Preps – Page 98 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

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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Ex-Bridgewater Teammate Top Prospect

Posted on January 13, 2015January 13, 2015 by David Shama

It’s possible that with the No. 11 pick in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft the Vikings will choose a former teammate of quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. DeVante Parker was a much targeted wide receiver when the two played their junior seasons at Louisville in 2013.

Parker, 6-3 and 210, is one of the best wide receiver prospects for the 2015 draft. Although Parker doesn’t have elite speed, he has quickness and has shown ability to get open and make yards after a catch. In 2013 he gained 785 yards on 55 catches while scoring 12 touchdowns.

After his junior year he considered coming out for the draft but remained at Louisville. A broken bone in his foot last season limited him to seven games but he had team best and impressive stats—855 receiving yards, averaging 19.9 yards per reception and 122.1 yards a game.

The Vikings have multiple needs including offensive line, linebacker and in the secondary, but it might be difficult to pass on Parker, a player Bridgewater knows well. Bridgewater established himself as the team’s No. 1 quarterback during the 2014 season but the passing game has plenty of room for improvement.

The Vikings were 29th in the 32-team NFL last season in touchdown passes. They had 17 touchdown throws and 18 interceptions, making them one of three teams in the league with more interceptions than touchdowns. Minnesota’s average pass gain of 6.9 yards ranked No. 25 and only four teams had fewer pass plays of 40 yards or more than the Vikings with seven.

Former Viking Bob Lurtsema, who remains close to the team, said “absolutely” he believes the front office should select a wide receiver with the No. 11 pick who can stretch the field. “You gotta get the corners off, get the corners to back up and respect you,” he told Sports Headliners. “Teddy Bridgewater is the real deal.”

Lurtsema learned to admire Bridgewater during the season including the poise of the 22-year-old and how teammates warmed to him. “He’s a great kid,” Lurtsema said.

Bridgewater was named to the All-Rookie Team by the Pro Football Writers Association, according to an announcement today. The Vikings had a 6-6 record in his 12 starts. He completed 259 of 402 attempts (64.4 percent) for the third-highest completion percentage among rookie quarterbacks in NFL history.

Bridgewater’s 85.2 passer rating ranks as the seventh-highest passer rating among rookies in league history and best for a rookie in Vikings history. He led all rookie quarterbacks with 224.5 passing yards per game. He threw for 14 touchdowns and had 12 interceptions.

Worth Noting

Lurtsema has a lot of praise for another Vikings newcomer last season. He compares head coach Mike Zimmer’s no baloney style with legendary Bud Grant. “Zimmer is out of sight,” Lurtsema said. “Players love playing for him. … He tells it like it is. He’s got a little Budism. He’ll tell you the truth.”

Later this month the Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee will consider former Vikings center Mick Tingelhoff among 18 finalists for induction into the Canton, Ohio shrine. Tingelhoff played in 240 consecutive games over 17 seasons with the Vikings. He participated in six Pro Bowls.

Former Vikings running back Clinton Jones, who played collegiately at Michigan State, is part of the 2015 College Football Hall of Fame group announced by the National Football Foundation.

Giovan Jenkins, who played at Washburn and later became an assistant coach, is resigning as head football coach for the Minneapolis high school. In March he will become a volunteer assistant for the Gophers.

“I am very excited for the opportunity of a lifetime,” Jenkins told Sports Headliners. “It was a tough decision.”

During his 14 seasons as an assistant or head coach, the Millers compiled a 109-34 record. They won 13 city championships, appeared in six section playoff finals and one state tournament. Jenkins had many outstanding players on his team including Jeff Jones, a Rivals.com four-star recruit in 2014, who hopes to be the starting running back at Minnesota this fall.

Jenkins will continue his position as ninth grade dean of students at Washburn. Moving up into a college football role is something he’s thought about for years. “Leaving home is never easy,” Jenkins said. “I bleed orange and blue.”

With the Gophers Jenkins’ assignments are expected to include on-campus recruiting and analyzing game films. “It will be an opportunity to learn college football at the highest level from some of the best people in the business,” he said.

No announcement has been made about Jenkins’ successor at Washburn.

Aaron Hicks, 25, has played parts of two seasons in the major leagues for the Twins but hasn’t established himself as the team’s regular center fielder. In 150 total games with 467 at bats the athletic center fielder’s batting average is .201. Twins president Dave St. Peter recently told Sports Headliners it can take time for the “game to slow down” for some players and noted Torii Hunter, who became an All-Star, went “back and forth” between the majors and minors before establishing himself as one of the Twins’ best players ever.

St. Peter said there is no update on whether former manager Ron Gardenhire will accept an offer to stay with the organization. Gardenhire’s role hasn’t been defined. St. Peter said after 13 seasons leading the Twins, Gardenhire has earned the opportunity to set his own schedule regarding future plans.

Glen Taylor, the longtime Timberwolves owner, is the new owner of the Star Tribune and the Mankato-based billionaire meets monthly to be advised about the newspaper. Taylor said his daughter, Jean Taylor, represents him and typically meets weekly regarding newspaper details.

Gophers football coach Jerry Kill said on WCCO Radio’s “Sports Huddle” program Sunday that he expects four newcomers to participate in spring practice which begins March 2. Kill said he wasn’t sure if NCAA policy allowed him to identify them on the air. One player is known to be Iowa Western Community College transfer Charlie Rodgers, a defensive back. As a junior college player, he was allowed to sign his National Letter of Intent last month.

Kill also said among players who have been injured and unable to play, defensive lineman Scott Ekpe is the only one not expected to participate in spring practice. Ekpe, a junior, made his first career start in Minnesota’s opening game in 2014 but suffered a season-ending knee injury.

The Gophers will be looking to find a replacement for record-setting senior running back David Cobb. Kill mentioned multiple candidates but the most surprising name was Josh Parks from Chisago Lakes. Parks is a redshirt freshman and preferred walk-on who joined the program last year. His senior year in high school he averaged 9.5 yards per carry and was named third team all-state.

National Football Signing Day for high school players is February 4. Kill said the Gophers 2015 recruiting class may total about 23 players.

Zac Epping, who started 47 consecutive games on the offensive line for the Gophers and this fall was named first team All-Big Ten by the media, has retained Minneapolis-based attorney James Selmer of Selmer Sports Management as his agent. Epping is preparing for the NFL Draft with the help of Gophers strength and conditioning coach Eric Klein, and offensive coordinator and line coach Matt Limegrover.

It won’t be surprising if the College Football Playoff National Championship is played in Minneapolis within the next several years. Last night’s first ever game was hosted by AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The 2016 game has been awarded to the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Raymond James Stadium in Tampa will host the 2017 game. Arlington and Glendale have retractable roof stadiums while Raymond James is open air.

The College Football Playoff is run by FBS schools including the Big Ten. With schools represented from all over the country there is likely to be sentiment for staging the championship game in varied locations including the north. The new domed Vikings stadium is scheduled to open in 2016 and its only competition to host the national title game within Big Ten country comes from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and Ford Field in Detroit. With the Minneapolis stadium expected to be state-of-the-art and among the newest NFL covered football facilities in the country, odds seem high the city will one day host the game. Stadium promoters can already boast of booking the 2018 Super Bowl and 2019 Final Four.

The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority, the Vikings and SMG announced recently that Patrick Talty has been hired as SMG’s general manager for the new Minneapolis stadium. SMG is contracted to operate and manage the facility on behalf of the MSFA. Talty joins SMG from World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) where he most recently served as the senior vice president of Live Events. Talty’s career experiences include assistant general manager for the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale.

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U Needs Another ‘Echelon’ on Road

Posted on January 9, 2015January 9, 2015 by David Shama

The Gophers basketball players have been reminded the Big Ten schedule is a different “neighborhood” than the “walk-in-the-park” nonconference games they experienced during November and December. The Gophers, for example, still rank second nationally in both steals and assists per game—11.7 and 18.6 averages—but in Big Ten games only, those numbers are 8.7 and 11.3.

Other stats including overall field goal percentage are down in conference play, too, but the most important number is this: 0-3 in the Big Ten heading into tomorrow’s game at Michigan. Instead of playing inferior nonconference teams like Franklin Pierce, Seattle and Southern, Minnesota has of late been dealing with Big Ten opposition including nationally ranked Maryland and Ohio State. The Gophers were 11-2 in nonconference games and are now 11-5 overall.

Gophers point guard DeAndre Mathieu credits Big Ten teams with impressive preparation for his team. “Teams are really scouting us. I think (when) we played Purdue they said they practiced…seven guys on the court at one time. Teams are (also) doing a good job of challenging our shots. Things like that.”

A loss tomorrow and the Gophers will start 0-4 in the Big Ten for the first time since the 2011-2012 season. Two of the three losses have been by a total of six points and the schedule makers have given the Gophers only one home game (last Tuesday night) among their first four games.

“It’s the best league in the country for a reason,” said Gophers center Elliott Eliason. “It’s just if you don’t bring it every night you’re gonna get beat. We’ve played some really good teams. They’ve made the plays. You gotta give them the credit. They beat us.”

Eliason said the Gophers are playing with determination and want to win, but he won’t guarantee a victory in Ann Arbor against 2-1 Michigan. “It’s really tough on the road. You gotta play even another echelon above when you play at home, because things aren’t going to go your way. Breaks are just not gonna happen, seems like on the road.”

The Gophers lost by four points at Purdue and by 12 at No. 9 ranked Maryland. Tuesday night Minnesota lost by two points in overtime to No. 20 ranked Ohio State. Senior guard Andre Hollins said the Gophers “definitely” are the equal of the teams who have defeated them. “(We’re) just taking ourselves out of the game, not making winning plays, is what’s wrong with us.”

Worth Noting

Hollins, who last season was the team’s leading scorer but now is third at 12.4 points per game, missed all six of his first half field goal attempts against Ohio State and was scoreless. He came into the game converting three of 19 shots in his previous two games. In the second half Tuesday night he was three of seven on field goal attempts and finished with 12 points. “I was shooting the same way (in both periods),” Hollins said. “It was just going in.”

Eliason grew a thick beard for six weeks that drew attention from fans and media when the Gophers played at Purdue on December 31. But he said coach Richard Pitino put the “kibosh” on the beard and he shaved it off. What was the coach’s reasoning? “I don’t know,” Eliason said. “He just said get rid of it and I said, ‘Yes, sir.’ “

Sports historian Dana Marshall e-mailed that on January 5, 1957 the Gophers pompom girls, “organized by Bob Patrin,” made their debut at Williams Arena in a game against Illinois. Marshall, the student manager on the Gophers 1960 national championship football team, also noted Minnesota won the game.

The Gophers men’s hockey team also will be in Michigan this weekend. Coach Don Lucia’s team (10-5-1) has games in Ann Arbor tonight and Saturday against the Wolverines (10-7). The series between the two programs dates back to January 23, 1923.

Michigan coach Red Berenson has 798 career wins while Lucia has 661. They rank second and third in Division I wins among active coaches. Boston College’s Jerry York has 974 career wins—the most among both active and former coaches.

Club president Dave St. Peter told Sports Headliners “never say never” but the Twins are unlikely to add additional free agents to their roster. Their major free agent signings since the end of last season include pitcher Ervin Santana and outfielder Torii Hunter. “Our roster is pretty well set,” St. Peter said.

The team’s full season ticket equivalents sale was 17,500 last year and St. Peter predicts by the start of the 2015 schedule the total will be in the 13,000 to 14,000 range. Twins spring training tickets go on sale tomorrow. The club expects to sell 100,000 or more tickets for its home games in Fort Myers.

The 19th annual Timberwolves Shootout is tomorrow at Target Center and fans can watch four high school basketball games. Central High School of Omaha, Nebraska plays Apple Valley in the first game starting at 9:15 a.m. North Scott from Eldridge, Iowa faces Cretin-Derham Hall at 11 a.m., followed by Morgan Park of Chicago and DeLaSalle at 12:45 p.m. The last game at 2:30 p.m. has Rice Lake, Wisconsin against Champlin Park at 2:30 p.m.

Twenty-seven future NBA players have participated in past Shootouts including Jrue Holiday, DeMarcus Cousins, Kevin Love and Josh Smith. More than 200 participants went on to play Division I basketball.

Condolences to former Gophers football player and Minneapolis businessman Mark Sheffert and wife Jennifer after the death this week of Jennifer’s mother Orlu Severson. Orlu was the wife of former St. Cloud State basketball coach Red Severson.

The Minnesota Football Coaches Association will honor coaches of the year at its awards banquet on March 28 at the DoubleTree in St. Louis Park. The award winners and their football classifications are: 9-Man, Gary Sloan, Grand Meadow; Class 1-A, Charles Adams, Minneapolis North; Class 2-A, Luke Mitchell, Holdingford; Class 3-A, Mike Kesler, Rochester Lourdes; Class 4-A, Dwight Lundeen, Becker; Class 5-A, Rex King, Simley; Class 6-A, Jeff Ferguson, Totino-Grace. The state Coach of the Year representing all classes will be announced at the banquet.

Ferguson, along with Paul Miller from Apple Valley and Steve Solem of BOLD, will also be recognized as new coaching members of the MFCA’s Hall of Fame. John Sherman of Sun Newspapers will be honored in the Hall of Fame citation division.

The City of Edina will hold an open house from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at the Braemar Golf Course Clubhouse to share the draft Braemar Golf Course Master Plan and receive feedback. The presentation is open to anyone interested in the plan. Braemar’s address is 6364 John Harris Drive.

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