadium where Fasching was told the attendance might reach 50,000.

A game next spring with the Tommies would likely be hosted by Saint John’s without spectators. The Johnnies have made a MIAC record six consecutive NCAA playoff appearances dating back to 2014.

Fasching reported that offensive tackle Ben Bartch, the former Saint John’s star drafted in the fourth round this spring by the Jacksonville Jaguars, made his first NFL start last Sunday. “He graded out very well,” Fasching said. “They are really excited with him.”

SI.com points out the Timberwolves Ricky Rubio, playing last year for the Phoenix Suns, made the top 10 in “ESPN’s real plus-minus statistic for point guards.” He is a top 100 player in the NBA, according to SI.com, which ranks him No. 82.

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U Recruiting: Trending to Top 25 Class

Posted on December 14, 2020December 14, 2020 by David Shama

University of Minnesota football recruiting authority Ryan Burns believes Wednesday’s national Signing Day will be special for the Golden Gophers.

Burns is publisher of the popular GopherIllustrated.com website affiliated with 247Sports. In the latest 247Sports major college recruiting rankings for the class of 2021 Minnesota is No. 22. The rankings are not to be confused with the 247 composite rankings that average out multiple recruiting sources and have Minnesota at No. 26 nationally.

The Gophers’ class expected to sign Letters of Intent Wednesday totals 18. “They have seven four-star commits as of today on 247Sports, which would be the highest number of four-stars that Minnesota has signed in the Internet era,” Burns told Sports Headliners today.

The highest ranked of the four-star players by 247Sports is Omaha cornerback Avante Dickerson, the No. 1 senior in the state of Nebraska. He is also the highest ranked Gopher recruit since Washburn running back Jeff Jones committed to Minnesota in 2014. “He (Dickerson) is everything athletically you would ever want in a corner,” Burns said earlier this year.

Burns expects all of Minnesota’s verbal commits to sign on Wednesday, including Dickerson who is the target of rumors he might not become a Gopher. “I think some of that is fabricated on the Nebraska end because they know what it looks like for that type of kid to go elsewhere,” Burns said. “I do think there is some smoke there but I will tell you what I have told people for weeks and months now. I expect Avante Dickerson to sign with Minnesota in 48 hours.”

The six other four-stars recruited by head coach P.J. Fleck and his staff are: defensive end Deven Eastern, Shakopee; running back Mar’Keise Irving, Country Club Hills, Illinois; offensive tackle Cameron James, Chicago; quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, Antioch, Illinois; cornerback Steven Ortiz, Goodyear, Arizona; and defensive tackle Jacob Schuster, Washington.

The total of four-star players could reach eight before Wednesday night. Davon Townley, the defensive end from Minneapolis North High School, is a coveted four-star who the Gophers want as part of their 2021 recruiting class.

“I don’t know what that kid is going to do,” Burns said. “If you put a gun to my head, I would say Minnesota or Arizona State (for his college choice). But there’s a lot of things that have to be figured out on Davon Townley’s end in the next 48 hours or so if he’s going to be able to sign anywhere Wednesday.”

Jaydon Hood is a four-star inside linebacker from Fort Lauderdale who is verbally committed to Michigan but his name is rumored with Minnesota. “I don’t think he is going to sign in December,” Burns said. “I think he is going to sign in February…(the second 2021 signing period).”

Burns said the Gophers “badly” want Hood but he isn’t prepared to predict Hood will flip the Wolverines for Minnesota. Hood hasn’t visited the U campus, but in this pandemic era committing to a school without seeing it isn’t unusual. Burns estimated about half of the 18 commits for 2021 haven’t been to the Minnesota campus.

Eastern is one of only two native Minnesotans in the 2021 scholarship class as currently comprised. The other is offensive tackle Logan Purcell of Annandale. Small numbers of players signing on with the Gophers has been the norm for many years. Review the recruiting lists for the Gophers dating back to 2014, for example, and you will see mostly totals of two, three, or four Minnesotans annually in the various recruiting classes.

The state is hardly a hot spot for prep football talent but there are quality players available each year, just not in large numbers. It’s not been for lack of effort by Gopher coaches that some of the state’s best preps over the years have chosen other college programs. This year the three highest ranked Minnesotans, per 247Sports, are Lakeville South offensive tackle Riley Mahlman, Eden Prairie defensive end Justice Sullivan and North’s Townley. Mahlman is headed to Wisconsin, Sullivan to Iowa.

What can reverse the trend of the Gophers losing good and even great in-state players? Rival programs Wisconsin and Iowa have been more successful in keeping talent within their borders. Burns said Wisconsin and Iowa preps stay home because those players grow up rooting for their winning teams, while Minnesotans for decades have mostly watched the Gophers be mediocre, or worse, although last year’s team earned the state’s favor with an 11-2 season.

“…You get an offer from them (Badgers or Hawkeyes), it’s why the heck would you go anywhere else? Whereas here in the state of Minnesota, it’s why the heck would you play for the Gophers? They stink.

“I think for the trend to change, the No. 1 thing that this Gopher football staff can do is…just win, and it’s not going to happen overnight. …You have to win this year and the next year and the year after that and you have to keep winning. And likely you’re going to have to do that with non-Minnesota players until the Minnesota kids can figure out maybe we should just stay here in-state and see what they can do in terms of developing me.”

James Laurinaitis from Wayzata was going to play for the Gophers and head coach Glen Mason until he changed his mind more than 15 years ago. He went on to become a three-time consensus All-American linebacker at Ohio State. By contrast the Gophers have five Minnesota natives who made All-American teams in the last 50 years.

The Gophers listed 116 players on their preseason roster, but only 36 were state natives including many walk-ons trying to earn scholarships. This year’s starters are pretty much players from beyond the state’s borders except the interior offensive line where most positions are filled by Minnesotans.

BTN will have Signing Day Big Ten Conference coverage starting at 1 p.m. Wednesday with a three-hour program.

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