Recruiting – Page 18 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Contract Leverage Favors Danielle Hunter, Not Vikings

Posted on June 18, 2023June 18, 2023 by David Shama

If the Vikings intend to be competitive in the coming season, they need to make a new contract deal with star pass rusher Danielle Hunter. Worthy of inclusion among the NFL’s best at pressuring the quarterback, Hunter is in the last year of his contract and is too valuable to an already suspect defense to be without.

“You look at the depth chart right now, you definitely need Danielle’s presence on defense… so we’ll see if they can figure out a way to make it work,” said Daniel House who spends countless hours analyzing the Vikings and NFL, and publishes the Mnvikngscorner.com website.

No doubt the Vikings have tested Hunter’s trade appeal with other teams but unless they could acquire an impressive defensive return, they are better off with Hunter who had a bounce back season in 2022 with 10.5 sacks (14.5 in both 2018 and 2019). The 28-year-old is a valuable piece in a new start under first-year defensive coordinator Brian Flores who is expected to put an emphasis on speed and aggressive play to accomplish his task of improving a weak defense from last season.

House predicts the defense will play with creativity and sometimes implement pass rushing mismatches favoring Hunter. “It’ll just be a way more aggressive defense, which I think helps everybody involved.”

To satisfy Hunter it likely will require a contract in the $16 million to $20 million range annually for three or four years. A sticky point is how much money will be guaranteed. Hunter has a history of injuries, and the Vikings will want to protect themselves, while Hunter’s representatives are expected to pursue guaranteed money.

Hunter’s camp has signaled its displeasure with a 2023 salary believed to be about $5 million, and the lack of progress on a new contract. The message came through with the absence of the veteran from both voluntary and mandatory workouts this spring. Unless the Vikings have reason for serious concern about Hunter’s health or have cooked up an acquisition of equal talent, they need to settle on a contract in the coming weeks.

Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell expressed admiration for Hunter last week both as a player and person. He added that “we hope to have continued dialogue and have a really positive outcome.”

Worth Noting

Preseason recognition of multiple University of Minnesota football players continues to grow. Last week Phil Steele Publications honored seven Gophers including safety Tyler Nubin who was named a third-team All-American. Nubin and tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford also were honored as first-team All-Big Ten.

Wide receiver Daniel Jackson, tackle Aireontae Ersery and punt returner Quentin Redding were named second team All-Big Ten on offense. Redding was also honored on a All-Big Ten fourth team as a kick returner along with long snapper Brady Weeks. Quinn Carroll, Minnesota offensive tackle, was also a fourth team honoree.

Last month Athlon Sports honored nine Gophers including wide receiver Chris Autman-Bell who was named second team All-Big Ten. Because of additional eligibility granted to him, Autman-Bell is approaching his seventh season at Minnesota. The Vikings have only 10 players on their roster who this fall will have played seven or more seasons in the NFL.

Beleaguered former Timberwolves GM David Kahn, now a force in French basketball, is the subject of a feature in the new issue of Sports Illustrated and insists he left the Wolves “in a much, much better place than when I arrived.”

With a 35-year-old starting point guard in Mike Conley, logic suggests the Timberwolves could use their only selection in Thursday’s NBA Draft to take Nadir Hifi at No. 53 in the second round. He plays in France and the 6-3, 20-year-old might be a sleeper in this week’s draft.

Jonathan Mekonnen, the Eastview class of 2024 basketball wing, picked up an offer from Loyola Chicago last week. Power Five offers could be coming soon.

USC, who sources believe was interested in Gophers AD Mark Coyle in 2019, has a vacancy again.

Paul Molitor, who some Twins fans think should still be the club’s manager, was terrific in his analyst role recently on radio broadcasts. His knowledge had listeners aware of what just happened, why it happened and what likely was developing next in the game. He would be a superb addition to the roster of radio and TV analysts.

Jim Kaat, the former Twin who for years set the gold standard for baseball commentary during games here and nationally, isn’t working Twins games this year. Kaat, 84 and inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame last year, pitched for the Twins and tight wad owner Calvin Griffith from 1961-1973. “Calvin threw nickels around like manhole covers,” Kaat said years ago.

Kaat spoke Friday to the popular Twin Cities Dunkers organization that just closed off nominations for review in July, with 40 applicants and five spots open.

Darren Wolfson reported on Skor North that Wild GM Bill Guerin is interested in filling the assistant coaching vacancy with someone having head coach experience. That could set up an interesting dynamic with head coach Dean Evason whose teams haven’t advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs.

Happy Father’s Day! Anyone remember this quote from the late Erma Bombeck? “When I was a little kid, a father was like the light in the refrigerator. Every house had one, but no one really knew what either of them did once the door was shut.”

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Ben Johnson Losing Supporter in Departing U President

Posted on June 10, 2023June 10, 2023 by David Shama

Joan Gabel is in the final days this month of her presidency at the University of Minnesota before becoming Chancellor at Pittsburgh. Gabel’s departure is a reminder she played a decisive role in the hiring of men’s basketball coach Ben Johnson.

The Gophers parted ways with head coach Richard Pitino in mid-March of 2021, creating an opening to lead the program. Less than a week later came the surprise announcement that instead of hiring a proven Division I head coach the Gophers were turning to Johnson, a former U player and experienced assistant whose stops had included 2013-2018 at Minnesota and more recently three seasons at Xavier.

Athletic director Mark Coyle vetted Johnson, a Minneapolis native, and presented his credentials to Gabel. Without Gabel’s endorsement Johnson never would have been hired. “To have someone like Ben Johnson leading this program – an ambassador for our University who grew up here, went to school here and knows what the University is all about – is tremendous, for our basketball program and our institution,” Gabel said in a statement announcing the hire. “Like so many Minnesotans, I’m excited to welcome Ben home and look forward to our team’s success under his leadership.”

Success hasn’t been easy to come by in Johnson’s first two seasons. There have been occasional high-five moments, but the Gophers have made program history with first-ever consecutive last place finishes in the Big Ten.

Alex Hickey from Saturday Tradition is probably among the first to predict Minnesota is headed for a third straight bottom of the league finish. Forecasting the Big Ten race for next year he wrote the following this week: “Minnesota is married to the Big Ten cellar until further notice.”

Jeff Ettinger, the former Hormel executive, will serve as interim president for up to a year until the U finds a permanent hire. Whoever takes over won’t have a history with Johnson and be influenced by having hired him. It’s been clear for a while Johnson must make the next two seasons much improved over the previous two.

Worth Noting

Timberwolves starting point guard Mike Conley turns 36 in October, but Chris Finch has no reason to believe his playmaker won’t return for another season. The Wolves head coach said Conley is dedicated to his conditioning and training. Conley joined the Wolves during the season after a three-time trade and he was able to play 24 games for Minnesota averaging 14 points, five assists and providing much needed leadership on and off the court.

“He just does so many things that you can’t measure,” Finch said. “His leadership and presence is invaluable to what we’re trying to do here. His teammates and the organization in general respect him immensely, and that’s not something that we would want to just move away from easily.”

Gophers football legend Darrell Thompson left the Minneapolis area Friday for Atlanta where the 2023 Hot Rod Power Tour starts Monday. Thompson has a 1970 Camaro, a five-speed with 350 horsepower. Billed as the largest travelling car show around, the tour goes into multiple states before ending next Friday in Tennessee.

Wife Stephanie will pass on the adventure. “She will do a drive with me but to lock up in that car for 10 hours does not do anything for her,” said Thompson who is president of the Minneapolis-based Bolder Options nonprofit.

Thompson said son Race, who played basketball in the Big Ten for Indiana, will try out next week with the Timberwolves. Earlier workouts have been with the Nets and Wizards. Projecting as a combo forward, Race hopes to attract interest by an NBA team this summer and play his way onto a roster.

Jim Kaat, who pitched for the Twins from 1961-1973 and last year was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, speaks to the Twin Cities Dunkers next Friday. Kaat has been a superb baseball analyst on TV for years, including Twins broadcasts.

Jonathan Mekonnen, the Eastview class of 2024 basketball wing, is among the most sought-after preps in the state and has offers from St. Thomas, Colorado State, Drake, Illinois State and Northern Iowa, per head coach Danny Olsen. A visit next week to Loyola Chicago is likely to earn another offer, Olsen said.

Mekonnen is a skilled shooter, including three-pointers, but can also post up and could play small or big forward in college. He has rebounding and shot blocking abilities, too. “He’s very athletic above the rim,” said Olsen who recently became head coach at Eastview.

Prep Hoops ranks Mekonnen as the No. 5 prospect in the state of Minnesota for the class of 2024. Daniel Freitag, formerly of Bloomington Jefferson and now Southern California Academy, is No. 1 and followed by Isaac Asuma, Cherry; Jack Robison, Lakeville North; and Jackson McAndrew, Wayzata.

The Iron Sheik, the famous professional wrestler whose death at 81 years old was national news this week, was trained by Minneapolis wrestling icon Verne Gagne. It was Gagne’s wrestling camp that for many years developed a long list of performers who had successful careers in this market and elsewhere.

Former Gopher football player and pro wrestler Jim Brunzell recalled in an email being at Gagne’s camp with the Iron Sheik (Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri from Iran) and others. “The 1972 camp included Ric (Fliehr) Flair, Bob Bruggers, NFL linebacker and Gopher great from Danube, Minnesota, Ken Patera, Olympic weightlifter (first to clean and jerk over 500 pounds), Khosrow Ali Vaziri, national Iranian Greco-Roman wrestling champion, Greg Gagne, Wyoming QB and Verne’s son, and yours truly, Jimmy Brunzell from White Bear Lake and former Gopher wide receiver and high jumper.

“Bruggers’ career was cut short by a near fatal airplane crash. The rest of us had a pretty successful 20 year plus wrestling career, headlining cards around the world!

“It’s hard to believe that camp was 51 years ago. By the way, the camp was in Verne’s barn on Lake Riley (Eden Prairie). It was 4 months long, 6 days a week, 6 hours per day. The British heavyweight champ, Billy Robinson, trained us in submission holds, throws, and stressed wrestling balance for a successful and injury free career. As always, with about 30 minutes to go in our day, Verne would show up and physically manhandle one after another of us until we ran out of gas! Daily I used to ask myself, ‘What did I get myself into?’

“After a 28-year career, nearly 5,000 matches and 12 surgeries…I managed to survive a crazy career that prepares one for nothing. One thing I know for sure, the best tag (team) partner I had was and is my wife of 48 years, Mary.”

Former Vikings GM Rick Spielman on Twitter yesterday: “I wish I could put into words how special the Wilf family is. I lost all my Viking Game Balls during Hurricane Ian. To my surprise, I received a box today replacing all those game balls. I was truly blessed to work for the Wilf family and thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

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Vikings May Target Coveted Quarterback Anthony Richardson

Posted on April 25, 2023April 25, 2023 by David Shama

Daniel House spends countless hours studying NFL draft prospects and told Sports Headliners he could see the Vikings selecting coveted Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson Thursday night. “I am passionate about the draft,” said House who has a following because of his Mnvikingscorner.com and Gophersguru.com websites and appearances on local radio.

It’s a head scratcher as to what the Vikings will do with their five selections in the seven round NFL Draft that will go through Saturday. “The first round is interesting because there’s a couple different ways they could go,” House said.

He believes if Richardson is still available in the eight, nine or 10 range of the first round, the Vikings may be able to trade to a better position from their No. 23 spot and take the 6-4, 244-pound quarterback who could emerge as an NFL starter early in his career. “This is one of the more unpredictable top tens that I can remember in a while because you don’t really know how teams are going to value the quarterback (candidates), and then (defensive tackle) Jalen Carter, how much does the off the field situation (maturity-character) play into his slide down the board? Don’t really know.”

If the Vikings stay at No. 23, Pittsburgh defensive tackle Calijah Kancey could be their target and provide talent for new coordinator Brian Flores. “Kancey would be a very intriguing player in the Vikings’ scheme,” House said via email this morning. “He is an explosive DT who could move all over the front and create mismatches based on the situation or matchup. He’d also be a very dynamic weapon in the defensive line movement game. The Vikings need more interior pass rushing juice and Kancey could provide that. Flores would feature him very creatively too.”

House also likes North Carolina wide receiver Josh Downs, while admitting he is “a lot higher” on him than others. The Vikings can benefit from a third skilled wide receiver behind Justin Jefferson and K.J. Osborn. House said the 5-9 Downs has “excellent ball skills” as shown by his 72 percent success with contested catches last season. “He’s got great field vision and can cause damage after the catch,” House said about another possibility at No. 23.

The Vikings have cornerback needs, too, that need attention. “I am a huge fan of Cam Smith,” House said in regard to the South Carolina corner. The 6-1, 180-pound Smith runs a 4.43 40, per NFL.com, and is not only a physical defender but is skilled in anticipation of pass routes, House said.

If the Vikings trade back from No. 23 in the first round as part of a strategy to add picks, Downs or Smith might be available, or Wisconsin defensive tackle Keeanu Benton. House said the media is “undervaluing” Benton who NFL.com projects as a second-round pick. At 6-4, 309 he is not only strong but showed pass rushing skills at the Senior Bowl, per House.

Daniel House

Edge rushers are coveted in the NFL and Iowa State’s Will McDonald is another player that House believes is undervalued. McDonald looks like a possibility in the first round and certainly somewhere in the second. “I loved the energy and effort he played with,” House said. “He’s one of those guys that maybe didn’t play in the best fit schematically but could translate (to a new scheme) and be a huge, huge boon for an NFL team who values him.”

The Vikings don’t have a second-round selection but do have picks in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth rounds. Possible second or third round players House likes in the upcoming draft include Mississippi running back Zach Evans who with his explosiveness reminds him of the Vikings’ Dalvin Cook.

House also favors day two and three prospects Israel Abanikanda from Pittsburgh, Mississippi wide receiver Jonathan Mingo and Illinois defensive tackle Calvin Avery. The Vikings may have included Avery among top 30 players hosted here for draft analysis. House sees him potentially filling a nose tackle need for the Vikings and “someone to keep an eye on” during day three.

The Vikings’ NFC North Division rivals include the Lions who have two selections in the first round. House believes the Lions could take Illinois corner Devon Witherspoon at No. 6 and beat the Vikings to Kancey at No. 18. The Bears need offensive line help and may opt for Tennessee tackle Darnell Wright. At No. 13 the Packers may go with Georgia offensive tackle Broderick Jones. Before their trade Monday with the Jets that moved them up from No. 15 to 13, House thought the Packers might pull an “out of the box” move selecting McDonald who eventually would replace 30-year-old outside linebacker Preston Smith.

Several Golden Gophers could be selected over the three days, starting with center John Michael Schmitz who is likely to go in the first round, possibly to the Giants or Seahawks. House believes cornerback Terell Smith and safety Jordan Howden may be selected in the fourth round. He sees running back Mo Ibrahim, quarterback Tanner Morgan, pass rusher Thomas Rush and linebacker Mariano Sori-Marin as possible seventh rounders.

The draft projection for Ibrahim, the Gophers’ record setting All-American, may surprise some fans. While Ibrahim has strength, toughness and excellent run vision, there are concerns about his injury history and lack of top-level speed.

Worth Noting

Passionate Vikings fan Steve Nestor, who has followed the franchise since its inception in 1961, emailed the following: “If the Vikings draft a QB @ 23, I will no longer follow or watch them. They have so many holes to fill. They need to get more picks and sign some free agents! How is that for being adamant?”

House said dating back to 2017 the football Gophers are the least penalized team in the FCS. “I spent a lot of time looking into that project,” he said.

Minnesota averaged 3.97 penalties per game. Air Force was second at 4.03. Cincinnati, where Luke Fickell led the Bearcats before taking over at Wisconsin after last season, was the most penalty prone team with an average of 8.05.

Look for P.J. Fleck and his assistants to be active in the transfer portal now with needs that include defensive backs. Also, coaches will be on the road recruiting high school players during May.

The Wild, tied at 2-2 in their first round series with the Stars and resuming play tonight in Dallas, could make history if this team advances to the Stanley Cup Finals and wins, per NHL Stats. No expansion team in the NHL, NBA, NFL or MLB that began play this century has ever won a championship. The Wild’s first season was 2000-2001 and although the franchise has been to the playoffs 11 times, Minnesota has never qualified for the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Wild, who lost 3-2 to the Stars Sunday night at Xcel Energy Center, don’t lose often at home. Minnesota has had 24 wins and only eight losses at the X since November 19 of last year.

Denny Schulstad, a close friend of basketball immortal George Mikan, speaks to the CORES lunch group Thursday, May 11 at the Bloomington Event Center. Schulstad, who served 22 years on the Minneapolis City Council and is a former Brigadier General in the Air Force, will share stories about Mikan who led the Minneapolis Lakers to five world championships in six years and was named Mr. Basketball for the first half of the 20^th century. Reservations can be made by emailing Jim Dotseth, dotsethj@comcast.net. CORES is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators and sports fans.

Dick Jonckowski, who emcees the CORES lunch programs, will be the featured speaker at the annual Brainerd Elks Fishing Fling fundraiser Wednesday, May 10 at the Brainerd National Armory. Proceeds benefit the organization’s youth activities fund.

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