Recruiting – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

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.

Comments Welcome

Indiana Football Success Hangs Over Gopher Program

Posted on June 16, 2026June 16, 2026 by David Shama

Why can’t the football Golden Gophers duplicate the success of Indiana the last two seasons?

University of Minnesota athletic director Mark Coyle hears that question from Gopher fans. Minnesota hasn’t won a national championship since 1960. The last Big Ten title was a co-championship in 1967. The Gophers have never been to the College Football Playoff.

Indiana had close to the worst reputation in major college before coach Curt Cignetti arrived following the 2023 season. After head turning success at James Madison and other lower-level programs, Cignetti told the world upon arrival in Bloomington: ”It’s pretty simple. I win. Google me.”

And then he did.

The 2024 Hoosiers shockingly went 11-2 overall, 8-1 in Big Ten games. The “Miracle Man” delivered even more in 2025, coaching the Hoosiers to a perfect 16-0 record that included Big Ten and national championships.

“I give them a lot of credit,” Coyle told Sports Headliners. “It’s the most unique thing that I’ve seen in college athletics.”

Cignetti has a gift for watching tape and evaluating players, and he’s a tireless worker who sets the highest standards for execution and performance. He brought a boat load of older players to Bloomington via the transfer portal, mostly three-star recruits in high school, and went out and beat the blue bloods of college football with their four- and five-star rosters.

Now the transformation is complete. Elite players want to wear the IU uniform. Name, Image and Likeness money is pouring in to pay players. The stadium is sold out. “Coach Cig” has a new contract that averages $13.2 million per year through 2033. And, oh yes, Indiana is among the favorites to win the next College Football Playoff and the national championship.

Coyle is proud of his program under head coach P.J. Fleck who starts his 10th season at Minnesota in late August with a home game against Eastern Illinois. “I could not be more pleased with the progress we’re making with our football program, and we continue to expect to build it and compete at a high level,” Coyle said earlier this month.

What about the Indiana comparison? “It can be done here (Indiana like success),” Coyle said.

Fleck’s best season was in 2019 when the Gophers finished 11-2, including an Outback Bowl win over SEC bully Auburn. That team was ranked by the Associated Press at No. 10 in the country. It was the program’s highest ranking since 1962.

COVID hit the college football world in 2020, and programs lost momentum like Minnesota and Michigan who finished with 3-4 and 2-4 records respectively. Since then, Fleck has won eight games or more four times including bowl victories.

Throw out the records of Big Ten schools from the West Coast who didn’t join the conference until 2024, and Minnesota has the fifth best overall winning percentage (61.54) in the league dating back to the 2021 season.

Fleck is 24-21 in conference games during that period of 2021-2025. League games are challenging as shown by the mediocre results of Minnesota coaches over the years including national title coach Murray Warmath who in 18 seasons was 65-57-4, per AI.

Only four teams qualified for the playoffs in 2019. Now 12 can and the 2019 Gophers almost assuredly would have received an invite if that number of slots were available back then.

Why can’t the Gophers get back to the 2019 level? “I promise you it’s something he (Fleck) and I talk about every day,” Coyle said. “And we want to do everything we can, given the opportunity, to have those special seasons because it’s a different world.”

Gopher athletic director Mark Coyle — Mark Coyle (photo courtesy of Minnesota Athletic Communications)

Coyle said that 2019 team won some close games that were part of the success. Tight outcomes on the scoreboard can be caused by the bounce of the ball, the absence of injured players, or an official’s judgment. Those are factors that can make a difference between an 8-4 regular season and 10-2.

The “different world” Coyle mentioned is how unexpected and high-level success can translate into selling out Huntington Bank Stadium. How season ticket sales can increase the following year. How ancillary income like merchandise sales and concessions can improve. How donations to the University, including for athletics, can explode. And how NIL giving can help prompt even more success on the field.

Prognostications about the 2026 Gopher season is more of the recent past: A similar success standard of around 7-5 or 8-4 overall and .500 play in the Big Ten. Another bowl game but not a CFP invite.

Coyle, of course, favors talk of expanding the number of teams in the playoffs to 24. That could mean an 8-4 or 9-3 Minnesota would be playoff bound. And Coyle loves the idea of Novembers that have the Gophers in the hunt for a postseason invite. “Once you get to the CFP, anything can happen,” he said.

Fleck has said participating in the CFP is now the program’s goal. Coyle believes the Gophers can break through and part of what gives him optimism is how others regard Minnesota football as a “tough out.”

“What I mean by a tough out is that people don’t want to play us. I can tell you when I talk to football coaches in the Big Ten and I talk to ADs in the Big Ten, people do not want to play Minnesota. I think we’re very close. We are a tough out for people.

“People don’t win games. People lose games, I really believe that. P.J. talks about that, I talk about that. And again, I think we’re incredibly close to having success that our fans want.

“But again, it’s kind of amazing to me because when I got here 10 years ago, people said if you just win in football, we’re all in. We’re winning (with) the fifth best winning record in the Big Ten. … We’re having success. We need to continue to build that success.”

Fleck’s Minnesota record of 66-44 (including seven bowl wins) puts him fourth in program history in overall victories. He’s also fourth at Minnesota in Big Ten wins (39) and fifth in games coached (110). His overall win percentage of .600 is third best among Minnesota coaches with more than 40 games.

3 comments

Poor Arizona Defenses Did QB Kyler Murray No Favors

Posted on May 30, 2026May 30, 2026 by David Shama

Enjoy a Saturday notes column.

No one fascinates this town more right now than Kyler Murray. The 28-year-old quarterback is working in Organized Team Activities with the Vikings, his new team after signing with the club in March.

Thousands of purple-clad loyalists ponder whether he can win the starting job from J.J. McCarthy. If so, how effective will he be?

Murray is a conundrum to fans, and maybe his Vikings coaches and teammates, too. He is physically gifted and potentially explosive, including his ability to run. In 2019 he was the Pro Football Offensive Rookie of the Year. Twice in his career he was a Pro Bowler.

Yet many consider the former No. 1 draft pick by the Cardinals a bust. His stats have been inconsistent and only once did he lead Arizona into the playoffs, 2021.

But if you’re looking for a glass half full approach about the controversial quarterback consider this: For the most part, he played his previous seven seasons with a lousy defense that added to his challenges.

Four times with the Cardinals he was accompanied by defenses that were 23^rd or worse in points per game given up in the 32-team NFL, per Google AI Overview. In yards per game given up the Cardinals ranked from 2019-2025: 31^st, 26^th, 11^th, 21^st, 21^st, 15^th and 27^th.

All of that meant pressure for the offense in high-scoring shootouts. Murray having to compete when opposing defenses knew the Cardinals had to throw the football and that pass rushers could tee off on the quarterback. Game plan out the window.

The Vikings defense figures to have Murray’s back if he wins the job. Last season in total yards yielded per game Minnesota ranked third and seventh in points per game allowed, per Google.

The Twins have designated right-handed pitcher Simeon Woods Richardson for release or assignment. The move, announced this morning, comes in conjunction with adding right-handed pitcher John Klein from Triple-A St. Paul.

Richardson’s departure surprises many observers given his history with the franchise. He was acquired in 2021 via a trade with the Blue Jays that also brought infielder-outfielder Austin Martin to Minnesota for stopper Jose Berríos.

Both Richardson and Martin were considered top MLB prospects. Richardson appeared in one game each in 2022 and 2023 for Minnesota. He became a starter in 2024 and 2025. He had his best season in 2025, going 7-4 with a 4.04 ERA.

Richardson, 25, has had a rough 2026 and has competed with young prospects for rotation time. He appeared in 12 games with 10 starts, going 0-7 with a 7.74 ERA. He was responsible in 27.2 innings for 25 walks, 26 strikeouts and a .330 opponent batting average. He couldn’t execute his pitches this year like last season.

Martin, 27, struggled in two previous seasons with the Twins but has been a pleasant surprise this year. He has been superb as an outfielder and is hitting .278 with two home runs and 16 RBI.

Klein, 24, looks like he will be used out of the bullpen. The Brooklyn Park native had a 3.65 ERA in his last four games with the Saints, with 16 strikeouts in 12.1 innings. This is his second stint with the Twins having made his MLB debut on May 2 against the Blue Jays when he pitched one scoreless inning.

Gophers quarterback Drake Lindsey, courtesy U of Minn. — Drake Lindsey photo courtesy of University of Minnesota

While there is conjecture about who starts for the Vikings at quarterback, there is none in Dinkytown where redshirt sophomore Drake Lindsey has the job locked up. However, this week the Sporting News (Bill Bender) didn’t give the Gophers many props in a ranking of Big Ten starting quarterbacks and their backups.

Lindsey and Liberty transfer Michael Merdinger (one season of eligibility) came in at No. 13 in the 18-team conference. Bender wrote Lindsey “is generating some NFL interest, and he had a successful first year as a starter with 2,382 yards, 18 TDs and six interceptions with a 126.9 passer rating.”

Oregon, Ohio State, USC and Indiana had the top four tandems. https://www.sportingnews.com/us/ncaa-football/news/big-ten-quarterback-rankings-2026-

The football Gophers are expected to receive a visit this weekend from D’Iberville, Mississippi cornerback Jordan Walley. The class of 2027 high schooler is the brother of former Gopher cornerback Justin Walley and ex-Mississippi wide receiver Jaden Walley.

For decades Dave Mona has been an authority about Minnesota sports card collecting. He once had about 4.5 million cards. “Of which 4 million were a waste,” he told Sports Headliners. “I am probably down to a half million cards, most of which are commons (low value) that I sell off in big bunches at auctions.”

The card collecting environment is different now than decades ago. While there are still those who buy for the fun of acquiring favorite athletes, there are purchasers who buy large numbers of packages in hopes of lucking into a big find like a young superstar. Mona said the process is like playing the “lottery,” only working for “one person out of multiple millions.”

There’s no better example of what Mona is talking about than the Victor Wembanyama rookie card that sold last week for a reported $5.11 million. Supposedly the largest amount ever sold for an unautographed NBA card.

Wembanyama, a 7-4 freakish talent who can move around the court like the NBA has never seen before, is 22 years old and has played just three NBA seasons. His future looks to be all upside as does that of his team, the San Antonio Spurs.

For old cards, the 1952 Mickey Mantle remains the gold standard. Depending on condition the card can range in value from around $5,000 to $100,000, Mona said.

Over 3,000 athletes from throughout the nation are expected for the Special Olympics USA Games in Minnesota June 20-26. Competition in 16 sports will be held at the University of Minnesota and other sites in the metro area as the Games return here for the first time since 1991.

Among those participating will be Jenna Perkins, daughter of former KARE 11 sports anchor Eric Perkins who now runs Perk at Play Productions, a company that does video storytelling for businesses. Jenna is the Honorary Co-Chair for the 2026 games along with former Gophers defensive lineman Danny Striggow.

The two are friends and attended Orono High School. They participated in unified sports and clubs, a concept that brings together people with and without intellectual disabilities.

Another familiar name with ties to the 2026 Games is former Twins shortstop Roy Smalley. He is on the board of directors, and his participation continues a long-time affiliation with Special Olympics.

As a teenager in Southern California, Smalley was attracted to the Special Olympics and volunteered at the Games held at the Los Angels Coliseum. After his playing career ended in 1988, he became the paid executive director of the 1991 Games in Minnesota.

The 1991 Games were held in July. They were part of a series of sports events hosted by Minnesota in 1991 and 1992 that is unprecedented for one region in a 12-month period. The metro area also hosted the Stanley Cup Finals, U.S. Open, World Series, Super Bowl and Final Four.

Comments Welcome