Recruiting – Page 72 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

U Makes Money on Carolina-TCU Swap

Posted on August 22, 2015August 22, 2015 by David Shama

Gophers coach Jerry Kill wanted out of a two-game schedule in 2013-2014 against North Carolina because the Tar Heels represented more of a competitive nonconference opponent than his struggling program was ready for. What he didn’t know was athletic director Norwood Teague would eventually schedule a much more difficult opponent in TCU. And while the Gophers might not win on the field against TCU, Teague arranged financial terms easing the expense of vacating the North Carolina games.

Minnesota was 3-9 overall and 2-6 in Big Ten games after Kill’s first season in 2011. The Gophers had the same record the season prior and Kill knew there was monumental work to do in rebuilding the program. In the fall of 2012 Teague and Kill were in agreement to buyout the Carolina contract for $800,000.

The Gophers had been scheduled to play in Chapel Hill, North Carolina September 7, 2013, with the return game in Minneapolis September 14 of the next year. The buyout was criticized by Minnesota media and fans for the cost and also the unwillingness to play an opponent from a major football conference.

Kill, though, was trying to follow a formula used by most program building coaches—schedule mediocre opposition in advance of the conference season. He got his way in 2013 when Minnesota was 4-0 against nonconference opponents New Mexico State, San Jose State, UNLV and Western Illinois.

However, in the spring of 2013 the Gophers announced the scheduling of two games with TCU, a program coming off many 10-plus win seasons in the 2000s and eventually headed for 12-1 in 2014. Kill and TCU coach Gary Patterson have been buddies for years but when the deal for the two schools was being initially arranged neither was aware of it.

Teague and TCU booked a game for September 13 last year in Fort Worth with the second game in Minneapolis this season—September 3. The deal was made before Kill had control of his football schedule, and is a prime example of disconnect between the coach and his now departed and infamous athletic director.

“Coach Patterson, you can talk to him. He knew nothing about it (scheduling TCU and Minnesota),” Kill said earlier this month. “I knew nothing about it. All of a sudden you hear something, and he goes, hey, are we going to play each other?

“I go, no. He goes, I don’t want to play. He goes, I heard rumors. I…said we’re not playing. And then all of a sudden I get a phone call that we’re going to play the game. I’m low man on the totem pole, so we’ll go play the game.”

Teague saw an opportunity to make money with the TCU games. A source told Sports Headliners the deal Teague finalized not only provides monies to entirely offset the $800,000 North Carolina buyout, but the Gophers will make a few hundred thousand dollars beyond that figure—perhaps $400,000.

The Horned Frogs are a favorite to win the national championship this season and it will be a huge upset if the Gophers win on September 3. Kill’s program is dramatically improved since he lobbied and won termination of the North Carolina games, but in a perfect world the Minnesota coach would probably prefer playing VMI instead of TCU. Still, his players are excited about the TCU opportunity on national TV and the competitor in Kill is evident now—with the coach saying earlier this month “we’re looking forward to it.”

Worth Noting

Patterson made a major change in his staff and offensive philosophy after TCU finished 4-8 in 2013. He brought in new co-offensive coordinators and installed a fast-paced attack similar to those used by other programs in the Big 12—sometimes only one player in the backfield, four wide receivers and no tight ends. The Horned Frogs had the personnel to make the change and went from 88th in scoring per game to second last season, averaging 46.5 points. The TCU offense starts with quarterback Trevone Boykin, a Heisman Trophy candidate.

You wonder if the Gophers might follow TCU’s change and open up their offense in a couple of years as the program adds more playmaking quarterbacks and receivers. Certainly Kill has a consultant ready to help in his friend Patterson.

Patterson is one of the nation’s winningest coaches and first built his program at TCU with defense. Gophers defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys has visited TCU in the past, another indication of the respect and friendship between Patterson and Kill.

The Horned Frogs use a 4-2-5 defensive scheme loaded on the backend with athletic players who can run in space and defend. Gophers offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover, who watched the Gophers score only one touchdown in last year’s 30-7 loss to the Horned Frogs in Fort Worth, is more concerned about the TCU personnel than the scheme.

“That is a less of a headache as far as preparing than just the kind of players they have and how well those kids play in the system,” Limegrover said. “We didn’t have a bad day offensively last year because they did a bunch of stuff that we couldn’t handle necessarily from an assignment standpoint. We just didn’t play well. We had five turnovers. …”

The opening weekend of college football will draw a lot of attention including the AdvoCare Classic on September 5 when Wisconsin plays Alabama in a Big Ten versus SEC matchup at AT&T Stadium in Irving, Texas. A friend bought four tickets at $300 each (face value) for the game between the top 25 teams. ESPN’s College Gameday will promote the game that morning from Fort Worth.

Sean Engel, who is a senior wide receiver at Chaska High School, has received nine college offers this summer with the most recent coming from Wyoming and head coach Craig Bohl, the former North Dakota State coach who built much of his success with the Bison recruiting Minnesota preps. Engel is the brother of former Gophers wide receiver Derrick Engel who has been hired by Adidas to be a national account manager.

Fans shouldn’t make too many judgments about the Vikings offense during the preseason including tonight’s game against the Raiders at TCF Bank Stadium. Offensive coordinator Norv Turner said the team won’t show a lot in the team’s five exhibition games. “We do the things we need to do to go play a preseason game,” he said.

Exhibition games put a focus on judging personnel and eventually reducing the number of players to 53. Turner, who three times has been an NFL head coach, said his experience is teams don’t have pre-set goals on number of players at each position as they reduce rosters. He added “you want to keep the 53 best players” and the Vikings are proficient at making evaluations.

In a move to help their often struggling bullpen, the Twins have acquired left-handed reliever Neal Cotts from the Brewers in exchange for a player to be named later, or for cash. The 35-year-old Cotts appeared in 51 games for the Brewers this season, with a 3.26 ERA (49.2 IP, 18 ER), holding opponents to a .239 average with 17 walks and 49 strikeouts. During 2015 left-handed hitters are hitting .185 (15-for-81) against him.

Carl Pohlad, the former Twins owner who died in 2009, would have celebrated his 100th birthday on Sunday (August 23). Former Gophers women’s basketball coach Pam Borton turns 50 years old today.

Comments Welcome

Rod Carew: Aaron Hicks All-Star Talent

Posted on August 19, 2015August 19, 2015 by David Shama

Among those who have mentored Aaron Hicks in the past and are watching his improved season is Rod Carew. “I’ve always liked Aaron Hicks,” Carew told Sports Headliners by telephone last week.

The Twins 25-year-old center fielder flopped in 2013 and 2014 after making the club’s major league roster and becoming a starter. He hit .192 and .215 in 81 and 69 games those two seasons, and experienced demotions to Triple A Rochester. This year the switch-hitter and skilled fielder didn’t even start the season with the Twins but the way he’s played this summer indicates Hicks will fulfill the promise Carew and others have seen. “He’s got tremendous talent,” said Carew who is a special assistant for the Twins organization.

Carew played 19 seasons in the major leagues including 12 with the Twins. His lifetime average of .328 is among the best in baseball since 1950. He won seven batting championships and played on 18 All-Star teams.

Can Hicks become an All-Star? “Well, he’s got the talent,” Carew answered. “It’s all up to him.”

Hicks, who has been moved up from near the bottom of the batting order to the leadoff position, is hitting .272 with eight home runs and 25 RBI. He has 243 plate appearances, or close to the equivalent of a half season. His numbers in the last 30 games, including a .277 average and 17 RBI, are impressive. However, in the past 15 games the inconsistency that occurs during a long season is evident. In that stretch he is hitting .219, although he has homered three times including Monday night in New York against the Yankees.

Hicks has turned heads with his fielding. His spectacular catches have Twins fans also anticipating the arrival of Byron Buxton in the outfield. A combination of Hicks in left field and the even speedier Buxton in center will close down outfield space for opposing hitters. Hicks has no errors and eight assists this season.

Carew was famous for driving the baseball to all fields and he is seeing that trait in Hicks. “I think he’s using the whole field a lot better,” Carew said. “I think when he first came up he was trying to pull everything. He’s got some power and once he starts thinking about home runs, that’s when he starts getting into a rut. He just needs to continue thinking about driving the ball to all fields.“

In past years Carew believes the 6-2, 210 pound Hicks was putting too much pressure on himself including trying to hit balls over the fence. “Every time I see him I really stay on him and try to get him to maintain his focus,” said Carew who lives in California but travels to Minneapolis to assist the Twins. “I think Torii (Hunter) has been a great help for him too because Torii has that presence in the locker room to help the younger players out.”

Hunter has hit 18 home runs with 60 RBI as the Twins 40-year-old regular right fielder. No doubt Hunter, Carew and others in the organization who have mentored Hicks would like to see him playing at a high level when he is 40.

Worth Noting

Carew was born on a train in Panama in 1945. Early in his big league career fans knew him by the nickname “Choo-Choo” but he doesn’t answer to it now. “No one calls me that,” he said.

Florida wide receiver Dredrick Snelson is among the most hyped high school players who have made verbal commitments to sign with the Gophers next February but recruiting authority Ryan Burns told Sports Headliners Marshall, Minnesota WR Drew Hmielewski has the “potential” to be even better. Snelson, with three and four-star labels from recruiting sources, is also the “least solid” to keep his commitment among Minnesota’s recruits, according to Burns who is publisher of Scout’s GopherDigest.com. Snelson, described by Burns as an “excellent route runner,” is scheduled to visit Minneapolis for the Gophers game against Michigan on October 31.

Burns raved about Hmielewski, praising his athletic and leadership qualities. He can foresee maybe ranking Hmielewski a four-star recruit this fall. Like former Gophers All-Big Ten receiver Eric Decker, Hmielewski is an outstanding high school baseball player. Hmielewski also excels at basketball.

Last fall Burns was excited about quarterback Demry Croft who ended up signing with the Gophers and is now a freshman earning compliments from head coach Jerry Kill. Burns is even more enthusiastic about quarterback Tony Poljan who has verbally committed to be part of Minnesota’s 2016 class. He was impressed with Poljan’s throwing mechanics this summer and said the 6-6, 215-pound passer-runner from Lansing (Mich.) Catholic High School reminds him of a “young Ben Roethlisberger.”

Quoting Kill on Croft after last Saturday’s scrimmage: “He’s just an instinctive guy. He’s had a heck of a camp. It’s kind of like watching (Teddy) Bridgewater. He doesn’t get excited about anything. …There’s nothing that rattles the kid. He’s got an extreme amount of talent. He’s been very impressive in camp.”

Although the negative publicity about former Gophers athletic director Norwood Teague has been national news, Burns said the impact on football recruiting has been nil. He judges the 15 recruiting commits as the highest quality class yet in the Kill era that began in 2011.

Early speculation is the Gophers might have the best defensive secondary in the Big Ten, certainly ranking near the top. That’s a benefit and challenge for Minnesota starting quarterback Mitch Leidner—to practice against the skilled group of cornerbacks and safeties.

“You learn your progressions and reads better,” Leidner said. “You don’t see the coverages (in games) that they do. They disguise them well. …Some of the best athletes in the Big Ten are in our secondary, so it’s definitely helpful.”

While the Gophers may reach a final total of 4,500 or so student season tickets, some other Big Ten schools dwarf that number. Penn State has sold out its student allotment with 21,000 tickets, while last year Ohio State totaled over 29,000.

It will likely be a bittersweet homecoming for Christian Ponder on Saturday night when the former Vikings quarterback returns to Minneapolis with the Raiders. Ponder has friends here but he didn’t permanently win the starting quarterback position with the Vikings during a four-year career. His confidence couldn’t have benefited from booing and heckling Vikings fans. Ponder, who is projected as a reserve with the Raiders under former Vikings offensive Bill Musgrave, completed six of eight passes with one touchdown and one interception for Oakland last week in the team’s preseason win against the Rams.

Comments Welcome

‘Sky’s the Limit’ for Vikings Defense

Posted on June 17, 2015June 17, 2015 by David Shama

Notes on the Gophers, Twins and Vikings.

The Vikings ranked No. 14 in total NFL defense last season. Minnesota was No. 25 among 32 teams in rushing defense and No. 7 in pass defense. This week the team is finishing mini-camp for the spring and veteran defensive end Brian Robison likes what he sees.

“I think the sky’s the limit for us (defensively),” Robison said yesterday. “I think we’ve got an opportunity to do some really special things around here.

“I think our DBs are playing tremendous right now. I think they’re even better than what they were last year. Defensive line wise, I think we’re rushing very well. Linebackers, having Chad (Greenway) back and having a few of those guys back in there doing the things they’re doing. Fifty-four (rookie Eric Kendricks) is doing some great things out here.

“Yeah, we’ve got very high expectations for our defense and now it’s just about going out there and doing it. We can always have high expectations but if you don’t put it on tape then it doesn’t matter.”

Contrary to a published report earlier this spring, J.D. Spielman hasn’t verbally committed to the Gophers. Vikings general manager Rick Spielman told Sports Headliners yesterday the Gophers remain on the list of possible college destinations for his son who will be a senior football player at Eden Prairie High School next season.

Spielman said he and his son visited Michigan and coach Jim Harbaugh two weeks ago. Additional college visits are planned later this month but Spielman declined to identify the schools. J.D., who just finished his lacrosse season for Eden Prairie, has football offers from Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Nebraska. Spielman said his son is being recruited as an “athlete,” meaning he could play collegiately on offense, defense or special teams.

Zac Epping, the former Gophers guard, is working with Minneapolis-based agent James Selmer and drawing interest from several NFL teams including the Titans. Epping, who has lost weight since his Gophers days and feels quicker, now weighs 310 pounds and hopes to have a deal soon with an NFL club.

Teams are looking at Epping as either a guard or center. The 6-2 Kenosha, Wisconsin native impressed during his Gophers career with his work ethic and passion for competition. As a young college player, former Gopher offensive lineman Matt Carufel made an impact on Epping. “He kind of taught me, don’t take any crap from anybody,” Epping said.

The Vikings and U.S. Bank officially announced a 20-year naming rights deal on Monday for the new downtown domed stadium. U.S. Bank Stadium has long been rumored to be the name for the facility that opens next year. Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal reported Monday the deal is for $220 million.

If an $11 million per year figure is accurate, the deal is by far the largest of its kind for a Minnesota sports venue. Target Field naming rights have been estimated in the $5 to $6 million range annually with Xcel Energy Center perhaps worth half that, and Target Center and TCF Bank Stadium under $2 million each.

Dave Mona is looking for auction items for the sixth annual Camden’s Concert on July 13 at the Hopkins Center for the Arts. Among items already secured are prime seats at Lambeau Field for the Packers and Vikings game. The concert features the Wright Brothers and is named after Dave and Linda Mona’s grandson Camden Mona. The event raises money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Anyone with ideas for auction items can call Dave Mona at 952-944-5344.

Phil Steele’s College Football Preview and Athlon Sports have named Gophers punter Peter Mortell first team preseason All-Big Ten, according to a June 1 Gophersports.com story. Both Steele and Athlon included Minnesota defensive backs Briean Boddy-Calhoun and Eric Murray on their All-Big Ten second teams. Defensive end Theiren Cockran made Steele’s second team and offensive tackle Josh Campion was on Athlon’s second unit.

Former Gophers associate athletics director Tom Wistrcill has resigned as Akron athletics director to become an executive with Learfield Sports, the national company that works with colleges and conferences developing sports related revenues including for broadcasting.

Whether 21-year-old rookie center fielder Byron Buxton goes back to the minor leagues will have a lot to do with if he can hit breaking ball pitches. Buxton debuted on Sunday, struck out twice and was hitless in four at bats. He saw plenty of breaking balls. He is hitting .200 in three games with the Twins.

Breaking balls are a challenge to most young hitters, and whatever the reasons the Twins organization is working on a string of promising prospects who have floundered early in their MLB careers. The list includes Oswaldo Arcia, Aaron Hicks, Danny Santana and Kennys Vargas. All but Hicks impressed with early hitting only to stumble later.

Part of hitting success is confidence and the Twins didn’t allow Arcia, Buxton, Hicks, Santana and Vargas to play and excel for a full season in Triple-A, baseball’s highest level in the minors. The suspicion here is Buxton will be dispatched back to the farm system in a couple of weeks if he doesn’t impress at the plate. No doubt that would be a good move for this highly scrutinized athlete who is rated among the top prospects in baseball.

Buxton is a social media hit with over 24,000 Twitter followers. Decades ago Buxton’s rookie trading card would have been a hot item but now sports memorabilia, including card collecting, has much less interest. The value of old baseball cards for the bigger names is still impressive, though. Harmon Killebrew’s rookie card could command $250, with Rod Carew’s at $150. Mickey Mantle’s rookie card still is the gold standard with a price that might exceed $25,000.

St. Thomas men’s basketball coach John Tauer has authored a book on youth sports and parents. “It’s a combination of psychology, motivation research, anecdotes from the playgrounds to the pros on how and why kids excel or get burned out on sports,” Tauer wrote in an e-mail to Sports Headliners. The book is titled Why LESS is MORE for WOSPS (Well-Intentioned, Overinvolved Sports Parents) and more information is available at Amazon.com. Dr.Tauer, a St. Paul native, has his doctorate in social psychology.

The Warriors likely wouldn’t have earned an NBA title if high scoring guard Klay Thompson had been traded last summer to the Timberwolves. There was interest inside the Warriors organization in sending Thompson—the son of former Gophers All-American center Mychal Thompson—to the Wolves in a deal involving disgruntled power forward Kevin Love who was later traded to the Cavs. But Warriors consultant Jerry West insisted Thompson not be traded and was ready to resign if the deal was made, according to a SI.com story last Thursday by Chris Ballard.

West is a brilliant talent evaluator, perhaps the best in NBA history. He played a major administrative role in the Lakers winning eight world titles in Los Angeles and more recently helped turn around both the Grizzlies and Warriors. The legendary West was drafted as an All-American guard out of West Virginia in 1960, the same year the Lakers left Minneapolis, so he never played here. Ballard wrote that West’s drive for perfection is still present and he can shoot his age, 77, on the golf course.

Comments Welcome