Recruiting – Page 50 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Fleck High on Gophers Offensive Line

Posted on March 8, 2019March 8, 2019 by David Shama

Enjoy a Friday notes column with information on football, basketball, hockey, media and wrestling newsmakers.

Third-year Golden Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck expects his offensive line to be among the better ones in the Big Ten next fall. Offensive line performance has often been an issue in the program’s recent past and Minnesota hasn’t had a center, guard or tackle chosen in the NFL Draft for 13 years.

The enthusiastic Fleck said the Gophers, who begin spring practice next Tuesday, could have “incredible line play in the making.” Minnesota has several offensive linemen with starting experience returning from a 7-6 team that closed the year winning two of its last three regular season games, and then won a bowl game by the largest margin in program history.

Fleck believes a top offensive line is “the name of the game” in the Big Ten Conference. He knows programs that win at a high level consistently have offensive lines that excel and produce top players.

“It’s a very, very physical conference,” Fleck said. “It’s a long season. It’s nine conference games. …It is a battle every single week, especially up front. If you can have bigger, stronger, more athletic, smarter (linemen), and you continue to develop that every single year, I think you’re going to have a lot of success.”

Fleck’s returnees include Connor Olson, a starting guard who could move to center and replace Jared Weyler who was a senior last fall. Fleck said it’s also not clear yet whether Blaise Andries, another starter last season, will end up at tackle or guard.

Fleck couldn’t talk about his offensive line without quickly discussing a tight end roster that is loaded with big bodies who are counted on to complement the blocking of the center, guards and tackles. The tight end group includes 6-foot-4 Jake Paulson, a starter last season, who has bulked up from 245 pounds to 270.

Minnesota has eight returning starters on offense and the competition at some positions will be intense. The running back roster, for example, will be one of the better such units in the country with returnees Shannon Brooks, Mohamed Ibrahim, Rodney Smith and Bryce Williams. Fleck said the foursome have already accounted for “6,500 yards and 52 touchdowns” during their careers at Minnesota.

“I would call that a lot of productivity coming back in the running back position,” the coach added.

Minnesota’s first practice open to the public will be March 15 starting at 4:45 p.m. The location has yet to be announced.

In Lindsay Whalen’s first season as Gopher women’s basketball coach, home attendance has increased from an average of 3,130 in 2017-18 to 5,738 in 2018-19. The regular season finale last Sunday against Michigan State had announced attendance of 7,707 and was the third largest home crowd of the season.

This has been a historical week in Minnesota for female play-by-play announcers on television, with Marney Gellner doing the Twins’ spring training game from Fort Myers Sunday, and Sloane Martin describing games Wednesday at the boys’ state high school hockey tournament in St. Paul. Never before in Minnesota have women done TV play-by-play for the Twins and the boys’ hockey tournament.

The Pioneer Press chose John Mayasich as the No. 1 all-time Minnesota prep hockey player in its recent series listing the 75 best ever. He had a great prep career at Eveleth High School and was a four-time All-American for the Gophers in 1952, 1953, 1954 and 1955. The newspaper named South St. Paul’s Phil Housley No. 2.

Best guess to win the “sweepstakes” to get Rochester John Marshall basketball superstar Matthew Hurt is Duke and its legendary coach Mike Krzyzweski, who in past years has landed Minnesotans Gary Trent Jr., and brothers Tre and Tyus Jones.

The Gophers’ chances? Slim to none, according to those who have followed the recruiting of Hurt.

Coach Richard Pitino’s Minnesota men’s basketball team closes its regular season at No. 24 Maryland tonight, after upsetting No. 11 ranked Purdue Tuesday at Williams Arena. A Minnesota win will be the first time since 1993 (excluding vacated seasons) that a Gopher team has won back-to-back games against ranked opponents.

Among those in attendance at Tuesday’s game was 1952-53 All-American Gopher guard Charley Mencel. He also played for the NBA Minneapolis Lakers, and is among the Gopher greats whose jerseys are displayed in the Williams Arena rafters.

At No. 1 Gable Steveson, the Apple Valley freshman with a 27-0 record, is Minnesota’s highest seeded wrestler as the Gophers go into Saturday and Sunday’s Big Ten Championships at Williams Arena, but others, of course, will be counted on to contribute. “We have 10 guys who can go out and score points,” coach Brandon Eggum said.

Shortstops can be the best athletes on their teams, so maybe the Twins don’t face a logjam for eventual playing time with incumbent Jorge Polanco and valued minor league prospects Nick Gordon, Royce Lewis, and Wander Javier.

It wouldn’t be surprising if a Fortune 500 CEO is hired to replace retiring Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany in June of 2020.

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Fleck Likely to Sign One Player Weds.

Posted on February 5, 2019February 5, 2019 by David Shama

Ryan Burns, the college football recruiting authority from Gopherillustrated.com, believes Minnesota will sign one player tomorrow to a National Letter of Intent. Wednesday, February 6 is the second of two National Signing Days for high school and junior college players. The Gophers received commitments from almost their entire 2019 recruiting class back in December on the first National Signing Day.

Head coach P.J. Fleck and his assistants compiled a promising class months ago, rather than put themselves in a hole scrambling to fill needs tomorrow. “It’s a pretty boring day (February 6), which is exactly the way they want it,” Burns told Sports Headliners in a telephone interview on Monday. “I don’t think it’s going to be a very important day for them either, which is exactly the way they want it.”

Burns said Minnesota appears ready to sign junior college defensive back Gervarrius Owens from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. Owens is a junior college All-American who was recruited to Northeastern Oklahoma when Gophers tight end coach Clay Patterson was head coach there.

Since the first Signing Day on December 19, the Gophers have also added former Notre Dame defensive lineman Micah-Dew Treadway who played in 11 games for the Irish last season. He’s on the roster now as a graduate transfer and in June will be joined by ex-USC wide receiver Randall Grimes.

Treadway is expected to be eligible this fall, while Grimes not until 2020. Grimes was a promising 2017 USC recruit who has yet to establish himself in college football after redshirting last fall.

Probably the most important development since December Signing Day is offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca staying with Fleck. Ciarrocca turned down an opportunity last month to join new West Virginia head coach Neal Brown as offensive coordinator for the Mountaineers. After the 2017 season Cirarrocca was pursued by Auburn.

“Any time you have an SEC team trying to poach your offensive coordinator, then a Big 12-team trying to poach your offensive coordinator, I think you’re probably doing something right,” Burns said about Ciarrocca, who also worked for Fleck at Western Michigan.

Burns believes Ciarrocca having his best offensive personnel in three seasons at Minnesota likely was a factor in the coach’s decision to remain with the Gophers. Minnesota returns nine of 11 starters including potential All-Big Ten receivers Tyler Johnson and Rashod Bateman, and three of five players on the offensive line, a unit that at times was dominant toward the end of last season. The Gophers could have their top offensive line in years and certainly rank with the Big Ten’s best at running back with proven standouts in Shannon Brooks, Mohamed Ibrahim and Rodney Smith.

The Gophers have experienced too much change among assistant and head coaches in recent years, but the situation is stabilizing including with offensive line coach Brian Callahan returning for a second season in charge. Fleck has often praised Callahan, and Burns agrees the offensive line will be among Minnesota’s strengths in the fall.

Who does Burns believe will be the starters on the offensive line? He answered the unit will consist of left tackle Jason Dickson, left guard Blaise Andries, center Connor Olson, right guard Curtis Dunlap Jr. and right tackle Daniel Faalele. All five will be expected back in 2020, too, with Olson as a redshirt junior the only upperclassman among the group.

The defensive line has only one full-time starter returning, senior end Carter Coughlin, but there is experience and talent available. There will be competition for starting assignments with Burns guessing Coughlin’s first team companions could be tackles Keonte Schad, Elijah Teague, and end Esezi Otomewo. In the annual spring game on April 13 fans will be particularly interested in seeing Schad who joins the Gophers this winter after ESPN ranked him the No. 2 junior college defensive tackle in the country.

Coughlin, linebacker Thomas Barber and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. lead the talent and experience parade for a defensive unit that gave up 35 total points in three of the last four games. Earlier in the season the defense was often a disaster including a debacle against Illinois when a poor Illini team put up 55 against Minnesota.

But that was before Joe Rossi took over as interim defensive coordinator. Since then Rossi has been given full-time authority after shutting down varied offenses in late year victories over Purdue, Wisconsin and Georgia Tech. Can Rossi work his magic for a full season?

“I don’t think it’s a flash in the pan considering you look at Minnesota’s final three wins,” Burns said. “They did it against three very different offenses.“

The Gophers finished with a 7-6 overall record including their Quick Lane Bowl victory against Georgia Tech. Their impressive close to the season, including reclaiming Paul Bunyan’s Axe in Madison, has caught the attention on the national scene. Minnesota is ranked in the top 25 of early listings by Sporting News and other college football authorities.

Burns believes the rosy forecasts could work out on the field if Minnesota can dodge the inconsistency that characterized Fleck’s teams his first two seasons leading the Gophers. No where will consistency be more needed, Burns said, then at the quarterback position where sophomores Tanner Morgan and Zack Annexstad, despite success last year, are still inexperienced. Morgan started seven games, Annexstad six.

Helping with expectations, too, is what appears to be a favorable schedule with Minnesota not playing Big Ten “bullies” Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State. The Gophers have South Dakota State, Georgia Southern, Illinois, Nebraska, Maryland, Penn State and Wisconsin at home. They play Fresno State, Purdue, Rutgers, Iowa and Northwestern on the road. It’s no stretch right now to speculate the Gophers could be favored in more than half of their games.

It won’t hurt either that the Gophers are generating more interest among the public than a year ago. There’s a push by the Athletic Department to capitalize on last year’s excitement and to make some seats in TCF Bank Stadium more affordable than in 2018. Expectations are that when season ticket totals are finalized in the summer there will be an increase from a year ago.

Any success Minnesota has this fall will be looked on as a sign of even better things to come. The Gophers will lose Barber, Coughlin, Brooks, Smith and Johnson (he could be the first Gopher drafted by the NFL in 2020) to graduation but the roster is so young that Fleck has a lot to build with. As of this week that roster consisted of 16 seniors, 19 juniors, 39 sophomores and 41 freshmen.

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Fleck: U Recruiting Class ‘Historic’

Posted on December 19, 2018December 19, 2018 by David Shama

Enjoy a Wednesday notes column:

On National Signing Day today (Wednesday) the football Golden Gophers have another class ranked in the 30s by the 247Sports composite rankings. The 2019 class is currently at No. 33, while the 2018 class finished at No. 38, per 247.

“National Signing Day, it’s a very historic day for us,” Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck said in video footage shown this morning on the Big Ten Network. “We’re looking to sign…recruiting classes that are arguably the greatest recruiting classes back-to-back in Minnesota history (Internet era).

“Coaches get a lot of credit when you win. … At the end of the day this is a players’ game. And we’ve got to find the best players and the best people that match our culture, match our university, match our state, and match this program as we continue to move forward.”

Because of technology and the fan interest in college football, recruiting rankings have become a phenomena of the new millennium. 247 reported the Gophers’ classes of 2017, 2016 and 2015 ranked No. 59, 46 and 63 nationally.

As of today Minnesota has the No. 8 class in the Big Ten, per 247. West Division rivals Nebraska, Purdue and Wisconsin rank higher but GopherIllustrated.com authority Ryan Burns thinks Minnesota’s class compares favorably, if not better. “I would put the offer list that Minnesota has for their commits versus any team in the Big Ten West (Division), and I think Minnesota would win,” Burns told Sports Headliners several days ago.

The Gophers have two four-star recruits, per 247Sports. They are Memphis defensive tackle Kristian Williams and Ellenwood, Georgia defensive tackle Rashad Cheney. Williams’ FBS offers included LSU and Mississippi, while Cheney turned down Alabama and Georgia.

Another signee, Jason Williamson, the state’s Mr. Football Award winner, will become a legend in his hometown of Owatonna if he has a big career at Minnesota. Williamson rushed for 3,009 yards and 46 touchdowns as a senior running back at Owatonna. During his career he ran for 7,009 yards and 102 touchdowns.

“Jason is an outstanding student (3.69 GPA) and a role model and leader in our hallways,” said Owatonna coach Jeff Williams in a statement after Williamson won the Mr. Football Award Sunday. “He is held in the highest regard by teachers and students alike. He is a favorite at our youth camp and in our elementary cafeterias. He is always willing to give of his time to work with the young kids in our district.”

Among Gophers signing today who could yet see their rankings increase by recruiting authorities is Rockwall, Texas quarterback Jacob Clark. The highly regarded Clark, a three-star recruit, will enroll at Minnesota soon and participate in spring practices.

The Gophers gave out their many annual awards at a banquet Sunday and senior linebacker Blake Cashman wasn’t among those honored. It’s surprising that with 19 different award categories that Cashman, who will skip the Quick Lane Bowl to avoid possible injury and prepare for the 2019 NFL Draft, wasn’t recognized with one or more awards.

The Outstanding Defensive Player Award went to junior end Carter Coughlin who led the team in sacks with 9.5. Cashman led Minnesota in solo, assisted and totals tackles with 104.

Coughlin is outstanding and could have made a difference for Ohio State this season. Coming out of Eden Prairie High School, he thought about becoming a Buckeye. His pass rushing skills would have nicely complemented the absence of OSU All-American defensive end Nick Bosa who missed most of the season for the 12-1 Buckeyes.

Junior Tyler Johnson, who won the team MVP Award Sunday, seems likely to consider declaring for the 2019 NFL Draft. Johnson was one of the Big Ten’s most productive receivers last season with 1,112 yards, 10 touchdown receptions and an average of 15.03 yards per catch.

Pro scouts, though, may question the speed of the 6-2, 200-pound former Minneapolis North athlete. Fleck and receivers coach Matt Simon could appeal to Johnson to play one more season at Minnesota to watch him mature, as did Corey Davis when he played for those coaches at Western Michigan. After Davis’ senior season he was an All-American despite generating minimal interest from college football programs coming out of high school.

Casey Mittlestadt, the former Gopher now an NHL rookie with the Sabres, has five goals and is only four goals behind the third leading rookies in that category.

Targeting 11? The Vikings had 10 sacks in their November 4 win over the Lions and possibly could top that total Sunday in Detroit. Minnesota had nine sacks, including two each from defensive end Danielle Hunter and linebacker Anthony Barr, in last Sunday’s win against the Dolphins.

The North Dakota State Bison, who play next month for a seventh FCS national title in eight years, placed seven players on the Associated Press FCS All-American teams named last week, including three Minnesotans. Hutchinson senior safety Robbie Grimsley was named to the All-American first team defense; senior defensive end Greg Menard from Lakeville North was second team defense; and junior Zack Johnson of Spring Lake Park was honored as a third team offensive tackle selection.

Grimsley and Johnson were named Walter Camp FCS first team All-Americans on Monday. Grimsley has made 51 consecutive starts, Johnson, 29, for NDSU.

Twins front office executives Derek Falvey and Thad Lavine have placed the emphasis on taking a youthful roster into 2019. Pitcher Kyle Gibson at 31 and catcher Jason Castro, 30, are the only players on the club’s 39-man roster 30 or over. Pitcher Addison Reed turns 30 on December 27.

The Twins are offering a 19 percent discount on single game home tickets for March, April, May and September of next year. Excluded is the team’s home opener on March 28.

Dave Joerger, the Minnesota native and NBA Kings coach whose team split two games with the Timberwolves in the last several days, might have been the Wolves head coach if the late Flip Saunders hadn’t wanted the job in 2014.

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