Recruiting – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Will Colts’ Losses Create Jonathan Taylor Path to Vikings?

Posted on October 26, 2026October 26, 2026 by David Shama

The 2-5 Colts are likely underdogs in their next two games before the NFL trade deadline on November 10. The 4-2 Jaguars, hosting the Colts in Jacksonville next Sunday, are likely to beat Indianapolis and the 2-4 Cowboys could do the same the next week in Indy.

It might be that Colts management and ownership is willing to listen to trade offers for star running back Jonathan Taylor next week. A 2-6 start to the season is discouraging and perhaps prompts interest in a rebuild.

Moving on from Taylor could fit a scenario where the front office and ownership wants to unload his reported $44 million deal for 2027 and 2028 and acquire draft capital in a rebuild. After firing general manager Chris Ballard earlier this month, the Colts could encourage a new hire by offering salary cap flexibility and extra future draft choices.

Taylor, 27, is a consensus top five NFL runner. He showed his stuff yesterday at U.S. Bank Stadium when he galloped 38 yards for the Colts’ only touchdown in a 16-10 loss to the 6-0 Vikings. Drafted by the Colts in 2020, Taylor has run for over 1,000 yards in three of the past five seasons.

Vikings edge rusher Dallas Turner described the former Wisconsin All-American as right there with the best runners in the league. “Homerun speed. Real patient in the backfield,” he told Sports Headliners yesterday.

Cornerback Isaiah Rodgers said Taylor, who has a career per carry average of almost five yards, is always in the conversation among the most elite NFL backs, and the defense has to always be mindful of the 5-foot-10, 226-pound runner’s combo of speed and power.

“Yeah, you gotta be (aware),” Rodgers said. “Those type of backs you gotta be prepared (for). They can get one yard, or they can turn around and go 80. Those are the type of backs you have to prepare for at all times.”

Record setting former Gopher running back Darrell Thompson played five seasons in the NFL for the Packers. He was enthused talking about a trade that could bring Taylor to the Vikings.

Then Thompson cautioned about the cost to acquire Taylor. “It would hurt to get him. You’d have to give some things up to get him. I think he’d be a great addition to the team.”

The Vikings plausibly could offer third and sixth round future draft picks for Taylor. The deal might also include a Viking player, and a contingency that if the Purple were to win the NFC playoffs the third rounder flips to a second.

The Vikings would likely have to do some salary cap gymnastics to make Taylor’s contract work. But a lot of voices probably believe throwing an enticing package at the Colts is worth it as the Vikings move toward mid-season on the schedule as the only undefeated team in the NFL.

Week after week Minnesota is superb defensively and outstanding on special teams but mostly sputtering on offense. The Vikings have scored 125 points with 63 of them coming on field goals and extra points from kicker Will Reichard.

Vikings WR Justin Jefferson — Justin Jefferson image courtesy of Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings have struggled with both passing and running. Quarterback Kyler Murray seems to be trending in a positive direction, although he could have been intercepted a couple of times yesterday. The addition of Taylor would bring a home run threat to the running game to complement the game-breaking receiving of wide receiver Justin Jefferson.

Taylor’s presence would also be a relief for almost 32-year-old Aaron Jones Sr. who could move into a relief role. The Colts didn’t hammer away using Taylor for every possession yesterday and a one-two package of him and the hard running Jones would benefit them and the team.

The attention defenses need to give Taylor will also complement Murray and the passing game. His acquisition could bring a balance and threat to the offense that’s not in place now.

Who knows? The elusive Murray might even execute a QB pass-run option on the perimeter with Taylor. Either one could take the ball to the end zone.

So, the message to Vikings fans is to expand your scoreboard watching in the days ahead to track the Colts.

Worth Noting

Before the trade deadline the Vikings might search for defensive line and safety help.

It would be a surprise, but the Vikings could part with fourth-year receiver Jordan Addison who will be due a big salary bump next year after finishing out his rookie contract. Wide receiver is often the easiest position for any team to find immediate help in the draft.

Turner, who is tied for third among NFL sacks leaders in his third season, is fulfilling the potential forecast for him when the Vikings selected him at No. 17 in the first round of the 2024 draft. He told Sports Headliners learning from experience has been so important.

“It is a very big factor. You know what to see. Know what to expect and correct and move on from.”

Skol stat: the Vikings have given up a total of three points in the fourth quarter.

According to Next Gen Stats, the Vikings blitzed on 85.2% of the Colts’ drop backs yesterday, and that is the highest blitz rate by any defense in a game in the Next Gen Stats era (since 2016).

After yesterday the Vikings are now the third team in the past 20 seasons to allow 13-or-fewer points and 225-or-fewer yards in three consecutive games within a single season. The others are the 2019 49ers and 2009 Jets.

Vikings safety Harrison is an avid golfer and curious about the new Tepetonka Club near New London.

Radio play-by-play voice Paul Allen, who called his 500^th Vikings game yesterday, said on KFAN before kickoff his favorite was the 2009 game against the 49ers in the Metrodome when quarterback Brett Favre’s closing seconds touchdown pass to newly acquired Greg Lewis rallied Minnesota to a 27-24 win.

The Golden Gophers won back Floyd of Rosedale from Iowa on Saturday for the first time in Minneapolis since 2014. But there was no appearance by Gopher players yesterday at the Vikings game. After the unexpected win over Michigan and capturing the Little Brown Jug (first in Minneapolis since 1977) on October 10, a group of players made a cameo the next day at the Vikings-Bucs home game.

Minnesota’s Luke Drzewiecki is the Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week, the conference announced today. He was two-for-two on field goals, making his first from 31 yards and then a walk-off 46-yarder as Minnesota beat No. 15 Iowa 13-10.

The announced attendance of 53,004 Saturday was the seventh largest crowd in Huntington Bank Stadium history. The stadium, which opened in 2009, has an official capacity of 50,805.

Of the five remaining opponents on the 5-2 Gophers schedule, four are ranked in the AP top 25, with Penn State being the outlier.

Preston Nelson, Champlin Park running back and son of Minnesota TV and radio sports journalist Eric Nelson, is drawing interest from colleges including Northern Iowa. He is a breakaway back and has posted a nearly 4.0 GPA.

Former Twins star Torii Hunter has no MLB managerial experience but reportedly is interested in the Angels opening. Hunter, who also played for the Angels and is a club consultant, played for Tom Kelly, Ron Gardenhire and Paul Molitor in Minneapolis.

Here’s one writer’s opinion on the four best Twins managers in franchise history: Kelly, Billy Martin, Molitor and Derek Shelton (admittedly an impressive but small sample size of only one season).

Reserve guard Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 15 points coming off the bench last night, making five of six shots, including three-for-three on three pointers. After three games for the undefeated Timberwolves he is averaging 12.7 points per game. In his two previous seasons with Minnesota he averaged 5.6 and 4.3 (rookie year).

“I feel like the game’s slowing down for me more, paying closer attention to the scouting report, just being locked in, getting more into the ball…,” Shannon said.

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Vikings WR Jefferson in Elite NFL Historical Company

Posted on October 23, 2026October 23, 2026 by David Shama

Enjoy a Friday notes column, plus a detailed rundown on the “Moorhead Four.”

Dating back to his 2020 rookie season, Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson leads the NFL with 8,738 receiving yards. He needs three receiving yards on Sunday against the Colts to surpass Calvin Johnnson (8,740) for the third most receiving yards by a player in his first 100 NFL games.

Jefferson, who has played in 98 career games, also trails Julio Jones 9,618 and Lance Alworth (9,019).

It appears likely the 5-0 Vikings will add quality and depth to their roster via a trade in the coming days as they make a serious bid for a division title and playoff run. The NFL trade deadline is November 10. Most likely scenario is to offer future draft choices in return for help at key spots like defensive line and running back.

The Wilf family, who bought the Vikings in 2005 for a reported $600 million, now have a franchise worth $8.25 billion, per the recent valuations done of NFL teams by Forbes. That valuation is up from the 2025 figure of $6.25 billion by Forbes. The Vikings value ranks No. 23 in the 32-team league.

Gopher senior Greg Johnson was named a first team guard on The Athletics Midseason All-Americans. Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck told KFAN’s Paul Allen on Monday the Prior Lake High School alum is the “best” offensive lineman in the nation. Fleck said Johnson could be All-Big Ten at any of the five offensive line positions.

Iowa, who the Gophers face tomorrow at Huntington Bank Stadium, had two first teamers on the offensive line, tackle Trevor Lauck and guard Kade Pieper. Linebacker Cam Buffington was a second team Midseason All-American on defense.

Allen will call his 500^th regular season game on Vikings radio Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium. The play-by-play icon will blow the Gjallarhorn prior to kickoff.

Gopher football radio play-by-play voice Mike Grimm travels with a buddy to a college football game each year when the Maroon and Gold have a bye. He attended last Saturday’s dramatic finish in Provo, Utah when BYU upset Notre Dame. Fans swarmed the field just as they have done four out of the last six years on Grimm’s trips.

No matter how the season turns out, the Timberwolves opening night beat down of the Heat in Miami Wednesday will remain memorable. The Wolves were dominant in a 131-106 win. Better offense, defense, rebounding and playmaking. Better players, better depth and better statistics.

Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves player — Anthony Edwards photo courtesy of Minnesota Timberwolves

Anthony Edwards scored 45 points after totaling 41 in the opener last season. He is only the second player in NBA history to total 40-plus in consecutive openers. Wilt Chamberlain did it four times from 1959-1962.

Former Gopher basketball player Braeden Carrington from Park Center High School, now at Wisconsin, reportedly has been granted an injunction along with other athletes to receive a fifth year of college eligibility. Carrington’s litigation was in California while the Gophers Cade Tyson’s case is being heard in Colorado, with insiders pessimistic Minnesota’s leading scorer from last season will be granted eligibility in the confusing legal battle with the NCAA taking place in various parts of the nation.

If eligible, Tyson will likely receive a seven-figure sum to play for the Gophers.

The World Series opens tonight with two budget conscious franchises. The Rays have a reported payroll of $98.3 million and the Brewers $143.5 million. The Twins is reportedly $109.5 million.

The men’s hockey Gophers are trying for two surprise wins in a row over national powerhouse North Dakota tonight at 3M Arena at Mariucci. Fans can watch on FOX9+ and streaming via B1G+ or listen to an audio broadcast through the Gopher Radio Network 103.5 FM/AM-1130 KTLK and iHeartRadio.

A four goal third period gave Minnesota its first win of the season on Thursday night. The 5-3 victory was also the first victory for Brett Larson as the Gopher coach.

Scouting “The Moorhead Four”

They’re known as the “Moorhead Four” and they have a lot to do with why week after week the undefeated Spuds are the No. 1 ranked team in Class 6A. Tonight the 7-0 Spuds host 1-6 Edina in Moorhead.

The publicity this fall has come not only from their success with Moorhead and individual performances, but also because it looks like they will be future University of Minnesota players. Quarterback Jett Feeney, wide receiver David Mack, running back Taye Reich and cornerback Zak Walker have verbally committed to Minnesota’s 2027 recruiting class.

If the foursome is on the roster next year it will be the first time anyone has been able to document that the Gophers had four players from the same high school and same class. And high school recruiting guru Ryan Burns from Gopher Gazette points out this is no package deal, where Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck took a couple of guys to make sure he got the ones he wanted most.

“I know that they’re going to be known as the “Moorhead Four,” but each one of them in their own right I think have earned the opportunity to play in the Big 10,” Burns told Sports Headliners.

Because he plays a position where college freshmen often are able to play early on in their careers, and because of his skills, Mack might be the first Spud who impacts the Gophers. Burns thinks so.

“He is the guy where he’s not gonna run very fast, but that boy knows how to get open in a phone booth. I mean, he reminds me of what Tyler Johnson (former Gopher) did so well here for so many years where…he’s not the fastest guy straight line, but he is really good at creating separation. And then once he has the ball in his hands, he’s able to make men miss in the open field and get more yards than what’s there.”

Mack leads state high school players in touchdown receptions, 20, and receiving yards, 1,028, per Google AI. He’s listed by 247Sports at 6-foot, 185-pounds.

The Spuds have a prolific offense and passing game fueled by Mack and Feeney who is coached by his dad Kevin Feeney. Listed at 6-2, 205 pounds by 247, Jett leads all Minnesota preps this year in passing yards, 2,497, and touchdowns with 35, according to Google AI.

But don’t categorize him just as a guy with a great arm. “Jett is more athletic than what I think people give him credit for,” Burns said. “Which I think you’re being able to see this year where he’s able to escape pressure, escape the pocket, (and) still got the right arm (throw)… .He’s playing really well.”

Burns said Reich can get lost a bit in the conversation about the Moorhead offense because of the buzz around the passing attack. “…But Taye is a guy that I’ve talked to coaches who’ve gone up and watched the Moorhead kids work out and they’re like he is the most impressive workout that you’ll watch of them. They don’t rush the ball a lot because they have a Big Ten quarterback.”

Listed at 5-10, 200 by 247, Reich is solidly built and has lateral and straight ahead run abilities. Although he is a north-south runner, he can be a threat in the open field, too, Burns said.

“…I think he runs through a lot more contact than what people think, and he is a very well put together kid. He’s a kid who was on Team USA baseball, so he’s quite the multi-sport athlete for the Upper Midwest. He is a very good baseball player.”

Walker, listed at 5-11, 175, is a track star and his speed makes him an enticing prospect. The Spuds also use him as a receiver.

“…He is one of the best track athletes in the state of Minnesota for the 100, 200 hundred (meters),” Burns said. “He’s a great long jumper too. …”

Burns added that Walker hasn’t “played a ton of football,” but he’s impressive. Walker’s 10.5 time in the 100 is the type of speed “that plays in any conference, but especially the Big Ten,” Burns said.

The “Moorhead Four” are part of a current seven-man group of Minnesotans who are among the 29 verbal commits the Gophers have for the class of 2027. It will be an interesting fall to follow the Spuds in the high school playoffs and then see if all four commit on paper to the Gophers during the early signing period of December 2-4.

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State of Iowa Tops Minn. in NFL Players; Hawks Outdo U

Posted on September 25, 2026September 25, 2026 by David Shama

There were 21 NFL players who are alumni of Minnesota high schools on opening day rosters earlier this month and six of them are former Golden Gophers. The NFL released extensive data earlier this month about the origins of its players and Sports Headliners identified the following players with high school ties to the state:

Joe Alt, Totino-Grace and Notre Dame; Kayode Awosika, Maple Grove and Buffalo; Yahya Black, Marshall and Iowa; Elijah Campbell, St. Paul Central, and Iowa Western Community College, Northern Illinois and Northern Iowa; Blake Cashman, Eden Prairie and Gophers; Amani Hooker, Park Center and Iowa; Bobby Jamison-Travis, Iowa Western Community College and Auburn; Emmett Johnson, Holy Angles and Nebraska; Jermaine Johnson, Eden Prairie and Georgia and Florida State;

Nick Kallerup, Wayzata and Gophers; Byrce Lance, Marshall and North Dakota State; Trey Lance, Marshall and North Dakota State; Cody Lindenberg, Anoka and Gophers; Boye Mafe, Hopkins and Gophers; Namdi Obiazor, Eden Prairie and Iowa Western Community College and TCU; Ty Okada, East Ridge and Montana State; Trey Pipkins, Apple Valley and Sioux Falls; Brevyn Spann-Ford, St. Cloud Technical and Gophers; Danny Striggow, Orono and Gophers; Jalen Travis, DeLaSalle and Princeton and Iowa State; Treyton Welch, Buffalo and Wyoming.

NFL starters among players who didn’t play at Minnesota are Alt, Black, Hooker, Jermaine Johnson and Travis. Ex-Gophers starting are Cashman and Mafe.

Six of the 21 players listed above played for Minnesota, or about 28 percent. What to make of that?

College football recruiting is a nationwide endeavor for Power Four programs like Minnesota. The Gophers annual recruiting classes consist of players from around a dozen different states that supplement the Minnesotans in the group.

An analysis of many other states likely would show a large number of players from their high schools who didn’t play for the hometown Division I program. Many prep players want to go out of state for college and there is intense competition to land elite local players no matter what part of the nation they’re from.

It’s interesting to note, however, that many of those Minnesotans who are in the NFL weren’t highly recruited or pursued by Power Four programs including the Gophers. Reasonable to suggest the Gophers, led by head coach P.J. Fleck, could bolster roster talent by recruiting more Minnesota natives, knowing many would need development.

That fits with Fleck’s ongoing operating philosophy of running a developmental program. One that puts emphasis on still recruiting high school players rather than purging the roster and bringing to town transfers from other universities.

Fair or not, there’s been a perception for decades that University of Minnesota football coaches could be more thorough in evaluation and willingness to bring state high school players to Dinkytown.

That opinion may gain credibility when the comparison is to the state of Iowa and the Hawkeyes. The Big Ten and neighboring rival Hawks are 8-1 in games against Fleck and are a poster program for identifying and developing talent within their state. The Hawkeyes consistently outdo the Gophers in national rankings and better bowl games.

There were 26 players who were alums of Iowa high schools on NFL opening day rosters. And 12 of them played collegiately for the Hawks, or 46 percent.

That’s even more impressive given that the Hawkeyes have another Power Four program in the state, Iowa State, to compete against for talent, while the Gophers have no such rival.

Although Iowa has a smaller population (about 3.2 million) than any Big Ten state except for Nebraska, it ranks eighth per capita for most players in the NFL.

A relevant note, though, to the Gophers and Hawkeyes comparison is that hockey is an obsession in Minnesota and more of a whisper in Iowa. High school athletes who play hockey in Minnesota may not even participate in football. Or if they do, they choose college hockey careers rather than football.

BTW North Dakota State has won national championships for years with a recruiting pillar of Minnesota high school talent, sometimes players unwanted or under recruited by the Gophers and other Big Ten programs.

Other news from the NFL’s deep dive into its rosters includes:

Texas (192), Florida (185) and California (159) were the leading states in number of players on NFL rosters. Bradenton, Florida, with 22 alums, topped the list of cities producing the most players. Miami was second at 21.

There are now 778 colleges and universities with football programs. There are 17 schools across all NCAA divisions, the NAIA and independents that are launching programs in 2026 or announcing plans for coming years. Since 1978, the number of schools playing NCAA football has increased by 194, growing from 484 to 678.

The NFL report gives pause to the perception pre-college participation in football is declining.

Eleven-player football has 1,043,716 participants and is by far the most popular high school sport for boys or girls. There has been a 7.1 percent since the first survey after the pandemic in 2021-22.

Football is the most popular high school sport for fans. There are approximately 7,000 high school football games on an average Friday night, with about 7-10 million fans in attendance on a weekly basis.

Youth tackle football participation continued to grow in 2025, with more than 3.47 million youth playing. For those playing 26 or more times during the year, there was an increase of 3.9%, reaching more than 2.2 million participants in 2025. The increase was strongest among teens ages 13–17, with participation growing 7.3% year-over-year to more than 1.46 million.

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